Bootcamp Week 11 - Two Thin Ladies!

[BIWItheBold]

Well some of you are, clearly!

And I notice more talk about maintenance, which is evidently a very good sign.

I think the best way for maintenance is to gradually increase your carbs until weight loss either stops or you find that you're putting weight back on.

Don't rush out and fall face first into a plate of pasta, though! Start with fruit and veg (be careful with which fruits and how much), and possibly some legumes - e.g. lentils, or beans - i.e. we're looking to add 'good' carbs into the diet, rather than rush straight into 'accessible' carbs which have an immediate impact on your blood sugars.

Today is Day 1 of Week 1 in my 'let's get that last half stone off' before I go on holiday. (Except that last night's meal, plus a bit of 'eye off the ball' time, means it's more than half a stone now ...)

Dairy is allowed - but just keep an eye on how you get on, as it can impede weight loss.

Everton mints are virtually all sugar. They are 90.6g carbs per 100g!!!

Evening, mega stressful day today at work. However I didn't succumb to any of the biscuits.sweets which people brought in as leaving presents!
b: total full fat Greek yoghurt
L: homemade chilli
D: pot roast beef made with loads of veggies on bed of fried buttery cabbage

I have started my core exercise plan in preparation for holiday. Can't fit more than 25 mins in at the moment so starting off with this. Day 2 and have taken more measurements.

For those starting off I really recommend this as I only did waist and hips but wish. Had done all over!

Buggering off now as don't want to hear any more about exotic hols on Barbados

a bit late, but Rodders I had them on their own yesterday for lunch (with cream & butter) - had them again for lunch today and this time I crumbled some feta cheese into them. I must say, it is extremely delicious but i am very partial to anything creamy.

Thank you nigella not too late dont worry I really enjoy them too may try them on their own for lunch tommorow as have had a small amount as a side to fish tonight they are really tasty i did them with a tiny bit of onion, garlic butter and cream :)

Can I ask a quick maintenance question please? Sound slightly daft as I still feel new but I didn't have lots to lose and I'm 2lb off my target weight though I could happily lose several more inches. Originally I figured I'd aim to overshoot my target to allow for any regained weight as I added back in some carbs but reading the advice in the OP, it seems this isn't the correct way to do it. Should I slowly move into maintenance now or stay in bootcamp? I feel as though I'm not fully used to this WOE and I still have days, like today, where I'm badly craving carbs. Any thoughts?

I'd probably let this woe bed in a bit before making any changes, but I'm far from being an expert...

B 2 boiled eggs with mayo
L tuna mayo and green salad
D Harissa chicken with cauliflower mash
5 coffees
2.5l water

I've also started per holiday exercise programme- Callanetics.

morning everyone

lean do you find you are not hungry at all on this WOE or is it merely carb cravings?
sorry i don't have any advice for you. but i also am not far off my goal weight and am just wondering if it affects how you feel in ketosis. as i don't often have the lack of hunger described by others - i do get it between meals, but i get hungry again after a couple of hours.

I'm definitely ready for my meals most days! I have days where I can take or leave eating on the whole, e.g. On Saturday we were really busy and I couldn't think what to have for lunch so I just had an avocado and actually wasn't even that hungry come dinner time (I did have a green salad with some cheese) and felt no inclination to eat any of the nibbles around the campfire. I don't know whether I'm actually properly craving carbs as such, just that I will have some days where I quite frequently think - I'd like a bagel with cream cheese or I miss eating chocolate etc

leanbh21 - I think the great danger of doing low carb for a short period of time and then relaxing it too quickly is that you go back to eating lots of carbs - and then the weight will all go back on.

If you haven't already, I'd move into Bootcamp Light and stick to that for a few weeks, until it feels like a comfortable way of eating for you - forget your weight/what the scales say at that point. Once you're happy with low carbing as a WOE for you (as opposed to a diet) then start to re-introduce carbs gradually. The first things to introduce should be lower carb fruits and also things like lentils/beans - don't rush straight into bread/pasta/rice.

Keep a strict eye on the scales/your measurements from this point. The aim for maintenance is to find the level at which you can keep your weight stable, rather than start to gain again. Now, obviously, there will be day-to-day weight gains, especially if your eating is more relaxed, so it would probably be a good idea to try daily weighing but to take a weekly average of your weight, and to track your weekly average - this will help you to determine how many carbs you can accommodate on a daily basis.

By the way - re ketosis - it doesn't stop you getting hungry altogether! You will get hungry when you need to eat, so just before a meal it is quite normal to be hungry. And the advice, as always, is 'if you're hungry, eat!'. Just make sure you're not falling into the biscuit tin.

Sharon you and I are on a similar countdown! Day 3 for me. I'm delighted that the scales are now showing 9.13 (and 3/4), so I seem to have dealt with the issues of the Chinese on Sunday! Hopefully I can carry on with losing weight now, rather than just maintaining. I'd really like to get down to 9.7 before I go on holiday, although I suspect this might be a bit ambitious - although given that I've dropped almost 4lbs since Sunday, perhaps I should be a bit more optimistic!

thanks for the advice Biwi it helped me too :) i'm considering bootcamp light even though i wouldn't mind being a few pounds lighter.

going to try the mushrooms in cream today. i have never, ever, had anything like this for years. due to always watching what i eat - it is very weird cook myself something like that! and i was reading up on the nutrients that are found in stuff like cream too - all a bit of a revelation to me! as before all i had in my mind was that fats were bad ( apart from fish fats)
mum had the 'i told you so face' yesterday when i told her i added stuff like butter and cream in lately. but she was annoyed to hear id cut 'good natural food' out like oats and wholemeal bread etc; she said i need a 'good balanced diet'! we had quite an interesting conversation.

i would say it is about 15 years since ive ate like cream, butter etc. and i feel much better now in these last few weeks.

i might even add chicken and more meats in soon! sorry for multiple posts just getting excited.

10 stone 12 and a quarter! Woo hoo, woo hoo hoo! That makes half a stone off since I started this WOE 12 days ago. Only 16lb to go to a healthy weight, 26 to my target weight. (Boo!) Still, it is lovely to be under 11 stone. DH has lost half a stone too. Annoyingly, though, he's gone down 2 belt notches and I haven't gone down one! Grr. My mummy tummy is definitely smaller, though.

I couldn't sleep last night and lay awake craving a chipper . Worse, not even fish and chips, but a chipsteak supper. Probably the most processed crappy 'meat' in existence. We got a wedding invite the other day for a wedding in late September and it says that the day after the wedding, they want everyone to hang about for the town's famous fish and chips. I am setting myself that as a goal - no chippers until then! by which time I will be so slim and so gorgeous I will utterly outshine the bride, and I will fit into my beautiful deep pink size 10 Coast halterneck dress that I bought on Ebay and have never worn

Well done BIWI 4lbs in 3 days!

Dh hear Head on the radio this morning that you have 5% more likely to suffer coronary disease if you are a low carb diet it's a great pleasure in telling me this because he still isn't convinced about woe

On the hunger thing. There's no question that the reintroduction of carbs reduced the appetite suppression I got from being fully in ketosis. However it was nothing like 'normal' eating. The reason I know is that I had to reintroduce wheat for a test for coeliacs recently and I had to follow a normal diet for 6 weeks. Apart from the stone I gained I felt hungry all the time and snacked like you wouldn't believe. I also found it virtually impossible to go back to low carb, it was as if my brain wasn't letting me remember the good things. The positive diagnosis was a benefit as it meant I had to cut gluten and that reduced carbs overnight to my maintenance level. I've dropped most of the weight now but I'm doing it at maintenance levels rather than going back to first principles.

Leanbh21 I agree with BIWI. It only seems five minutes since you've started and you've done brilliantly well. Bootcamp light is the way forward. If you find you're still losing weight post for tips

I had the mushrooms last night..

Fried a steak and mushrooms, added cream to the pan with some pepper and had the lot with a some salad. Was absolutely fabulous.

And guess what, this morning I'm 2 pounds lighter than yesterday.

I can't thank BIWI enough for introducing me to this woe.

jan2011 I was actually scared to buy butter, cream and full fat mayo. It felt so so wrong. I still avoid looking at the calorie bit of the side as I dollop it onto my salad. When I think of all the years I have ate plain salad, or salad with a teaspoon of very low fat dressing whilst scoffing muller light yoghurts and other crap....

Ok, I'd like to join if I may (you gave me some advice on my thread under a different name a few days ago). I have been reading a lot of the threads and the recipe thread, but I have a couple of questions if you could help?

Tofu;is this ok to eat? And things like lentils, split peas, beans of all kinds, I normally cook a lot with these but I'm guessing they are carby?
Lastly, I see in the rules on this thread that I should choose veg from the "allowed list" but I can't see the list. Can you link?

I'm 11s5 7lbs (Ithink) and need to get down to about 10st ish.

Thanks BIWI and Jins. I'll move to Bootcamp Light for a bit. I've been to Lidl and bought a big bucket of their Greek Yoghurt (switching the kids to that with fruit rather than their usual yogurts which I found are frighteningly high in sugar!). I'll add in some more veg too - I've been sticking to the ultra-low greens on the whole. I'll try that for a bit and see if the evil sugar thoughts go away!

Morning

Good Afternoon ladies. I have read a few of these threads and am getting geared up to join you gulp. I have a few questions....

1. What's the deal with salt - is it a complete no-no?
2. I've seen a few comments about having pork scratchings as snacks - is this allowed?
3. How do you know if you have got the 'fat' quantities right and are not over-doing it?

thanks

1. Salt is not a no-no. When you increase fluid intake and consequently pee on an Olympic scale you will probably need salt more than you realise :)

1. Pork scratchings are allowed. They are a useful snack. Check the label for hidden stuff but most are fine

1. Don't worry too much about fat quantities in the early days - just enjoy what you eat. This is not a 'diet' it is a way of eating. You will be led by your body as you get used to it. Fat is important as it is where you will be getting energy. If you follow bootcamp rules you won't go wrong.

Good luck!

Penisvan tofu is ok, but peas, beans and lentils are out . They can be introduced once you get to your target as they are healthier carbs than pasta and stuff. Are you a vegetarian? There are so different rules for vegs but i think its more you can eat nuts and stuff.

Lorielee technicially, on bootcamp pork scratchings are not allowed. Ideally your food should be based on pure natural foods, like veg and meat cheese and eggs. However if you are going to snack, pork scratchings, which are very low in carbs are a much better choice than crisps, toast or similar.

L:duck breast with butter fried broc and cauli

D:beef stew (beef,bit of carrot, a scallion and loads of celery, stock cube, s&p)

i was on a course this morning and took some nuts expecting a sandwich lunch to be provided. you could have knocked me down with a feather when they produced a dressed whole poached salmon, homemade mayonnaise, chargrilled chicken and lettuce (potato salad and bread too which i left obv). IT WAS AMAZING

2 days running of having mushrooms sauteed in cream with feta cheese crumbled in - and again my weight is down (at least, it's the same as it was yesterday, whereas before it was going up and down by over 2 lbs overnight). so that can only be good! No mushrooms in the house now (not surprisingly after my mushroom-fest) so lunch today was courgettes and brocoli - you've guessed it - sauteed in cream with some feta cheese crumbled in. It was delish.

Front page of Daily Express today says about doctors claiming that low-carb Atkins style diets are really bad for women.