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Low-carb diets

Share advice and experiences of following a low-carb diet.Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Week 8 - Autumn Low Carb Bootcamp - How Many Of Us Are Left?

153 replies

BIWI · 28/10/2013 06:58

Last week's thread was very quiet. Hopefully that's just because you were on half term and were on holiday/doing other things!

Here is the Spreadsheet of Doom Fabulousness

Hope you are all safe from the storm this morning, and here's to a good week for all of us.

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TheAwfulDaughter · 01/11/2013 13:56

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TheAwfulDaughter · 01/11/2013 14:04

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BIWI · 01/11/2013 15:34

sugar free him?! Grin

OP posts:
BIWI · 01/11/2013 15:35

Drink plenty of water. Sugar-free gum is OK if only a temporary thing.

OP posts:
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PinkPeanuts · 01/11/2013 17:01

Am I allowed to sneak onto this thread? I had proclaimed that I was going to join in bootcamp in September but failed miserably at the first hurdle. Today is the first day that I've really been able to get myself on track, I'm feeling determined and motivated for the first time in forever! I'm just about to head to Tescos to stock up on some veggies and some seasonings for the abundance of meat/fish I've stocked up in the freezer. Any support would be graciously received!

TheAwfulDaughter · 01/11/2013 18:35

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whodunnit · 01/11/2013 20:22

Sorry it was me and auntie maggie that started all this carby twattyness about bread and I know that it is not good and this sweet free junk is terrible and and not breaking any habits.

....but I did have a serious chocolate habit prior to this bootcamp (family pack of kit kat chunky hidden in the back of the cupboard, need to eat it all quick before anyone finds out, bag of crisps and chocolate bar on the seven minute commute home), so licking crisps and two sugar free sweets is amazingly strict for me. For me, that is. And has stopped me cheating at all. Not saying it will work for anyone else, but was trying to help autie maggie who was trying not to fall into major carby twattyness. God, I sound really bolshy, I am not, dear crabby, and your advice is completely right. Cheers, big ears;)

HumphreyCobbler · 01/11/2013 20:31

I am on day five of no sugar. I realise I should be on the paleo eating thread really as that is what I am doing, but I love bootcamp because it changed my life - so I am shamelessly hanging out here with all you hardliners.

I have noticed that my hormonal/pregnancy related mood swings have disappeared today. Five days in and I feel like myself. For me that is the real benefit of this WOE, that it regulates my terrible and intrusive PMS. It is obviously working on my post natal hormones too.

I am all chilled and relaxed Grin

daisychicken · 01/11/2013 20:35

Crabby - does swede mash well? I tried celeriac for b&s as it's a fave family meal but it just wasn't 'right'!

I had chips this week - celeriac chips! Just has an urge for sausage and chips and you know what.... celeriac does a passable chip!

I haven't given up milk in tea either - I can't live without my tea! I only have a tiny splash though and hate it when other people make it too milky.

LilyAmaryllis · 01/11/2013 20:39

I hope the brain scan went ok Jesuis.

I've never really believed in the whoosh fairy but I think she's visited me - 2 lbs off this week so far and 2lbs off last week. I think its due to running around like a blue-arsed fly (I've been too busy to even MN for days!). But its satisfying to think that I've been burning off fat as I rushed around.

So hello to Awful and Pinkpeanuts : my sage advice is to really really stick to it. (and there are many delicious and satisfying foods and meals to enjoy while you stick to it). The reward is, I went clothes shopping yesterday (as I've shrunk out of so very many of my clothes) and it WASN'T horrifying to look in the changing room mirror! Imagine that!

Daisy yes - mash swede and chip celeriac, I think that's best too. To mash swede use plenty of butter, its harder work to mash than potato. No extra liquid required I find.

captainmummy · 01/11/2013 22:32

welcome pinkpeanuts! Any questions, just ask.
Daisy - swede mashes really well;- lots of butter, and pepper!

Lily - how can you not believe in the whoosh fairy? If you don't beleive, she doesn't exist!

CrabbySmallerBottom · 01/11/2013 23:18

Hmm Grin

Well you can all laugh at me and kick me roundly up the arse now - I had spaghetti carbonara for dinner! Shock My halo of smugness is currently round my ankles. Blush It was that or a take away curry which would have involved naan bread and eating the leftovers tomorrow. Hmm Various reasons for this, all of which are excuses for laziness, greed and poor planning. Red wine too. Oh well. Grin

Lily mashed swede is lush and really did the trick when we got all celeriaced out after eating so much of it. Boil until it's tender and then mash it with loads of butter and even a little creme fraiche. DP does it with the hand masher, I like to do it with the stick blender. Ooh-er missus.

JeSuis I'm glad you're on the mend. Aren't most cases of Bell's Palsy idiopathic (ie without any obvious cause)? I expect yours is too and certainly hope your scan confirms that.

whodunnit · 01/11/2013 23:57

Oh crabby... we willnow have to call you carbysmaller bottom!

PinkPeanuts · 02/11/2013 00:31

Ah what a lovely welcome! Today I've eaten an unnatural amount of cheese but I figured that for Day 1, it was better to reach for cheese than chocolate as per my usual bad habits Hmm

I had boiled Eggs, cheese and Pastrami for Dinner, Tuna Mayo for lunch and Sea Bass on a mountain of cabbage and leeks for dinner with lots of grazing on cheese for snacks. Only manages just over 1ltr of water today so i'll need a massive push on that tomorrow because my water intake generally has been shocking recently.

Onwards and upward!

captainmummy · 02/11/2013 09:38

Look ok, Pinkpeanuts. But definitely get that water down you - there is a chart somewhere showing how much you should be drinking per day, according to your weight,, but from memory its not less than 2Ls.

daisychicken · 02/11/2013 11:22

Thanks all, I'll get some swede this week to try. I've been making shepherds pie with celeriac 'mash' which was yummy & DH/DS's couldn't tell that it wasn't potato so am curious to know how swede will taste.

Those who are struggling without chocolate... get the highest cocoa content bars ie our lidl does 81% - because it's so rich and strong, you can have. 1-2 squares and feel satisfied.

KellyKapoor · 02/11/2013 12:07

Hello! I am sneaking on the thread to ask some advice if that's OK! Maybe someone remembers me, I started bootcamp two weeks before you all and was bitching about Diet Coke being wrenched out of my cold, dead hands.

Welcome newbies! LilyAmaryllis is totally right - just stick to it. It will quickly become second nature, and the rewards are huge. Hope you're getting on OK.

Everyone's doing so incredibly, well done! I have now lost 21lbs since the end of August, in a relatively pain-free way, so thank you all so much for your help, support (I do lurk even if I don't post) and resources so so much. I was hovering around the 11 stone 5 mark for a long time, but I think the whoosh fairy has come - I be so happy if she comes back, I was getting pretty frustrated and would so love to be under 11 stone (started at 12 stone 8)

My real reason for posting is that for maybe the last week or so I have been feeling lightheaded quite often - especially when I stand up, even if I do so slowly, but often when I'm just sitting or standing doing normal activities. The only thing I can possibly think that I'm doing differently is low-carbing. Would this make sense? Could something be missing from my diet? I am eating a lot of fat and vegetables, and recently a possibly unhealthy amount of greek yogurt (oops).

Also, just as an aside, has anyone else lost weight but not gone down any sizes? I have definitely lost weight from my face (yay!) and my legs, but nowhere else particularly noticeable. It feels a bit like the opposite to what most people say, they see their body change but not the scales!

fitflopqueen · 02/11/2013 12:47

I am still here, have posted weight weekly but not changed for 4 weeks - haven't done any exercise as driving my mum up and down the country to see ill relative (so don't drink enough) and very busy work wise.
Have 5 weeks to get my act together now before I go on holiday., now have a shitty cold and waiting for a gynae appointment too.

captainmummy · 02/11/2013 12:54

Wow Kelly - a great weightloss! Well done.

Re lightheadedness; the only thing i can suggest is you up your potassium/electrolytes. If you are drinking lots, you are diluting your elecrtolytes. You need to keep your body-fluids in balance, and potassium is a mineral which can easily be too low. Try eating more spinach, avocado, fish; add lo-salt to meals if you like. You can get electrolytes from sports shops also.

Re the clothes sizes - others have reported that they can lose loads and still not go down a dress-size; mostly it's the larger sizes that seem to cater for a wider weight-span! Agree that in others, it's the measurements that reduce before the scales fall ; it's just one of those annoying things about our bodies.

TheAwfulDaughter · 02/11/2013 13:44

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sybilfaulty · 02/11/2013 14:28

Daughter - bad luck on the sausages. All you can do is put it behind you and drink lots of water. I know how disappointing it is but it is a mere blip. Keep drinking drinking drinking til you can eat tonight, then go for a good supper with plenty of fat. These things happen and we are here for the long haul not a sprint Smile

KellyKapoor · 02/11/2013 14:59

Thanks, captainmummy. That's really useful to know about electrolytes - I have always drunk a lot of water but have stepped it up a notch. I also really dislike fish, so my potassium levels may be low - I'll go hard on the spinach!

It is interesting with clothes sizes. No doubt I would still be complaining if I had lost sizes but not pounds! I am 5'8, too, so I think might be comparing myself to those who are shorter so whose loses have a greater effect (well, that's what I'm telling myself).

Hi fitflopqueen - well done for staying the same during what sounds like a stressful period. Sorry you have a cold too, how rubbish - try and use it as an incentive to really step up the water intake, I always feel better when I'm ill if I'm very hyrdated! 5 weeks is a long time, definitely time to make real progress and look fantastic on holiday.

TheAwfulDaughter - that is annoying! Lovely of your boss, but still very annoying. Like sybil says, you can really only put it behind you. I have found it very hard at times when I don't have control over my own food, but again as sybil says we are in it for the long haul and having such slip-ups, which will inevitably happen if you ever leave the house, have helped me adjust to this as a long-term plan and attitude rather than just giving up.

When I was angry at myself for eating some ice cream that someone had the AUDACITY to bring into my house and, um, force-feed me, someone on here mentioned the car metaphor - if your car windscreen got a crack in it, you wouldn't think "oh, fuck it" and smash the rest with a baseball bat. So don't use this as an excuse to eat lots of other stuff. This helped me not throw in the towel whenever I slipped up!

Drink lots of water today, do some exercise if you think it might make you feel better, and then make sure you have a lovely low-carb meal plan for tomorrow. It is only a tiny blip, and learning to deal with it will help you in the long run.

Hope you are having a good day otherwise!

KellyKapoor · 02/11/2013 15:03

Woah, sorry for the essay. I do, in fact, have actual essays to write and this seems like a worthwhile distraction!

PinkPeanuts · 02/11/2013 17:47

Hello All,

Sorry about your blip AwfulDaughter that must be so frustrating but at least it wasn't an intentional slip based on a craving IYSWIM? I'm sure you'll be able to push past it.

My day has been good so far and I thought I would struggle being day two! I had a monster omelette made with 3 eggs, double cream, cheddar and spring onions for breakfast with a little bit of avocado on the side. Lunch was grilled Lamb chops and salad, not too sure what's on the menu for dinner but I suspect it will be prawns with steamed veg.

I've been trawling through tons of blogs and Instagram pages researching the benefits of HFLC eating and I think I'm finally aware of what my problem is generally, I seem to have some kind of sugar addiction methinks. I feel soooo much better when I cut it out of my diet but unless I cut it out for a minimum of 6 weeks straight, I'm always going to give into the craving. I thought my addiction was chocolate but the more I think about it, I'm certain it's sugar. Has anybody else had a similar revaluation or is it just me?