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.

I'm away with work for the next couple of days so need to plan a breakfast for the road and ideally a packed lunch. Going to head into London tomorrow evening to make a change from the crap large town I stay in regularly so should get something nice.

NSV at the weekend, I wore a dress that is usually stretched across my boobs and looks pretty bad (usually hide it with a scarf). No scarf required,dress had some free fabric and looked great!
Bit of an issue with not “going” for a while. This is something I often have issues with and I normally just have a few prunes and off I go. Are prunes a complete no-go? If so,any other ideas? I’m doing pretty well with the water and veg,I just think it is my dodgy innards!

Juastapony so good to wear something that hasn’t fit well before.

Thank you to whoever wrote about fluctuating weight and the reasons for daily weight changes. So yesterday I had a decent weight on scales, today I’m 2lb heavier just doesn’t/does make sense. It’s annoying. But at least there’s a loss I guess

I know exactly what you mean @DryWhiteagainW . I'm tantalisingly close to getting out of a weight bracket, so weighing daily and I can see the fluctuations too.

@FinallyHere thank you so much for the spreadsheet help - really kind of you.

I'm experimenting with different, new vegetables that I rarely eat and it's an enthusiastic thumbs up for cavolo Nero but bleurgh for rainbow chard, which is a shame as it's so pretty. I added a few handfuls to shakshuka and found it quite bitter. I have loads left so will try something else, but don't think I'll be buying it again.

Busy day of work lunches and dinners today so will need to think about navigating the menus. I find that very few people drink at these things anymore, especially the younger generation who seem to be more abstemious so at least there won't be any pressure to drink.

3lb down, that's 7lb off in 2 weeks, appetite is now what I assume is normal.
Not craving anything and not thinking about food 24/7 I'm sure that's why low carbing gives me a clear head.

Congratulations on the great dress @JustAPony

My low-carb 'prunes' are in increasing order of effectiveness are spinach, raw cabbage and celeriac. I tend to plan at least one meal a day around consuming them, followed by a good strong coffee to 'do the trick'.

Ideally at the approximately the same time every day. My whole system is so much happier when on a regular schedule.

Gratters @stayathomegardener doesn't that clearheadedness feel good.

Thank you for this. I still haven’t managed to find celeriac in any local shops yet so will keep an eye out. And I’ll stock up on the cabbage and spinach!!

@FinallyHere a combination of Dyslexia and ADHD mean I normally emulating Scrat the Squirrel but without the cute element so it's such a relief

@stayathomegardener its such a relief to be free of food cravings and thinking about food 24/7. The best thing about this WOE.

DS had his first swimming lesson last night, he was nervous so I promised him a happy meal as a treat afterwards. I had a word with myself before we went that I did not want McD's and would not have it. I cooked up some chicken thighs so that I'd have food ready for me when we got in. His chips smelt good but it was very easy to pass them over.

B - experimenting with IF
Salad nicoise
Green veg and Stilton soup with Leftover 🐔

Hello all

I've been away this weekend with friends but actually listened to the stern talking-to I gave myself before we went and despite drinking plenty of wine I managed to swerve all the carby food! Not a crisp, chip, croissant or slice of cake passed my lips and it was so easy! Amazing. The first mouthful ALWAYS leads to my downfall but not this time, because I didn't have it.

Consequently down 2lb and just into double figures on the kilo scale!

Weighed in at 3.4lb off, so 6lb in total since BC started, very pleased and determined to stick to strict BC for now.

@QforCucumber I am glad you asked re appetite waning and await an expert response - I would imagine protein and fat are more important but I don't know really! I have very little appetite at the moment, partly a medication change and partly the WOE I think!

Glad you enjoyed your airfried celeriac chips @ditavonteesed

Im liking the sound of lunch galettes @Backstreets I’ll match your cheese on cheese chaffles with egg mayo on egg/cheese chaffles😳 your mention of brie has decided me to try one in the air fryer with a little left over chicken and a good bit of brie on to melt. I’ll have that for lunch with a rocket salad.

@MotherBuckets we’ll done for swerving the carbs after alcohol. I’ve come to realise if I drink I loose any sort of self control and fall straight into anything carby. Easy enough to manage at home when there aren’t really any around, not so easy when out or at other peoples homes (for me anyway).

L: toasted chaffle with chicken and Brie with a big salad
D: Moussaka with Greek salad and a green bean salad.

Does anyone know if chaffles freeze ok? I can never be arsed faffing with the waffle maker but it's something I could probably batch cook at the weekend and have ready to go for a speedy lunch if they keep ok in the freezer.

Plan today:
B: buttery creamy scrambled eggs
l: halloumi bacon and mushroom salad a la DH (one of his specialities)
D: chicken thighs in tomato and many veg sauce, cauli rice

Great NSV @JustAPony ! On the prunes question, I have a double espresso every morning and that gets things going!

Ah @ditavonteesed glad you tried and liked it - Celeriac is a great veg to have in your LC repertoire.

@QforCucumber just saw your comment about your DS and his tiny squirrel, so lovely! I was 5 or 6 when I first saw my great aunt's collection of miniatures which started off my great love of tiny things. If he loves little things does he have any Playmobil yet as they are brilliant for that!

@amispeakingintongues just saw this from you too: Haha! I succumbed to a dolls house many years ago and was great fun but the eye-watering prices of figurines and furniture eventually made the hobby unsustainable…especially when I have a life sized house in need of renovation!! --yes that's exactly how it would end up for me too, and we have a full-sized (Victorian) house which we are slowly restoring (well, DH is!) so yeah, there's really no money for dinky pretend renovations/furniture/luxury goods!

@OldandTired66 Haha, I would have loved a surprise dinky gravy boat! 😍

@ZiggZagg Just read back a bit on the last thread...goodness me what a tumble, hope you are okay and not in too much pain/discomfort! Would have been very scary for the others too...

@Rayna37 hoping you're managing okay without your boiler!! I can't remember if you said but have you at least got a little heater to keep one room warm?

@JustAPony that's a lovely feeling, isn't it? Great NSV!!

@AllTheBlackCoffee - I believe that they do. I'm sure someone mentioned that they make a batch and freeze to use over the week.

@QforCucumber it's all important: the vegetables, the protein and the fat, in terms of volume you need the most vegetables and the least fat. On the lack of hunger front there's no need to eat three meals a day once we're past the first two weeks of Bootcamp so no need to eat lunch if you aren't hungry.

I had a complete food fail yesterday. I was at the Young Voices concert at the O2 and someone arrived really late where we were meeting up so, instead of the Subway salad I had planned(I take my own vinaigrette lol) we all ended up getting pizza and fries in the queue. All they had was pizza or chicken nuggets and it was hideously expensive. All that and we still missed the start of the concert. What a shame! If it had been decent quality food I wouldn't have minded as much but it wasn't great.

TangledWeb After a cold Sunday night DH got it working yesterday but the performance is far from optimal, the radiators don't kick out much heat (hence the main reason for a new boiler on order- 15 years old and too small for the size of the house). Working with a blanket on my knee and off to fetch the electric heater we keep in the icebox dining room!

4lb off the first week, 2lb off the second. Now I just need to Keep Going because this is usually where I lose focus.

I have lots of things coming up I want to fit into clothes for! A gig in March (Self Esteem!) a music festival in May (Focus Wales!), a hen do abroad (gulp - never done one before) in June, Green Man festival in August...

I need to lose the last stone I never seem to be able to shift. Correction. I am going to shift the last stone and fit into my clothes.

Go me! Go everyone!

Morning all. Feeling ropy here - period plus acupuncture last night has me feeling hungover, and I haven't drunk in 3 weeks! I fell off the wagon and ate a piece of toast for breakfast as I couldn't face eggs or yoghurt. I didn't enjoy it all tbh, so I will consider that my big stick!

Was looking at the rules for BC lite; surprised and quite pleased to see some melon in lower carb fruit, so will add that to the order this week. also surprised to see blueberries are much higher than I thought they were; they're my staple 'its healthy really' snack

Got 2 aubergines in the veg box today, so interested to see the aubergine recipes chat. However, it it really just whispering moussakka... I'm trying to go light on the cheese during the week so I'll plan mousakka for the weekend.

We also go another enormous cabbage, the size of my head. I've only just finished the last one by making a ton of coleslaw.

L - left over chicken with salad and coleslaw
D - shakshukka

I've also been preping multiple haggis dishes for tomorrow (sort of haggis versions of shepherd's pie). dgc are coming for lunch - dairy free - so they and dh are having mixed vegitarian and meat haggis topped with bashed turnip then mashed potato made with olive oil not butter. There's a vegetarian version for dc to have when they get home from work. There's one for PILs to go in the freezer. My version is mixed haggises (haggi?) with added chopped mushrooms and spinach to make the 'meat go further) topped with bashed turnip and celeriac mash. Just as well I'm retired (semi)!

Re aubergine recipes, also watching with interest as mine always have texture of shoe leather! Am contemplating these atm (without the crisp breads etc)

www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegan/vegan-kale-caesar-salad-with-aubergine-bacon/

www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegan/baba-ganoush-with-cumin-crispbreads/

www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/healthy/grilled-aubergine-with-red-butterhead-and-salsa-verde/