Week 6 - Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Morning all! Apologies for late start - having some work done on the house and had to deal with builders/moving stuff etc.

Here's the spreadsheet once more - although I've noticed there's a column missing @FinallyHere! For Total Loss w/c 9 November.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gsWvWpGzTSJld1avBi9-uLJveFZes9Qa2ORKthPMl8E/edit?gid=352445486#gid=352445486

@JT1999 sorry not to have responded to your post, but as @venusandmars has said, we don't count or measure carbs that specifically on Bootcamp. I will say, however, that carbs probably can make you feel more sluggish - hence the 3pm afternoon slump that many get after a carby lunch!

If you're working out/exercising a lot, you can combine that with low carbing; have a look at this book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Performance/dp/0983490716/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BHKPQ8D45MQ8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.x-A3KkNcZPs10y6yG46YcuUaosdlOUpp6rHOcirZ9HM1ad2as9b99qPAJcPBii3sx4_fW1HqBzI2XdzNqwU72iHXMgvLkBONo3YE9Arx0YA.qoYk-p_Hn2BW7HdtgL-AiUzAH2e4ypFFrOK2BzMSBqQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=the%2Bart%2Band%2Bscience%2Bof%2Blow%2Bcarbohydrate%2Bperformance&qid=1794217835&sprefix=the%2Bart%2Ban%2Bscience%2Bof%2Blow%2B%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-1&th=1

I had a much better week and have lost 2.5lbs. It's long time since that has happened. And that was despite 3 events over the weekend. A group bonfire and supper on Saturday. I wasn't in control of what was in the soup round the bonfire, but I made good choices for everything else. Yesterday I was at a memorial lunch for a friend who died earlier this year - again no choice over the soup (there were 2 choices and I choose likely the least carby) but again made good choices over the lovely buffet, Then last night at a neighbourhood dinner I had chicken casserole, tomato stew and braised fennel and celery. Then cheese, no biscuits.

For my contribution on Saturday I made chaat masala potatoes with yogurt, and coriander chutney - substituted celeriac for potatoes. I didn't par boil the celeriac, just roasted it in the oven with spices. It was lovely (if I say so myself) https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chaat_masala_potatoes_30647

@venusandmars - that sounds delicious. I bought a celeriac this week so I'm going to give that a go instead of using it as a mash. I'll have it with some salmon I think.

I've lost another 2 lbs this week which I'm really chuffed with - more about the consistent loss than anything. I'm now the lightest I've been (not very light still!) for 2-3 years but I feel like I can keep going like this beyond the bootcamp which I haven't felt since I started putting on weight. Hope everyone else has a good week! @BIWI - I've tried all sorts and never stuck with anything so thank you for organising this!

Well, it's you who has done all the work @Lovelysnuggyjumper!

Morning, I’m 2lb up this week. Not unexpected, I was away for most of the week, trying to make the best choices based on what was available. Think I did ok, it could have been worse. I had soup with no bread, curry with no rice, and didn’t have desserts, but did have wine. I did have chips once when I was feeling a bit rough, might have been low blood sugar.

I boiled up a few eggs and restocked the peperami and babybels for my work lunches. I’m planning sausages for dinner on a bed of cabbage and leeks.

Only 1lb down for me but I haven’t properly got back on the straight and narrow and that does take me down to the lowest I’ve been since Bootcamp started, so I’ll chalk it up as a win.

Sounds like a win to me @WinterfellsStarbucksConcession!

Thanks!

Stayed the same. I’ve decided to take a slightly different approach this week and start logging what I eat. I’m still sticking to bootcamp but clearly my earlier triumph that menopause wasn’t making it really hard to lose weight was too soon as I’ve only gained or stayed the same for three weeks now. It is hard after all.

For me, just so far today, I’ve noticed that having to write things down when I eat them means I’m thinking more closely about portion size - do I need two pieces of chicken, or would one be filling enough? I think portions are my downfall as I do have a big appetite.

Fingers crossed a week of tracking will see me loose some weight at the next weight in.

0.7lb down. Not a gain so I guess I’ll take it.
I’ve been snacking quite late in the evening even though it’s been on low carb stuff still not good! Will try and watch out for that this week.

Back under 140lbs, heading in the right direction!

What’s everyone having for dinner tonight? I’m out of ideas, and won’t have energy for anything fancy. That’s when I end up going wrong. I had sausages last night, with cabbage and butter beans, adapted from the recipe on the Nigel Slater thread.

@KellyOnAHeli tracking your food can be incredibly helpful as we often look back on a day and don’t remember everything we ate and drank. Even pausing to take a photo of your plate can give you time to reconsider your hunger levels and how much you want to eat.

@BoredtoRushed if you’re snacking in the evening, it would be better to eat more at lunch or dinner to stop you getting hungry later. It’s easy to subconsciously slip into the diet mentality and undereat. Low carb works so well because it keeps your blood glucose and hunger/satiety hormones stable but eating late in the evening is going to give you another insulin spike that may even make you feel hungrier the next day. It can also be rapidly habit-forming so you’ll feel hungry again the next evening.

@Castlerigg I’m having butter chicken with cauliflower rice (from Tesco freezer aisle) for dinner this evening. I hope you find some inspiration.

Last night I made a version of cauliflower cheese - but with an onion, bacon, garlic, lemon and chilli-flavoured cheese sauce:

• Boiled cauliflower till tender (about 6-7 minutes).

• Sweated onion, garlic and smoked streaky bacon in butter, with a light sprinkling of chilli flakes, till the onions were soft. Added 300ml of double cream to that, and then a great handful of grated mature cheddar, along with the juice of a lemon.

• Cauliflower in a baking dish, poured sauce all over, then added more grated cheese to the top and baked for 25 minutes, till the cheese on top was browning nicely.

I served it with sweetheart cabbage, shredded, which I stir-fried in the wok in olive oil and butter, and then seasoned with sesame oil and light soy sauce.

@BIWI total loss this bootcamp reinstated.

how did I not notice that [Shakes head ]

@Castlerigg - I'm having salmon with a creamy mushroom sauce and tenderstem broccoli. Quick and easy!

I think I’ve decided on cabbage and bacon with some chorizo and gochujang paste to boost the flavour a bit.

Don't worry @FinallyHere! You are definitely the Spreadsheet Superstar!

Thank you @StuntNun I will monitor what I eat tomorrow.
I am definitely eating less (not on purspose) and then getting hungry. The first week, I ate loads of food, rich fat and didn't feel hungry at all in the evening.

I think I’ve fallen into the trap of not eating enough fat, too. I was hungry last night, so had some cheese, which did the job. I ran out of yogurt, and also cream for coffee, so I got some more cream and made more yogurt, and should do better today.

Another 2lb off this morning. I haven’t been 10 and a half stone in a very long time!

Fantastic!

Hi all, small loss for me again this week. I am a bit disappointed I didn't break under 78kg but if I apply myself I should hit it for the next weigh in. All in all though I am happy at how this BC is going but I have found food choices harder this week as I haven't planned properly. I need to up my game over the next week or two.

Congrats to us all for sticking with this and getting results.

On previous bootcamps I have made little flaxseed muffins or other low carb treats to have with a cuppa. I have tried to avoid it this time as it is too easy to sneak more than one and overindulge. I was craving a biscuit at the weekend and I made hazelnut chocolate cookies which were delicious and hit the spot. I ground 100gr of hazelnuts and added a good spoon of unsweetened dark chocolate powder and a little stevia. I whipped two egg whites and then folded in the hazelnut mixture. Using a teaspoon scoop into some parchment paper and bake for about 15/20 minutes. They are absolutely delicious and one is very satisfying. I made about 11 from this mixture and there still more than half left. I haven't worked out the carb content but it is fairly low I should think.

Today will be cream cheese and egg pancake for breakfast with my green smoothie. Lunch is soup and cheesy zucchini with a boiled egg. Dinner this evening is low carb konjac noodles with a matriciana dressing (lardons, tomato and lys of pecorino).

I hope everyone has a great day.

@venusandmars that recipe looks amazing. I am tired of mashed celeriac and need a few new interesting recipes.

A good start to the week for me. Lots of variety including chicken wings, salmon, hake, lamb chops, chaffles, prawns. A lot going on work wise so feeling a bit tired and am hoping for an early night today.

I realised that I had also not been drinking enough water. Silly me! Eye on the (water) ball now.

Cold and frosty start to the day today! I was going to cook salmon with salad tonight, but it doesn't really feel quite the time for salad, so I've taken some chilli out of the freezer. I had planned the chilli for another day, but think it will work best tonight. I'll be having mine with cheese and a dollop of yoghurt in one of the low carb wraps I've bought; DH and DS2 will have theirs with rice.