Jan ’26 Low Carb Bootcamp Week 4 - coming up to half time!

[BIWI]

Morning all

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gsWvWpGzTSJld1avBi9-uLJveFZes9Qa2ORKthPMl8E/edit?gid=1415293539#gid=1415293539

Spreadsheet as per - and I can see there are some really great results already, and some good losses even though we were in the infamous week 3!

Brace yourselves for week 4 being potentially challenging too. (Sorry
But from now on, weight loss should be steady and consistent - not necessarily every day, but you should see a satisfying downward trajectory.

@venusandmars the recipe suggests it makes 16 meatballs, to serve 4 - I found that was very generous. I only ate 3. I reckon you could make them smaller to serve more people - there’s plenty of sauce as well to make that possible.

Oh, and also @venusandmars - if your GC like spicy food that’s fine, but it does make quite a spicy/hot sauce, so maybe consider reducing the Turkish pepper flakes a little?

You haven't seen my dgc's appetites. They are 10 and 11 and eat as much as my husband I'll probably eat 1 !!!

And they're pretty good on spice. Sometimes I over do it, their cheeks are a bit flushed... "oh grandma it's a little bit spicy", but they still eat it. But thanks for the advice, I'll be moderate in the seasoning. They are such tiny thin children. What I wouldn't give to have a metabolism like that!

I've just made a green vegetable soup for tomorrow (and 2 portions in the freezer). Was originally chicken bone soup with a few oriental veg (that we ate on Monday). It now has added spinach and broccoli. But it turned out a bit 'thin' and a bit bland. So I added an avocado and some lime juice. Now it is rich and tasty.

Just re-read BC light rules and can’t see dark choc anywhere. Sure we are allowed a square now. Is a square a day ok? Or just once a week ish? I’ve got 80% cocoa solids

Yes it’s allowed! No specific amounts just in moderation. I have 2 squares 90% cocoa most days.

@venusandmars I’ve never thought of adding avocado to soup, but will try it next time, thanks for sharing .

Really enjoyed a very quick and simple dinner tonight: smoked cod, spinach and a poached egg, generous knob of butter melting on top to serve.

@InMyLowCarbEra that dinner sounds lovely ( going on my list for next week )

Clothes seem to be better - skirts that I was struggling with before Christmas do up and don't feel tighter towards the end of the day so that's something positive. Also a button-up dress doesn't gape as much! Further adventures with scales this morning (one showing 177.6 & one showing 179.4) 1/2 an hour apart and one with clothes, one without so have decided to bin off weighing for now and concentrate on just enjoying good food without the carbs 😊.
Have cooked up lots of peppers, cherry tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms in butter to take with us for the weekend, I've got eggs and a poacher so breakfasts are sorted. Smoked salmon from the freezer leftover from Christmas with smashed avocado, charcuterie, cheeses and bread for DH should see us through lunch/afternoon snacks. It's a caravan park and we've definitely got a microwave but the ovens are rubbish! There's an indian onsite which is brilliant so we'll eat there one night, and DH can eat rubbish burgers in between if he likes! There is a restaurant onsite too but it's very much pub grub where everything comes with chips and not great so will be avoiding if possible. There will be alcohol but my tolerance isn't great so will avoid where possible!

Off to sort packing up the car and catch up, those meatballs look fab and going on the list for next week.

@TheOnlyMrsW you sound very well prepped!

Nothing much to report here....had a very nice omelette for breakfast, with Smoked Cheshire cheese grated inside - one of the joys of low carbing is I can go crazy at the cheese counter. Last week I bought some espresso cheese, which is cheddar infused/coated with coffee. Not sure what I was thinking....I haven't been brave enough to open it yet!

Lunch will be home-made Christmas Turkey soup from the freezer, with low carb toast and pate. It's chilly WFH and I need to warm up. Going out for dinner, so need to do a bit of pre-planning on the menu front.

Had a nice meal last night of a thick sauce of bacon, mushrooms and shallots with crème fraiche and grated cheese on some soy bean spaghetti I bought ages ago in Aldi. I usually just swap my refined carbs for veg (and my sauce would have been great on cabbage) but the pasta was actually really good. Only 2.1g of carbs per 100g (I had a 50g portion) and the only ingredient is organic soy beans!

I've hit a bit of a wall this week where I just can't stand the thought of yet another protein heavy, high fat meal, literally nothing appeals, so I have been having bit of cheese, celery, pate etc but finding it extremely hard not to reach for the toast. The night before last I slow roasted some lamb in garlic and herbs to re-heat last night, but when it came to eating it I just couldn't face it and ended up with cheese and salad again. I have been resisting every form of sweet carb without any issue, but really miss my bread (and the Seriously low carb ones just don't cut it).

@EnchantedDaytime have you tried the Keto chef bread , it’s lovely for sandwiches , I find it doesn’t toast well but having tried lots of low carb breads inc seriously and Heylo I do think Keto Chef is superior .

Happy Thursday everyone. I was doing so well over the weekend and up until yesterday, when I just don't know what came over me but I gorged on left over Xmas chocolate. It didn't even taste that good but I continued eating. On a more positive note got (slightly) back on track today: home made turkey fajitas with lettuce, salmon and avocado for dinner. Greek yogurt with some nuts and raspberries. I think the cumulative tiredness from peeing so much at night just caught up with me (along with a very stressful work day). Other than that I had been doing brilliantly: feeling more energised, focused, clear headed, clothes less tight.

Tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity, and have to remind myself that the odd derailment here and there is still much better than my previous diet, which was terrible daily!

@CointreauVersial I love cheese but I'm a bit at the coffee cheese!! However truffle brie in my spinach soup - that is a triumph.

@EnchantedDaytime protein heavy, high fat is not how I'd describe this woe. Tonight we had a fabulous fish salad. The main volume things were salad - lettuce, cucumber, celery, radish, cherry tomato, a bit of grated carrot. Then topped with some anchovies, smoked oysters, spicy tuna (mixed with mayo and cream cheese) and prawns in marie rose sauce.

It was protein heavy. It was high fat. But it didn't feel like it.

Also have you tried any of the protein breads like this It's not wheaty bread, but it is a dense base and about 4g carb per slice.

Also, went to a different supermarket today (Asda) and they had this... delicious and spicy product. MIxed with a bit of cream cheese and some mayo - fabulous for anyone how likes it spicy x

@venusandmars that's the sort of thing I'm making for my packed lunches every day (I counted earlier in the week and had >20 types of salad veg in one lunchbox) but I don't really want it twice a day, we are having meat or fish pretty well every night which is a lot more than usual for me so it feels very protein heavy, I normally eat a lot of beans and pulses or things like egg on toast. Anyway I managed curry with salad and greek yogurt tonight so that's ok.

Thanks for the bread suggestions, I'll look at those. I can manage the dark rye types if they are smothered in marmite.

Going to a different supermarket is something I do like doing, we don't have Tesco, Morrisons or Asda here so if I do chance upon one I like a good browse.

I've started more BCs than I've managed to persist with over the last year or two, so I'm very pleased to still be KOKO like a good-un. I've also generally maintained good behaviour through weekends, which has often been tricky in the past. Wooo-hooo!

I have some brie to finish up tomorrow so probably some sort of salad. I have a real craving for pomegranate, though I'm not sure if it's a good partner with brie or not.

Well done for getting back onto the wagon @Eskimodesert.

What about going all in with the salad for a night or two @EnchantedDaytime and shove the lamb into the freezer? I love the sort of salad my granny made, with boiled egg, ham, cheese, spring onion and beetroot (with whole lettuce leaves, tomato, cucumber and pepper) and it's surprisingly filling. Oooh and crunchy.

I'm interested by the soy spaghetti @Rayna37 I must look out for it.

(Sorry @EnchantedDaytime I realise I cross-posted with your comment about having more than enough salad in your day)

It's ok @RightTurnClyde I have done a salad "picky bits" (hate than phrase but it does describe it well) for my evenings a couple of times this week so it's a bit different from lunch. So HB egg, olives, cheese, celery, pate that sort of thing. But I have to be a bit careful not to overdo the cheese (I LOVE cheese). DH and DS polished off the lamb - it had shrunk quite a bit in cooking so really there wasn't enough for three anyway.

@RightTurnClydeI spotted this in Lidl on Sunday if that’s a shop near you.

@venusandmars I love those little tuna pots and regularly take them to the office for a quick lunchtime snack. The lemon & basil is my favourite.

Just back from an excellent dinner out with my book club ladies, and my sides are still hurting from laughing. I had grilled king prawns, followed by lamb rump (swapped out the spuds for double green veg). Swerved the dessert, of course, and I'm quite glad I did, as the restaurant mistakenly used chutney instead of cherry compote on two people's lemon tarts.... oh dear.... there were some faces pulled. Luckily we all saw the funny side, and they took them off the bill.

That’s still pretty high carb though, @mumsandaunties - over 11g carbs in a serving.