Week 5 - Autumn Low Carb Bootcamp - Almost half way through!

[BIWIZ]

Welcome to another week!

Here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

I have been a carby twat, I have to confess, but I've been making the most of my last couple of weeks without work. Tomorrow I start my new job, which will also be the first time I've worked for someone other than myself/my own company for over 16 years

So from tomorrow I will have to be more disciplined in all manner of ways - working out what to have for my lunch in an office, rather than just rummaging around in the fridge, planning meals that I can easily cook when I get home from work, etc.

There are now 6 weeks left of this Bootcamp (including this week), so I'm really hoping that I can jettison a good few pounds in this time.

However, firstly there is the matter of the works 'annual conference' that I have been invited to join. On Wednesday I'm off to Marrakech until Friday ...

It's a tough job. Obviously.

Good luck everyone for this week.

Timid! you're up! I did actually put out a load of hamster food - add that to the clearing up list now!

I'm just glad you found her and not offended at the thought that you might have eaten her on your low carb diet!

God knows how I have reached my 50s with the sleep patterns of a teenager, can't sleep at night but can't get up in the mornings! I'd be fine if I lived inthe Middle East as my sleep patterns are in their time zone

No it made me laugh.

I think I will now attempt to go to bed... as I definitely won't be able to get up in the morning.

Sneaking in. I follow most of the boot camp rules although I've been doing this a fair while. My shape has entirely changed. I moan I'm not losing weight and so I do measurements and photos
Below is two photos - one is my skin without a scrap of makeup and the other is my shape change
It's hard - I fall off the wagon but I remind myself one bad meal won't make me fat but one good meal doesn't make me slim. A bad day and I'm conscious of what I eat for the next few days and I drink loads of water
Here's the photos/changes

Skin (and it's always been crap, spotty and flaky)
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Shape - and it's exactly the same dress size weirdly

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Oops. Second link says error. Try again
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I'm all excited about my planned cheat today - one Yorkshire pudding with my Sunday roast chicken. It's amazing which foods become treats because you don't eat them very often isn't it? I remarked to DH last night that a few months ago we never would have thought that we would be watching telly on a Saturday night and eating, and enjoying, celery sticks!

The reason for the Yorkshire pud is that my DS3 is allergic to eggs so I have had to avoid them completely for the past few months. This is the first step of the egg challenge, I have to eat some well cooked egg to see if DS3 reacts to my breastmilk. I'm really hoping I'll be able to start eating some egg again if he doesn't react. The next step will be starting him on egg which will be scary. It's his first birthday next month and it would be lovely if he could have some birthday cake, although I have an egg-free recipe in reserve just in case.

I hope people will feel that they can keep posting their triumphs and tribulations on this thread, on topic or off. I think we are all on very different weight loss journeys so it's unrealistic to compare against each other. I started LCing six months after DS3 was born so the majority of my weight loss was from pregnancy weight gain which I strongly suspect is much quicker to lose than weight put on slowly over time. I was also breastfeeding six times a day back then so it was easier for me to create a calorie-deficit. I hate to see other people struggling when the weight won't shift. Looking at these threads and the other LC forums it does seen to be tricky to find the optimum combination for weight loss. Maybe we should start posting our daily meals again so that as a group we can get some ideas from other people's meals, and we can watch each other's backs for the dreaded carb creep.

Glad the hamster returned Lily!

goodasitgets - great pictures. It's really good to have a record of your progress, especially when things get tough, as it's a reminder of where you've come from/what you've already achieved.

StuntNun - hope the test goes well.

Off for my run. it's chucking it down

Glad you found hamster lily!!!
My eldest had egg allergy stuntnun and grew out of it, so hope will be the same for your little one.
Think BIWI is running in London 10K today (?) - hope it went well or good luck if you're on-line!!!!
Yes, let's post meals again when we can.. Think does help.
Fri
Had Japanese meal out as I said. No rice but did hv chicken in teriyaki sauce which was probably way too sugary. Dipped all the salady bits in it - 'twas so good. Also ate a bag of nuts I took to the cinema as everyone else had popcorn etc and had a G&T in pub
Interestingly I felt really zapped of energy yesterday, almost like carb flu. (Bit depressing if that's all it took to affect me....)
Anyway, yesterday was
B/L. Black farmer sausages (3), eggs, mushrooms in butter
D beef stew with cauli rice and spring greens in butter
(I did thicken the stew with a bit of cornflour and bunged in some tiny carrots that needed using up - and there was an onion or two but am hoping one portion (ie 1/4 tablespoon flour etc) would have been okay!
I also finished the nuts .... Think it would be better not to buy any nxt week as think I could sabotage myself too easily...
Hope everyone is doing okay!

Goodasitgets, those are great pictures. Well done.

BIWI, enjoy the run. How has the first week in the new job been?

I have had a trying week. Too much stress and too much wine. Yesterday was quiet, but today we are out for lunch at friends, so God knows what I'll be given to eat. I am definitely slimmer, even though my weight is still not moving much and still 9lb over my slimmest last summer. There are 5 weeks of BC left so perhaps I can make a dent in it before then. My son is 5 on 1st December and it would be really nice to wear something to show it all off at his party. Perhaps I should dry to go dry for November.

Sympathies to all who are struggling with the WOE / RL or indeed both. I know some posters are in a very difficult place right now. I hope we don't lose people to WW / SW as the thought of all the fake food saddens me. I also hope that everyone will feel free to moan as much as they need so that the wise crew can offer their support and advice.

Have a lovely Sunday, y'all

Cross-posted back there....

Just managed to open yr photos asgood - you look fab and love the dress!

BIWI I think it IS the big day of the 10K race isn't it - GOOD LUCK! ("off for my run" - very modest)

Sybil I hope there is some low-carb chances at lunch. (If not just savour the food and then hop back on the wagon!)

sybil – agree, it's so hard trying to cut down on the demon drink after a stressful day/week. I've been really trying to cut down on the booze this time round – not always successfully. Don't think I could go totally dry in November (got a couple of big social do's) but I am going carry on with no booze at home/ordinary nights so we could encourage each other?

Beryl don't think you got a reply about tummy tuck ops way back on thread. Possibly because none of us have a clue. BUT sometimes I daydream that if I had the money and the courage.... (post babies/overweight stomach sag here!)
And what about bloody bingo wings? I'm trying to do exercises with resistance bands and am just about to head off to the gym (with some reluctance as it's sheeting down here but at least I won't be in the rain like BIWI – probably running as I type)
Anyone found anything that works?!
Today's food (pretty much the same as yesterday!)
B/L Eggs/bacon/mushrooms
D Leftover beef stew with cauli rice/greens
MUST drink more water....

Morning all. Last night was my first real fall-off with an evening of carby twatishness. Hosted an Oktoberfest party so lots of lovely German food and beer. Now the beer isn't a problem for me as I've always been happy to drink a pint of water so I consumed several of them and didn't feel in the least bit deprived. Where I fell down was the lovely Brezels from the German baker - first bread in 5 weeks so I made sure it was good bread and I had it with plenty of butter (not sure that that helped really). And even harder, the cheesecake and Black Forest Gateaux I had spent the day making (and licking the bowls from). So straight back on the wagon today - apart from the cheese cake I accidently ate for breakfast.

Anyway - straight back on the wagon and ignoring all the left over food in the fridge - think DH and I will both be taking lots of cake to work tomorrow for other people... Oh well - onwards and upwards. A shame as I'd made it to 3 pounds off this week by yesterday morning. Think I'll be showing a gain by tomorrow.

Hello all! I've been spending too much time on Style and Beauty and have neglected our LC thread, but have still been LC-ing and doing well. I decided to pop back and it seems to have gone a bit weird!

I haven't been away because it's become tricky here - more because I've felt the lure of S&B and that can only be because I'm feeling slimmer. I am seeing a 9 on the scales.... hooray!

I've started shredding again too, which is definitely helping. I was relying on the convenient theory that exercise accounts for a much smaller proportion of weightloss than we are led to believe, but in actual fact, doing the shred seems to make a HUGE difference to my weightloss/inchloss/whateverloss. However, I am able to exercise in a fasted state and continue the fast afterwards - it doesn't affect my hunger. Newbies please ignore that bit....

off to read back the last few pages of this thread now.

Toomuch, that food sounds gorgeous! I love bread (still) and look on wonderful bread as a real treat. Germans also worship at the altar of the pig, as do I. My office mate is LC as well and we have 2 days a week when we swap pork products and savour the wonderful flavour. Her DH is veg so no pork at home but plenty in our office!

Beryl - one of my best friends had a tummy tuck. In fact she has had 2, come to think of it. First was about a year post her DS2,to combat the awful C section overhang, She then, er, put on some weight and had another one this summer. Lipo got rid of the fat then she had the tuck. It's big surgery (about 4 hours of GA) and the scars are large. She has one going all the way round the front from side to side (where the tuck is). it's low (in hip hugger knickers) but visible. You also get a new tummy button. You know how you scar so that's worth bearing in mind. My CS scar from DS (nearly 5) is still visible, though in my pants and I am used to it now so I don't care but a TT scar would not be great as I don't mend with faint white lines like others. TT cost about 6k a time. It has made her much happier and more confident though so it is worth it for her. I'll stick with my pork products, swimming and sit ups though. If you have any more questions please do ask (or PM me) as she's very up for chatting about it and so I can find out what you need to know if you are seriously considering it.

BIWI, you gorgeous person, if today is the big day, GOOD LUCK! Am thinking of you and running in spirit. A wonderful cause. Have a glass of champagne at the end once you have recovered.

Lunch could be a challenge. What if it's pasta? Lots of carbs make me rather windy so let's hope for some LC food. Googoo, I would love to do a drier November with you. I have some social things already in the diary and can't promise total sobriety either, but will endeavour to stay off the random wine because it's Tuesday and Im stressed etc.

Have a good Sunday.

A 9 is fantastic, Nigella. Well done!

Thanks Sybil... and BIWI if it's the run today GOOD LUCK!!!!

Hello all

I have been lurkign a lot this week but not really posting, as I haven't had much to add to the debate. But I am losing weight and shrinking a little bit. I didn't like to post that as some people are obviously struggling greatly, and it must be awful. I am sure I will be htere at some point as I am starting to cheat ever so slightly and there will come a point when it will come to bite me ont he bum.. But at present it is still working. My cheats include no sugar butterscotch sweets and polos (very good and effective laxative - feels like a treat after my limited pooing in the past few weeks). I have also discovered something called Lizi's granola which has 19.1g carb per 40g packet, and states it is slow-release low GI with an equivalent glucose eating content of 5g.

I am struggling to get enough fresh ingredients as I live in the arse end of nowhere, have no car and am 2 miles from the shops which have very limited veg available. Would out myself if I gave more details but there is no big tesco to deliver and it is down to tinternet and crappy local shops.

So I am really allowing myself snacks of a non-permitted nature whihc is not weaning me off the snacking, but replacing it with low carb false snacks. Which is not sustainable in the long term.

hmmmm.... thoughts on the low GI and low sugar products long-term, anyone? I can't be the only one who has moved along this road.

oh don't let this thread die. I don't really post but I lurk. have stayed the same over the last few weeks but feels like as a loss as I haven't been well and on a cocktail of drugs. I'm currently wearing a designer tshirt I bought years ago (in a bargain bucket sale) and have never worn as it was too clingy. It's still clingy but definitely a sleeker look. I have reached a normal bmi but probably could lose another stone. Keep posting as I'm a bit miserable at the moment and you are keeping me off the chocolate. I really don't mind if it takes me 6 months to lose the next stone but that is probably because I am happy with the way I look now, especially compared to what I have looked like over the last few years

Done it!

It was 5K - not quite ready to tackle 10K quite yet! - but bloomin' cold and chucking it down. Had a lovely hot bath when I got home and have put the heating on.

But more importantly I have raised over £700 for Woolly Hugs

Well done BIWI!

I'm ignoring any bun fights as do not have the emtional energy to spare, frankly, but happy to post my meals. Yesterday I had

B an avocado and three coffees with milk
L meat loaf from the paleo cookbook but with a whole bag of spinach in the mix, with broccoli and swede mashed with butter and black pepper
D blue cheese omelette and salad.
S a small 85% cocoa chocolate bar.

I realise the chocolate is bad and the coffees not ideal but I'm very pleased I limited myself to that. DS2 is goig through the four month sleep regression and waking every two hours and ds1 wakes at 5.30. Also he's potty training and currently pooing in his pants every bloody day. Which is exactly what I wnt to deal with on such broken sleep, obviously. So he coffees are necessary! And the chocolate perked me up when I was weeping

whodunnit low GI I am not really that convinced by tbh. As a diabetic it was one of the ways of eating recommended to me, but I found it didn't particularly help with my blood sugars in the long run. Obviously eating something like porridge is better. Than a bowl of straight sugar, but some other things supposedly low GI spiked my blood sugars and afte reading around it I am not convinced by the science behind it (a bit like the all calories are equal science). I know that if I eat crackers with butter that slows the sugar spike than if I eat therm without, but that doesn't seem to factor at all in low GI/GL books that I could see.

As to low sugar products, I do eat them sometimes. Because I am diabetic for me the sugar spike I would get, followed by the low, I believe would have worse effects on my body than the small amount of artificial stuff in them. Having said that. DH who is not diabetic would go the other way, and allow himself a small amount of something 'proper' and more natural than a load of artificial crap because he knows his body can deal with it better if that makes sense. I also know that one of those sugar free sweets every now and again will keep me on the straight and narrow mentally!

Bootcamp ideally is cutting out artificial products and moving to a way of eating where we eat more natural unprocessed foods. Ideally therefore we shouldn't have either, but I also think everyone had to find their own path in the long term for eating in a way they and their lifestyle can tolerate. I would aims town avoid completely if bootcamping to lose weight, and to break the sweerpt sugar addiction, and then decide long term how I wanted to play it! These are of course just my ramblings you understand, not an answer of many kind!!!!!

well done to you bigkids for onlyhaving chocolate and coffee. I had forgotten how hard it is when they are little. You are doing very well for only having those little treats.

And BIWI - well done to you, superwoman. Is this the same BIWI who is about ot or has just started a new job involving travel to marakesh? How do you find time to wield your big stick over us? We are very glad you do !

BIWI well done!! Amazing achievement

Checking in - we went to the MN preview of Cloudy 2 which was fab.

B - bacon eggs and mushrooms
L - cauliflower and cheese soup
D - pulled pork in slow cooker with loads of veg and roast pots for those who eat them

I am doing no alcohol November if anyone else wants to join me. DH and I do it for many reasons which I won't bore you with but its good to detox before Xmas frivolities hit us