Bootcamp Week 3 - Come and chat here

[BIWIWhoMustBeObeyed]

Hopefully you've signed in and weighed in for week 3. Welcome if you're new!

Many people have seen significant weight loss - Jacaqueen has lost a spectacular 13lbs. But you need to prepare yourself for the rate of loss to slow down significantly from now on. And bear in mind:

IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR WEIGHT LOSS TO STOP ALTOGETHER IN WEEKS 3, 4 AND/OR 5.

I have put that in caps/bold because it can come as something of a shop to people when this happens. I don't know why it happens, but I know that it happens - it's happened to me, and I've read about it from many other low carbers.

Here's a piece about it from the Carblife website (well worth a visit if you want more info - but it's a much quieter site than MN)

PATTERNS OF WEIGHT LOSS
Common patterns of weight loss from tracking a lot of people who become assimilated into the lowcarb lifestyle (hehe...resistance is futile!) a pattern emerges.... the 2 week induction is pretty heady...weight lost just about every single day, enormous and unbelievable amounts of weight loss are reported. This is often followed by complaints that weight loss "stalls" or that the rate drops to only 1 pound per week.
Many people just don't know that fat-loss ...the actual goal when on a weight-reduction" diet, is rate-limited. In other words, the human body has factors that prevent more than a certain amount of fatty-acid release from storage...and even more factors that prevent those released fatty acids from being used up instead of stored back into the fat cells.
A priority of the human body is survival. Anything that threatens its survival results in the cascade of events to maintain the previous status quo. Water fluctuations are one way the body does this. OK...so you done good on Atkins' during induction...lost 10 pounds the first 2 weeks. Maybe 7 the first week and 3 the second. But, whoa!Weeks 3 and 4 there is NO loss! And weeks 5 and 6 is only 1/2 pound each!
So... what gives? Initially, the body jettisons the water attached to the glycogen stores that we diligently deplete to get into ketosis...this accounts for about 3-5 pounds of water. In addition, muscle stores of glycogen are not being replaced when used...which will account for the rest. All in all...MAYBE 1/2 pound of fat was metabolized during the first week... and MAYBE 1/2 pound of fat was metabolized the 2nd week. Of that 10 initial pounds, only 1 pound was fat and 9 pounds water... The body senses this lack and sirens start shrieking: Warning! Warning! Losing water... new thing...got to get back to the status quo! Brain tells body to produce and release that vasopressin antidiuretic hormone....more water is retained, and no weight loss noticed. Fat loss is still occuring, MAYBE even 2 pounds per week, because ketosis is firmly established and appetite supression is in effect...but water retention is hiding that continuing fat loss. The body is preventing dehydration with this mechanism, and that's a good thing.
From the perspective of the scale, it can be discouraging. Which is why the mantra: Water retention masks fat loss (repeated frequently to oneself ) is helpful. Water retention will mask ongoing fat-loss for as long as the body retains the water. We can combat this by drinking more water...but we aren't going to totally overcome this mechanism during the initial water-loss phase of the Atkins diet. By weeks 5 and 6, things start to get back in balance, and the scale will begin to reflect the true fat-loss...which, as mentioned before is rate-limited. Individuals vary, but max weight loss runs about 2 pounds per week...under extremely optimal conditions... or 1% of body weight (whichever is the lower number).

So don't use the scale as an excuse to undermine your progress. Even when the scale is in a stall, fat loss can be occuring.
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:)

Evening all.

Probably a gain here for me too. Way too much cheap wine I believe is not recommended. If it helps I already feel punished :o

Quite fancy a fry up this evening, but have some sad looking veg in the fridge that needs eating, so maybe an omlette.

I'm making these tonight: www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/03/low-carb-fish-cakes.html?m=1
They look v nice am substituting leeks for scallions and parsley for coriander (hate coriander) and leaving out the spices

Is anyone else having dizzy spells? I had them when I first started this woe a few months ago but as they disappeared after three weeks I assumed it was carb withdrawal. But theu've come back and it's rather horrible, seem to come when I look downwards (nearly keeled over when I was wrapping my wet hair in a towel). Could this be a lack of a particular vitamin or mineral? Or the fact that my period is on its way? This isn't debilitating but it is annoying.

I had those towards the end of the first week, it was horrible!

Dinner was a leek, courgette and cheese omlette, salad and some celeriac crisp type things. Pretty yummy.

Lunch was not till 2 after the huge fry up for brekkie, and was made up of celery sticks with smoked salmon, a baby bel and a hunk of Brie.

Tea was beef casserole, dh had added carrots so ate those, and he'd also added barley... Delish tho.

No wine, but have had 2 squares of dark choc and 3 blackberries.

Willie I was more prone to dizziness on a low fat diet, not had it in this woe....

I don't know about that, Willie - will check it out for you if I can.

Gah. Why?

Been good all week and have now fallen at the final hurdle with a slice of Banoffee Cheesecake. Just go away now with your bloody birthdays.

Yes to dizzy spells. I skipped lunch yesterday and didn't get the chance to eat dinner untill almost 9pm. I feel I'm really paying for it today: tired and dizzy feeling. Going to bed at 9.15.

Otters - was it yummy though?

Would one slice of cheesecake send you out of ketosis?

Sooooooooooooo sweet, LittleFrieda. It's made me incredibly thirsty, and I've had 3.5litres today.

So are we all girding our loins for tomorrow's weigh-in?

I know I have gained this week, so I am back to Bootcamp as of tomorrow.

I've finally gotten through every post on all of the threads :)

Not been bootcamping due to losing my grandmother and moving - two of the three most stressful life events. The former made it too hard for me to cut out the vodka and the latter made it difficult to do a lot of cooking so I've eaten out a fair bit and had a fair few takeaways lately. I've decided that life gets back to normal tomorrow though which means a lot less vodka and a lot more home cooked food. My digestive system should love me for that because I've had a few times where I've obviously accidentally eaten wheat. One of the diagnosed coeliacs on a previous thread said I should get tested but I'm feeling really miserable after eating an Indian earlier that must have had some wheat in it so I just can't face having to eat it in sufficient quantities to ensure I wouldn't get a fake negative on the antibody test or the biopsy. I think I'm just going to have to cut the takeaways because the people on the phone rarely have good enough english to be certain and make sure I always ask in restaurants even if I don't think a dish will have wheat in it.

Doing all the eating out has lead me to a wondrous realisation that I have to share though. Starters are normally just like main courses without the carb element and restaurants are normally happy to bring you two starters at the same time as everyone else's mains or you can have one as a starter and another as a main with a side salad or some vegetables. I don't even get a raised eyebrow when I ask for this so it must be something they do reasonably often.

so sorry to hear you've had such a tough time of it QS, i hope things get easier soon

i quite often do the two starters thing too - often the starters are more inventive than main courses too

re the dizziness some googling suggests lack of potassium (possible) or sodium (unlikely as I eat salted butter and a moderate amount of cured meat, so if anything too much)

i do have a history of low blood pressure though

Glad to see you back, Queen.

And yy to the two starters. I did just that yesterday - main courses were either Sunday roast, with all the veg + Yorkshire pudding. The only veg that was suitable was cabbage/kale, as everything else was too carby - roast potatoes, roast parsnips and carrots. So I had a starter of asparagus, hollandaise sauce, poached egg and asked for a side salad to go with it.

WillieWaggle - I did wonder about potassium. Good sources of potassium are avocado and Lo Salt instead of normal table salt. I've also posted on my low carb forum asking for advice and will feed that back if/when I have anything.

Thanks biwi you are kind. Will pop avocados on the list for next week

Willie - here's the reply I got:

"Check her/his electrolyte intake (magnesium/potassium/sodium) as possibly low blood pressure - is it worse if he/she stands up quickly?"

"Possibly low blood sugar - possibly would do better with smaller meals and/or snacking until LC adjusted."

Does that help?

How did I not know there was a week three chat thread?! I've been using the weigh in thread. oops.

So are we using this one for week four or another?! Just so I can mark my place.

Magnesium-rich foods that are also Bootcamp-friendly:

Broccoli, raw
Halibut
Okra, frozen
Oysters
Rockfish
Scallop
Soy milk
Spinach, cooked
Tofu check the carbs here - I don't know much about Tofu

This is taken from an American site - not sure why they specify something that is raw/frozen or cooked!

And from the UK NHS site:

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that:
helps turn the food we eat into energy
helps make sure the parathyroid glands, which produce hormones important for bone health, work normally
Good sources of magnesium
Magnesium is found in a wide variety of foods. The richest sources are:
green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
nuts
brown rice
Good sources include:
bread (especially wholegrain)
fish
meat
dairy foods
How much magnesium do I need?
The amount of magnesium you need is:
300mg a day for men
270mg a day for women
You should be able to get all the magnesium you need from your daily diet.
What happens if I take too much magnesium?
Taking high doses of magnesium for a short time can cause diarrhoea.
There is not enough evidence to say what the effects might be of taking high doses of magnesium for a long time.
What does the Department of Health advise?
You should be able to get all the magnesium you need by eating a varied and balanced diet. If you take magnesium supplements, do not take too much because this could be harmful.
Having 400mg or less a day of magnesium from supplements is unlikely to cause any harm.

WEEK 4 CHAT THREAD IS HERE:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1467233-Bootcamp-Week-4-Come-Whine-With-Me

thanks biwi - i'll increase look into that

well that didn't amke sense. i'll look at increasing potassium and magnesium and see if that helps

Anorexics become low in potassium, don't they?

I wonder if it's sensible to have a check up with a doctor after a few weeks oni this diet, to make sure you aren't deficient in anything?

What do you fear you might be deficient in, LF?

I think the potassium thing is about the amount of water that's being drunk - it's also a reason, I believe, why low carbers don't have to worry as much about salt consumption (although I would never actually advise that)

My own view is that if you're eating 3 meals a day, and you're eating good quality meat/fish, as well as veg/salad with at least 2 of those meals, then we shouldn't be deficient in anything. Although obviously I don't know that for sure.

A multi-vitamin/mineral supplement could be a good idea I suppose - on the basis that it can't do any harm.

I don't really know what I might be deficient in. I'm just wondering. I think I'm going to take a supplement. I don't feel dizzy today and feel much more on an even keel. I think I'm past the cravings too. I even managed to leave alone an opened box of Neuhaus chocolates. Damn.

I feel much more energetic today. So probably I've passed through the withdrawal bit. And I am slimming down quite nicely. Which is good as I haven't cheated at all, apart from eating too much salt on one day.

I don't miss bread.
I don't miss pasta.
I don't miss potatoes.
I don't miss wine.
I do miss chocolate though, it was such a dear friend.