Week 4 (or 5!) Jan '25 Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Morning all.

Spreadsheet, as ever

Although we're coming to the end of this particular Bootcamp, you'll see that @FinallyHere has added enough columns to the spreadsheet so that you can keep going, should you wish.

We'll also keep this thread going too, past the end of the week, for general low carb/Bootcamp chat and support - although I won't be starting a weigh-in thread each Monday after this one.

I know it's only been a short one this time, but looking at the spreadsheet, it looks like there have been some great results, even before today's weigh-in.

12st 1lb for me this morning. I really do need to get under 12st and stay there. I seem to have fallen into a trap of losing and regaining the same 2-4lbs without significant, sustained weight loss.

Ooh you look great @prettybird!

So close @cleanqueen123.

I find cutting out dairy (cheese!) can really help when I get stuck. Might be worth a try?

That would make me so miserable 😭 but you might be right. I do eat a lot of dairy.

I think I also need to look at my portion sizes. I know we don't calorie count but my portions are definitely on the larger side.

@CleanQueen123 it's very common to get into a prolonged stall like that. Some things you can do to break it (in increasing order of difficulty) are:

1. Wait and let it resolve itself with time.
2. Make sure you're drinking the right amount of water.
3. Review your portion sizes. When you were bigger you might have needed three sausages for dinner or had four scrambled eggs for breakfast but, as you have lost weight, you may still be eating the same portion sizes by default. Try serving yourself a smaller portion then, if you're still hungry ten minutes after eating, you can always go back for more.
4. Increase your fat intake by approximately one tablespoon of olive oil a day, especially if you're close to your ideal weight.
5. Reduce your dairy intake to only once or, at most, twice a day. Most people don't need to cut it out completely but can manage one or two meals containing dairy per day. Creamy coffees are the worst offenders but including cheese in a meal shouldn't be a problem. Don't worry about butter as it contains very little protein.
6. Record your food intake on My Fitness Pal or similar for three days and post your calorie intake and macros on here for me to review or PM them to me.
7. Try intermittent fasting (skipping breakfast.) Aim for a minimum of three 14-hour overnight fasts per week then work your way up to three 16-hour overnight fasts. If you're already intermittent fasting then try a longer fast such as 24, 36 or 48 hours once a week.

There are other options out there. Some people find that a carb refeed helps kickstart weight loss, especially in those with thyroid issues. BIWI used to have a three-day ultra low carb menu on the Spreadsheet, I'm not sure if it's still on there. You could try an egg fast or the new sardine fast. There's even the Bulletproof coffee method or the 30-days of bacon experiment. BE WARNED about these though, they are extreme and don't fit with the concept and nature of Bootcamp which is to move to a healthy, sustainable diet.

That ultra bootcamp on the spreadsheet is brilliant for breaking a stall. It's only three days but has always made a big difference to me

Thanks that's really helpful 👍👍

Oh I was so cross today!!

Friends are visiting at the weekend and I went to our local (usually well stocked) supermarket with my list.

They have no normal fruit yogurts (I only needed one for a specific recipe), the shelves are full of 'protein' yogurt products. Why would I want low fat, addded gunk, plus some pea protein in a yogurt? Just leave it be. Fermented milk and a bit of fruit!

Then cheese. Lazily, I was looking for grated cheese (I know this often has some potaot flour). All they had was 30% fat reduced [with all the added mouth-feel additives] Why? Just give us cheese.

Then there was no streaky pancetta, no hollandaise, no double yolk eggs.

Harrumph!

Thanks @StuntNun. I start my day with a creamy coffee because I struggle with breakfast so that will have to be the only one for a while I think.

I'll have a look at the ultra bootcamp menu. An egg fast might kill me off 😂

The ultra camp menu looks manageable, apart from the avocado on day 2. I just can't stand it. What would be the best substitute?

If you’re struggling with breakfast, there’s no need to have it, outside the first two strict weeks of Bootcamp. Could you, perhaps, just go with black coffee?

I could do. I'm under Dr's orders to be decaf so it's really more a vehicle for collagen powder in the mornings now and I still like the taste.

I'll give it a go and report back!

I definitely had issues with my portion sizes

My 6 egg 🍳 omelette being my turning point and realisation on here

It helps seeing PP photos of meals to gauge a normal portion size

I started yoga again and having lost weight it makes me feel young and supple again.

DD and I just had a lovely fried spicy chicken breast each

hers in a wrap with mayo, mustard and sirachia and mine just with the sauce

Ran out of salad and veg as cancelled todays shop for Sunday

I know what you mean. I come from a family of big eaters and I have to really remind myself that just because I've cooked enough to feed the 5000, I'm under no obligation to eat it in one sitting.

@CleanQueen123 if you're switching to black coffee then try a pinch of salt in it. It really takes the edge off the bitterness. I'm not great with dairy and switched to black coffee ages ago and now I prefer it to coffee with milk (or cream.)

Thanks. I'll give it a go tomorrow! I've had one creamy coffee and one cup of tea today with no other dairy which is a big reduction for me. I've slipped into having it with more or less every meal as well as coffee/tea throughout the day.

I will always add a dash of milk to tea and coffee because I don't want to stain my teeth

Thanks for the tip @StuntNun. A pinch of salt was a great addition to my coffee this morning.

How do you calculate the carb content of homemade food? I'm seeing lots of "low carb" bread/roll recipes on Pinterest but I don't know whether they're actually low carb or just lower carb than bread.

There's a flaxseed roll recipe which appears to be 260g of flaxseed meal, bicarb, and water. So I assume it's however many carbs are in 260g of flaxseed?

I'm not planning on them being an everyday thing but it would be useful to be able to take something sandwich like on days out.

Why don’t you have a look at sites like https://srslylowcarb.com and https://weareheylo.com?

They both sell very good low carb bread (sliced bread as well as rolls, and also wraps). I always have something of theirs in the freezer, on those days when you just want/need a sandwich.

It’s expensive, but it’s a very useful thing to have.

Thank you. We're off to Cornwall in August, self catering, and if I want to stand half a chance of not spending the week stuffing my face I'll have to have some easy low carb foods up my sleeve for days out.

I'm going to have to ultra bootcamp next week I think. I haven't lost any weight for weeks and it's getting to be quite demoralising.

Have been KOKO (mainly!) and still very happy with the energy levels compared to my old way of eating. Sorry to hear no future bootcamps but totally understandable in the circumstances BIWI. Hope everyone is doing ok

Have you tried using MyFitnessPal? You can create a recipe and see the total carb etc counts for the whole recipe and per portion. The flaxseed I have is 2g carbs so probably the whole loaf using that recipe would be lower carb than a slice of "normal" bread.
If you haven't tried it - this recipe was recommended on here and it's my go to for sandwiches/lovely toasted with butter

www.thelondoner.me/2014/03/mums-low-carb-bread.html

Thank you, I'll give it a try.