Pre-Christmas 22 Boot Camp Week 5: in the 2nd half

[prettybird]

Here we are into Week 5, the 2nd half . Hopefully you’ll have got beyond the “Stall” period of Weeks 3 and 4, but be aware, it sometimes it lasts into Week 5.

Keep the faith, keep focussed, keep drinking the water and you will see progress. Remember all the other benefits you're enjoying

The challenge this week is to start doing little things in preparation for Christmas . That way, we can relax when Christmas arrives as we’ve got every ready in advance in our dreams . If you don’t want to do that yet because it’s too soon, why not do something that has been on your list of “To Dos” for ages and you’ve procrastinated so never quite got round to it. You’ll feel so much better once you’ve done them

@FinallyHere will be along shortly to link to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness and also to the sparkling new thread that links to all the recipe threads. There are sooooo many tasty recipes, so we can enjoy our food

@Skiphopbump - pens/pencils are a good idea. I've checked with my dad and he says that she enjoys drawing and actually shows some talent at it. Thanks for the idea m

Re tastebuds, I've not specifically heard of people saying things taste more salty - usually it's about stuff with sugar/sweetener in it tasting super-sweet but maybe just the fact that eating less processed food helps our taste buds recalibrate so we taste "more".

I like the idea for the card games - and not just for db's family - for us too 

@humancalculator - yes, your body does get used to the extra water. I used to wake up multiple times during the night to go for a pee but now it's just once, at between 4 and 5 - and hopefully even that should settle down soon.

@Baystard - I'm impressed at the home made mincemeat I've got some apples that my neighbour gave us that I need to use up, so I'm half thinking of making some I have good intentions every year

You will get into those Levi's - there is still over 5 weeks to go

My Christmas cakes are now wrapped in parchment and foil. I'll feed them another tablespoon of brandy every couple of weeks before decorating them just before Christmas. (Before and after pictures of them going into the oven).

Fortunately I'm not particularly keen on Christmas cake (although dh and ds are) so I'll be satisfied with a tiny slice to check the bake/how moist they are.

@Mercedesbenz2022 - part of baking is also a nostalgic thing for me too: my mum was a brilliant baker and I always aspire to follow her example. I've inherited her joy in baking and the sense of achievement it gives me.

Chamomile tea does indeed count - as does rooibos/redbush and all other herb and green teas. I drink more of them in winter as I like to have something warm.

@ditavonteesed - I always go blank when dh asks me what I want We tend to go a bit overboard too . so far, the only ideas I've had is another cashmere jumper (he gets me one every year) and a new heavy/long white towelling dressing gown as the one I got from a luxury spa day at Stobo Castle is wearing out (it is at least 15 years old though )

I'm also out of YSL Touche Éclat but dh has said I should just buy that for myself as a "consumable".

I might just suggest a Clarins Facial from my dad. He's got them for me in the past and although I'm really slow at booking it, at least it means that I actually treat myself.

@moleeye - good for you for de-lurking . You've made great progress so far. We're here for support and it's great your dh is on board too.

@debka - for looking after your stepson ans fingers crossed your dp gets the great new job.

@venusandmars - I'd be interested in your LC naan bread experimentation. Would a flat bread do for what you're trying to achieve? Tom Kerridge's flatbreads are tasty and easy. Recipe is on the Veggie recipe thread.

I think that's me caught up

My Christmas cake is just finishing its bake - I'm baking Delia's Classic Christmas cake, and confusingly she gives two different cook times depending on the recipe source

In her Christmas book, which is ancient (quantities are still given initially in ounces and pounds, and eggs by their number rather than S/M/L!) but she says to bake for 4.5 - 4.75 hours, checking after 4 hours. But she doesn't say what to check for! (I'm not a baker, so no idea if the whole 'push a skewer in and see if it comes out clean' is relevant for Christmas cake.)

But on her website, exactly the same recipe - albeit with metric quantities shown first, rather than imperial! - she gives a bake time of 4 hours, saying it's done when "it feels springy in the centre when lightly touched"

So I've gone for a compromise - baked it for 4 hours, and now have left it in the oven, which is turned off, for another 20 minutes.

All this for a cake I don't really like anyway! Although I suppose that means I won't be tempted to eat any of it

I used my adaptation of Mary Berry's Classic Christmas cake. She says 4.5 to 4.75 hours at 140C (8" round tin). I'd annotated to say 130C (conventional oven) and tested after 4 hours. Gave them another 20 minutes and then decided my cake skewer was coming out clean and the top was firm to the touch so took them out and left them to cool in their tins.

@prettybird thankfully nothing was too salty today- my period started so I think it may have been hormonal.

Envious of the Christmas cakes being baked. I love the smell of them baking and feeding the cakes the alcohol. Won’t make one this year as it’s too tempting as it lasts for so long.

I made one of my new family favourites for dinner tonight - chicken and chorizo stew
www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mains/chicken-and-chorizo-stew

Meant to say that I have STS this week so still haven't managed to get under 12.5 stone which is my next mini goal

As a daily weigher, trust me, I'll let you know as soon as I do

I like the look of that recipe minus the peppers @Skiphopbump - may give it a go next week.

Although I'm now needing to start emptying out the freezer in preparation for Christmas, so that means using up the ragu I cooked a couple of weeks ago (serves 3), plus the 7 portions of cheeseburger pie I've just frozen, a frozen pheasant, plus spicy pumpkin soup, loads of stock.

Actually, I really need to do a full scale stock of what is in there

In terms of the challenges I've been setting myself, I'm continuing to get to bed before midnight Only the one "fail" last week (12.10 ).

My Christmas cake baking counted as Christmas prep the last two days, but I'm going to check "Fly Lady's Cruising to Christmas" for something to do today (didn't think that wrapping the cakes in parchment and foil counted enough for today ). I've been continuing to tidy/throw out some papers every time I go into the bedroom, so at least that's some progress.

Blimey id forgotten about the fly lady. Used to live by her when the girls were little.

We had a full on meltdown as dd1 ordered kfc on Uber and only the fries turned up. So I ended up driving her there and it was very hard for me as I live kfc and I was really hungry. Anyway I had Greek yoghurt, not feeling the smug yet but hoping for some scale karma in the morning.

Loving all the cake talk, they look delicious and I can almost smell the Christmas spices.

My last weigh in was a disappointing one pound down over the last four weeks. That did include a couple of days with sore throat and cold bugs when I couldn't resist the lure of fisherman's friends. I'm back KOKO

In other, NSV news, I've registered an overall 8.5" off my waist putting me back within the 'healthy' waist : hip ratio. As a result my undercrackers were sooo baggy that they have been replaced with all new ones, a good few sizes smaller.

I've reached this point in my weight loss 'journey' before, just above the healthy BMI range where I've escaped the more tedious effects of overeating. I feel good, have energy to do all I want to do and no trouble finding clothes to fit and look 'normal'.

Without the support and knowledge on these threads, and you lovely people, It would be very easy to slacken off my commitment to LCHF which as I've learnt to my cost soon means the pounds pile in again and I'm back to where I started.

I'm KOKO-ing. Thank you all.

That's brilliant @FinallyHere - your NSV is far more important than "just" a pound off over 4 weeks

And I'm delighted that you've had to shell out for new knickers Make sure to get nice ones

@FinallyHere wow set on the waist, and fabulous on the new undies.

Brilliant NSV @FinallyHere!

Woohoo ! Finally starting to see the scales move ! It's been 3 weeks without it and certainly very tedious to keep on going on whilst not noticing a change. I get you @FinallyHere . Though, how amazing that your body actually is changing whilst the number on the scales has stuck. Weird but wonderful ! Well done to all of us who are in the same boat and are staying on course.

So, I'm down 1 and a half pounds. And I'm very grateful to everyone sharing thoughts and reflections here. I've been very busy with work and so it's been hard to write much recently. Reading you has been great support though, so thanks very much.

Well done to @moleeye for jumping on board. The more the merrier. I wish you success with your goals and lots of self care along the way. 😊

Oh no, I have woken up with the worst cold I have had for a while.
i can’t smell or tast anything, which makes me not want to eat anything because what is the point.

So, no breakfast for me, I will see how lunch goes.
I’m making a Bolognese for tea though, pasta for the others and I have some green veg that needs using up.

I have been thinking about the business to do with 'set point' recently. I'm wondering if that had something to do with my body not going below a certain weight for a few weeks. As if it was clinging onto stuff for all it's might.
I'm wondering if anyone has any knowledge about that ?

@ListenLinda Hope you feel better soon.

@WitchWand it's more likely you've just been suffering from the weeks 3,4 & 5 doldrums!

It's very, very, very common. We see it all the time on Bootcamp.