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

@BIWI sending you well wishes for a speedy recovery.
@prettybird I love that declutter challenge. Makes it all seem doable.

I think I've ballsed up a bit. I've had a cold and got to feeling massive carb cravings yesterday, wondered if I needed them with being unwell but held off after taking a bite from a slice of bread and realising it didn't make sense.

This morning I realise the issue I've run myself into the ground not eating enough. I think because I was feeling so good in Nov and early Dec, jogging even (!!! my joints are so sore atm I hardly enjoy walking), I was just having bone broth and coffee for breaky and I've jumped back into doing that.

But the truth is I was low-carbing from August. Didn't have alot of variety or enough veges until I started BC, but overall several months before I started feeling sated after just bone broth for brekkie, and de-inflammed enough to jog. And I've remembered a bit more of the extent of some of the sugar binges I had over Christmas, which I had put out of mind. Imagining I could slot myself back in where I was at start of Dec, as if Xmas / New Year had never happened.
Lesson learned about need for maintenance. And breakfast. Todays's food:
B - cheesy omlette w eggplant, zucchini, yoghurt w macadamias, ground linseed
L - sardines or herring w salad and mustard dressing
T - friend's for roast, skip the potatoes, the rest will be delicious home raised and grown food

**@Jenasaurus , thanks. I'll try getting ducolax if I'm still struggling.

But @Greatly has reminded me that I have fibogel in the cupboard somewhere that I've seen recently! I'll give that a go, plus some decaff coffee (hoping that'll still work, without the caffeine! I'm a bit of a caffeine addict so have stopped entirely while pregnant as it's not something I'm good at moderating!!)

That doesn't sound like too much food @DryWhiteagainW I would eat two quarter pounder burgers with cheese and bacon and a load of salad for a meal! 140 grams of burgers and three tablespoons of celeriac mash sounds more like not enough food than too much food.

@HungryHazelEyes that sounds like an anti-low carb article I don't believe your body has any mechanism that can remember how long you ate a certain way. That sounds more like a lack of metabolic flexibility to switch between carb-burning and fat-burning. There is an idea of the "golden shot" in low carb mythology which is that the first time you go low carb it is most effective and if you go back to it later it won't be so effective. I suspect that's also bollocks though. More likely the first time you go low carb you follow all the rules because you're afraid of BIWI's big stick and get greater results but in subsequent attempts you're more likely to suffer from carb creep because you think you can make exceptions. The best answer is to never stop eating low carb and then you won't have to worry about the golden shot effect! I'm coming up for ten years on Bootcamp in June and this is just how I eat now.

@pinknsparkly if you need a laxative then take one, there's no need to suffer. Some Bootcamp-friendly solutions are: drink a lot of water (I'd try hot water with a pinch of salt in if you can stand it); try a teaspoon of coconut oil mixed into coffee or rooibos tea (you have to stir it before every sip but it moisturises your lips beautifully); psyllium husk is a natural remedy; or lactulose is available over the counter medicine but can take a while to work. But if you need something more effective then don't hesitate.

Nice food again yesterday, but I'm to stick the fridge again this weekend!

Yesterday:
B: FFGY with stewed plums- home made and frozen in the summer. I was surprised to see plums as a low carb fruit as they're so juicy and luscious but they're also pretty tart, so it makes sense.
L: cheese and tomato omelette
D: salmon, green beans, buttery kale. 1disc of dark choc.

Nice swim this morning. First one for a bit since it closed for repairs and I've been away with work. Have managed three online yoga sessions this week though so will see if I can keep that in my lunch break routine while WFH.

Morning all! 🌻

Happy to report that the scales have moved; fingers crossed it'll still be evident on weigh-in day! I can feel it in my legs too - there's a funny sensation that I seem to get when my body's processing fat efficiently.

Had a couple of glasses of wine last night (our Friday night as DH doesn't work Fridays), and a 50g serving of nuts. Very welcome treat.

I made rice pudding for DH which although I like it well enough isn't something I'm usually completely mad for (despite being Danish and our tradition of Risalamande, which is delicious tbf), but yesterday I was really feeling it! However apart from the tiniest taste to check it was ready, I didn't have any real difficulty resisting.

Yesterday's lunch was Japanese-style chicken broth with spring onion, cabbage, carrot and mushroom as well as some argentine prawns.

Dinner was a cooked breakfast - 2 eggs, 2 chipolatas, mushrooms and slow-roasted tomatoes with garlic and thyme. Plus some sprouts sauteed in butter, just because!

Good morning everyone

Just a fleeting post, I had to fast since 4.30 last night for a blood test at 11.30 today so am absolutely starving now, but hopefully the results will be worth it.

So when I get back it will be lunchtime, just wondering if I miss breakfast or have breakfast when I get back about 12.15 and then lunch at 4 and skip dinner or should I also eat Dinner at about 8? I dont really like eating that late, maybe I will have some nuts and a yoghurt.

@Jenasaurus I would just mix and match in any way that suits you - I would skip breakfast and just have a lunch, you could always have a small portion of nuts or something extra to pad out your intake for the day. Eat what you need to satisfy your hunger.

Then have dinner at your usual time.

@TangledWebOfDeception - but risalamande is nothing like rice pudding even though they sort of share a name

My dad makes a family recipe for fløderand (called "lavvy seat" by the family : for the uninitiated, it's a set vanilla cream ring).

We had it a couple of weeks ago with fresh raspberries and it was lovely . He said he put very little sugar in it but I fancy getting the recipe from him and trying it with inulin and/or erythritol as an alternative to the sugar.

@prettybird yes, Risalamande is my much preferred option (of course!) so I can take or leave plain rice pudding, and usually leave it - that's why I was surprised at just how much it was calling to me yesterday!

I hope you are feeling a bit better @BIWI . Weighed today and I have stayed the same this week but I am happy with that. Having dinner at a friends tomorrow. She is an excellent cook who has a lot of stress in her life. I will eat whatever I am given but try to go easy on the carbs.

Thanks for all the good wishes

I'm feeling a lot better today, and managed to get some decent sleep last night, so hopefully it will disappear as quickly as it came on.

Ah sorry @BIWI missed that! Glad to hear you're a lot better today, and hope you'll be on the mend very quickly! Decent sleep helps so much.

@BIWI it's amazing how much better things are after a sleep, hope you continue to recover smoothly but take it take it easy and don't rush back to activity too quickly

@BIWI it's amazing how much better things are after a sleep, how you continue to recover smoothly but take it take it easy

Hello everyone. Popping in for a recipe recommendation! I got an artichoke in my veg box today. What's a good thing to do with it? Ideally a way that one can feed the whole family, although I accept that may be unrealistic!

You will get very little out of one artichoke! I'd have at least one

Basically cut off the outer tougher leaves (just a few), boil in lemon water until tender (can't remember how long), then pick each leaf off and eat the fleshy bit at the base - scraping it off between your teeth. Make a nice butter/garlic/etc dip for it. Once the leaves are gone you will find the heart: first get rid of all the fibrous bits as they're not edible. The tender bit at the bottom is lovely to eat.

You don't have to cut off any of the outer leaves either - you can just boil it and then discard the few that don't have any flesh as you're eating.

Top bit was supposed to say I'd have at least one all to myself!

Mmmmmm artichokes are one of my favourite things. Definitely one each in our household. .

I've never had artichoke and can't say I particularly fancy it from that description

Yesterday turned into a disaster as work took over well into the evening then DH and I had to head out for a meeting at 7.30 with no chance to eat. So when we got home at 9.30pm we ditched the proposed cod and veg for a chunk of cheese and a glass of wine This morning I was working by 7am so breakfast went by the wayside and when I got to my PT session at lunchtime I realised I'd not eaten properly for 24 hours!

Thankfully I made it through the session without passing out and went home to buttery, creamy scramble, mushrooms and spinach and have just scoffed a pack of piggy puffs as a snack.

@AllTheBlackCoffee Oh I love them! I haven't done them justice...DH thinks they're not worth the hassle but I think they're delicious albeit in a rather subtle way. A tasty dip/dressing/sauce helps, of course!

A chunk of cheese and glass of wine is a perfectly acceptable occasional LC meal replacement in my view!

Artichoke is a great 'entertaining' menu. Light, not just so usual and sociable because it takes lots of time to eat.

Also a favourite meal for one, goes well with a glass of champagne.

@TangledWebOfDeception - Thats exactly what I did in the end, got some nuts after my blood test and then had my lunch, this was the first time there wasnt an issue with me being dehydrated, as I drank so much water to stave off hunger pangs I guess :) Fingers crossed the blood test shows I am still in remission and my cholesterol is lower. - How are you getting on
x

Thanks everyone. Issue is there's only one. DH is traveling at the moment. Maybe I just eat it before he gets back and don't mention it was in the box!

When do you get your results @Jenasaurus? Fingers crossed they're good!

Apologies for absence over the last day or so. Just catching up. Normal service should be resumed tomorrow.

Play nicely