Bootcamp Week 5 - Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Staying Alive - chat here!

[BIWItheBold]

Welcome to week 5 - how time flies when you're having fun!

Those of us who have been here since the beginning may be finding the going tough now. You may have found that your weight loss has stopped, or you may even have put weight on

But hopefully you will also be enjoying the food now, and settling into this as a new way of eating. You may also have discovered the other benefits of low carbing - not being hungry, having better skin, sleeping better, fewer problems with conditions such as IBS or even asthma, fewer hot flushes (for those of us of a certain age ) etc.

A month in, whilst you should be more used to eating like this, you will also have discovered that it's not always possible to follow a strict low carb plan because Real Life has an irritating habit of getting in the way.

But that's an important lesson for us all to learn. There are two key things here:

First, it demonstrates very clearly that you have to plan what food you buy and how you're going to eat. For example, I do quite a bit of travelling for work - going to meetings by train all over the country and sometimes abroad. If I don't plan my meals, then I will end up eating something like a sandwich because that's all that is available. I went to a meeting on Friday where the client very kindly suggested that she order lunch for us. I knew that if I didn't say I was low carbing, then we would sit down to a plate of sandwiches. It feels awkward to have to ask for special food. But - if you had a medical condition that meant you couldn't eat wheat, there would be no issue with such a request, would there?

Dieting is often seen as a trivial issue, and we think it's silly to have to ask for special/different food. But think of the impact/implications of being overweight. High blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, etc etc. None of these is trivial.

So in these situations, plan ahead and ask for something that suits you.

If you're travelling - eat properly before you set off. Get to know what shops are available at any station you're travelling through - there are an increasing number of M&S Food shops at railway stations and service stations, where you can always buy cooked meats/fish, small portions of cheese and salads (there are one or two without pasta/rice/noodles/potatoes!)

Second, despite your best efforts, sometimes life seems determined to sabotage things. Even if you ask people to cater for you, few people really understand what a low carb diet is. This has happened to me twice since Friday! My client very kindly ordered me a salad for my lunch. I was provided with a bowl of lettuce - with no dressing. Presumably whoever made it was thinking "this person is on a diet, therefore it must have to be fat-free". On top of the lettuce was sweetcorn (one of the carbiest veg there is), a dollop of coleslaw - presumably with sugar in it, like most is - a huge mound of grated carrot, some sliced cooked chicken, cucumber and tomato.

At least I could eat the chicken! But it was very dry and so to make it palatable, easy to eat, I ended up eating more of the coleslaw than I intended. I also was in the embarrassing situation of having to leave a lot of the lunch that I had specially ordered.

And last night, at dinner with friends, I had again plucked up courage to tell them of my low carbing. Despite being reassured that the meal would be low carb-friendly, it was anything but. And it was (mostly) served plated up, so to not eat it was to have been very rude. And it was delicious, and I was hungry ...

But this is life. We have to get through these kind of occasions and accept that they may throw us off course briefly, but that this is a longer term process we are involved in. To use a horrible cliche, we are all on a journey here.

So if it happens to you - just accept it. Don't obsess about it. Avoid the scales for a while, and make sure you are super good for the following days. Don't use it as an excuse to jump off the wagon, for that way, surely, fatness lies!

Come and tell me how you're all getting along. How has life changed for you since we set off on this journey?!

our tooth fairy was useless when i was small, always forgetting. I thought when we moved house we might get a better one but no she MOVED with us!

biwi i remember reading the same re 'super-foods' - mostly marketing label (though i'm sure they do plenty of good)

So just nibbled on a chunk of cheese, think I need to monitor my cheese consumption as it is rising.

Shopping is being delivered this evening so just need to get through the day with my limited supplies. Should be ok though.

I did have a few slip ups last week so this week I am determined to be hard core bootcamp. TBH the thought of eating pizza/bread was nicer than the reality and my tummy really didn't like it so I just need to keep that at the forefront of my mind.

Morning.

Am getting more bruises, think a few others mentioned that a whle ago and they are in not easily knocked places

Bruises? I've never heard of that in association with low carbing. That might be worth getting checked out with your GP

But an interesting thread about it here

And here is a thread from another site (forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-125800.html):

Bruising easily on a low-carb diet is not uncommon. (To be
fair - it's not uncommon in people who are not low-carbing,
too.) It could be caused by a number of things.

*Vitamin K deficiency. Vitamin K is crucial to clotting. If
you are not getting enough from your diet, a small bump which
might otherwise have gone unnoticed could cause enough
subcutaneous bleeding to become a noticeable bruise. Good
dietary sources of Vitamin K include kale, Swiss chard,
spinach, cabbage, broccoli, liver, canola oil, olive oil,
soybean oil.

*Vitamin C deficiency. This is very common in people who are
low-carbing, especially if they are restricting their carbs
severely. Getting only the USRDA (as found in most
multivitamins) is probably not sufficient to prevent signs of
deficiency - like bruising. Vitamin C strengthens blood vessel
walls and makes them more resistant to injury. If you have a
Vitamin C deficiency, you might also have noticed that your
gums bleed sometimes. Good sources of Vitamin C include
peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, strawberries,
cranberries, kohlrabi, cauliflower, collard greens, cabbage,
raspberries, turnip greens, blackberries, okra, and
blueberries. If you are not getting several servings of these
foods daily, you may not be getting enough Vitamin C - even if
you are taking a daily multivitamin.

*Pain killers. Many people experience headaches when starting
low-carbing and take ibuprofen or aspirin to combat this. Both
of these can cause increased susceptibility to bruising for
days, if not weeks, after the last dose.

*Vigorous exercise. If you have recently started a new
exercise program, you may be stressing blood vessels in
unexpected places. Take note if new bruises appear a day or so
after a day of heavy exercising.

*Blood thinning foods and supplements. Vitamin E, fish oil,
garlic, ginger, and ginkgo biloba (among others) can all
cause increased bruising in some people. Taking extra Vitamin
C may help strengthen your blood vessels enough to counteract
this effect.

*Insufficient carbohydrates. This theory is controversial, but
some authorities feel that carbohydrates are necessary at some
level for normal repair and maintenance of body tissues. If
you have been unable to find another cause for your bruising,
you may consider raising your carb level a little bit.

And of course if the bruising continues, consulting with
your doctor is always a good idea just to rule out anything
more serious."

So it would suggest that you might need to look at taking supplements as well as making sure that you're eating the right veg.

morning all. a sts again for me. thats 5 weeks of no change. I have cut out cheese and cream. Maybe I am officially in a plateau but how the hell can I break it? Really don't fancy the idea of the 'fat fast' but I may get desperate enough

Waves to Androbbob. We know each other from an old WW thread where we found out we lived quite close to each other. androbbob I swapped to this from WW after finding I was still eating too much crap on it because I could fit it in my points. Even though I am having a stall at the moment I feel so much better on this way of eating and just don't want the crap I used to eat on WW, so despite not losing for a while I have no intention of changing the way I eat now, it makes you feel that good and I think it would be really beneficial for your diabetes.

well done to everyone who has lost this week

Can I check if there is something I should be eating to ensure Im getting enough fibre on this WOE, to ensure everything continues to, ahem..work ? Read the post about bruising with interest, so going to ensure I eat brocoli and cauliflower as much as I can for these two Bootcamp weeks and then add in the recommended superfruits after that....For me not eating carbs, actually just means ( on the whole ) cutting out the rubbish I was eating ( with the exception of porridge which was a good carb, but off this now too of course ), so pretty certain low carb can't be bad for you, in the way some so called 'experts' suggest, as long as you ensure you eat enough of those things that provide the vitamins and minerals we need...

Morning

Egg Benedict with Salmon for breakfast. It felt very extravagant, and I can see the doubt in my mother's eyes. Will make it without hollandaise next time, as it was a bit too strong for me.

Did my weigh of shame this morning and found that I am at my highest ever weight. So, if you see me slipping, you have permission to kick my arse.

I am going to Kenya in 6 weeks so want to lose as much as possible by then.

2bayumimum - the Idiot Proof Diet by India Knight recommends 1000mg of psyllium husk fibre. I've stopped taking them as I don't think they really made much difference, but they may help you to keep things moving along.

The other thing to do, 2bayumimum, is to make sure you're drinking plenty of water. It really does help.

Welcome, Mme! Lovely breakfast. Your mum is just jealous. I remember when I very first started low carbing, tucking into bacon and eggs - which felt so bad after years of low calorie/low fat eating - and DH saying to me "you're never going to lose weight eating that!". It does feel like a huge leap of faith, but when you see the results it does confirm that the expression "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie" Just isn't true.

vnmum - if you've cut out cheese and cream, that's a good place to start. I know that too much of those, cream especially, causes me problems. But are you eating enough fat from other sources?

My Taubes and Briffa tomes arrived over the weekend. There won't be much housework done over the next couple of days, I'll be geeking out low-carb stylee

BIWI - I read that Harcombe article before. What a successful marketing ploy that has been.

"Tooth" (was actually a piece of tooth shaped tissue wrapped in a note explaining to the tooth fairy that DS2 appeared to have swallowed tooth in question and could he please have the cash anyway) and note do seem to have disappeared anyway however, despite rubbish tooth fairy not actually coming. All very strange.

Just been to gym - don't you just love WAH-ing? (Working at home ). Seem to have broken into being able to work out on LC which is brilliant, amd even running for longer than I was before.

Feel great today, or is that just better than yesterday? Which would not be difficult......

Kenya? Wowzers, am well jel. Work related?

B bacon an mushrooms fried in butter as on lates today.
L chicken and cauliflower cheese
D tuna mayo and big green salad

DH was supposed to be cooking tea last night but this football thing got in the way. He got fish and chips for everyone but I cooked myself chicken breast wrapped in ham with feta inside broccoli and cauliflower. How virtuous do I feel today. apart from the champagne of course

Morning all, well yet again just like last weekend I went off piste yesterday. We are big Man City fans in this house and the stress during the match followed by celebrations after, resulted in me eating potatoes and cake whilst washing it down with a lot of alcohol.

I'm finding it hard, but I love being able to fit into skinny jeans, I sleep much better and overall I just feel better. So I will put the weekend behind me and carry on. I've bought the John Briffa book, so I'm hoping that reading it will keep me on the straight and narrow.

Good morning everyone. Moggie here, creeping in under the radar. I weighed myself on Friday and Ive lost a pound and a half, not as much as Id hoped but Im now 12st 5.5, so moving in the right direction. My first goal is to see number 11 on the scales. After that, down to below 11 stone. I admit I fell off the wagon a bit last week, but Im staying with this low-carb WOE because it works and it suits me. Sorry to be late with my post but life got in the way last week!!

BIWI probably not eating enough fat. I have been having protein shakes for breakfast and lunch for a week as these kick started me into LC when I first started so I thought they may start kick start me losing again. It seems like they haven't. They are low fat too so although i've been in my carb allowance I haven't had much fat as only eating one proper meal a day (protein and veg/salad cooked or dressed with some fat). I guess i've been eating LC and low fat and it doesn't work. Back to real food and more fat for me

Hello everyone, back on the wagon today after a week or so of eating rubbish. Hen night last weekend, followed by hangover, followed by ridiculously stressful and busy week at work, followed by Waitrose Cookery Thingy on Sat () and a night in Lunnon town with dh who was at Wembley on Sat supporting the winning side so was in the mood to celebrate on Sat night followed by further hangover yesterday.

NMP we are a football household too - DH is a York City fan, they won the FA Trophy on Saturday and are back at Wembley this Sunday for the Conference play off final and I'm a Blackpool fan and am at Wembley on Saturday... back to London for the weekend for us then! I can't imagine how you must have felt yesterday, I was on tenterhooks and we aren't Manchester City fans. Well done to them. We'll be taking the dd's to London this weekend so not so much drinking celebrating/commiserating this time. Low carb breakfasts are of course ridiculously easy if one stays at a hotel with bacon, eggs and mushrooms on a buffet.

B - protein shake on the way to work in the car
L - rocket, chicken & parmesan cheese with caesarish dressing made from mayonnaise, double cream and a few splashes of anchovy sauce.

vnmum I add a bit of double cream to my protein shakes to get the fat level up and make it taste less powdery, I have a choc flavour one atm but find it too sweet so may just get the unflavoured version next time, fewer additives and artificial sweeteners so more BIWI low carb friendly.

I feel sick! I have just made Choc Truffles - to use up the double cream and as a surprise for the dcs using our newly acquired flavourings - orange oil, lime oil, raspberry extract & maple extract...lets just say I got a bit carried away with the tasting - I feel awful - have been drinking gallons of water but really I should have stopped.

Still managed to make 30 truffles, will top the non-citrus ones with white choc & space dust and the citrus ones with milk choc & space dust to sweeten but more importantly so I'm not tempted to eat them.

@FourThousandHoles

fourthousand I had been adding double cream at the beginning of the week but then cut it out as it didn't seem to be making any difference to weight loss. My shakes are diet whey, bodybuilding ones with added CLA, green tea extract etc. They are 8g carbs per shake though and do contain sweetners. I think the carbs come from grain source too so I think that may be the problem. They may be triggering an insulin response. Thing is DH has lost loads just by having the shakes and one evening meal of protein and veg but alas that doesn't seem to work for me. I have been checking ketostix too and have not been in ketosis all week. It has been TOTM which sometimes knocks me out but that has finished and going off carb count alone I should be back in ketosis but I'm not which is why I think something in the shakes is triggering an insulin response.

Personally I would avoid them if you can, vnmum - they are high carb as well as containing artificial stuff which is banned on Bootcamp anyway!

Lunch: Mackerel fillet, mushrooms (i'm going to turn into a shroom at this rate), spinach, and some celery with camenbert.