Week 4 - Back-to-school Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Morning all!

Foggy here, which was a surprise

Here is a link to the spreadsheet. I’m away staying with friends, so no time to say much more, but will check in later.

@Amomentonthelips there are definitely very many benefits beyond weight loss that low carbing can bring! Glad that you're enjoying being 'back'.

@JauntyRedShoes (am I right in thinking you're an Aussie?) Are you limiting eggs because of fear of cholesterol? If so, then that's outdated thinking. There's no reason to limit eggs. Eating cholesterol doesn't 'give' us cholesterol. There's a piece here from Harvard Health::

For most people, an egg a day does not increase your risk of a heart attack, a stroke, or any other type of cardiovascular disease.
In the past, it seemed logical to think eggs would be bad for your heart health. We knew that the cholesterol in eggs came from the egg yolks, and we knew that high levels of cholesterol, especially LDL (bad) cholesterol, in the blood increased the risk of cardiovascular disease. So, it seemed logical that avoiding cholesterol in the diet made sense.

Since then, however, research has shown that most of the cholesterol in our body is made by our liver-it doesn't come from cholesterol we eat. The liver is stimulated to make cholesterol primarily by saturated fatand trans fat in our diet, not dietary cholesterol. But a large egg contains little saturated fat-about 1.5 grams (g). And research has confirmed that eggs also contain many healthy nutrients: lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good for the eyes; choline, which is good for the brain and nerves; and various vitamins (A, B, and D). In fact, just one large egg contains 270 international units (IU) of vitamin A and 41 IU of vitamin D. One large egg also contains about 6 g of protein and 72 calories.

The evidence that cholesterol in one egg a day is safe for most people comes from huge studies-many conducted here at Harvard Medical School-that have followed hundreds of thousands of people over decades. They regularly report what they eat and all of the medical conditions that they develop. It is those studies that do not find higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, or other cardiovascular diseases in people who eat up to one egg per day.

@EfficientlyDecluttering I know you're struggling with the higher fat aspect of low carbing - so it's about finding ways to keep your fat levels up that don't make you feel nauseous. No point adding butter to mushrooms (for example) if you aren't enjoying them!

Over the years, posters on Bootcamp have recorded so many NSV's that it has been remarkable - as someone who also only started low carbing for the weight loss. And even if you think you're not experiencing any of the 'smaller' ones, bear in mind that a low carb diet has been associated with many 'bigger' ones, e.g. lowering blood pressure and blood glucose levels (i.e. controlling the risk of diabetes.) In some circles, Alzheimer's Disease is now being called Type 3 diabetes.

No! Jump right in! @FinallyHere is on holiday so might not see your post straight away - so just add your name to the bottom of the list on the spreadsheet.

Thank you!! 😊

I've returned from holiday and with much trepidation I stepped on the scales... Very pleased to discover that I have stayed the same. There was too much food overall, too much wine (especially sweet port) and too many pastel de nata However, I did drink lots of water which feels more difficult today in the cold. Surprised that my weight has remained the same but I definitely feel much more sluggish, my gut has been noisy and my clothes don't fit as well. So I'm back on it with a vengeance.

What I missed most while I was away was veg, especially the leafy green ones. So last night my homecoming treat was sausages with buttery cabbage, broccoli and spinach. Yum!

Coffee with cream this morning
L - salad with egg, cheese, ham
D - beef chilli with sour cream and avocado salsa, side of cabbage and spinach.

Like @venusandmars, I'm just back from holiday. Unlike her, the damage was 3lb up (11st 11.5lb) but I'm pleasantly surprised at that

...especially given I was away for 3 weeks, the first half with my aged aunt (she might technically be younger than my dad was, at "only" 83, but as my dad had said when he got back from SA at the end of June, she acts older and is very set in her ways ) and in the 2nd half we were in the Cape, where we had far too much wine and rich food and not nearly enough water (especially the two days travelling home)

So, my aunt couldn't cope with the fact that neither of us were in the habit of having breakfast. She did eventually accept that I didn't usually eat potatoes and would prepare me extra veg (the baby courgettes were particularly nice)

To be honest, after the time in the Cape, my body has started to rebel against all the rich food and wine, so I'm looking forward to getting stuck back into Boot Camp!

@BIWI I agree that staving off high blood pressure, blood glucose etc is a major motivating factor for losing weight (I'm not a;; that unhappy with the way I look TBH and my weight doesn't restrict me day to day) however they are future issues to be headed off, rather than needing to be reversed now for me. There was an article today about how many middle aged women in the UK are fit but fat, I suspect I'm one of them but do feel its only a matter of time before it catches up with me. I have started adding cream to my FFGY for extra fat, it's the oil and butter I can't take too much of (ironically if I was eating bread I'd pile the butter on as the carbs counteract the greasiness).

One thing that is working well for me is freezing double cream in ice cube trays to have in my coffee - I only really drink it at work (to overcome the afternoon slump which is psychological as I only drink decaff) or in cafes, so now I put a cube of cream in a thermal mug in the morning and its ready for my after lunch coffee. In cafes I weaned myself from latte to flat white last year, I have been trying machiatto which someone on here recommended but its too black in some places, however I discovered cortado in Nero last week and it was absolutely perfect with just a small amount of milk.

@EfficientlyDecluttering the frozen cube of cream is genius. I'm going to punch this idea for my midday work coffee.

I'm still here plodding on. We are having sloppy Joes for dinner with courgette fries. Mine will be wrapped in lettuce and everyone else has toasted brioche buns.

I hope everyone has had lovely holidays. I'm off on mine in a few weeks and I've been strategising how I can continue with this WOE.

Welcome back holidayers, hope you had lovely times and glad that not much damage was done! Didn't go to plan yesterday as the main component in the soup ended up being sweet potatoes (loads to use up) so that's been frozen for DH's work lunches and I had peppers, courgettes, cherry tomatoes and leftover roast chicken fried up in butter and harissa flakes. Served with smashed avocado, salsa and grated cheese it was lush! Today has been boiled eggs in butter with rollitos for brunch and spiced pork belly for dinner with spinach, mushrooms, peppers and probably cauliflower cheese.

Frantically writing lists for next week as the weekend will be spent packing up to move out on Wednesday morning! Also have an office day tomorrow so will be going to m&s later for LC treats to make it bearable! It's in the fancy bit of the city so lots of restaurants and coffee shops but not much which is BC friendly

I find myself hoping that the NSV benefits will come my way soon, I'm nearly a stone down since mid-June so that's obviously good and a lot has come from my tummy which was storing up problems for later on. Clothes do fit better but I'd quite like some of the extra energy lots of people report on this WOE, and better skin too - sorry for the whinge!

In reply to @LadyBird1973, I'm amazed that my boiled egg for breakfast keeps me going til past 1pm but it really does, I don't feel hungry at all. I've tried other breakfasts like ffgy or low carb toast but they're not quite as effective. It's late afternoon when it catches up with me. So being more mindful with snacks now and trying to find relaxing alternatives to taking a coffee and snack break mid afternoon. A fun NSV to report. I go cycling twice a week with friends. The last few times, I've set off with the feeling I've forgotten something. I've come to the conclusion that it must be my belly! After lugging an extra 2 stone around for years, It doesn't get in the way anymore - still got a way to go though. Breakfast; boiled egg, of course. Lunch post bike ride picky plate of chicken thigh, streaky bacon, cheese on lettuce cracker. Dinner; Thai chicken curry, buttery savoy cabbage and cauliflower. Coffee with cream x 3.

I am waiting for a takeout in Wagamama and giving myself a hearty pat on the back because I ordered bang bang cauliflower, edamame beans and wok fried greens instead of a pad Thai which is what I usually get. I don’t live very close to a Wagamama and I bloody love it so this is a major test of willpower for me 🤣

I do feel like I'm really getting the hang of this way of eating.

This was brought home to me over the weekend, we had been to see the rugby and on the way home everyone I was with had a snack of pastries and chips/crisps. I didn't have any, and the first time EVER I felt I was in control of what I was eating, rather than feeling that the food was controlling me. What an amazing feeling.

I'm sorry, but I don't know what NSV stands for 😊

I've had spicy cauliflower, Brussels and mushrooms for dinner with a fried egg.

Delicious.

I'm also amazed that I've completely manage to stop the 'eating a packet of biscuits at 4pm' habit I was in.

@Carrierbagofseedsandstars : NSV = Non Scales Victory

Fairly self-explanatory - so, anything from being able to get into an item of clothing you'd been aspiring to even if the scales might not be moving or better skin, better sleep or being in control of what you are eating, rather than feeling that the food was controlling you

Usually at this time of year I would be right in costa/Starbucks for the pumpkin spice cappuccino etc but although I noticed the signs I’m not tempted. It was nice to realise that I don’t actually want one. They always give me the shits anyway

I have got new scales and the readings are slightly higher (grr) I tested both old and new scales next to each other in case I had actually gained weight but nope. I’m going to have to keep the old ones while doing boot camp!

Thank you so much for the egg information @BIWI, it helped with my confusion. Poached, egg, mushrooms and spinach for breakfast this morning has set me up well. I’m in Australia yes.

My jeans feel roomier today which is positive. Sipping water all day is something I need to concentrate on rather than glugging half a litre in the evening to make up the quota and then getting up for the loo multiple times in the night.

It’s remarkable that I don’t feel the need to eat between meals any more. I think it was largely out of habit to reach for nuts and cheese.

Thanks you again and so glad that I happened on Low Carb Bootcamp. Good luck everyone 😊

I am regretting not weighing myself at the outset now - my clothing goal still seems away off so it would be nice to have more evidence that it's working. I know that it is really - my face is slimmer and my belly is shrinking.

Today I have had:

Brunch: Scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach

Tea: Chicken in a cream sauce with mushrooms, bacon and leeks served with pasta for the kids and runner beans and broccoli for me (well I tried to add the greens to DC's plates but they were not well received).

What I fancied earlier was some chilli jam - can anyone recommend any low carb versions?

A NSV for me was being able to do up an old pair of topshop jamie jeans. Was having a decluttering of old clothes - anything that made me feel unhappy when I wore it, got sent to the charity shop or recycling bin! Can't actually wear them comfortably yet but being able to zip them up was an improvement on previous experience!

I did have a tiny piece of dd's birthday cake though - she wanted to share her celebration and would have felt hurt if no one ate any. But it was just one small piece and sometimes you do have to partake in normal life.

The rest of the days food was low carb though.

Yesterday went well, and I've been so busy that I've been skipping meals. Before this BC I'd get so hungry that I'd fall face-first into the fridge when I finally stopped to eat, but at the moment I'm fairly well-controlled. I suppose that's an NSV!

L: 2 x chicken thighs with Mayo, pepper, lettuce
D: mushrooms and spinach in cheesy cream sauce
S: a few nuts

I've started cycling in to work, so will see how that goes with the intermittent fasting.

Today's plan is

L: 2 x chicken thighs with Mayo, pepper, cucumber and tomato
D: Fish stew with a big pile of green beans drowned in butter.

If I need to snack I have a packet of M&S pre-portioned nuts in my bag. This seems quite effective in preventing me from binging.

NSVs for me: jeans feel a lot more comfortable/slightly loose even and massive reduction in hunger. It's strange as for years my after work go to has been a bowl of crisps to tide me over til dinner (and always thought of myself as a real savoury snack fiend) but I've literally not even thought about crisps for weeks!

Well done NSV's. I need to keep in mind these, as from memory it's easy to get hung up on numbers when inches are being lost but not registering.

Today is:
B: smoked salmon, bit of horseradish sauce, scrambled eggs in butter.
L: mackerel pate, salad.
D: either salmon fillet with cooked green veg or chicken if I feel fished out.

A quick q. I'm only on day 2. Is it too early to do mug bread, or a seriously low carb roll or slice of bread that I have in the freezer? I had a low carb wrap last night to go with my shawarma. I want this to be a lifestyle rather than a diet I'll give up.

M&S treat food fail!!!! It turns out that their crustless quiches are not actually crustless as they have a pastry base 😡, serves me right for not reading the small print on the box.........still had it for breakfast in work but picked the filling off the part, my co-workers must think I'm bonkers! I did however remember herbal tea as the office only has a coffee machine and normal tea bags so can keep my liquid intake up. Also remembered my lunch which is peppers, cherry toms, spinach and peri-peri chicken with a bag of chorizo crisps for crunch. Not sure on dinner yet as we're trying to empty the freezer and I didn't take anything out - sigh

@AccidentallyWesAnderson no idea about the mug bread - what are the ingredients? But the Seriously Low Carb bread/roll should be OK. Ideally, though, I'd leave that till you've got through the first two weeks, as they do contain ingredients that we're trying to avoid - at least to start with:

Ingredients: Water, Wheat Gluten, Egg, Brown Flaxseed, Oat Fibre, Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Flour (with Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin),Yeast, Invert Sugar Syrup, Salt, Thickener: Xanthan Gum, Sweetener: Erythritol, Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid, Preservative: Calcium Propionate.

I think mug bread is usually made with almond flour - so not for the first 2 weeks @AccidentallyWesAnderson For me the first 2 weeks of bootcamp are reminding myself and my tastebuds how delicious simple uncomplicated food can be, and also for working out what I really like/miss.

e.g. I like crunchy savoury snacks crisps Usually during the first 2 weeks I go without - sometimes I really feel like I miss something similar, other times I realise that I've just got into a habit. After the first 2 weeks I may reintroduce things like parma ham crisps or cheesies or some kind of bread substitute. But often I find that after a break of 2 weeks I don't 'need' them as often as I think. I sometimes find I've re-learnt to enjoy salmon and scrambled egg on spinach without the need for any kind of muffin substitute, or that ham, cheese and cucumber wrapped in lettuce with some mayonnaise is a perfectly acceptable sandwich.

@EfficientlyDecluttering I underestand that butter and oil can feel too oily, how are you with mayonnaise? I recently make prawn fritters (not particulalry high fat) but served with homemade sriracha mayonnaise. The mayonnaise adds fat but the spicy sriracha seems to cut through the fat a bit. Or I add mayonnaise to blue cheese to make a dressing for salad or steak.

I'm back on I/F which already makes me feel less sluggish
L - coffee with cream; left-over sausages with salad
D - beef chilli with cauliflower rice and buttery cabbage

Love all of the NSVs. I've got a pair of jeans that I've never been able to do up that's I'm slowly working my way into. When I started there was a 6 inch gap, it's now down to about 4. Slowly but surely!

Had a bit of a lunch failure today. Knew I'd be at a clients until about 3 so treated myself to a creamy coffee on the way thinking I'd pick up an M&S Greek salad when I left. Good job I did because it seems I've dropped the cutlery somewhere on the way to my train so I've no way of eating it. But amazingly although I do feel a bit hungry I've not got the dizzy, shakey feeling I would have had previously! By the time I get home I may as well wait for dinner now.