Bootcamp Campfire Interim thread!

[MrsHerculePoirot]

We could keep chatting here until someone starts a new proper thread...

I'm finding the fasting threads both fascinating and rather depressing. So many people going without food, or using 'a couple of sprays of Fry Light' and starting not just to count but to obsess about calories.

I'm interested in knowing more about fasting, but if it's just down to calories (and being hungry), then I'm definitely not interested.

Tea, are you a midwife, obs or anaesthetist? Or a vet? 3 babies brill, hope not same mother!

Waiting for a flooring delivery and poor kids going stir crazy. All furniture piled up in kitchen, so god knows what I'll eat later. Peppereami beckons. Far too much processed stuff lately . Must rectify that

Breakfast was smoked mackerel with horseradish. Nevis and India think this speeds up weightloss. Anyone found that?

Fufu - have been analysing why holiday was so successful food wise.

We were self catering or eating out. Our shopping included greek yog, loads of eggs, cheese, salad, BBQ meat, ham, salami, mushrooms etc. So I ate variations of that for every meal we ate in.

In restaurants I ate lots of fish, fried tempura styly - lots of greek salads - lots of mix grill type dishes.

On the bad side I ate loads of nuts, drank some wine, lots of gin with full sugar tonic, a few beers, but it obviously hasn't made an impact. I drank loads of water. I didn't eat any crisps, chips, icecreams or puddings, but it just wasn't a hardship at all, and I didn't want them. I did drink loads of diet coke though. andsmoked

sybil - community mw, haha at vet though! Am on call a couple of times a week, last night was one of those nights. A full moon and New Years Eve 9 months ago - it was never going to be a quiet one!

BIWI - me too. I did make the point (as I think you did too) one the fasting thread re blood glucose stabilisation and fasting but not many people are taking much notice. And while I know it's terrible form to talk about other threads but omg the shite people eat just because it's 'low-calorie'. Some poor buggers on that thread are starving!

Goddess, that gives me inspiration! We're also self catering, in Lanzagrotty, and will probably eat out most evenings. Should be ok on the food choices. I think my secret weapon will be water, and the promise of a gin when the kids are in bed!

I know, tea. I'm also a bit hesitant to pile in and post because I know people will just say/think "oh it's that bloody BIWI again!"

BIWI Tea I know what you mean about those threads. I have just finished the 'alternate day diet book'. I read it out of interest. if you have a kindle I might be able to share it with you. The science does show some improvement in somethings and is interesting but the Dr who invented it doesn't agree with low carb and still goes on about calories in/ cals out and eating 6 portions of wholegrains a day [sigh].

Basically the idea is to reduce your calorie intake to 20% of your normal daily intake every other day. He suggests using a meal replacement shake like slimfast in the first 2 weeks to ensure you stick to the right amount of calories. On the up days you aim to eat normally without bingeing but also without feeling deprived.

Some of the improvements seen in his test subjects I am sure can also be achieved through low carbing. And I am sure if I was eating the carby, low fat diet he was suggesting I would struggle to fast for a day, I am sure I would really suffer with blood sugar fluctuations.

While there does seem to be evidence of health improvements from it I also worry that it could lead to disordered eating, in a starve, binge cycle, especially when taking into account the blood sugar fluctuations and how they make you crave sugary stuff. I think it is different to IF as done in the low carb/ paleo circles. IF seems to be more geared around skipping meals if not hungry rather than forcibly fasting every other day.

Having said all this, I have decided, in the interests of science and this thread to try it this week as an experiment. Eating low carb but fasting (counting my 500 cals) every other day just to see if a) it works with low carb, b) if it actually makes any difference to weight loss and c) to see if it would likely be sustainable and easy as the book makes out for the long term.
Yesterday was a fast day, I had 2 protein shakes (at 200 cals each) plus drinks. Most of the day I was hungry but not uncomfortably so but by 9/10 at night I was starving and ended up succumbing to a peice of cake that DH brought home from work. So not really a good start and more difficult than I thought it would be with me low carbing. As the book suggests, I made yesterday an inbetween day and am having today as another fast day. I will see how I feel later tonight but so far I am not convinced it is as easy as made out and I think it would need strong willpower.

That's really interesting, thanks, vnmum. If you can share the Kindle, I'd be interested.

But above all, I really, really, really don't want to start eating in a way that vilifies food, or starts to focus on good/bad behaviour. Food is something to be enjoyed not demonised, and this is what is so great about Low Carbing. Yes, obviously, we demonise and vilify carbs, but we do have a full and varied diet which is hugely enjoyable.

vnmum It will be v interesting to see how you get on!

I seem to skip breakfast alot due to never having enough time and to be honest I have never really been a breakfast person. I tend to have brunch around 11am which seems to work great for me.

goddess thats great

Right off now to take DS 1 & 2 swimming

vnmum - will he fascinated to hear how you get on. What you've described so far, however, sounds v much like me pre-low carb. I've never been a breakfast person, and my work doesn't allow for much in the way of lunch breaks etc. So I'd often go hours and hours without eating (starving, effectively), feel weak, shaky, irritable,, exhausted. Then I'd get home around 6ish or even later and gorge on crap, going through the kitchen cupboards like pacman! And of course all sugar and wheat! And hey presto, my weight crept up and up and up, and I felt and looked awful into the bargain. My blood sugars were like a rollercoaster, I'd have these terrible crashes and not know why I felt so bad.

And now with lowcarb, if I'm in the zone, I can go for almost 24 hours
without eating, if I feel like it. There's no hunger or cravings and n I do eat it's almost more a case of 'yeah, I could kinda eat something now' rather than omg must eat NOW!! It's a completely different thing, and I just dont see how it can ever be managed healthily on s high carb diet.

agree will be interesting experiment vnmum

i'm avoiding the 5:2 and alt day fasting stuff because it's too close to the kind of thing i was doing when i had pretty seriously disordered eating (surviving on

hazchem thanks for the link to the sugar free ideas - I think there are a few things there I can adapt. BIWI your link was great too - a lovely collection of essences! I am thinking of experimenting with making some yummy new hot drinks for autumn and can see me making a few Lakeland purchases.

basically I am starting to worry a tiny bit about the "darker months" as i call them. In the past I have found weightloss relatively easy in the spring and summer, only to pile it all back on when autumn & winter comfort foods begin to beckon. some nice new LC creamy hot drinks might help me resist the carby stuff that will start to be on my radar as the days get shorter.....

nigella i know what you mean as I start to turn away a bit from salads... but i started LC in feb and there are some good LC comfort foods

curry
pork belly
creamy sauces
shepherd's pie with celeriac/cauli mash topping
etc

that's good to know, willywaggle...
thinking back, in the past I was on low calorie diets etc. so there would have been NO comfort food I suppose. With this WOE I should still be able to get that warm, full feeling IYSWIM!
plus I didn't have this (or any) thread for support of course.
But I am kind of dreading the winter - it really will be the real test, for me.

omg hazchem the nut balls in your link look great

I was thinking earlier about autumn/winter foods. We tend to cook up massive batches of casseroles and freeze them so that we can eat easily with DD on the days we both work. We usually have a small amount of flour in them, do you reckon we can just leave this out entirely or will it be too runny?

MrsHP I was wondering the same thing Think I will be stocking up on belly of pork, lamb shoulder etc for the dark and cold winter months!!

Just made LC lasagne for my lot, god they love it

There's only 8 recipes under the Low Carb heading on Mumsnet Recipes.

Are people still getting recipes from the recipe thread instead?

sorry that sounds like a random comment!
I was thinking of getting details for the famous LC lasagne just mentioned, but can't see it.

2 questions for all of you long term low carbers:

when you slip up/cheat/whatever ie. go out of ketosis, and then go back on track again, do you have the day 5 feeling each time, or only the first time?
just interested because i keep on trying this woe and giving up because feel so tired and lethargic in the first 2 weeks (never managed more than 2 weeks), but you all say you feel great, and i just didn't get to that. i've started again, but i'm scared that once i get to phase 2 (only half a stone to lose and want to add in porridge at that point), i will come out of ketosis again and then i'm not sure what happens ie. will i still feel good, or be up and down again?

2nd question: when you do start adding healthy/wholegrain carbs again to your diet (like in p2 of IPD), do you have to start cutting down on the fat?
thanks!

God I want a drink :-(

Medical emergency at work today that has really shaken me up and I just want a drink a cuddle and a cry :-(

Foodwise its been great though

NigellasGuest I had forgot about that page, I have just added my creamy garlic mushrooms

AuntieMaggie - I hope you are feeling a little better, not so shaken - if you really would like a drink, vodka, fresh lime and soda is good

Interesting what many people say about not being hungry at breakfast - i'm usually starving!

I eat almost as soon as i get up at about 730, then i snack on nuts on the way to work at 9 (a hangover from prev WOE when i'd eat an apple on the way to work, a banana at 11 and another apple on way home at 1230) and a few more on way home, before having salad and ham with mayo for lunch. I can then go all afternoon and late into the evening without feeling hungry, and sometimes miss dinner (apart from some yog or cheese)

Actually writing that down it's pretty obvious why i'm hungry in the mornings - i don't eat enough the previous evening!

As you were.

2muchmess I don't really get the carb flu but felt tired first time until I realised I wasn't eating enough fat. I also added more salt to my foods after some discussion on here.