Week 4 - May '24 Low Carb Bootcamp - the end of the first half!

[BIWI]

Morning all

Here's the spreadsheet

So this week sees us reaching the end of the first half - so 'only' another 4 to go!

Remember that week 4, along with week 3, can be a tough week from the POV of weight loss, so if things look like they're slowing down/stopping, despite your best efforts, don't be downhearted. We see this every Bootcamp, without fail! Just KOKO (and make sure you're following the rules, of course), and things will get going again.

We took advantage of the lovely weather yesterday to have our first barbecue of the year. Can't believe we had to wait until June! But I love a barbecue as it's so easy from a low carb perspective. On the menu this time we had:

• halloumi in lemon, garlic and coriander dressing
• home-made beef burgers (just beef mince, with some added olive oil and salt/pepper/mixed herbs), with fried onions and plastic cheese (It's got to be plastic cheese!) DH/DC had their in buns, I had mine 'naked'.
• chicken breast fillets, on skewers, which had been marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and fresh oregano
• sausages
• aubergine, served with FFGY into which I'd added the zest of a mandarin, and a little bit of its juice

And to go with this I'd made coleslaw, a green salad and (for the rest of the family) potato salad.

Loads left, so I know what I'm having for lunch!

Sadly the weather doesn't look like it's going to be anything like as nice for the rest of the week
However, I hope you all have a good week. @MissBeck I haven't seen either of those books before, so looking forward to hearing your review!

I use sour cream a lot in savoury cooking, it isn't off but just has a bit of a tang to it.

No! It's a little yoghurt, in terms of the taste. From Wiki:

Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermentingregular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria.[1] The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream. Its name comes from the production of lactic acid by bacterial fermentation, which is called souring. Crème fraîche is one type of sour cream with a high fat content and less sour taste.

Thanks @prettybird @EasilyDefined @BIWI

Sorry for all the questions. I've never cooked from scratch so still learning what things are and experimenting. If I become a PITA asking too much tell me to STFU. 😂

Asking questions is exactly what these threads are for! Please don't ever worry about that. Ask away

@missbeck I am learning lots from this too! I roughly knew how the creams are different from a cooking perspective but I haven't paid much attention to their nutritional make up.

Thank you to all the informed responders

"Extra thick" double cream has roughly the same fat content as double cream, but has been heated and cooled to give it a thicker consistency (although if you can only get it but need a pourable version, just stir it).

A bit like clotted cream but not done so slowly, so it's not quite as firm.

https://www.nigella.com/ask/thick-cream-or-double-cream

@UnOeufIsEnough I know. I'm 51 years old and don't know this stuff. I'm quite ashamed really that it's took this long for my eyes to be opened to what I've been doing to my body all these years.

What's worse is I want to start my daughter on the right path now, but at 15, with Autism, ADHD, OCD and Tourettes, she is going through so much, and food is one of her big issues (sensory) I just let her have what she wants (mostly processed crap) so she at least eats! And despite me telling her that her diet is not helping her mental state, she's 15, and of course knows better than Mom!! 😂😂

@prettybird Oh lordy! I forgot all about clotted cream!! 😂

It's good to ask questions @MissBeck and isn't it great that you are now cooking from scratch if you haven't before? Sorry if that comes across in any way patronising, it isn't meant that way. Lots of recipes online these days are american and use US terms so it's almost like you need a translator! I usually use creme frache when the dish calls for sour cream as I like that it's thicker and enjoy the taste.

Obvs I know I can eat a burger with a fork but I was thinking more was there a dish I could incorporate them into? Perhaps I'm asking too much. I couldn't think of anything so I made something different

Yesterday: B - creamy coffee, L - chicken, rocket, avo, remoulade, vinaigrette D - Spinach & Feta frittata, dressed leaves & last bit of remoulade.
More frittata for lunch today with avo and I'll get salad at school.

I use an app for daily weighing which has a pleasing graph showing the trend as well as the actual weight, I will post a picture from my phone in a minute.

This is since beginning of boot camp. You can see how it's very up and down but the general trend (yellow line) is down.

@lastchancesalmon Great graph! We've all had the yo-yo affect but all continued to go downwards. We're all so fab! 😂💯🏆

@MissBeck I think at 15 we all thought we knew better than Mum! She's got a lot going on...it's hard to deny her the food she can cope with!

We're waiting for a CAHMS assessment for my 8 year old DD. She's a fabulous child and I suspect ADD but when we had the screening appointment for her, CAHMS suggested an autism assessment too, which in hindsight, makes sense for her.

I'm supposed to be working hard today as I'm off on holiday (just a long weekend) tomorrow but I can't focus...wonder where the ADD might come from

@UnOeufIsEnough Wow! really! All the above are undiagnosed, but we are under CAMHS as well, they are the ones who referred her for Autism and ADHD assessments. We are also waiting for The TIC disorder service assessment at Great Ormond Street Hospital for her official Tourettes diagnosis. All have said 18-24 months wait minimum! The waiting times are killing me! We're also at the assessment stage of an EHC NA for EHCP , but there's a shortage of EP's so no further forward and waiting for a decision from DLA. Sooo much waiting for everything!! It's shocking!

@MissBeck the waiting times are insane! I called the other day just to see where we were and we'd been on the list for 109 weeks and we should have an appointment around 118 weeks!

We're in Scotland and I've no idea how our council area compares to others!

I'm Staffordshire, and they are attrocious!

@BIWI I'm going to ask away I'm afraid...! I gained slightly this week (0.2lb), but it's hormonal, so actually isn't bad at all. I'm another one with not much to lose (and what I have is the lipoedema fat, so a bit different). I was just wondering whether you, or any of the long-termers ever got to the point where you had to look at how much protein you consume (I think I eat possibly very high protein), or calories? I love the way bootcamp is designed in such a free way to not have to weigh or measure (although I do weigh nuts, seeds and yoghurt, because I can't trust myself!), but I wonder if I've got to the point where I need to look at things more closely (unfortunately!)?

How tall are you @somanylights? How much more weight do you think you need to lose?

6ft, hence my almost there weight is a lot of people's starting weight! I can't imagine I'd be able to lose much more than another 7lb.

I’ve been very inactive on this thread, but have stuck to the plan pretty much religiously and am 9lbs down in the first 3 weeks!

Like a few of you, I’ve also just tested positive for Covid 😭 I blame the week at Center Parcs!

Any suggestions for quick comfort food when I just want toast and crumpets?!

@somanylights sounds like you really don't have much to lose - and certainly your BMI would suggest you're smack bang in the middle of a healthy weight range.

I know, though, that lipoedema fat is not so easy to shift

Calories do, inevitably, come into play as you near your target, but rather than count calories, I'd suggest that you look, instead, at your portion sizes and consider if you can cut those down. In other words, you're still eating the same proportions of carbs, protein and fat, just in smaller quantities.

You could also - if you don't already - consider introducing occasional fasting?

Sorry to hear that @Bootcamp272. Try not to give in, though, otherwise you'll just sabotage the work you've already done!

Hey @MissBeck and @UnOeufIsEnough

Another ASD mum here. My son’s 4 and on the waiting list for assessment (12 months so far).

He is also a bland food eater and I’m starting to feel bad that me and his dad are eating such wonderful veg and protein while feeding him a carousel of white carbs (pasta, rice, potatoes etc) as it’s all he will eat!

Luckily he does like carrots, sweetcorn, broccoli and peas.

Honestly though throughout this bootcamp, his cheesy pasta has never looked better! X

@Bootcamp272 - if you're up to making anything, could you make the low carb muffins (either cheesy/herby or vanilla) and have them slathered in butter? I like to toast the cheesy version.

Or how about something like raspberries and cream?

But as @BIWI says, you've been doing so well, so why sabotage? That in itself will make you feel worse

@Bex5490 My DD would eat spaghetti bolognese for every meal if I let her 🤣 It could be worse but she never gets bored of it.

@Bootcamp272 Could you order some SRSLY rolls and have a good old bacon roll? A wee fried egg on top for good measure?

Today I have mostly been doing penance for yesterday's sabotage. I walked to and from work and also did an hour of PE 😆

B - yoghurt & cream
L - cream of broccoli soup
D - quick-fry steak and roasted veg
Snacks - Babybel x 2, creamy coffee
Water so far - 1.5L

I was foolish to try and reduce the dairy when I'm still losing (albeit slowly) as it's what's been working so far. It's too early to take my comfort blanket away! 😆