Jan '23 Low Carb Bootcamp - welcome to week 5

[BIWI]

Evening/morning (depending on when you read this!)

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

So now we're in the second half of Bootcamp. Hopefully we've successfully navigated the doldrums of weeks 3 & 4, and the scales should be a bit kinder to us all. But bear in mind that weekly losses are now going to be smaller than in the first couple of weeks. This is entirely normal.

By now everyone should be feeling more confident about low carbing/Bootcamp, and how this can become a longer term WOE. Of all the diets I have ever done (and I'm guessing that like many of you, there have been plenty along the way), this is the only one that has ever felt like it can become a genuine WOL - way of life - as well as WOE.

The thing that always marks these threads out to me, compared with any of the threads about weight loss that you might read on Mumsnet, is just how much they're about good, tasty food. Not deprivation or compromise. And I think that's why it's easier to stick to.

So in the spirit of foodiness, it seems appropriate to issue a Bootcamp food challenge! Like many, I'm very much aware of the cost of food right now - try as I might, the cost of my weekly shop seems to go up and up. I wish I could say it was because of all the fillet steak and lobster I'm buying, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

One of the things I've been trying to do, to keep the weekly bills down, is to add in at least one more vegetarian meal per week. So my challenge to you all is to post a recipe for a killer vegetarian meal - obviously one that also fits with Bootcamp - that is perfectly suited to weekday, family eating.

Look forward to reading all the suggestions

And very timely - this popped into (or should I say 'pooped into'?!) my inbox this morning:

Zoe podcast, the ultimate guide to constipation

I think I may need Biwi's Big Stick 🙁.

Today is going badly. DH had a GP appointment this morning for what we thought was something minor but turned out to be more serious. Long story short, we're now in A&E and I've eaten toast and jam (from the cafe).

The annoying thing isn't so much that I've eaten something high carb, it's more that I turned to carbs in a moment of high stress. I thought I'd broken the link between carbs and comfort, but apparently I was deluding myself 🙁.

DH is ok, by the way. We don't know what's wrong but he's feeling ok for now.

Sorry to hear that @Lucienandjean - in the circumstances I don't think The Big Stick is really required. But yes, you need to think about why you turned to carbs - and ask if you could have done anything else?

Hope your DH is OK.

Posting quickly before having dinner, then going back to read the full thread. Tonight is Tesco Finest slow cooked Tandoori Chicken (photo attached) 3.2g carb per 100g.

Served with curried cauliflower and fresh coconut sambal, green beans, rainbow chard.

Thanks stuntnun

Oooh, that looks lovely @venusandmars

I'm loving all the avocado chat at the moment. I have some sad looking specimens I forgot in the veg drawer I'm going to stick in an omelette or something.

I'm really pleased the scale is continuing to move in the right direction though I'm dismayed that a favourite pair of trousers that fit me as recently as 18m ago still won't go up above mid thigh. 18m ago or less! I seem to put on weight so bloody quickly, though tbf I've been losing it quickly too. This yo-yoing cannot be good for me though - I'm thinking ahead to maintenance btn bootcamps and will need some strategies. Hmm....

Some tricky days ahead with guests, family birthdays and days out, so a big order of rolls from SLC has gone out for the days we're hosting picnics or brunches.

Wishing everyone a lovely day / evening

Oh that does look delicious @venusandmars! I think I’ll have to do a tandoori roast chicken soon...

Sorry to hear about your DH @Lucienandjean and totally understand the stress you would have felt hope everything is okay now and sending lots of good vibes for the both of you to be able to relax in the meantime until things are hopefully sorted out.

Lots of positivity in the comments - lovely to read and glad so many are feeling the benefits of this WOE!

@FinallyHere Great loss!! Well done, and what a good illustration of how much can change by just keeping it going day by day.

I had a hungry day today so slightly higher intake, but overall should still be okay:

Lunch: small portion of leftover shepherd’s pie stew/filling, with broccoli and butter. Had one small wedge of DH’s apple.

Dinner: 2 egg omelette with shallot, mushrooms, little bit of red pepper, little bit of pancetta. Had with a good portion of Savoy cabbage and garlic fried in olive oil and butter. Finished off with some pork scratchings.

Also had some pistachio nuts this evening. Plenty of water and tea, one coffee with cream.

@mimosa1 wishing you well on negotiating with ease the tricky days to come! Lots of scope for enjoyment with just a few tweaks...I’m trying to plan some treats for DH for this weekend, Valentine’s Day and our anniversary. Luckily I’m past the stage of wanting baked sweets for myself so I should be okay (touch wood!). Has anyone tried making LC meringue?

Oh! I had a happy Charity Shop find today! Always glad to have another recipe book for inspiration.

Thanks for the good vibes and wishes @TangledWebOfDeception and @BIWI. DH is home and ok for now. He has an infection, and some powerful antibiotics for it.

The concern is that the infection is somewhat unusual and might be because of a possible underlying health condition. He has had tests for that and we await further developments. I've calmed down a bit now 😬.

As for my face-first-fall-into-the-carbs, I need to work out a better strategy for dealing with stress.

Thanks @BIWI

i’m moderately active and was actually thinking I might need to reduce the fat ( well the dairy part anyway). The Zoe article was interesting and it looks like my experience could be classed as constipation. After being a regular once or twice a day girl I’m just so uncomfortable if I haven’t gone in a few days.

@Lucienandjean also sending good wishes to you and your husband. I can relate to the immediate face fall into carbs with stress and may still have that mindset when I feel I deserve a ‘treat’. Would be good to hear other’s strategies.

@Lucienandjean sending healing vibes to your dh.
I am going to reintroduce myself to society today, first stop the shop. I have been eating only what carb mad non snacking vegetarian dh has bought me all week and while he did try hard food has been minimal. I have managed to stay mostly on plan, making sure I drunk loads of water and a doing a little bit of exercise. Looking forward to some beautiful fatty delicious food. In fact think I may have a celeriac, I'm definitely a convert.
I gave up on avocados, I just never happen to be home in the three minutes that they are ripe. Lidl do a lovely pot of smashed avocado with lime though which is lush.
I've applied for a promotion at work and waiting to here if I got an interview, if I did I'll need to go and buy clothes this weekend as I have nothing suitable that even vaguely fits.
Nsv, I found some old clothes that are size 10 and I can get in them all. Like new clothes without the ££££.

Well done on the great loss @FinallyHere.
Next weekend is my posh weekend away for our 20th wedding anniversary, I'm so excited, the restaurant we have booked looks like it could be pretty boot camp friendly and the hotel looks so posh. Now to decide which pretty dress to wear.

I'm sure you'll look gorgeous @ditavonteesed whatever you wear It's our 25th wedding in May and we've still to decide what to do.

Hope your dh recovers quickly @Lucienandjean and don't beat yourself up too much.

Great British Menu this week featured a whole swede that had been cooked overnight. The outside was charred black and then it was cut into chunky "chips" with the charred bit on either end. The judges (and other chefs) raved about it: both the initial celebrity chef who was whittling them done to two to go to the final and then the judging panel (which this week had Marcus Waring rather than Tom Kerridge as head judge). They all said it was the best swede they'd ever tasted.

I've looked and can't find any recipe for it but I'd love to try to make it myself.

Ohh @prettybird that sounds interesting! I’d like to try it too.

Ah sorry that was me!

Oh FGS! That was ME!

I saw that ep of GBM too, @prettybird! I think, given the chef who made it, it was barbecued or cooked in coals overnight - smoke/fire is his 'thing'! But yes, I'd love to try and have a go at that too.

@Lucienandjean Wishing your DH a speedy recovery. Sounds very stressful and don't beat yourself up for a minor cheat.
That weekend away sounds lovely. I'm so jealous, I love a posh hotel..not that I get to stay in many.

I've got a birthday do to go to tonight which includes a buffet. I'll eat before I go so food shouldn't be a problem. I just need to go easy on the alcohol. I get bad social anxiety and tend to drink fast to mask my nerves. I've got an early start tomorrow so hopefully that'll deter me from over doing it🤞

Imagine me by your side @MaryDoll84, with The Big Stick twitching in my hand!

@BIWI That'll definitely do the trick😁

@MaryDoll84 Make sure to eat plenty of any LC foods to keep you on track. Also try to start with a soft drink or two instead of going straight to alcohol - you will still be holding a glass and sipping, so your mind will get some anxiety management cues from that, and you might find that actually, without the alcohol you’ll be better able to see that everyone else is much too busy thinking about themselves to be thinking about you! Alternate alcoholic drinks with a glass of water.

Hope you have a lovely time!

(By ‘soft’ I mean low or no cal tonic or similar, obviously!)

@MaryDoll84 drink lots and lots of water before you go too, so there's no risk that you'll be thirsty. Or, if it's on offer, have a coffee as your first drink when you arrive. Wine after coffee is a horrible taste!

@Lucienandjean hope your dh recovers quickly. That sounds like an extrememly stressful situation and maybe your body DID need some very fast emergency energy. In ancient tribal communities (who mostly ate meat/fish and veg that grew above ground) they might occasionally come across a honeycomb and gorge themselves on sugar for a couple of days - thank goodness for our natural insulin response! Then they woud be right back to their normal pattern of eating. Don't see it as a black mark, just get back on with the usual way of eating on bootcamp.

The tandoori smoked chicken was very, very good, and there's plenty left for another meal. Plus all the sauce and bones are now boiling up to make some curry bone broth. Yum, yum, yum.

Oh @venusandmars that sounds fab. Really, really fancy it now!

That's interesting, @venusandmars about our ancestors overloading on sugar, then back on the normal diet. Our bodies are amazing in that they can run on glucose or fat, and switch between the two as needed.

I think yesterday I needed 'something', and that was some quick carbs! Today I'm back on the wagon and feel a lot more normal.

@Rayna37 - I can confirm that the M&S love sausage is indeed available again this year. It always causes much mirth and teenage style tittering on the gestational diabetes forum I'm on with comments about how love sausages were what caused our gestational diabetes in the first place 😂😂

@FinallyHere - congratulations on your continued weightless. Everytime ypu update a BC spreadsheet I'm blown away by how successful it's been for you. You're a real inspiration!!

I'm struggling to eat at the moment, with the delights of all day "morning" sickness. I'm about to attempt some avocado and greek yogurt for lunch. Having turned a corner with vegetables last week, they are now once again making me queasy to even think of!

p.s. sorry for the random bold text. I'm affected by the Samsung issues MN is having. Every time I set the text back to non bold it promptly re-bolds it all! It's either bold text or enormous gaps between paragraphs. I only seem to be able to remove one or the other!

Happy Friday, campers! Can't believe I've almost made it, it's been quite the week here.

Had an absolute battering at my lunchtime PT session today, so much so I actually thought I might throw up at one point. But I kept my breakfast yogurt in place and feel much better now it's over. Lunch was an inside out omelette and we've got steak and random fridge veg for tea.

We're out for dinner with friends tomorrow which I'm very much looking forward to. Had an early scout of the menu and might go for the burger with salad instead of fries and I'll ditch the bun. The only other easy pick is a Caesar salad but I'm not that fussed on Caesar dressing and it never feels enough for dinner. We don't usually bother with dessert but there will be wine

Had a peak on the scales this morning and I'm only 2lbs off being back in the 12s, which I don't think I've seen for over 2 years. Exciting times!!