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!

Jacaqueen, that is me exactly! I also have a bit of a cold and am being generally rubbish.

Jan - I love how you eat meat in secret, got to e better than eating chocolate in secret on bootcamp!

Right eho can share some slow cook recipes with me?

Hi and festive greetings to all!

I wonder if I could join your thread?

I bought 'Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It' by Gary Taubes as a Christmas present (to myself!).

Am only half way through, but feeling fired up about low carbing (whilst still munching through Xmas food in fridge).

This thread looks like just the sort of thing I need for support!

I've tried to low GI before, but the Taubes book is making me think I really need to do low carbing properly.

I understand that you'll be restarting the boot camp on Jan 7th? Have tried to read as far back on the thread as I can, but can anyone give me an idea of what it will entail?

Many many thanks!

thank you singing !

Hi NoveltySlippers! If you click on the link to the spreadsheet you'll see the tabs at the bottom which take you to the bootcamp rules, bootcamp light rules, allowed veg etc... Have a read through those and BIWI will no doubt be along soon with further worded of wisdom!

Jacaqueen That is why I jumped on the wagon as of today. I knew that if I kept making excuses and tried to eat all the junk in the house first I would be back to square one and that would be a waste of the past year. I am really hoping that alot is water and will come off in the beginning to give me a boost.

Vnmum harcombe boot camp is very good, not dissimilar to our boot camps tbh. Today I have thrown out the left over treacle tarts, Christmas pudding and trifle. Not too fussed about the chocolate again now thank goodness.

Walk out of the question in this weather (regardless if what other mners say about there never being the wrong weather for walking only the wrong clothes.....WHATEVER!!!) so am at soft play at the sports centre while dh is in the gym....not quite sure how that has happened but there you go. Despite being back low carbing for the last few day (apart from alcohol) I am experiencing real slumps in energy and feeling very very tired....like could put head down in table and fall asleep tired....no idea why, one of the main reasons I like low carbing is that you I didn't get this slump in energy levels any more....am being woken up at 7am by the boys too when am usually awake at the first peep of them much earlier that that....

Food a bit more controlled today - Greek yoghurt for brekkie, mushrooms, pâté, lettuce and mayo for lunch, spoon of brandy cream, spoon of peanut butter, chunk of saint agur (drool)...still a bit dairy centric but not too bad.

Hello all newbies, very welcome!!!

I have to confess (as bah humbug as this sounds) that Christmas has left the building chez dosh.....all dex down, tree gone....done and dusted till next year.

Thanks MrsHP will go and have a look!

Dosh mine r going tomorrow, once home, can't wait to sort house out

not bah humbug at all, i would love to take decorations down but have children coming later in the week who will be v disappointed if we don't still have them up!

Evening all. Back home now, after 3 days with family Ooop North. It was lovely, apart from the horrendous journeys - 7 hours up there on Thursday and 7 hours back today

I'm still definitely off the wagon, and shall continue so for the next few days. When DH goes back to work on 2 Jan that's when I'm re-starting. We have mountains of chocolate to get rid of before then. And just in case we haven't got enough, my quarterly Chocolate Tasting box arrived today! I really must cancel that membership. I only kept it on so that I could benefit from discounts on Christmas shopping there, but didn't imagine they would be sending out another box so soon after Christmas!

NoveltySlippers welcome! Have a read of the rules which are on the spreadsheet, and also have a look at/print out the list of allowed veg, so that you can start to plan your shopping. Planning ahead is critical on this WOE (way of eating) to ensure that you don't end up cheating/eating the wrong things. And I would also recommend that you do some reading about low carb, so that you understand the thinking/science behind it - it can seem very counter-intuitive at first!

Taubes is good, as is Dr John Briffa - especially his book "Escape the Diet Trap". "The Idiot Proof Diet" by India Knight/Neris Thomas is also good - especially about the psychological/emotional side of eating. And Dr Atkins book "The New Diet Revolution" is also worth a read.

It's nearly a year since I started talking to biwi et al on these threads. Or is it more? BIWI when did you start the first one? Isn't it funny to talk to people everyday you've never even met. Like a whole group of secret hairy trucker friends none of my family or threads know anything about. Love it. .

Friends not threads

hope you recover from the journey quickly biwi, what miserable weather to be travelling in

our problem with edible presents this year is that lots of them have been lovingly handmade by people. shop-bought tins of biscuits and chocolate etc i can easily get rid of / give as presents to other people, but that can't really happen with the homemade caramelised nuts, truffles and chocolates... dp is complaining (!) that he is going to have to eat them all by himself and he is supposed to be preparing for the next half of the rugby season! fortunately we have lots of people coming over during the next few days so hopefully i can stuff them full of goodies to deplete the supply

7 hours BIWI!!!! That is dedication and commitment right there.

Thanks for those tips BIWI - yes, I think reading up is a really good idea. I didn't know that India Kinight had written about low carbing!

I was doing calorie counting using MFP too, and wondering why progress was so slow. I usually drink skimmed milk, eat zero fat Greek yogurt and am a prolific consumer of Light Mini Babybels.

I can see I'm going to have to do some serious reprogramming!

India Knight, even!

Hello all, just checking in, and welcome to the newbies!! Fresh meat always welcome!!

Still not back on the wagon here yet, (pancakes and maple syrup brunch, anyone ) BUT I was woken by mad Labrador at 5am and am fighting a really rotten cold. Made a viciously spicy chicken curry tonight to try to blast the cold out a bit, and did not have rice DH has the cold too and is blaming me and being a super grumpy pita, so I just keep shoving the tin of celebrations under his nose (to shut him up AND stop me eating them, bonus).

We don't have masses of stuff to use up here, I didn't go overboard except for the MandS order for Xmas/boxing day. I still have most of cheese board to work through, yum. Luurve good cheese.

Oh and the weather here has been ok, dry and above freezing, so managed a good 45 minute stomp with the dog today despite feeling dreadful with the cold. It was actually really nice to get out of the house and into the fresh air after being in all day yesterday feeling rubbish.

Yes novelty LC theory does seem weird at first given what we've been told for years by the "diet industry" but hopefully you'll join us and get the results!

Novelty, seriously, getting your head round THAT is one of the hardest things. Yes to butter, yes to cooking all veg in butter, yes to full fat everything, yes to double cream, cheese, leaving the skin on chicken, pork belly slices, pork scratchings, peanut butter, cooking cabbage, sprouts, mushrooms in double cream, cheesy omelettes cooked in (yes you guessed it) butter....hurray for low carb!!!!

Can I mark a place for when the new bootcamp starts? It doesn't show up on my phone otherwise, might need to check my settings, thanks!

I confess it took me ages to convert to full fat mayo!

Hi all,

Can I get some advice, please - does this sound OK?

B: Scrambled egg and tomatoes (fried in butter)
L: Pan fried Salmon and spinach
Snack: Peanut butter on celery
Dinner: Tuna stir fry
Snack : 6 (ish) bits of dark choc. 2 glasses red wine (OK, I know that bit was bad!)

Am terrified I will put on pounds eating all this butter!

ScillyCow - that's all fine for Bootcamp, apart from the chocolate and the red wine!

I suspect you know that already ...

The idea behind Bootcamp is that you have a really strict period - 14 days - so that you break the addiction to sugar. Which is why things like fruit, chocolate and alcohol are forbidden.

You will also find, once you get into ketosis (which will take about 3-7 days) that you won't actually be hungry - so you won't need to snack between meals. In fact, sometimes you will not even be hungry at mealtimes.