Week 7 - Back-to-School Low Carb Bootcamp - the last fortnight!

[BIWI]

Morning all

So we're very nearly at the end! Only a couple more weeks, but still time to drop a couple of those pesky pounds.

Time to take stock of where you are/what you've achieved - and to ask yourself if you're properly 'Bootcamp compliant'. Remember at the beginning, I talked about it taking 66 days (on average) to create a new habit? Well so far, we've completed 42 days. Hopefully that means that we're all well on the way to feeling that a lower carb diet can be a new habit, a new WOE.

And with that in mind, this week's challenge - should you choose to accept it ! - is to find a recipe that you have cooked before, or one that you like but haven't cooked, and adapt it to a lower carb one. Or simply to find a recipe that's new to you, but that is a low carb option.

Here's my choice: Bacon wrapped cod with bacon buttered greens

I like this idea because a) I want to eat more fish and b) as it seems to be impossible to buy cod that isn't skinless and boneless these days, this will work well.

... and here's The Spreadsheet

That looks delicious @BIWI!

Good morning all. Am going to avoid weighing this week - have had a very inactive weekend in anticipation of a difficult week. Am getting my bathroom refitted - there's noise and mess everywhere. Can't drink all the water as the loo is now sitting in my front garden

Good morning everyone. 3lb down this week, and I'm thrilled. My good news story is that I am now back within my pre-baby weight range!

I honestly didn't think I'd see this weight again. I wasn't prepared to be starving hungry all the time - my pre-kids way of losing weight - and I had almost accepted that I was a middle aged mother, and being overweight came with the turf. I hope I don't offend anyone by saying that. I know lots of middle aged and/or overweight people who absolutely rock their look and are full of confidence. It just wasn't working for me.

Anyway... if I lose another 5kg I will be as light as I have ever (comfortably) been, and that would be simply amazing. I am feeling really good about myself and am celebrating by buying clothes and putting more effort into how I look, which is now actually fun rather than a depressing chore. I can also see a future path where I allow myself the odd bowl of pasta or plate of chips, but that the majority of meals are LC.

I'm away with work again for much of this week so won't be able to do the challenge. My personal challenge will be to avoid dessert when at dinner with colleagues and also not to bore total strangers with my LC WOE. I must remember, no one really cares about your kids or your diet, they're just being polite. 😂

2lbs down this week, although 1lb up to my mid-week weigh which I'm trying not to be annoyed about.

That's a stone's loss in total, which I'm very pleased about. Still a long way to go but this is an excellent start.

I'm so pleased this is an 8 week bootcamp as I would definitely feel like waning usually, but have sufficient motivation to plough on through.

I've really let the water consumption slide, so that's my main aim for this week, especially as it's now colder. I've bought myself some posh fruit teas as an extra incentive.

In terms of extra benefits, I've spent the whole week reorganising my house. We've moved things around, sorted out the book cases, had. a massive clear out.

I've been sluggish and down for ages about our house but finally have the energy to do something about it and I'm sure being a little lighter and not having those sugar crashes is at play.

Well done @RooRooCooChoo , that's a fabulous achievement. You should rightly be very proud indeed.

Don't blame you @LadyBird1973 - no one wants to be weeing in a bush on 3 litres a day!

Stayed the same again but refuse to be disheartened. Just been to see my GP to discuss some blood results (all good) and he congratulated me on losing 4kg since my last check in 6 months ago so taking that as a win. I now much prefer LC eating compared to 'normal' eating and don't think I'll ever go back to filling a plate with pasta, rice or potatoes (the odd chip, maybe). The only carb I really miss is bread. For this weeks recipe challenge I'm going to investigate alternative dauphinoise as I don't like celeriac so suggestions please. I can only think of swede which I would need to slice very thinly, I think. I'm also going to try to remember to record my food intake here so @biwi can help me spot where I need to reign it in.
B: boiled egg
L: Home made veg soup, cheese, home made LC bread
D: Salmon, buttery veg (swede dauphinoise possibly).
Snack: 2 chicken popcorn bites (yes, @BIWI, bit of fridge rummaging there 🦯).

Had a less dramatic night but still feel really 💩. Just went to the doctors and had a bit of a breakdown there and then scoffed an entire bar of dark green & blacks. Which will be my breakfast and my lunch because now I’m going back to sleep. So not off to an amazing start this week. But back down to my pre Ireland weight so pleased with that, at least something is on track!

@OldandTired66 - I've done Dauphinoise with neeps (swede) and it does need to be cooked for a long time.

I'd even suggest (might try this myself next time I do it), doing it as a hybrid "boulangère/dauphinoise", ie start it off with some stock (chicken or veg depending on whether you're a veggie or not) to soften the neeps and then, once the stock has just about cooked off, adding plenty of cream to make it a dauphinoise.

@LiesDoNotBecomeUs don't know if you've already had your trip to Sainsbury's, but I did spot one thing you might be interested in - a French brand of cream cheese. I meant to check if there was any premium pâté, but I'm sorry I got distracted doing my shopping!

Oh, I love that cream cheese. It's pretty salty but delicious. My kids are powered pretty much exclusively by Philadelphia and don't like the fancy stuff, so now I buy both!

Hi, I have had a tricky week at home due to a bereavement but apart from a bit too much dark chocolate have stuck to plan. I am 2.5lb down so 9lb in total.

Bf: swede bubble and squeak and bacon, lunch fry up (not the best but was the only carb free available in the cafe), dinner aubergine parmigiana.

I had a hospital procedure today and can’t leave until I eat a slice of toast.
That was not in my plan!

Don't worry about it@ChimneyPot - your health has to come first!

Sorry for your loss @Frumpyunicorn

Thank-you

That is the mythical cheese I have been in search of! (So it is not just in my dreams after all :) )

Well done @ 'sveltunicorn' 9lb is fantastic.
(Sorry for your bereavement.)

You have a note from your doctor - you are going to get away with that toast :)
Hope you feel better very soon.

Well, I made the cod dish, and it was good - but too much bacon really. I did wonder about that when I read the recipe, but there really wasn't need to have it in the cabbage/leek dish as well as on the cod.

Weighed in this morning and down 1.25lbs so the medically required slice of toast didn’t do too much damage.
I was actually scared to eat it because bread, bagels, scones are by weakness and I was afraid of opening the floodgates and being unable to stop if I started.

https://www.lowcarb-nocarb.com/roasted-low-carb-pumpkin-soup-recipe/

I am going to try this soup recipe for the challenge. I haven’t made pumpkin soup in years.

That sounds lovely! (And good news on the weight loss, despite toast!)

That soup looks good!

we had chicken Alfredo on Saturday (the keto one on small florets of cauliflower rather that pasta- it works well because the sauce is so rich),

parmigiana for dinner last night ( lovely food for a cold wet night).

plan a version of fish pie with mashed cauliflower and greens tonight.

Swede dauphinois worked fairly well - bit too rich if anything and needed more flavouring so work in progress. I microwaved a chunk of swede for 5 minutes which made it easier to slice thinly. I layered it with finely chopped leeks and cheese on top, baked for 30 minutes. More swede and less cream next time, and will try pp suggestion of precooking in stock boulangere style. Thinking sliced swede in slow cooker with stock for a few hours might help prep it for the oven and add flavour.
B: boiled egg
L: soup with added cooked chicken, lc bread
D: Bolognese sauce with savoy cabbage
Snack: Babybel cheese

Tonight we've having one of my favourites - aubergines baked with chilli and garlic-flavoured olive oil, with a feta cheese topping.

Will serve with a side salad and some roasted broccoli and shallots.

I really have discovered a deeper love for aubergines - since I had them thinly sliced then baked/roasted in olive oil until crisp and soft in equal measure. They must be the real vegetarian bacon!

They have to be cooked till they're soft though - hard aubergine is horrible!