Jan '26 Low Carb Bootcamp - final weigh-in and ongoing chat

[BIWI]

Morning all!

Already seen great results from @KellyonaHeli and @Almahart - really well done!

Spreadsheet for its final outing:

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

Just because it's the end of this Bootcamp doesn't mean we have to stop chatting - and many of you have talked about doing Ubercamp as well, and I look forward to hearing how that goes.

Down another couple of pounds so that's good. I can feel that my appetite has really reduced. The sticking point for me is social situations, other than that it feels fairly doable. I think we must be at week 10 now are we?

I still have half a stone or so to lose so will keep going

I bought some of the M&S Nutrient Dense crackers last week, and they're really good! Amazingly low carb and very tasty. Great for cheese and pâté, when you want a bit of crunch.

https://www.marksandspencer.com/food/nutrient-dense-super-seeded-crackers/p/fdp60490119#intid=pid_pg1pip96g6r3c3

They're so good aren't they! They have honestly made this BC so much easier, lack of crunch is one of the things I struggle with most

Lack of crunch is a struggle for me too, I must look out for those. I make seed crackers sometimes but it's good to have a store cupboard alternative.

Thank you, I feel fine in myself now in fact lots of energy and the food tastes are coming back. I cooked a lovely satay chicken tonight and only had a teeny amount of the rice the others were having plus salad. Also went to M&S and bought the seed crackers and the olive oil mayo (v low carb) plus a pack of the marmite flavoured cheddar to nudge myself back into line. Special Mothers Day meal out tomorrow, afternoon tea but back to healthier habits from Monday.

I thought they were lovely, but also not as lovely as a regular biscuit, so I didn't feel like I wanted to eat too many (along with too much cheese).

Had friends staying overnight and had a lovely low carb breakfast: chia with greek yoghurt, frozen berries, mixed nuts and seeds; followed by warm cheese and almond muffins with oven roast tomatoes, hot smoked trout, avocado salsa, and home-made kimchi. Nothing to eat until dinner time when I'll have eggs, ham and salad.

Mother’s Day turned into a weekend of falling off the wagon , but I’ve hauled myself back onboard now
I’ve bought those biscuits too , not tried them yet though

This week we’re eating out of the freezer , I’m planning a cheesey spinach , mushroom and cauliflower bake tonight , see how it goes

That breakfast sounds amazing @venusandmars. Totally going to copy the cheese muffins/tomato combo.

Down another pound now which means a total of I think 16ibs this BC. All hail @BIWI without whom I could never have done this

You're very welcome! But you're the one doing all the hard work

I'm getting back on track now too, made chilli last night and roasted a load of kalettes (little tiny kale heads the size of brussels sprouts) in olive oil. Sour cream, avocado, bit of grated cheese.

Highly recommend the kalettes if you can find them (I got them from Riverford, apparently Waitrose sell them).

Afternoon all... just tucking into a very tasty pre-prepped salad at my desk - chopped roast chicken, cucumber, red onion, walnuts and parsley in a lemony greek yogurt dressing....mmm. Weight is still slowly decreasing - have lost 10lb now, so I'm only a couple of pounds off my target. I have pretty much stuck to program, although I did have French Toast prepared by the DCs on Mother's Day, and a G&T in the evening. I also spent the best part of a week at dad's, and it seemed churlish to be picking the mash off the cottage pie and so on....but I kept breakfast/lunch low carb and it didn't seem to do any damage.

Today I am wearing some jeans that I wasn't able to button up for most of last year, which is gratifying. A week Saturday I have a big university reunion dinner, and I'm expecting to look a lot trimmer in my party dress. 😊

The sun is shining , to celebrate I’ve changed the sheets and they’re hanging outside

Doing ok. Finding it a bit of a struggle , ok with cutting down on wine , but missing a biscuit with my coffee in the afternoon

I’ve tried the nutrient dense cracker , the crunch is there which is nice , but they’re not as good as the home made ones ( much easier though )

Bought some chinos yesterday, expecting a bit of a battle with the zip , but they went on nicely . I don’t like them though , so I’ll try some slim ankle grazers ( who knew there were so many trouser shapes and what on Earth is a carrot leg )

I need to look at the recipes again , for a bit of inspiration ( but I’m going for a sunny walk )

@SemmaLina would you mind sharing your seed cracker recipe with me? I'm missing biscuits too. I have experimented a bit with almomd flour/butter/sugar substitutes but no crunch

@Almahart
Seed crackers
50g ground linseeds
25g sesame seeds
25g chia seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 beaten egg
60g grated Parmesan or Gran Padano
60 g finely grated Cheddar

Mix all together

I roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper as it’s quite sticky , cut into rounds ( or roll into balls and squash , I haven’t tried this method , but another poster did this way successfully)
Bake ( on baking paper lined baking sheet ) at 160 for 20 -30 mins or until they’re all crispy
My oven seems to run quite hot

I’m going to put it in the recipe thread too

Thanks! 🙏

I can confirm "roll and squash" worked perfectly. I used a flat-bottomed mug with a piece of greaseproof paper between.

Thank you, I did enjoy the weekend. I didn’t binge, or fall off the wagon, nor am I yo-yo dieting. I went to visit a vegan friend, so I knew the weekend would be fairly light on the eggs, cheese, and meat I’ve been eating, and fairly heavy on the pulses and root vegetables. My friend is recovering from an injury, so we didn’t go out, we had a couple of glasses of red wine in the house whilst catching up. It was lovely, and I came back about a pound heavier than I left.

I fell off the wagon with a pizza and ice cream today (in a nice pizza place). I wonder if I am reaching my BC limit 11 weeks in.

@Almahart do you mean that you won't continue with low carb, higher fat eating? Or are you just wondering why you were so tempted by the pizza and ice cream, and gave in to that - with the intention of returning to this woe tomorrow?

Sometimes the smell of a really good pizza / freshly baked sourdough / warm croissant etc are so overwhelmingly delicious. And sometimes it feels like a better decision to go with it once, and then get back to a better regime of eating, than to have a week of small sabotages which often add up to a lot more damage.

I've also had a challenging week - visited elderly people on Thursday (93 and 96) and they had baked homemade scones. Then had a community lunch event which was hard to eat around. Yesterday I went to stay with a friend and I did swerve the flatbread with the greek souvlaki and mousaka (and wine), but succumbed to her home-made sourdough this morning. My tummy is definitely feeling the adverse effects, windy and grumbling and bloated. It reminds me why lchf is my favoured way of eating. Back on it with egg and ham this evening and a thai green veg curry tomorrow. Lot of water to deal with the bloating, and by Tuesday I'll be back to normal.

Thanks @venusandmars. I did think briefly that maybe it is time to stop BC altogether, though I didn't entertain that thought for long. I don't find it particularly restrictive at home, especially now that I can have seed crackers and the odd piece of low carb bread, it's really social situations that are challenging. It's really helpful to hear your thoughts on breaking BC, I agree, better sometimes to have an intentional treat than to let lots of little things slide. I am about 6ibs off my target weight, which is when all my favourite clothes fit so will keep going for now.

I'm up 3ibs 😭 two days on. I keep losing and putting on the same 2 or 3ibs. I get to 158 which is only 6 IBS off my target. Go to a social event and lose my willpower. Go up to 160, lose a couple of IBS and then repeat. Each cycle is about a fortnight. Someone talk some sense into me please!

Sorry @Almahart , I can’t talk sense as I’m exactly the same
I don’t find low carb eating easy , if I could , I’d live on cheese on toast and grapes , but I know that’s not sensible

I’m ok with no spuds , pasta , rice etc and love piling on the green veg and that cauli cheese with the lemon in the sauce is on the menu a lot , it’s the wine and dark chocolate hobnobs ….

I will start afresh today ( with the 2 lb I’ve put on over the weekend ! )

Meeting DSis for a calm and genteel bike ride ( we’re both in our 60s and I have a wicker basket on my bike !) no Lycra needed
There will be a coffee stop

B scrambled eggs
L tuna salad
D leftover roast chicken with tons of green veg
Lots and lots of water

@Almahart and @SemmaLina don't forget that your weight will quite naturally fluctuate day-by-day.

It could be that what you've managed to achieve is a level of carb intake that makes you a maintainer!

But if you're not at the weight you want to be at/think you need to be at, then evidently you need to get the carbs lower.

I know all about the lure and impact of wine and chips!

Ah thanks @BIWI. I have thought that I have lost a fair amount of weight and it may not be a bad thing to let my body get used to this new set point. I just have one pair of jeans that I'd love to be able to wear again and am so close!

I'm going away on a vegan yoga retreat on May 15, so I'm going to set myself a target of 152ibs by then (8ibs off today's weight) and then go into maintenance for the summer

I think you’re right @BIWI ( as usual ! )
I feel better , even though I’d like to lose a few more pounds I’m maintaining at a lower weight than I was stuck at before

Back from my bike ride and glugging down some water ( auto correct thought glug gin was better )