Jan '23 Low Carb Bootcamp - the (in)famous week 3 ...

[BIWI]

Morning all

Normally I'd link to the spreadsheet, but I'm having an issue with it this morning, as I can't scroll down the list of names and keep getting an error message saying my window isn't big enough to display it. Both on Safari and Chrome, which is odd - so I'm putting a call out for @FinallyHere to see if she can resolve it!

Anyway ...

PLEASE READ THIS POST CAREFULLY!

Welcome to week 3. This is the week where you have a choice. If you wish, you can move on to Bootcamp Light, which means that you can now introduce fruit, nuts/seeds, chocolate and alcohol.

SOME.
IN MODERATION.
NOT AT EACH AND EVERY MEAL!

So with fruit, this is mainly berries - when the spreadsheet is sorted, check out the fruit counter on there, which will show you which fruits are best to introduce. Similarly nuts.

With chocolate, make this the highest cocoa content that you can - certainly 70% should be a minimum - and restrict yourself to a couple of square, not a whole bar.

And as to alcohol - it's dry wines and clear spirits, with low calorie mixers or, even better, soda/sparkling water.

Remember we're still on Bootcamp - so be very careful how much of any of these you introduce.

However, week 3 (and 4 and sometimes even 5) is infamous as this is the point where you may see your weight loss slow, stop or even reverse

It's very, very, very common for this to happen, so if it happens to you, don't panic! It's not a stall. It's all about your body settling into this WOE, and what you'll see once we get through the low carb doldrums is your weight loss will continue, albeit at a slower rate of around 1-3lbs a week. (How much you lose will depend on how much you have left to lose).

Bearing this in mind, you may want to stay on strict Bootcamp. There's nothing wrong with this at all - just make sure you are following Bootcamp rules, and that things haven't started to slip. In particular, make sure that you're sticking to rule 4 - i.e. that the majority of your carbs are coming from veg/salad. And don't forget the water!

Some Bootcampers like to do a hybrid, which means strict Bootcamp during the week, relaxing into Bootcamp Light at the weekend. The choice is entirely yours.

Lovely, thank you 💐

That’s a really good point. I’ve often eaten half a pack of biscuits or an entire bar of chocolate and still wanted more, despite the fact that I didn’t really enjoy them. I’ve not had anything sugary since last Friday and I’d usually get through a family sized bar of chocolate in a couple of evenings. Haven’t even missed it either.

Point taken @biwi. Only occasionally during a long bike ride (breakfast at 8am and lunch at 3pm.

In the interests of science, I tried making lemon posset with the 100ml of the remaining cream and just lemon juice but it didn't really set. was still nice though

Next attempt will involve cream, a small amount of inulin and lemon juice.

Will try that on Monday (I'm away at the weekend)..... purely for scientific purposes

For those that are struggling I'd like to share my Power Song with you. It's what I imagine I'd walk out to in a boxing match 😁. I don't sing it to a man though, I'm singing to Eating with a capital E, comfort eating, carbs, binges etc

I will survive, Gloria Gaynor
At first I was afraid, I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong
And I learned how to get along

And so you're back
From outer space
I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key
If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me

Go on now, go, walk out the door
Just turn around now
'Cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye?
You think I'd crumble?
You think I'd lay down and die?
Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive
I will survive, hey, hey

It took all the strength I had not to fall apart
Kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart
And I spent oh-so many nights just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry
But now I hold my head up high and you see me
Somebody new
I'm not that chained-up little person still in love with you
And so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free
Well, now I'm saving all my lovin' for someone who's loving me

Go on now, go, walk out the door
Just turn around now
'Cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye?
You think I'd crumble?
You think I'd lay down and die?
Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive
I will survive
Oh

Go on now, go, walk out the door
Just turn around now
'Cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye?
You think I'd crumble?
You think I'd lay down and die?
Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to
give and I'll survive
I will survive
I will survive

Hello everyone. Just about caught up.

whoever it was who has a sliver of cheese with their morning coffee…..brilliant idea. Just bought some Stilton and Chaourse (yummmmmmy)

B. Smoked salmon omelette
L. Gammon and brocoli , FFGY for pudding.
D. A turkey version of pork with mustard sauce, served with green beans sautéed in butter, celeriac mash. So good.

today I’ve felt wiped out ….
probably due to having a high energy job and going nuts at the gym. Night off tonight. Was starving by 5 and someone had left a curly wurly on my desk …..it’s still there, I grabbed some chewing gum and water quick!!!!

I always remember Kate Moss when she said “nothing tastes as good as thin feels” when I feel tempted (although I very much doubt she has a healthy diet and smokes like a trouper, but YKWIM)

I have the yummiest tea. Chicken wrapped in bacon with homemade peppercorn sauce. DH had chips with his and I had sliced greens cooked in butter. Couldn't finish it! I can't take any credit though, my husband does most of the cooking!

Thanks all for the best wishes! I've had a rough day today and thrown up twice..... it's not helped by having a toddler around who doesn't understand what's wrong with mummy as they don't even know I'm pregnant yet. I am so ready for the morning sickness to do one but if it's the same as my last pregnancy then that won't be for another 12 weeks!

I can't remember who asked, but we'd been trying for a little over 1.5 years and my toddler is 2.5 (we started trying a few weeks before their 1st birthday). I also can't remember if it was the same poster who mentioned falling face first into a 12 pack of jam doughnuts after testing positive for GD, but I understand that feeling well! I tested postive at 16 weeks last time round when I was still struggling badly with morning sickness and up to that point had been surviving on bread, potatoes in all forms and cheese. So having two thirds of my food options eliminated in one afternoon was a bit of a shock! 😀

@BIWI that lamb meatball recipe sounds amazing (minus the jalapeños as I'm a complete and utter wuss when it comes to spice) and I'm adding them to my list of foods to try when cooking seems achievable again! Sadly my husband's cooking skills are limited to cheese toasties or stuffing pre-prepared beige foods in the oven so I can't pass the buck to him!

I'll echo @prettybird that the comment in the last bootcamp about not being a human dustbin really resonated with me!

I always remember Kate Moss when she said “nothing tastes as good as thin feels” when I feel tempted (although I very much doubt she has a healthy diet and smokes like a trouper, but YKWIM)

Perhaps 'Nothing tastes as good as wellbeing feels’?

Dinner today was really nice - very simple, just cobbled together really, but it all went well together and I felt satisfied.

Shepherd's pie gravy with roasted squash and sprouts dressed in butter and salt.

Briefly considered having a glass of wine (Thurs night is our weekend night as DH doesn't work Fridays), but I'm going to leave it for now.

True Tangled…. Is it ok to have BNsq now?

@DryWhiteagainW I always work to the principle that I will have some of whatever vegetables are available to us - just varying the portion size according to carb content. We order our veg in a box and I can’t swap and change so this works out best. I also like to get as many different nutrients from as many different natural sources as possible, so to my mind it’s always best to go for as wide a variety of veg as I can. For that reason I usually prefer to stay on BC throughout and only do Lite on 1 or 2 days a week, which balances it out.

Today’s portion of squash was somewhere between 10 - 12g of carbs (going by weighing a similar portion yesterday) and I’m happy with that.

Great. I love BNqu and have one, so I’ll cook it tomorrow perhaps. Thank you

Thank you @FinallyHere and a big hello from Down Under. I've added my current weight in. It looked bad enough in KG, looks even worse in pounds. I'm not vegan or vegetarian or have any allergies that I need to be mindful of. Although I have 2 very fussy DSs so might keep a few packets of chicken schnitzels in the freezer that I can toss into the air fryer for when they turn their noses up at whatever I prepare.

It's Friday morning here, and I've finally finished with our public (bank) holiday Thursday completely exhausted. I spent the day swapping rooms with my DSs and I bought them computer desks from Ikea. Ikea on a public holiday was heaving.... bleaugh. Which means I was so exhausted I didn't really plan today's meals and am trying to work out what on earth I can eat that is low carb. Thank goodness I have chickens and have a veg garden for the first time (summer time here) so I can conjure up an omelette for brunch. I can't really face food first thing in the morning. Usually just down several cups of tea (no milk, so not an issue for low carbing).

I work from home most days and it's boredom that drives me to the biscuit tin. But I have no more of MY biscuits in the house (some of DSs' are lurking about), I finished off the licorice yesterday so it wouldn't tempt me today. I will browse the recipe collection and pop into the shops after work when I take DS2 to cricket training.

Goal 1 is to drop a couple of dress sizes for my nephew's wedding in June. I'm a size 18 at the moment and was starting to edge into size 20. If I can get down to a 16 I'll feel a lot better about myself. If I can get down to a 14 I'd be delighted. If I could get down smaller than that I'd be so freaking ecstatic I think I'd bankrupt myself clothes shopping......😬I have kept 3 beautiful size 14 dresses from when I was smaller, and I might keep them at the front of the wardrobe as encouragement.

My fitbit had broken so I bought a replacement the other day for a really good price and will be tracking my movement. I know I can do it if I set my mind to it. I did Steptember a year and a half ago and managed to do 10,000 steps every single day. I probably wouldn't do that much at the moment because I can't really jog/run at the moment and would need to walk for around 1 1/2 hours to get that many steps in, but 5,000-7,000 still means a decent amount of moving/exercising.

2nd travel day, didn't even LOOK at the Premier Inn carb buffet except to pocket a sachet of Nutella for DS and had a pot of tea and nice full English- one sausage, one black pudding (probably not the lowest carb!) 2 fried eggs, mushrooms tomatoes and some bacon.
Grabbed lunch from a nearby Aldi- some cooked chicken in a coconut lime type flavouring (a copy of something I've had from M&S Or Waitrose I think) and olives.
Dinner once home was lamb steak, buttery kale and ratatouille. The quest to find decent tinned ratatouille in the UK continues... this wasn't it.

Absolutely get that @SpottyBumPony

Great post

I'm just home from another challenge which I modestly consider I came though with flying colours.

Very short trip away, with the usual temptation in the BA lounge and limited access to vegetables. Travelling for work was one of the points at which, looking back, my weight started to really balloon.

I ate well before I set off. Flight delays on the way out meant that I missed the meal in the evening. Got a text from colleagues offering to order me food anyway to which it was easy to say no thank you.

Brilliant breakfast in the hotel, the smoked salmon version of eggs Benedict, they were happy to swap a double helping of spinach for the muffin. A very generous portion of which I enjoyed every scrap.

All the water.

Was still comfortable full for the trip home so focused on drinking all the water. Instead of providing an extra biscuit the lovely BA lounge lady found me a big glass to drink from. Options on the flight home were ok but instead of food I again asked for any water going. Lovely stewardess (magnificent eyelashes) kept bringing me another 250ml bottle of water.

I loved that I still got the conspiratorial personal service just this time without the carbs. And yes, as PP have pointed out, it does feel good to stride though an airport in my size 8 leather look leggings rather than stumbling along red faced and perspiring freely

All due to Finally sic sticking with bootcamp WOE.

After the scales bouncing up and down I had a whoosh this morning. 6.5lbs since I started. If I do that again I will be almost at my maintenance weight. If I hadn’t had the support from all of you my weight would still be increasing and I would probably be 8lbs more than I am now.
Fridays are always my lowest weight. Now to face the challenges of the weekend. Have a good one everyone. Do one thing just for yourself even it it’s very small.

I think Mossy may have had a bit of additional help in suppressing her appetite @DryWhiteagainW !

@OldandTired66 I find the easiest way to search the recipes is to view all posts on one page (annoyingly you have to go into MN settings to do this now - they used to have a handy button) and do "find in page" on your browser. It's a bit slow but does work.

I haven't really experienced the appetite loss yet. I think the days when I've been in work and having salad for lunch, I'm not eating enough so am hungry when I get home. I'm about to change jobs though and next week is my last week, followed by a couple of weeks off so am hoping I can eat better lunches then.

B: FFGY
L: leftover cauliflower cheese
S: something with chicken, maybe curry

Thank you @Stokey, I'll try that. On-line yoga in a minute which is a good job, after last nights celeriac mash 💨. Boiled egg for breakfast, cauli and coconut soup with sardines and salad for lunch and dinner will be cod and whatever my son dreams up for me. Feeling a bit bloated today so extra efforts on the water front. Thermos of ginger and lemon tea on standby, I think.

Wow, @FinallyHere your travel story is inspirational! I love the mental image of you sashaying through to departures in your swanky pants

I'm showing a 4lb loss since the start of BC this morning which might not seem much but considering I have an underactive thyroid and find it really difficult to lose, I'm pleased with that. DH, who's been doing this with me, is thrilled that he's lost almost a stone and is just 6lbs away from his goal. I officially hate him!!

Tricky weekend ahead, with two birthdays (DH and DM) and several meals that I won't be in control of. Sunday in particular is worrying me as we're eating at my in-law's house but I'm hoping I can pick around the carby bits without drawing too much attention to myself and come out relatively unscathed. They are not the kind of people I'd want to talk about LC to, so I'll just have to do what I can. Thankfully I don't have a sweet tooth so skipping dessert won't raise too many eyebrows!

Today's plan is looking like:
B: eggs, cream, butter
L: salad, maybe tuna?
D: chilli, no beans, cauli rice fried in butter (a revelation, thanks to whoever suggested that!)

Morning everyone! 🌻

FINALLY remembered to have a glass of water this morning whilst the coffee was on, now I can carry that through today and beyond (my brain is a little odd in this respect - must ‘officially’ start something for it to properly stick).

@OldandTired66 cauli and coconut soup sounds interesting. How do you make it?

OMG, I have got this coat that I love but I haven't been able to wear it for such a long time because it is far too small. I dug it out last week and , no surprises, the zip wouldn't even meet. I tried it on this morning and I can now get it zipped up the whole way!!! It looks awful and there's no way I can wear it in public yet not least because I had to take my top off before I tried it on but it's a sign that things are moving in the right direction!!

It's fab when your clothes start to fit again, isn't it? Much more rewarding than the scales flashing at you!

I now also have this fabulous image of @FinallyHere striding purposefully through Heathrow arrivals. Camera shot from below, looking up at her, as she sweeps her Cartier sunglasses on to the top of her glossy, curly locks.

@Stokey looking at what you've written, I'm not surprised you're hungry - you're not really eating very much there, are you? And hopefully there will be plenty of green veg in your curry tonight? Hmm?

Brilliant whoosh @Pleaseandthankyou