Week 5 - May 22 Low Carb Bootcamp. The second half!

[BIWI]

Morning all.

I was going to link, as usual, to the spreadsheet, but it doesn't appear to be working for me this morning . Will have to call on @Baystard to help out!

I was glad to read on the other thread, though, about continuing losses - which is great to hear, especially as we have just finished the dreaded weeks 3 and 4. Hopefully the losses will continue from now on.

This week is likely to offer challenges with the Jubilee weekend, and the inevitable parties (sorry, work meetings)

Like many others, I expect, we're planning on a barbecue - but thankfully barbecue food is probably the most low-carb friendly way to eat at a social gathering. As long as you avoid burger buns or hot dog buns, it's usually all pretty low carb fare - especially when you're making your own salads and marinades etc.

So this week's challenge is to share your favourite barbecue recipes and tips!

And you will! But I don't think you need to do an egg fast to do that. Just KOKO ❤

Well done @Bananajam 👏👏👏

If anyone wants to try some cheesies (great for crunch) and a replacement for crisps, here is a 20% discount code 😊. I like the chilli cheesies, Gouda and reD Leicester

cheesies

B, Baked eggs with spinach butter & cheddar.
Snack. Greek yogurt
Chicken thigh with green beans
Bolognaise - HM with celery onion tomato leek carrott

B: nothing
L: egg mayo, leftover roast chicken, salad veg, half a dozen blackberries
D: salmon fillet, roasted vegetables, avocado
S: a few nuts

I didn't do so well on the water today. Quite pleased that I made a small loss last week.

@Ollieharriet and @Bananajam
wow that’s amazing well done
that’s 28 packs of butter and / or a size down ?

Well done @Bananajam .

Sort of bad day for me yesterday. I was overtired after my weekend and just wanted to pick/ snack all afternoon. Mostly BC but did include some 90% chocolate. It was a real demonstration for me of the importance of good sleep to allow me to maintain healthy habits.

Working from the office today do already on my commute with a salad box in my bag.

I find it easier to keep hydrated in this office than the other one I visit as this one has big jugs meant for meeting rooms but I sit one on my desk.

Happy Tuesday everyone.

Brilliant @Bananajam and@Ollieharriet

Idk @Lougle I love an egg fast. But then I really, really like eggs! I sometimes do a modified version as I think the Jimmy Moore original egg fast is too low in protein.

@Lougle on the IBD, I find that I can't cope with too much fibrous veggies such as cabbage. Also the keto substitutes made with flax seed or coconut flour upset my stomach.

@teraculum29 don't forget 1lb = 2 packs of butter.

I'm only 3 butters down but nsv's
I feel physically slimmer, clothes fit again and people are noticing!
Does twirl.

@StuntNun I've been thinking that I need to increase my fibre but maybe it's the opposite. TMI but I think my body is withholding because it's sore. I've started taking my Mesalamine tablets as well as my suppository but no impact yet, except that I have a banging migraine this morning. The Mesalamine tablets tend to do that, I find.

I'm down 0.3kg today (0.7lb), though, so now 64.7kg.

I am always a bit "bunged up" when I get a migraine - I think because my digestion slows right down as part if my symptoms.
I had to switch from tablets to nasal spray triptans as the tablets stopped working. My GP thought it was because as part of the migraine my digestion ground to a halt, so I wasn't absorbing the tablets properly.

Hope you feel better soon.

Loving the graphs @ditavonteesed and @Lougle

Waist measurement reduction is amazing.

@Lougle and @ditavonteesed I saw this on instagram this morning and thought of you both:

www.instagram.com/p/CeLmj-XO47a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

@Bananajam and @Lougle - congratulations both on amazing losses (I would usually add a champagne emoji here but that doesn't seem very appropriate!!)

@ditavonteesed - you're looking fab in your trousers!

I weighed in at my lowest weight to date on Saturday (0.3kg off since last Monday), then was up 1kg from that yesterday morning and another 0.7kg on this morning. I now weigh more than I started this bootcamp at.... :( I've had quite a few stalls on the bootcamps I've participated in, but haven't ever actually gained weight while on active bootcamp. I know it will come off if I KOKO, but it is a bit disheartening nevertheless! I'm afraid I'm having a mini sulk and refusing to put todays weight into the spreadsheet :) I'm not usually a daily weigher, but weighed my toddler on Saturday (which I do approximately monthly/two monthly). Then I weighed as normal on Monday, refused to accept that and weighed again this morning hoping it would have gone back down!

On another note, has anyone ever tried a teeny tiny pinch of salt in their coffee? I've done it this morning for the first time and it's made my black coffee so much more enjoyable - smoother and less bitter! I'm not a coffee connoisseur and only really drink it for the caffeine content so this is a great discovery for me!

@pinknsparkly can I just point out though that you have lost weight and you now weigh under 10 stones. I don't know how tall you are, but I'm presuming that you haven't got that much more weight to lose? It will be slower.

However ...

... list out for us what you've been eating and drinking over the last 3-4 days and let's see if we can spot anything that you might need to tweak.

@BIWI, thanks so much. As you say I am now at the point of not having a great deal more weight to lose so I know it will come off slowly. That part I can accept, it's the putting it on that I'm less happy about 😥

I'm 5'4 so not teeny tiny but also not exactly tall, and while I was under 10 stone last week, the weight gain this week has bumped me back over the 10 stone mark. It sounds silly, but much like other posters I have various key numbers in my head that feel like progress and breaking the 10 stone mark was a major one for me! My current BMI is 24.4 and I'm aiming for a comfortable mid-range BMI.

I suspect I know exactly where the overnight weight has come from.... Last night I had an indian takeaway - lamb passanda (which is a creamy almond sauce) and saag paneer (paneer cheese in creamy spinach). I didn't eat a bite of rice or naan, but I suspect there were more carbs in the sauce than I anticipated! I'm les sure about the increase from Saturday to Monday.

Yesterday:
B; nothing, IF
L: sausage and avocado salad with mayonnaise
D: lamb passanda + saag paneer
S: M&S prawns with marie rose sauce
F: ~1.5l water

Sunday:
B: nothing, IF
L: goats cheese salad
D: sausages with buttery cabbage
S: avocado
F: ~1.5l water, 2 x diet coke cans (660ml total), 2 x hot drinks

Saturday:
B: cocktail sausages from the fridge
L: 25g mixed nuts (not very hungry as late breakfast, this was to bridge the gap before early dinner)
D: steak with garlic butter and mega salad
F: tea with milk (presumably semi skimmed, as we were out), 2 x diet coke (1000ml), ~1l water.

The diet cokes are relatively unusual for me, I used to drink them on a daily basis but have (genuinely) cut right back. Apart from this weekend! Perhaps a combination of the diet coke and not enough water is the cause? I think my water requirement for my weight is 2l, but I'm not great at hitting it unless I make a real effort.

Thanks everyone ☺️

@BIWI you're absolutely right. I know that really, I don't need to lose weight now, although my 'ideal' body weight is around 6lbs away. So I've ordered an old fashioned callenetics DVD to try and incorporate some exercise to tone up.

@pinknsparkly last week I spent the entire week gaining 0.5kg then losing it again. KOKO.

There are a few things there - firstly that's a lot of sausages! Remember we're trying to avoid processed food as much as possible.

Water - you should be drinking 2.5 litres a day (see Bootcamp rule no 6!)

And the Diet Coke - see rule no 10! We're not only aiming to avoid processed foods as much as we can, we're also looking to cut out artificial sweeteners. Not only because they're artificial, but also because there is some suggestion that they impede weight loss - or can actually trigger an insulin release.

Do you need to snack? I know you're doing IF, so the food you're eating may well all be in your 'window' but you're still eating three times a day. Are you really hungry, or is it a bit of a habit? I know we always say that we don't count calories on Bootcamp, but it is important to recognise that calories do matter, and you can easily end up eating more than you 'should'.

Are you keeping an eye on carb counts for things that you're buying, e.g. the sausages and the M&S prawns?

I absolutely get you re the psychological side of things though - seeing that next number down on the scales is hugely motivating! So it's equally disappointing to see it go up again.

I'd say that for you it is a matter of tweaking - but also remind yourself of Bootcamp rules

@Lougle , thanks. Logically I know that I can't possibly have put on 1.7kg of fat in 3 days. I just need to give my head a wobble and get back in the game! I have been debating weighing daily like you, to give me that incentive to behave myself if I've put on weight, but given my despondent reaction this morning I think it's probably not the best course of action for me! Although it's given me a good boost of motivation, it's also a little black cloud over my head that I don't want to have on a daily basis :) I also need to start doing some exercise, for strength if nothing else, and hopefully to tone up a bit. I'm considering Caroline Girvans but also wondering if it might actually kill me!! Good luck with the callenetics DVD. I bought one years ago as they're supposed to be great but shamefully I ended up throwing it away years later, still sealed in the packaging...

@BIWI, thanks so much. It's so helpful to have a second pair of eyes.

're the snacking - that's an excellent point. I'm going to make a real effort to sub snacking for water (and then snack afterwards if I'm actually hungry). I think I'm hungry when I snack (as in, I don't think it's a habit thing per se, and I do believe I'm a bit peckish when I have a snack, but quite possibly just a bit thirsty!)

Diet coke, I absolutely know needs to go.... I'd done so well for the vast majority of bootcamp in terms of diet coke that I'm actually quite annoyed at myself for the amount I drank this weekend! Now that I've discovered how much better coffee tastes with a dash of salt, I'm going to try black coffee on the go instead (and pack a salt shaker in the car!)

Water - thanks, I couldn't remember if it was 2 or 2.5l of water, but either way I'm conscious that I'm not great at hitting either of them without serious effort.

And in terms of checking carb count, the answer is "sometimes". I check them the first time I buy them but then don't check each time to make sure they're unchanged. The M&S prawns were 1.4g carbs, and the sausages were 2.7g per sausage (I had two sausages at a time). The cocktail sausages are 6.2g carbs per 5 sausages (which is probably what I have for a snack). Do they all seem like reasonable carb amounts or should I be cutting back further?

For bootcamp we're meant to be sticking below 5% where possible. Looking at Sainsbury's cocktail sausages, they are 1.6g per sausage, which sounds low but that becomes 16g per 100g which is 16%, so very high.

@pinknsparkly if your wanting an exercise video you can't go far wrong with Jillian Michaels for toning up.
@BIWI I like that, I do know that but my brain likes numbers 😂. I have some serious sore muscles this morning so I must have done good at the gym yesterday.
@ZiggZagg also really enjoyed the egg fast when I did it, in fact....

thanks for all the trouser love, I was genuinely thinking of selling them as they have sat in ,y wardrobe for a year but they are so pretty.
I took half my Morrisons roast for midnight eating last night and apparently I made everyone very hungry as it smelt so good. I will get that again it was lovely.

You don't have to do the egg fast unless you're a weirdo like StuntNun who likes it! On the spreadsheet there are some menus for 'ultra bootcamp' - 3 day plans for very low carb meals.