Summer 2025 Boot Camp: beyond the doldrums (hopefully!)

[prettybird]

Here we are into Week 5, beyond the half way point of this pre-holiday (for me at least ) Boot Camp. Hopefully you’ll have got beyond the “Stall” period of Weeks 3 and 4 but be aware, it sometimes the dreaded Stall lasts into Week 5

Keep the faith, keep focussed, keep drinking the water and you will see progress . Remember all the other benefits you're enjoying: better skin, better sleep, clothes fitting more comfortably, being less enslaved by carbie cravings

Here’s the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hlJKScntZ78g7eAkaR7hF_uiL0t3WGumIFvHvDAvfJI/edit?usp=drivesdk

Sorry for not being around as much last week - trying to get things done before we go off

Water, water, water

Thanks @prettybird

@finallyhere there seems to be something odd on the spreadsheet. Column R hasn't done the correct calculation for me. I put on a tiny bit last week, but the spread sheet has taken away nearly all my loss...??

I didn't have enough water over the weekend, and more wine than I should for this w.o.e. And I've seen the consequences on the scales. I know what I need to do (and not do!)...

B - coffee with cream
L - Chicken and broccoli soup; ham salad
D - smoked haddock topped with spinach and cheese sauce. Courgettes and green beans on the side

good morning and happy Monday all

shall fire up the spreadsheet checkers

I dropped off the radar because I went on holiday and totally fell off the wagon. How many weeks have we got left of this bootcamp?

I've got a bootcamp friendly food shop being delivered tomorrow and I'm definitely ready to get back in the game.

No weight loss for me this week, still recovering from flu and not had the energy for food prep.
But, 2 NSV for me, I'm wearing a pair of jeans pulled out of my "too tight to be comfy " pile, and I've managed to put my details on the spread sheet without cocking it up 🙂

I was well & truly off the wagon last week, somewhat deliberately. No loss for me, but starting fresh this week. Butter chicken tonight 😋

No weight loss for me again :( Hopefully this week better!

I'm also joining Team Doldrums this week having been a bit too "light" about BC Light which quickly deteriorated into not-very-LC-at-all. However, I'm determined not to vanish from BC altogether, and to drag myself back to LC as often as it takes. Well done to all those who've KOKO'd or dragged themselves back onto the wagon.

Salmon fillet with green beans, asparagus, mushrooms, shoogled cabbage and LC cheese sauce this evening.

I think I might finally try shakshuka this week, for some reason I don't hear it described and think "yum" and yet so many bootcampers swear by it so I assume I'm missing something!

Another one in the doldrums this week. I was 154.3 during the week but back up again this morning. I’m not sure why as I’ve been good other than not enough water.
I’m going to log here my daily intake as maybe I’m missing something.
bfast - coffee with almond milk x2
lunch - butter sautéed garlicky kale, eggs & mushrooms (quite a lot of butter)
dinner - tuna steak with tomato olive salsa with green bean & avocado salad & avocado dressing (all from recipe tin eats website) Finally made @venusandmars - loved the salsa with the tuna but less blown away by the salad albeit made a nice change.

@venusandmars Apologies, I got muddled and checked the wrong row. Shall try again tomorrow.

@CleanQueen123 There are always a few of us around after the official bootcamp , very happy to have more company on continuing.

Loving the idea of #TeamDoldrums @Perimenofullhalt

im a fraction of a pound down this week. Quite close to target so just KOKO-ing and reminding myself that I feel better day to day on this way of eating.

@FinallyHere well that's strange, the spread sheet is working properly now, but yesterday I swear that the total loss was showing incorrectly (and for the person directly above me). Ah well...

Egg mayonnaise and salad for lunch today, then thai inspired cod fish cake for dinner.

My favourite kind of problem, the self remedying kind 😍 @venusandmars

I was down a pound yesterday morning but fear I’ve popped it back in as out for lunch and not only had a glass of wine but but also a sweet cannoli (spelling? those Italian roll things filled with pistachio cream and are to die for). I did swap out the chips for buttered greens on my steak frites order. Had chicken & veg heavy curry with cauli rice for dinner. The scales were kind this morning but it tends to show a couple days later. So being super strict today with lots of water, herbal teas & lunch was eggs, kale, tomatoes & mushroom. I’ve made a Dijon chicken dish for dinner but may have the curry again as thinking the cream may not help.

Out for lunch today: 2 courses for £20 - the most marvellous braised wild mushrooms with artichokes and artichoke crisps to start (and thank goodness they came just as they were with no hunk of sour dough). Then a lovely chicken ceasar salad. And I ate 2 off the truffle parmesan chips that my friend ordered. They were delicious. And they were enough.

Oooh that sounds yummy and for £20!!
We are out tonight to celebrate DD1’s graduation from her 4yr degree apprenticeship. She’s chosen a rather swish Michelin star place with one of those degustation menus (not sure if 5 or 7 courses). I’m going all in I’m afraid and will just have to suffer the consequences. I’ll avoid any bread & perhaps the wine flight. The latter will be very difficult so I’ll see! BUT I’m also out for lunch with friends tomorrow that I’ve not seen in blooming ages. It’s Italian but there’s good options other than pizza & pasta. So shouldn’t be too bad.
Given the gastronomy if tonight I had a light lunch if spinach leaves, cucumber, avocado & a bit of sliced ham. Drinking lots of water!

@NotDonna Have a fantastic dinner, enjoy every tiny, tasty morsel. I actually find those kind of meals are not too bad on this woe (although avoid the bread course or have a tiny corner piled high with whatever artisanal butter they are presenting!) The courses tend to be small portions of protein, little bits of veg (often pickled), rich buttery sauces split with some kind of herb oil, and generally very light on the carbs. By the time it gets to pre-dessert and dessert I'm usually feeling quite satiated and have just a tiny spoonful to get the taste. Others will usually hoover up the rest!

Some of my favourite restaurants will offer a flight of 4 wines with 7 courses, so you don't have to go overboard, and I usually opt not to have the sweet dessert wine.

So what do you do on a wet Sunday? I know... spring clean the freezer! if you can spring clean in September

It was all prompted by an upcoming camper van holiday and I realised that I had no idea what was in the freezer that we could take with us for the first couple of days.

The freezer was a bit of a guddle - tubs of carby left-overs for dh and tubs of non-carby ones for me. There's a 'carb' drawer - with many half-loaves of bread or half baguettes, or half a pack of naan or pasta. But I forget to look in the drawer and end up buying more then next time we (he) need(s) it.

We get a weekly veg box but that means there is often a glut of something, which, because I hate waste, gets cooked and chucked in the freezer. Then forgotten about because the next veg box comes with some fresh turnip / celeriac / green beans / parsley...

Then there's the last time we went on holiday and I put all the cheese, butter, double cream into the freezer, without labelling any of it.

In recent years I've generally been much better with labelling things but I did come across a couple of horrors today - the tub of deep red stuff that may be blackcurrant sorbet or it may be beetroot puree. The tub that I am sort of sure is lemon sorbet, but it may be celeriac mash!

Those aside, I am now organised and sorted and catalouged. There were some pretty old bits of stuff, so I've spent the afternoon making soup with slightly frosty edaname beans (bit carby at 4.8 but not too bad) and an unlabelled stock which I assume is chicken - plus all the summer herbs from the garden to make it zingy; and another soup with cauliflower, asparagus stalks and blue cheese.

I found some home made cauli rice to go with tonight's curry, plus a regular naan (for dh) and a keto naan for me.

No veg box this week because we're going away on Friday, so I have a menu plan to use up a few of the items, and a clear list of freezer items to take with us - including some almond and cheese muffins - yippee!

Sounds like a great way to spend a Sunday @venusandmars!

Can we talk about portion sizes? I know we don't calorie count or weigh food but I think portions is where I'm letting myself down. The majority of the time I'm sticking to the right food, but far too much of it.

How much are people eating without still feeling hungry?

Portion size: one of things on any weight management approach is that as you lose weight you need to consume fewer calories than you did previously, just to stay the same. According to TDEE calulators at my short stature, delicate frame and current weight I need to have about 1400 calories. A stone heavier and I can have 1500.

I don't count calories but I manage through portion size, and some intermittent fasting. I use a smaller plate. I delberately serve a smaller portion. I actively plan to leave a portion and plan that for my lunch the following day. I often eat 2 meals within a limited time span, rather than B, L, D.

I think portion size can become particularly important on this woe, once you reach something close to a target weight. Because it is relatively high fat, it doesn't take much for the total calories to be high. Tonight we had vegetable and coconut curry. I had cauli rice and keto naan with it. The keto naan is made with mozzerella cheese, almond flour, egg, and washed with butter, parsley and garlic. I have no idea how many colories are in it, but I know that cheese, butter, almonds are all quite calorific. Tonight I ate only one quarter of the naan (it was bloody delicious). It's already been frozen so the remainder will be thrown out, but as @prettybird (I think) has said previously: it's either going in me, or going in the dustbin, and I am NOT the dustbin.

From my previous weight (before any bootcamps) I now aim to have about half of the portion size of what I ate previously. This woe is satiating and I don't need more, I feel full, and don't get very hungry between meals. But 50+ years of expectation of a big plate of food, added to the general expectation in society of huge portions, and I still find it quite a head challenge. I went to a carvery recently and took what I thought was a reasonable amount of meat and veg. But looking at the plates around me, it was though I had a child's portion!

Link to the Week 6 thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/low_carb_bootcamp/5406681-summer-25-boot-camp-week-6-reaching-the-final-straight?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share