Week 2 - July 22 Low Carb Bootcamp - our first weigh-in!

[BIWI]

Morning all!

As ever, here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

Looking forward to reading how you all got on.

Hopefully it's good news, but if it's not what you expected then have a think about what you've been doing - read the rules again and make sure you know what to do.

If you're sure you've been following the rules, then post and let me know what your last 3-4 days have been like in terms of what you've been eating and drinking.

@CrunchyCarrot - sorry to hear your news. Please be kind and gentle with yourself ❤

I got caught up at work today and didn't eat my "lunch" until about 5.30pm. I was definitely ready to eat by then, but not chewing my arm off with hunger. The distraction definitely helps though 😃 I'm only up to 2l of water so far though, also as a result of getting caught up at work! I'm enjoying my new salad dressing of olive oil and apple cider vinegar much more than the mayonnaise I was using by the gallon!

(very late) Lunch: left over garlic chicken and mushrooms from last night, with spinach and cherry tomatoes, all drizzled with olive oil and cider vinegar. pot of greek yogurt
Dinner: some sort of baked chicken with vegetables if I can be bothered. I'll be home late tonight and if it's anything like last week I won't be wanting food when I get home.

@CrunchyCarrot sorry to hear about your pet, be gentle with yourself.

@WhoAteTheChips it's amazing how ingrained these habits are. Don't beat yourself up too much as you don't want to end up in a guilt eating spiral. KOKO until the new habits are established

I'm super snotty and headachy and I seem to be having some sort of allergic reaction to an insect bite so I'm feeling lightly sorry for myself, but at least I've kept up the healthy eating!
B: Greek yoghurt, coffee with cream
L: Ham, coleslaw, olives, pepper and cucumber sticks, little gem lettuce, kimchi and kefir
D: will be halloumi and roasted veg with garlic mayonnaise
Haven't had enough water today as work was incredibly busy - going to get myself a big glass now to tackle that!

@CrunchyCarrot So sorry to hear your news

I'm enjoying the chat here immensely, I'd ducked away after last BC and I realise how much I missed hearing how everyone is getting on.

In the end I got on the scales last night and it's not great but not actually a disaster - I'm pretty sure that I could get back on track with a couple of strict BC weeks so whilst I've joined late in going to try to stick to strict BC for a full fortnight.
Taking some comfort from the fact that whilst I've clearly not abandoned a tendency to binge, I've arrested it relatively quickly this time and got back on the wagon.

I was really properly hungry tonight for the first time in many weeks and had beef chilli (picked out the beans and gave to DS), an egg in it shakshuka-style (thanks to boot campers for introducing me to this!) and half a packet of feta crumbled over it. It's home made chilli that I start off by frying mince (the fattiest mince I can find - 25% ideally) in beef dripping, so it's very fatty/filling. Even without actually losing any weight yet I'm feeling much better for having regained control and it's lifted my confidence quite noticeably.

Congratulations to @Livelongandprospers cat - well done her! 👏

Another fan of the chat, as well as the guidance for this woe. Where else can I find people prepared to mention the connection between fibrous veg and ahem regular habits?

I notice myself starting meal planning with the necessary ration of spinach, cabbage, celeriac etc and build up any meal from there.

@Baystard I think what I've noticed with losing the urge to binge (for now!) is that taking out bread and pasta means I don't have carb cravings - it makes it much easier to 'resist' biscuits/cake etc than the times I"ve still allowed them. I guess it's about a more stable blood sugar perhaps, and also feeling properly full with decent fat intake as opposed to trying to fill up on 'healthy' carbs that actually still cause the body to want sugar. It is a total revelation to me! Well done for getting back to it, I'm sure you'll see some encouraging results - and just feel so good as well, which is hopefully as motivating as any number on a scale :)

Evening BCers. Feeling a bit flat today and water has been a struggle, but have forced myself and made it to 3l.

Food:
B: egg and chorizo (without avocado in the end)
L: left over stroganoff with courgetti
D: veg and halloumi tray bake on a bed of spinach
S: greek yogurt and cinnamon 😋

Let's hope tomorrow is better 🙏

D- steak with a creamy garlic sauce with broccoli and mange tout

@BIWI I'm being a model bootcamper this week, promise 😊.

B - cheese omelette
L - roast veg traybake
D - chicken, mushroom and spinach one-pot thing all mixed up with a tub of full-fat soft cheese and cauliflower rice
Lots of water and herbal tea, spent most of the day in and out of the bathroom!!!!!!

Plan for breakfast for the next couple of days is Greek yoghurt, and have spicy pork belly for one dinner, lemon and salt chicken for another with lots more roast veg. Leftover chicken and spinach for lunch and a random portion of chicken curry for another lunch -which I may have taken out of the freezer thinking it was soup-

I'm finding that I need to be properly planned to help stay on track so tomorrow's job is a proper cupboard audit and my first Ocado order

Evening all.

B greek yog
L keto seedy crackers, mature cheddar, cucumber
D yummy salad of bacon, avocado, cherry toms, lots of leaves

Def more stable blood sugar on this woe. Did have major cake craving at lunchtime though!

B: asparagus and ham roll - ups
L : Spanish style omelette with low carb veg and a green side salad
D: Chicken Cacciatore made in instant pot
S: nothing deliberate, two accidentally consumed jelly babies. 10.5 gms of carbs! Can’t believe they slide in without me even thinking or noticing I was eating them.
All the water.

B: nothing (fasting)
L: egg mayo, rollitos, cucumber, radishes, cherry tomatoes, pepper strips, avocado, homemade Marie Rose sauce (mayo, dab of tomato purée, drop of hot sauce)
D: sausages, egg, fried mushrooms
S: a spoon of FF yogurt (with a pinch of cocoa powder - thanks to @prettybird)

All the water (slosh, slosh)

Well done everyone for persevering through tricky days. I've had a migraine today and I went out with a friend and her children, so that was nice but I had to adjust my normal.

I didn't have breakfast until really late, so I missed lunch (deliberately). I stuck to tea when we were out and had dinner when I got home.

B - Greek yoghurt and clotted cream
L - skipped
D - 2 lamb chops, roasted veg.

Fluids: 4.1 litres.

Another busy day with dgc (exhausted now).

They had 'first breakfast' with grandad (lots of cereals) while I lay in bed with a cup of redbush tea. Thank you dh
We had 'second breakfast' together: avocado for me (and a creamy coffee), toast with various combinations of avocado, peanut butter and jam for them.
L - picnic: lettuce, ham, cucmber, tomatoes, celery, radish, mushrooms mayonnaise (plus all the rolls / pom bears / apples for them)
D - salmon wrapped in ham, pan fried bok choi, roast tomatoes (potatoes for dgc, and pudding)

Despite eating only 'my foods' I feel incredibly full. I was planning for everyone else's needs so I ate 3 full meals alongside them (without any of the carby elements). If I was on my own I might have had my breakfast later in the day, and then probably missed lunch.

So I ate all BC compatible foods, but I'm left feeling that I've had too much. Interesting lesson - even following this woe I can still subjucate my food needs to those of others.

One of the good things I have noticed about this woe is that I almost never do the terrible thing of going to the supermarket hungry and without a meal plan cue packing the trolley with easily available carbs including something to eat on the way home Firstly, I nearly always have some idea of what we will eat. Then I never go 'browsing' in the pasta and pizza aisles. And even if I go right before tea-time I mostly never have that 'hangry' grab everything impulse.

@colouringindoors what are the keto chips please? I miss crunchy things! Have made and enjoyed kale chips and am eating crispy veg. But The keto chips sound promising!

Thanks so much to all those who commented on the loss of my sweet kitty - he is very much missed.

I have gone wheat free, at least, for the past 2 weeks, so that is something. I have known for ages it doesn't agree with me but kept putting off that final step! Beyond that I can't get motivated, but at least I hope some of those wheat intolerance symptoms will improve how I feel.

@CrunchyCarrot I’m so sorry to hear about your little cat - loss is so painful and hard.

I’m 1/5 of the way through today, as I’m finishing early! Another tiny milestone to tick off :)

TMI chat for this time in the morning but I noticed a couple of people have mentioned being constipated. When I first started this woe I got very constipated and actually ended up a little bit unwell (there was a fainted on the bathroom floor incident) it actually stopped me low carbing for a while as it was scary.

The obvious solutions are plenty of water and plenty of fat, make sure you are eating enough veg. More intense solutions include physillium husk, sugar free sweets. Personally if I get so much as a hint of this returning I take a laxative as I don't ever want to be in that situation again. It was only a problem whilst I adjusted and haven't had it for a very long time so probably our body adjusting to the change in eating.

Moving swiftly on, friends wanted to go to a cafe yesterday that was a couple of miles walk, we walked, up the steepest hill in Sheffield which is saying something, by the time we got to the cafe I was pouring with sweat, I didn't drink enough before we went as I didn't want to need a wee. Drank about 4 glasses of water straight away. By the time I got home I felt quite unwell, it was so hot and clammy. I drank 3 litres of water and 3 massive cups of camomile tea and all good.

@CrunchyCarrot sorry to hear about your pet, sending hugs.
@Livelongandprosper glad the cat hit her target, Eric is also no longer on a diet and his harness now does up lovely.

Tonight at work apparently we are having a picky party, I already know what everyone is bringing and nothing I can eat, thought I could get some charcuterie and some cheeses to keep me away from the other stuff.

Tomorrow night dh and me are going to the local pub for dinner, menu isn't great but looking I think I could have a couple of small plates, maybe chicken wings or something from the grill with salad. Could anyone have a look and see if I've missed anything obvious, thanks. www.thehorsejockey.co.uk/food-menu/

@ditavonteesed from the menu-
greek salad from the main menu? add a chicken skewer from the small plates?
cesesr salad and add chicken?

@Bunce1 that's so funny I hadn't even noticed the salad section 😂 thanks

Sorry to hear about your cat @CrunchyCarrot

Think that looks like a lovely menu, @ditavonteesed i wish I had a local like that.

Great menu @ditavonteesed

Chicken mini skewer and salad

Caesar salad with chicken and hold the croutons

Greek salad mmmm oil and lemon dressing with chicken

Anything from the grill, ask them what veg they can do instead of the chips and see what they offer.

Mmm... monkfish sounds interesting

Burger without the bun and swap chips for veg or salad

You will be seriously full of delicious, satisfying food and have no interest in pudding

1lb down today so carrying on with the water and meal plan, although my yoghurt was just a couple of spoonfuls as not hungry at all.

Also intrigued about the keto chips, I don't miss the potato element of chips/crisps but do miss the crunch and saltiness......

@ditavonteesed I sincerely hope that 'Eric' is a pet and not some over shring about your husband / lover and their prediliction for bondage

@CrunchyCarrot sorry about your kitty cutting out wheat will make a difference to how you feel. What about sugar? That's the other thing that affects my mood and digestion most.

B - coffee with cream
L - egg mayo and salad
D - duck leg with green beans, ruby chard, cauliflower