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.

@BonnieBairn I also had constant bleeding on the mini.
Had it to regulate my periods and in a way I guess it did as I knew I would be bleeding 24/7!
I also bled constantly on the Mirena.

I just don't get on with hormonal contraceptive. I've been told to try the copper coil but I'm unsure.

I'd rather not have sex than have a coil 🤣

I've got the copper coil, had it in continuously for 23 years now and my current one should see me through into menopause. Never had any issues at all! But it does vary immensely from woman to woman.

Congratulations @pinknsparkly . I have had an awful day and that is lovely news.

Fabulous baby news!
Whoever put up the cajun chicken recipe thank you! It's just delish

Congratulations @pinknsparkly lovely news x

@katesbushh I've just come off the mirena coil as I was getting constant side effects from that 😭 it's only been a few weeks so I'm hoping it settles. I can't have the copper coil as my period were horrendously heavy and can't have the deli due to my history of depression. I really want something to work, it's more for the period control than contraception. Will persevere for now as I've read it can take at least 3 months to settle.

Being a woman does suck but I do feel a bit like I've taken back some control of my body with this WOE so more power to us 💪🏻

Evening all!
Pinknsparkly that’s such lovely news, congratulations.
Bonnie hugs to you.

so I tried the frozen cauliflower rice tonight. Fried it as you suggested. It tasted of cauliflower but did the job. I made a fish Provençal stew type thing and had it with the cauliflower rice stirred in half a Boursin from last night and a dash of tobacco and lots of Parmesan , it was delish. DH had normal rice with his.

B. 2 boiled eggs
L. Green veg and chicken soup (again!)

Turkey mince tacos sound great, think I have some in the freezer.

Food today:

Lunch: Another variation on the theme for this week - used the last of my chicken stock to make a Korean-inspired broth with mushrooms, spring onions, a little tiny bit of red pepper and a boiled egg. Added chilli flakes, a few sesame seeds and some sesame oil (for flavour, and for the goodness)!

Dinner: Jerk chicken. I had a sachet that needed using as I don't like clutter in my cupboards; picked it up end of 2022 because it was going very cheap. Learnt my lesson though...I never use pre-made foods anymore, haven't in several years, and I could easily have done much better myself if I'd just followed a recipe for the marinade! Never mind.

Had with a little bit of Red Kuri squash which we've also had waiting to she used since Dec when it came in our veg box. Only had half of the second slice, so it didn't end up too carby. Also a very simple salad of sliced baby tomatoes, mini cucumber, little bit of red pepper and radishes, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

*be used...

Funny sort of a day- on the road. Took a breakfast of FFGY with blackberries and a lunch foraged from fridge scrapings: 2 boiled eggs, a slice of cheese, some cucumber, pepper and cherry plum toms. Late afternoon snack of walnuts from a tiny pot in my handbag. Fully converted to black coffee now!

Experimented with getting the train into London from here which was fine but the rain spoiled it really. Milled around a lot trying to find somewhere around Coal Drops Yard that I fancied, was BC friendly, and I could get a table, but ended up at a fairly nice place near the station eating quail with a side of broccoli! Will definitely head in more in the summer or when I want to actually buy any decent clothes (instead of just browsing) as I come down here for work quite a bit and stay somewhere pretty uninspiring!

Bought a tube of amazing Swiss dark chocolate discs from M&S. Admittedly not the lowest carb or cheapest way of getting a dark chocolate hit but they are individually wrapped, I can eat just one or two and they should last ages. Each disc is 5.2g, 30 cals with 1.7g of carbs. 31.8g carbs per 100. £3.20 per tube.

Still here, still reading - but January in accountancy land means I’m barely present anywhere in life 😂

see you all on Tuesday hah!

great news @pinknsparkly

glad you liked it @MrsTaytodarling - sorry the recipe isn’t more accurate, I don’t really do weighing and measure which is why lchf and I get on so well 😁

I'm going to try that recipe too, @QforCucumber! Exactly my kind of cooking.

Ohh @Rayna37 I used to love M&S Swiss chocolate as a treat. Can't have anything from them now as I've boycotted for the past 4 or 5 years. <sigh>

Anyone get Olive magazine? One of the things I really like about it is the fact that they give carb counts for all of their recipes. There is a couple of lovely recipes in there which are under 15g carbs per portion - I'll post them tomorrow.

Oh that sound good @BIWI I generally really like their recipes - I come across them online sometimes.

Went to my dad's (as we do alternate Wednesdays) for lunch: dh and ds have Lidl de luxe pizzas and I have an omelette .

Only....when I went to the fridge, my dad didn't have any eggs

As I usually don't have any lunch, dad couldn't cope with the fact that I was happy not having anything So ended up compromising and having some cheese .... and no, I didn't crackers with it

Tonight, as it is Burns Night, I did go off piste a bit with haggis (which contains barley) but I had it with plenty of butter mashed neeps and avoided the mashed potatoes and the South African Pepper Pot Shiraz wine from David Finlayson wad veeeeeeery nice (The glass with orange stuff is ds' Irn Bru )

'Zesty lamb meatballs with ricotta and speedy mint shatta'
'Pork and rhubarb aromatic traybake'
'Spiced lamb cutlets with zhug and garlic yoghurt'

... all to come tomorrow

I made @StuntNun's Thai green cauliflower soup for my lunch and it was delicious, Will definitely be making that again. And for dinner last night I had @QforCucumber's Cajun creamy chicken, another great meal.

Funny thing happened yesterday in that I weighed myself first thing, like I always do and the scales said I had gained 3lbs overnight! This morning I was 3lbs less again so not sure what that was all about.

Today I had
B-scrambled eggs
L-the Thai green soup
D- chicken and green veg with lashings of butter

@pinknsparkly congrats on your wonderful news
@BonnieBairn hope your feeling better

My birthday tomorrow will go for lunch with dd2 on Friday
Had a family meal before dd1 went back to uni before this boot camp started so had a dessert . I love having a dessert

So @BIWI I need more than the big stick today. I need a serious telling off.
I was in a pretty bad place today for various reasons I won’t go into. Not one for discussing these things.
I have messed up badly. I’ve had fudge,cookies, haggis neeps and tatties, half a bottle of wine, a large gin… and probably other things. I’ve totally buggered it all up!
I just couldn’t get myself to go past them when I was feeling so shitty.
what do I do now? Do I go back to week 1 rules? Do I give up and just eat chocolate and drink wine (quite drunk just now…)?!

Oh dear @JustAPony - I'm sorry to hear that. You don't have to, but obviously we are all here to talk/support if you need it and want to talk about things.

Best thing to do is to put the wine down right now! Take a couple of paracetamol, a large glass of water, and go to bed. As Scarlett said, 'tomorrow is another day'

Be super strict tomorrow, and for the next couple of days. Drink all the water/eat all the fat and, if you can, fit in some/some more exercise.

Might be best not to switch to Bootcamp Light quite yet.

In case this is if help to anyone, EatWater (konjac noodles/rice/pasta ) have a 50%code until 31/1. VEJAN50. I have just stocked up.

I do fund them a bit tasteless but they do the job abd sometimes I get fed up with cauli rice and cabbage papardelle .

I must fill in the sheet. I have STS since mid December. I did allow myself treats over Christmas but to my amazement I didn't put anything on. I guess I wasn't as naughty as I thought! I have managed to get back into yet more of my not-worn-in-a-good-while-clothes so that is good and I need to do some selling and buying on Vinted and do a charity shop run.

But now I am getting closer to target weight I need to be more ruthless.

I am considering trying the C25K but might hold off til we get slightly lighter evenings! Anyone doing it? I haven't run for years.

@JustAPony there were obviously some reasons why you made your choices today, and I think the first thing is to forgive yourself for responding to those triggers. It doesn't make it OK and of course it won't help with whatever weight loss you had in mind, but sometimes shit happens and when it does, we respond.
So what now? Get back on the bloody horse! Regain control and go right back to day one of week one. Read the rules, understand the science (if that's your thing), read other people's daily menus, find someone that eats the things you like and eat like them.
Or ask for help. Tell us what you like/ don't like, and the family compromises you have to make and we can suggest a meal plan for you.
Whatever you do, wine and chocolate is not the answer take it from someone who knows

@JustAPony Sorry that you've had such a shitty day and I totally understand that you don't want to talk about it. As for the wine/carby food..it happens. Forget about it. Write off today and move on with tomorrow like it never happened. It'll be a new day in under 50 minutes. You might feel guilty and disheartened when you wake up but by jumping straight back on the wagon, you'll feel empowered again. Try to see this new WoE as a journey and today was just one little blip in the road.
Also, avoid the scales for a few days as they will show that you've put on pounds. However this will just be stored glycogen and water weight, not real gained fat. Realistically you might've gained a pound, if that, which will be off again in a few days of sensible low carb eating.
Take care💐