The Ongoing Low Carb Bootcamp - Final Festive Fortnight

[BIWIshYouAMerryChristmas]

No spreadsheet to link to this week, as the LBD challenge is now over!

I don't know about anyone else, but I have definitely not had the greatest of weeks, and I'm keeping on keeping on until we get to Christmas.

Not quite sure yet what my own Christmas strategy is going to be, but I also guess it depends on where I've got to with my weight by then. I know that, having achieved my first major target of losing 2 stones, I still have more to go. So my next really major, very psychological target, will be to reach 9 stone. Something I have been trying (and failing) to do for the last 10 years! But now it seems so much more achieveable, especially with all you lot giving such brilliant support.

This week for me starts with a super strict day today. I'm out to dinner tomorrow, with a groups of ex colleagues, and venue is not yet chosen, but is likely to be a Chinese, which always brings its own problems. not to mention the wine

I'm also out to lunch on Friday, so it looks like Wednesday and Thursday will also have to be super strict!

Tomuch

No mine are not shrinking the measurement across back is but not cup size . But tbh way back when was only a32 back I was still ff/gg . I swear they must count for a few lbs on their own. But never really suffered with swelling and if pmt if they swell not enough to noticd and lol you can really notice them now they like to butt into conversations

Welcome, Pretzeltime! It is difficult when you're surrounded by stuff you can't eat! But ultimately it does illustrate one of the key features of this (or any other) diet: you ave to take responsibility for what you choose to eat. No easy way around that I'm afraid. What I would suggest is that you do some reading about low carbing so that you can understand and appreciate the wider, longer term health benefits (beyond weight loss) of this way of eating. I can heartily recommend Dr John Briffa's book "Escape the Diet Trap", and Gary Taubes' book "Why we get fat".

Hi pretzel, more than welcome.

I won't lie to you and say that it is easy in the face of resistance. I have been doing this way of eating for nearly 2 years now and therefore dh has had to accept this is just the way I eat now and he has adapted, and even dips into it himself on occasion when he wants to shift a few pounds quickly.

What you will find is that your cravings for sugar and high carb foods will just dissipate after a couple of weeks which means even if you're surrounded by previously tempting foods you just won't want them. This doesn't happen overnight but it does happen. I just don't want a sweet thing after tea anymore or a biscuit with my coffee, or quality street in the office, or pic and mix at the cinema. My "treats" are now a coffee with cream, or a pkt of pork scratchings for the crunch factor, or a piece of cheese.

Hope this helps. My dses diet hasn't changed much, they eat a standard diet of a bit of everything, although I try and limit pasta and sweets.

Thanks for the welcome BIWI and Doshu!
I'm painfully aware of how negatively high carb diet affects your health, many of my relatives practically live/lived on sugar and really suffered from the consequenses. Obesity, heart problems, diabetes, cancer (not sure if connected but still...) etc.

I don't want to end up like that but it's so hard to completely change my way of eating when all the old, well-known (and loved lol) foods are around and being eaten in front of me. Now it's Christmas too! Which means lots of guests, who expect me to feed them homemade cake etc...

Loading the fridge with boiled eggs...

Yes it's perhaps not the best time of the year to start!

But a good time to start reading up on the theory before diving into the practical on 27th Dec.
I had a donut today and felt utterly shite all day.
It was complete and utter emotional eating. One of my staff retired today and refused to come in the office but rang one of the other staff as he had bought tons of Krispy Kreme donuts. I ate one in annoyance with how he had treated me

Pretzel

Sadly it becomes down to will power

Two of my children are on a high calorie high fat diets high carbs basically anything they want so biscuits /sweets/cakes crisps wtc always INmy house

What I find helps me advoid Is having a goal to focus on both a short term one and a long term one . Slightly easier now as my cravings have gone

Wine glass I fell of wagon on holiday and never again to that point . I just did not enjoy it

KLAXON!!

The scales this morning showed 154lbs. So I have now lost 5 stones.

I'm too knackered to really celebrate as work is a bitch at the moment but...yay!!

FABULOUS!

Bet that's the best Christmas present! So pleased for you.

welcome Bacon Pretzel Dosh is right - the sugar cravings almost completely disappear. I took chromium for the first month which is supposed to regulate blood sugar, although I can't say whether it was actually just the WOE doing it's work. MY DH has a serious mince pie habit (the cupboards have been full since late august ) and I just don't fancy 'em.

ilove - Tremendous stuff! Next time you see an eight-year old, pick them up and that's pretty much how much you've lost

Welcome Pretzel!

That's fantastic, Ilove - 5 stone is amazing.

Those who have gone off breakfast - me too! Had no appetite yesterday for breakfast OR lunch. Was shopping in Horsham, then work... Had a few coffees, water, a couple of sugar-free butterscotch sweets and nothing else till dinner (spiced butternut squash)

Did the Tesco shop and then watched ds2's xmas show (fab) and a small glass vodka and tonic before exhaustion at about 10!

Breakfast today was coffee-with-cream

ilovemyteddy that is fab you must feel awesome (tiredness aside!)

last day of work for me before holidays - not back until 7th January! i am so ready for it as i'm getting irritated easily with people and things that wouldn't normally get me so wound up. i'm also going to be looking at new jobs over the holidays (I like this one but am bored and no opportunity for promotion) so i hopefully might be joining you Dosh on the interview rounds!

well done ilove!

Willie im sure you are so glad to be off i remember that feeling of relief when i worked... enjoy the break and i hope something comes up for you, its awful when you are bored on your job!

yesterday i took dd to see all the christmas decorations and lights in town, it was really fun. the solicitor was excellent ... i am now armed with info but won't take any steps just yet.

last night some good friends came round. we did have a great night. BUT i failed miserably with the eating. and it wasn't in the good way... i was fine when they were there and i thought it was going to be fine after but the temptation did not strike till i could not sleep and i got up to get a snack and ate all the wrong stuff that i had in for guests. i think it was triggered by 1 not being able to sleep 2 being anxious about everything thats going on lately 3 the fact that as soon as i brought any food out tonight my friends continually went on about how fat they were and how they shouldn't be eating anything. why do people do this? 4 i think i had a carb craving as i hate a sweet snack and lots of nuts that evening.

lots of food for thought, really hope i can think before i just go crazy next time.

hope you all have a lovely day, what is everyones plans for today? im going to see a friend later i haven't seen for ages. and chillaxing with dd.

jangle, great that the solicitor was so helpful. you do have such a lot to contend with at the moment, and at least you are able to identify your triggers for problem eating so that you know where the cravings are coming from. are there any steps (thought processes, activities) you can put in place to help combat cravings next time? (I'm thinking of things which work for me such as thinking 'do i know what this tastes like? is this the first and last opportunity for me to ever eat this? will this make me feel better?' - i know though that when you're stressed and tired you can answer all those questions in the right way and still think 'but i don't care i'm going to eat it anyway!')

lots of hugs anyway, and enjoy your day with your friend and dd

Ewan, same here with the boobs. 34C pre babies, up to 36FF during breast feeding, and now, post 3 children in 3 years and dieting / exercising, there are now 32B. But spaniel ears. I shudder when I look at them naked. I want my pert 34Cs back!

Ugh.

Welcome Pretzel I agree with reading up at the moment and joining in with the practical post Christmas.

Oh I am SO hungover.

Hi all. I am now in official skive mode as have finished my last work committment. Hurrah!!!

Ewan - you are good - my 8 year old weighs 5 stone exactly. i Love that is fantastic, well done, truly impressive.

Went to gym this morning, last chance for the next couple of weeks so I thought i ought.

Really should go and see my mum this afternoon - or could watch Love Actually with a cuppa. Guilt guilt guilt.

Ewan you are not alone. This woe plus BF two DC in quick succession means I have gone from a 34DD to a 32 don't need to wear a bra (but do as feel too old not to!). Wish I could say it was all very Kate Moss in her teenage Calvin Klein campaigns - sadly more southward facing than that!

Welcome Pretzel - the cravings on this woe go very fast honestly and I used to be someone who really was addicted to carbs and had to eat every two hours. Now I am rarely hungry and have to remind myself to have something to eat.

Doshu how about the middle ground - invite your mum over for Love Actually?

Thanks all!

Jangle just wanted to send you some ((hugs)) as I've been reading the thread and seen your posts.

For all of you that have finished work for the festive season I work in retail and have the whole of Christmas Day off this year. That is it! Although it is keeping me fit and helping with the weight-loss. However, if I pick up any eight year old children I may get arrested It's a sobering thought to have lost a whole person, and an even more sobering one to think that this time last year I was carrying around the equivalent of an eight year old 24/7.

Onwards and downwards people!

Ilove Thats FANBLOODYTASTIC!!

Welcome Pretzel

jan so pleased the solicitor went well have a great day chillaxing

oh dear caramel lots of water always helps me

Hi all. I've been doing well at getting back on track. Another few pounds down already. Today hasn't been great though. I'm tired, trying to fight off bugs and worried about DS. He has been off school for most of the week after seeing the ooh doctor on sunday with huge tonsils, red spots all over his throat and in lots of pain. Doc said it was viral tonsillitis. He was worse on monday and couldn't even eat yoghurt, so took him to our docs who said it was viral. He just doesn't seem to have got better. He hasn't eaten properly since monday, just managing ice cream, is now full of snot and coughing so much he is sick. He has had a temp all this time too.

Think it will be back to the doctors tomorrow as we have a night out on saturday and are travelling home on sunday for xmas.

So with all that worry i have succumbed to some biscuits at work.

Well done to everyone who has reached goals, got in dresses etc.

On a slightly more positive note, DH has finally got a diagnosis for his knee and is going to have cruciate ligament reconstruction sometime next year (could be upto 4 months for the appt). The specialist was also surprised it had taken nearly 12 months to get to this point.

Sorry to hear your DS is so poorly vnmum. Hopefully he will be on the mend by Christmas.

Sending get well vibes to your DS vnmum.

Jessica - a lovely idea, and I only wish mum could. She is in a dementia ward of a hospital as she has Alzheimer's. It would be easier to get myself there if i knew she would know who I was when I got there but she doesn't.

So - I did THE SHOP instead. I spent an obscene amount of money, the turkey is MASSIVE and I still need to go again tomorrow I think because I don't seem to have bought anything for us to eat between now and Christmas!

vnmum hope DS is feeling better soon and great news re DH getting diagnoses but rubbish re time taking to get sorted