Feb '24 Bootcamp - Week 2

[BIWI]

Mixed messages so far it would seem - some gains and some losses.

For those of you who are new to Bootcamp, or low carbing, don't be discouraged when others talk about a gain. Remember that some people here are longer-term low carbers, and so they're really 'practising' for the maintenance phase of their lives.

But it's also a useful reminder for all of us (myself included ) that this WOE does require focus. Little slips here and there can soon add up!

Anyway. It's the start of a new week, so be pleased by your losses and put any gains behind you.

Onwards and downwards!

Here's the spreadsheet

Sorry about the 'celebration' - how tragic to die so young
Sorry to hear, too, about the dentist.

I keep going back to that smoked haddock recipe, though, and I'm wondering about it. The picture makes it look as if there's a lot of liquid in that dish - yet the rarebit mixture only asks for 2 tablespoons of beer and 3 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce. I realise that the cheese will melt, but can't see how that (along with the dry mustard powder) will make that much liquid - never mind enough to serve 6 people!

I'm wondering if the writer has forgotten to include the milk in that recipe? It's only used, apparently, to cook the haddock in, and there's no mention of it anywhere else.

Suppose I'll have to try it to find out!

@BIWI I'm not sure milk and beer sounds like a good combination!

I picked up cheap Valentine's meal deals at Tesco yesterday. We're a romantic lot on here!

I'm not a haddock fan so you can keep that one @BIWI Gives me horrific flashbacks to staying at my grandparents when I was little.

It's only rated 2/5 so I'm suspicious. Would this one work instead? Olive magazine version

No feedback on that one mind, and possibly the same issue with the liquid?

That one does look better though - and I like the addition of spinach too

I know I've been quiet on here, but it's because I've really not been doing well.

I have a day planned tomorrow which won't be BC compliant, but then I'll be back with a bang!

Just wanted to thank @BIWI and others for the lc recipe boards, as they've been tremendously useful for meal planning.

And useful to get the variety back into our weekly shop

Have eventually made the butter chicken, with spiced cauliflower rice and keto naans. Absolutely delicious, thanks for the recipes, feel like I've cheated but I haven't.
Agree about Great British Menu- very snipey this time and some dodgy rounds too.

A quiet evening here - m&s chicken meatball in tomato sauce, to which I added some courgette and cheese.

Tomorrow night is a big one, a friend get together at one of our houses. We've all decided to blow babysitting favours on this so I'm determined to make the most of it. We'll all be doing our own takeaway thing so I'm going to look at some greek / Turkish style options and do what I can LC wise. I will be having some drinks, I'll stick to more LC options but I'm happy to take the hit to be honest. I don't get enough nights out with my favourite people. But that's the plan, Sunday is for climbing back on the wagon.

Chinese style belly pork here, braised for 6 hours at a low temperature so now very tender and ready to be fried to crisp the fat. Served with peppers and broccoli stir fried in sesame oil and a bit of the soy braising liquid.

Tomorrow is a different story. A pub lunch for my dad's birthday and there is literally nothing I can eat as it is. I think I will go for the least worst option of the small roast of the day and ask for no Yorkshire pud or potatoes. 😳

We had a lovely chicken thigh slow cooked casserole with buttered cabbage , normally Friday night is tuck into wine night , but that’s all changed , nice glass of sparkling water please … what’s happened to me !

@catwithflowers are there no steaks? I usually find steak with a creamy Stilton sauce and asking to swap out the chips for green veg works well! (Then ask for butter to put on the veg haha)

@QforCucumber I don't think so but I'm not very fond of steak anyway 🙈. I'll post the menu and you can see what you think!!!

Having trouble with photos. But to be honest it's no big deal, it's a local pub for my dad who is in his eighties and the food is lovely traditional pub grub, lots of it made on the premises rather than bought in. I think I'll just go with the small roast as planned and veg. There will be unwanted carbs in the carrots and gravy but at least the green veg and meat should be better than fish and chips or home made pie of the day (delicious as it would be!)

Morning everyone, I had a brilliant meal out last night. I went for the fajitas and asked for extra salad instead of the wraps. There was tonnes of chicken and I had loads of guacamole, sour cream and cheese. I couldn’t eat it all and I was stuffed after! Did have three glasses of wine in the end but food-wise was perfect!

Sorry I've been a bit AWOL - not been feeling well and succumbed to carbs as comfort food

I'm back on water, water, water now

(Which reminds me, good to see @shagmeriggins around )

I'm ready and willing to take over on Monday when @BIWI goes off on her well deserved holiday

Sorry you haven't been well @prettybird

I don't go away till 5 March though so you don't get The Big Stick quite yet

I'm getting ahead of myself

I've just about kept up with the threads recently. I'm loving these recipes and also hearing how everyone is getting on while I’m just KOKO-ing.

Not had much to report myself as I suspect I am now in maintenance at BMI 23.8. I’ve continued to weigh myself at roughly monthly intervals just to make sure that I’m not kidding myself. Otherwise I’m just trusting that if I stick with strict bootcamp weekdays and allow occasional bootcamp lite treats at the weekend I will continue to feel well, as I have been and can take the occasional celebratory meal in my stride.

Some more objective results to share now.

The scales I use in the gym at work, the only time I visit the gym so they let me on for free 😁 provide body composition broken into muscle mass, water and fat. Although I have fluctuated by 100-200grammes since October 23, so essentially STS for four months, the good news is that my body fat is down 2kg and muscle mass is up 1.8kg

The results of my GP’s health check blood tests, offered to the over 60s not otherwise seen very recently are completely unremarkable. I’m sure the last time I did see a GP, they had started to mumble about the benefits of statins. An extra delight to be not considered for any medication.

Thank you again @BIWI, @prettybird, @stuntnun and everyone who makes this community what it is, providing such peace after decades of well disordered eating and stress around food.

I’m not weighing as part of BC but I just weighed myself yesterday out of curiosity. I’m only 1lb above where I finished last time - I’d thought it would be much more, so am really pleased about that. That leaves me 2 stone above my perennial target, which is totally achievable between now and summer. I think. 😀

Not a great couple of days away with DD but was expecting that tbh and 2lb up this morning. Did ok on Friday with LC as much as possible and despite having "train snacks" (tins of g&t) actually drank most of a 2l bottle of sparkling water instead!!!! Yesterday was mostly a write off - good breakfast at a lovely coffee shop in Cardiff with books, herbal tea when we got to the uni but went downhill from there! Lunch was all sandwiches and quiche so took the insides out but the main problem was water........we were running late for the train so didn't stock up thinking that the buffet would be open then it wasn't 😭😭😭. So got home very late, chugged a couple of pints and straight to bed, feeling very headachey today as dehydrated, so back on the wagon and all the water coming my way.
No footie for us again, just a pottery day getting caught up and ready for school tomorrow, haven't watched any of gbm this week so v intrigued!

We really enjoyed GBM this week - although not necessarily for the food

Had an absolutely fabulous night last night at a gathering with friends. Everyone bar me ordered in pizza, I went for greek and had lots of lovely meat and salad. I didn't feel jealous at all, and even better, the chocolate cake that was brought over got completely forgotten about so I didn't have to navigate that temptation once I'd had a few drinks.

That said, I did have a fair few glasses of red, so we'll see what the scales say tomorrow.

I've been doing a bit of research into 0% alcohol beers. Doing Dry January, they were a godsend if we were out, but I soon found out that they very enormously in terms of their carb count.

So this is what I've found out so far, showing first carbs per 100ml and then carbs per unit. Because you can't incorporate formatting on MN it makes it a bit difficult to read, so I've put the carb count per 100ml in bold. I've also listed them in order of their carb counts, so the lowest carb count is the top of the list.

Big Drop Citra <0.5 c1.8 (330ml)
Becks Blue 3.1 8.5 (275ml)
Brewdog Punk IPA 3 9.9 (330ml)
Doom Bar Zero 3.2 9 (500ml)
Corona Cero 3.9 12.8 (330ml)
Carlsberg Alcohol Free 4.2 13.86 (330ml)
Stella Artois Premium 4.2 13.9 (330ml)
Birra Moretti 4.4 14.5 (330ml)
Heineken 0.0 4.8 15.84 (330ml)
Peroni 5.6 18.48 (330ml)
San Miguel Especial 5.6 18.48 (330ml)
Brooklyn Special Effects 6.3 20.79 (330ml)
Leffe Blonde 9.8 24.6 (250ml)

If you have information about other brands, do copy the list and add that brand into the list. When we have a more exhaustive list, I'm going to add the info to the spreadsheet