Jan '23 Low Carb Bootcamp: we come to the end of the first half!

[BIWI]

Morning campers

Here's the spreadsheet

So this week marks the end of the first half - doesn't time fly when you're having fun?!

Remember that this week is still renowned as a tricky one in terms of weight loss, so if things have slowed down or stopped (or even reversed) for you, don't panic. Just KOKO - remembering the water, fat and veg in particular.

Re the statins @MotherBuckets, I'm not a medic - so if your GP has advised them, it would be irresponsible of me to warn against them (especially with your family history). But as you say, it will be interesting to see what happens as a result of low carbing (although it will be difficult to attribute any improvement to either diet or medication, I suppose). And hopefully your results will be good @Jenasaurus

@JanieRead - apart from the noodles! - why don't you list out for me your menus over the last few days, and let's see if there's something we can spot that might help you

Hello all

Nice to see people KOKO and some positive stories.
I’ve had a poor 3rd week with a few transgressions ( no excuse) and a resulting. 2lb weight gain. Line drawn and all that - this is a new week so onwards and upwards! ( but preferably downwards on the scales!)

I had a small gain this week, which is annoying because midweek I had a good solid loss. Anyway, I promised myself I would always post whatever appeared on the scales on Monday mornings, so here we are.

I can't think of any major carby choices this last week. It maybe just one of those things.

Well,I've stayed the same again. Not sure what's going on but at least I'm not gaining which is a positive but nothing is shifting which is not.

Plan this week is to drink all the water, eat more veg and just see what happens.

Well done to everyone else.

Thanks for the thread @BIWI

Oooooh @QforCucumber your dinner sounds lush!

Feeling quite proud of myself: went with my mum and the kids to see Lion King yesterday and went to ChinaTown for lunch beforehand. I had decided no dim sum and I was only drinking water, and I stuck to it. Had broccoli in garlic and beef with spring onions and ginger, it was quite delicious and I didn't feel like I was missing out at all.

This is the first time in about 2 years I've stuck to anything for more than a couple weeks and I really feel like I can accomplish it.

B wasn't hungry
L broccoli, courgette and Parmesan soup
D salmon with sesame oil and pak choi

Have a good day everyone

I read that as 'will have cigarettes'! This is why I should always wear my glasses! I thought, wow, well they did used to be considered a sliming aid in the 50s but glad it was courgettes.

thanks for the new thread @BIWI and kind words. Your are correct about taking the doctors advice and recommendations on statins, if you have been prescribed them @motherbuckets then you should take them. My doctor strangely didn't suggest any medication, just received the diagnosis and am on an 8+ month wait for the Lipid Clinic to see if its Familial Hypercholesterolemia as both my parents, sister and niece all had high cholesterol and I am the only one in the family with a weight issue and diabetes so it looks likely to be genetic.

Following my blood test results in September, my GP called me and said he understood if I didn't want statins just yet and as they had lowered by 2 points in 2 months following my diet, he said I could give it another few months to see if it lowers further. I have been having a benecol everyday and have tailored my eating to the benefit of low cholesterol and low carb, all seems to be going in the right direction but at 7 its still too high for a diabetic person, a normal person should be 5 or less, but a diabetic needs to get under 3 to improve the risk of cardiac issues.

I am aware that statins do work really well though, so dont be put off having them, also if you get issues with one medication there are others they can try as some people I know had a few aches and pains on one med and they changed to another and have no issues, trial and error, and if I am honest I think I will end up taking them too soon. Its just they can be contradictory for people who have diabetes, and can clash with other meds, although I am not on Metformin or any other meds just yet.

@ moloeye That lunch sounds wonderful.

800g off to 80.5kg so 3.5kg off since BC. I have a lot to lose but staying motivated at the thought of breaking into the 70s. So close!

I've brought a pack of SLC rolls to have in the work fridge to make some cheap LC lunches as it can get v expensive and work usually has lunch meat / sliced cheese / avocados and tomatoes available. Must drink more water!

Delighted with a 3lb loss this morning, my biggest this BC and shows the power of KOKOing.

I survived my in-laws lunch yesterday with half a teeny roast potato, a bite of a Yorkshire pudding and a slug of gravy. As I’m hypothyroid I’ve taken that as my StuntNun approved carb refeed and am back on plan today.

Currently enjoying a spa day with DH, massage earlier and now chilling in the relaxation room. We had a bit of a funny lunch tho. DG ordered a chicken Caesar salad while I went for the charcuterie plate and a side salad. The waiter said they were missing some components of the Caesar but DH said it didn’t matter. Little did we realise they had no chicken!! DH’s face when a bowl
of salad leaves with a few croutons turned up . Lovely wife that I am, I shared my meat plate with him, ever thankful for the appetite reducing benefits of this WOE!

Dinner tonight is steak with all the veggies and lots of butter to fill us both up.

I weighed myself this morning, being poorly I've not been out of jogging bottoms for a while so harder to see NSV and curious to see how I was getting on.

Only a few pounds off this BC but I don't have much left to lose. Two milestones passed. Firstly I've now lost 50 lb compared to when I was at my heaviest. Secondly I'm the lightest I've been for 20 years.

I've found the last couple of months quite difficult psychologically though - I realise that in my mind I've been thinking about losing weight in terms of "fitting into...[something I wore 20+years ago]" or "looking like [I did 20+ years ago]". I feel like I was too busy feeling like an overweight person to really think too much about the aging bit (though you'd think HRT was a clue ), and it's hitting me all at once. Though I don't miss the shitty boyfriends and student debt

Well done everyone on their losses and NSV. I am in the stayed the same camp. I've found I struggle to drink water over the weekend and I weighed lighter on Friday so wonder if that's the issue? that's my aim for this week, drink all the water! Thankfully I'm Scottish so there is plenty up here 😂

Like BIWI I'm not a medical professional but I would say that if anyone isn't sure about whether they want to go on statins or not then they should read up on the science around them. They are undoubtedly effective in men aged 50-75 who have already had a heart attack but there isn't such a strong evidence base for other groups. They do seem to impact the risk of heart disease but don't necessarily reduce all-cause mortality risk. Having said that, my 75-year-old DM has been on them for years, now has a normal cholesterol level, and swears they've saved her life. I think it's very much a personal decision. I wouldn't take them BUT my cholesterol levels are normal after eating loads of saturated fat for the last ten years on BIWI's advice so it's easy for me to say that. As others have said, if you do have high cholesterol then your GP might be happy for you to try to reduce it through diet for a few months before you start a statin. If you do have any increased risk of heart disease then definitely look into increasing your consumption of oily fish as omega-3 fats have definitely been shown to be of benefit.

Another 2lb down, 8lb since the 9th of January.

Feeling in control and confident I'll get back to a comfortable weight for me.

Ive a really exciting goal as am meeting up with a group of 9 Mumsnetters in April for a wedding.

We started a WhatsApp group when we all had covid very badly early March 2020 before one was officially allowed it. 🙄
We've chattered every day since then and are super close despite having only met the most local ones.

On a separate note I consciously decided to have a homemade biscuit on Saturday, it was shocking how quickly the cravings returned, within minutes and lasted hours.

Fortunately there wasn't any real rubbish available to binge on and it passed by the next morning but what an eye opener.
Most unpleasant.

I may not have lost any weight this week, but I've just had a NSV!

I put my phone in my back pocket and my jeans promptly started falling down! They are now loose enough that I have to keep hitching them up. So, time to buy some jeans and trousers in the next size down! Yay! 💪

@Linnet

Not sure what's going on

You're in the week 3/4 phase. Have you not been reading my posts?!

It's very common for weight loss to slow right down, stop and sometimes reverse altogether. Don't panic - KOKO.

@moleeye I missed your post earlier - really well done on resisting the lure of the carbs in China Town! And very glad you feel that this is a WOE you can stick to as well.

Don't know if any of you have come across Monya Kilian Palmer, but she is a chef (used to work with Heston Blumenthal) and has written 3 keto/low carb cook books now.

Some lovely recipes on her website, like this one - a sausage and cauliflower bake.

Tonight’s burgers (making higher fat swaps!)

@BIWI I've got one of her books. Need to dig it back out!

Helps if I add the photo doesn’t it 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

I have all three of her books - the last one, the Budget one, I was less impressed with. But overall some nice recipes/good ideas.

Like the sound of that recipe @QforCucumber!

Fingers crossed it goes well. I’m adding grilled halloumi to mine too, as a ‘bun’ hahah
ive been looking through my recipe books and they’re all so carb heavy - dh bought me the Janie Oliver ‘one’ for for my bday and there’s really not many in there I can adapt which is annoying max

That recipe looks lovely @QforCucumber, I've had unopened oyster sauce in the cupboard for ages and couldn't work out what to do with it so this is perfect (bought because I saw it one day and had a vague idea that lots of Chinese dishes asked for it and I never had any, then never saw it in a Chinese recipe ever again ).

Dull-but-tasty leftover veg and feta traybake planned for tonight - this week with added aubergine following inspiration here and on the recipe threads. Fancy something crunchy with it and wondering what it would be like served with shredded raw cabbage.

So here's my food for the day - I am purposely avoiding cruciferous veg to see if my tummy settles. I am also going to avoid dairy so this menu will look pretty unhealthy!
B: raspberries and 100ml kefir
L: konjac noodles with sauce made from a teaspoon peanut butter, soy sauce and garlic granules. Packet of pork scratchings!
So far no terrible growling bubbly tummy fingers crossed
D: bolognaise with courgettes

I've drunk 4 pints of lukewarm water (this is how I like my water!), three almond milk decaff coffees and a pint of electrolytes.

Did she write Keto Kitchen? I have that and love it.

Thank you @BIWI I've been strutting all day and patting myself on the back! Lol