Summer 23, Week 2: the first weigh in

[prettybird]

Good Morning Campers or it will be by the time most of you are reading this

Here we are at Week 2 . This is shaping up to be very supportive Boot Camp - everyone sharing their experiences, both the successes and the slip ups . You are all stars . I haven’t had to get the Big Stick out much as people have usually recognised what happened and worked out strategies for future challenges.

I’ll leave it to @FinallyHere to post the link to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness as people seem to have difficulties when I link from the App.

I’m expecting to see some great losses which is always really heartening . It's always great seeing how newbies see that it really does work

But don't despair if you haven't lost as much as others. Remember, this isn't a competition . We're all here with different startpoints, and everyone loses at a different rate anyway. We all need to KOKO.

That’s also why we encourage taking measurements - usually if the scales aren’t moving, then the inches are! downwards of course

One more week of strict Boot Camp and then we can choose to go on to Boot Canp Light for those of us who want to

The Rules are still the same: you can find them on the OP of the Week 1 thread and also in the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness.

(I’m now on Week 3 but I’ll avoid talking about any of my Boot Camp Light variations for the moment )

Went for a run at 6am to secure my steps before the office as we were off out for dinner tonight and no chance for my usual evening walk.

BCL - Chopped salad for lunch and FFGY with berries for lunch. Dinner at Japanese restaurant and did ok although the chicken was in a crispy batter which I had to peel off.....

Most of the 💦 today and downing the last lot now!

I'm so stuffed that making my salad tonight was hard as I was struggling to face food or have the thought I might ever be hungry again 😳😂

Ok today I had:.
B - FFGY with a half spoon of protein powder and coffee with cream.
Second coffee with cream mid morning.
L - two eggs with avocado, mayo and tomatoes. Side portion of cucumber and slice of cloud bread
D - Beef stir fry with cabbage and peppers.

What's great about this WoE is that I'm changing what the whole family eat a bit too. I'm starting to realise that no one else is missing bread at all now I've stopped buying it. In this weather they're happy with more meat, eggs, veg and salad so at least we're eating similar food so I don't feel like I'm on a completely separate eating plan

They still want to eat things I can't have but that's fine.

B - coffee and cream

L - left over ratatouille with chicken and spoon of Mayo

D - salad with avocado, feta and chicken

Unfortunately that’s not happening AT ALL in our house, I started a similar WOE in September and none of the rest of them have changed their eating habits one jot.

Anyway:
Breakfast - egg mayo with bacon
Lunch - MN massive salad with chicken and mayo
Snack - rollitos
Dinner - more rollitos, a green smoothie (no fruit only veg) and a hard boiled egg. I really CBA to cook in this hot weather and I keep going out every evening because its nice to when its light.
Plenty of water and herbal / rooibos tea.

@dimples76 - I make my cauliflower rice by blitzing some (fresh) cauliflower florets in the food processor and then frying it briefly in loads of butter and spices of your choice (garlic, cumin, coriander, cardamom....).

I don't find that doing it this way results in a cauliflowery smell at all in the house the small of the spices are much stronger

I unexpectedly had dinner out this evening, on a semi-business occasion. I didn't get to choose the restaurant, and it was Italian, which always seems the most difficult choice for low carbing - all that pasta and pizza. 😬

Fortunately there were some salads on the menu, and mine was delicious. I still felt it was a treat and I didn't stand out as picking something 'odd' in the group. The only thing that wasn't BC-friendly was a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I'm not going to get too worked up about that. Overall more successful than I'd feared. And I drank fizzy water.

Todays food:
B: nothing
L: tuna mayo, cold chicken, cucumber, peppers, Brie
D: chicken salad - grilled chicken, avocado, rocket, tomato, cucumber, Parmesan shavings, olive oil, balsamic vinegar. A macchiato.
S: a couple of spoons of FFGY.

Well done @Lucienandjean - I have found myself in Italian restaurants a few times on this WOE and found a dish that I forget the name of which is aubergine baked in tomato sauce topped with mozzarella, not perfect as there are a lot of tomatoes but very tasty and not pasta or pizza.

Ah, yes, @EvenmoreDetermined that sounds like a good choice too. There were a couple of fish dishes I could have had as well within the rules, but they were expensive and I wasn't paying, and didn't want anyone to think I was taking advantage!

I realised it's ages since I'd had dinner out, mostly because I'm always convinced there won't be good choices. Looking at the menu online first definitely helped.

It's called Aubergine parmigiana which I cook quite often. It's delicious actually

It's very easy to cook especially when I skip frying the aubergine slices first. I just cut them very thinly instead and salt and squeeze them as usual and then just layer up with a tomato ragu sauce, mozzarella, aubergine etc etc till it's all gone and the final layer being tomato sauce with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

Bake for 45 mins ish at 200 but the trick is to leave it to stand like a lasagne for at least 30 mins before serving so it settles down.

In case of any confusion the sauce does not have mince in it. Just onion, garlic, tomato purée, tinned tomatoes and anything you choose to add as your version of this type of tomato sauce

I didn't want to write tomato sauce because I didn't want anyone thinking I used ketchup

Thanks prettybird I will try that out. I do like cauliflower normally. I think that I would still have eaten it if it weren't for the children's vociferous complaints- I wasn't even suggesting they ate it, I cooked normal rice for them.

re Cauliflower rice, I tried steaming it the first time made it and it smelled and tasted awful. I tend to roast it now, I blitz it, mix with a bit of olive oil and salt/spices then spread thinly on a tray and roast in a medium oven, it catches and burns easily though, so recently I have started to just do it in small chunks the same way instead, saves getting out the FP and then cleaning it too. I've never tried frying it though.

I normally do cauliflower rice like @prettybird, but I might try roasting it next time. I agree steaming it isn’t great.
I love aubergine. I like it as above but with carb free cheese sauce. Yummy and so filling!

I’ve got left over chipotle beef bowl for lunch today and will make chicken and veg with cream sauce for dinner.

Does anyone have any recommendations for low carb chicken stock? I often make my own but it’s useful to have ready made in too.

Back down to Monday's weight this morning on the twilight scales and another night where I managed to stay in my bed all night so I'm taking that as a win!

FFGY for breakfast and a spinach, mushroom and bacon creation planned for lunch, clearing out the freezer in preparation for the big shop this weekend so campfire stew for dinner (will swerve the beans). I fancy something crunchy with it, in pre-BC days we'd have crusty baguette with it..................

6lbs down from my starting weight. I had been low carbing and maintaining for a few years but too much socialising and holidays has meant my weight had just kept creeping up. Thanks @prettybird for starting this bootcamp. Saturday was a right off as I was at an all day function. All carbs. I also had dinner at a friends one night and it was almost boot carb friendly. I just took extra salad and skipped the potatoes. I imagine I will have a stall now but I can really see the difference. A roll of fat around my waist has gone. I could feel it when I sat down and it is no longer there.

In an NSV, with the cooler weather I'm now back wearing my jeans. They're still a bit tight but at least I'm no longer having to undo to the top to be able to breath

Hi all, great to hear everyone is well, it's given me a boost to keep going.

I had a loss of 1.3lb which I'm happy with, as I've been LC since the Jan BC but had slowly started cheating more and more, so BC is bringing me back into line.

My jeans felt a bit comfier this morning too 😀

I've just noticed how much I would benefit from a tummy tuck.
Must be a sign of fat loss. But slightly depresssing, really, so not the most brilliant NSV.

Hi everyone, I have been absent from the threads for several days.
Went a bit 'rogue' (stress, kids, day out, not planning enough plus the main culprit in all likelihood - not drinking enough water then feeling rubbish and hungry) ....
But I've still managed to lose over 2lbs which I'm happy with, considering. I am officially back on the wagon (impressive for my usual ADHD-induced-quitting).

Yesterday:
B: nothing (accidental fast)
L: cucumber and feta (was in a rush)
D: aubergine, tomato, double cream, xv olive oil, shallots, garlic, parmesan dauphinoise-thing (adapted from the veggie recipe's 'courgette dauphinoise' , as no courgettes left) with cauliflower mash (w. double cream, salt n pepper)

Well done everyone on your losses x

@HedgehogHill well done for getting back on board, that's the important thing and sticking to this woe, plus upping your water - well fingers crossed that you'll add to your loss next week. (losing another couple of pounds, not adding them on!)

I've been out this morning which always makes I/F so much easier. I am genuinely not hungry, but sometimes if I'm around the kitchen (and especially if I get a whiff of dh's toast) I find myself grazing in the fridge.

B - rooibos tea,
S - 2 glasses of water
L - slice of schneiderbrot (4g carb) with ham, mayo, cheese, rocket, cucmber. It was small in the area on the plate, but piled up very high - a little difficult to get in my mouth as my jaw is still tender after last week's wisdom tooth extraction and I can't open my mouth very wide.
D - was suposed to be left overy duck cassoulet but someone ate it for his lunch and I don't like to feed him the same meal twice in one day. It will be vegetable curry with prawns instead. On cabbage rice. Cassoulet tomorrow.

I've noticed that because of my tender jaw I am eating much more slowly than normal. This has the effect of me eating smaller portions as I realise 3/4 of the way through that I have actually had enough.

Thanks for all the reminders about WATER

I only managed to start yesterday , though I weighed in on the first Monday the week then got busy and out of control , and I knew I didn’t have the headspace to start something new….
9 weeks until my holiday ( first big holiday since before Covid , to say I’m excited is an understatement)

Had a good day yesterday , will be good again today 👍

Weve recently had a big kitchen refurb , which led to lots of carbs and convenience foods , the bonus is a fab new kitchen though , complete with boiling water tap , and a soda stream which makes drinking water much easier ( I’ve also learnt how to bookmark threads , so my life is complete )

New scales have arrived and it appears that the old ones are about by 4/5lb 😡😡, will reserve final judgement until first thing tomorrow but it appears I might have more to loose than I thought (and I had plenty in the first place!!!).
Oh well KOKO I suppose.............

Quick reply to @TheOnlyMrsW (will do the rest later tonight). You're right to reserve judgement: if you've been drinking your water as well as eating , it's amazing how much "extra" you put on over the course of the day

The "damage" might not be as bad as you fear

Anyway, the scales are only a means to demonstrate relative progress. What really matters is how you feel about how you look - and where you want to get to.