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!

ooh yes halfthesize, hopefully everything went ahead as planned and you're recovering ok

i need help. i cannot lay off the caffeine, and it's becoming a vicious cycle as i think it's affecting my sleep and then i feel i need more caffeine. my eating is fine, so it's not that. i didn't drink coffee after lunchtime yesterday and ended up with just two hours' sleep last night (have been awake since 1am), and of course have had two coffees already to get me through work. i'm so annoyed with myself for slipping back into this because i went through hell to break away from caffeine last year...

i am going cold turkey tomorrow, which will be easier because it's the weekend, but i will also have lots of work to catch up on so the temptation will be huge! i might have to try and soothe myself with decaf but i know i'll still suffer

wish me luck! (and patience because with little sleep i won't be suffering fools gladly today. i don't have children so respect to those of you (Ewan I remember, but I know there are others too) with heavily interrupted sleep, i'm whinging after just a few nights, so the fact that you can get through the day after months/years of little sleep is unbelievable!)

Half - was checking in to see if you have posted yet

Toomuch - I know what you mean I take it you have had another bad night? If it makes you feel better I got to bed at 12.30 then DS awake having nightmare and the Dd up coughing. It was musical beds in our house. DH is very grumpy this morning as a result!

I had a lovely evening out last night. My bf is home from nz under sad circumstances though but I managed to get a group of us to meet up. Some of the girls I haven't seen for 7 years since she left so it was great to catch up. We went to an Italian restaurant and I had chicken Alla crema and was driving so very good lc

I know!! Xenia!! We are not worthy!!!

Gonna have to go an confess my rum shame to the no alcohol January thread that I STARTED!!

Morning all and thankyou for all your well wishes

Captainmummu belated birthday wishes
Well done all those that have lost and I am so sorry to hear about the student at your school MrsHP its so sad

Gless sounds like a lovely eve.

Well my op went well, it was a very large cyst, so that was good. However, I had a reaction to the aesthetic, my blood pressure dropped very low and stayed there so I have been on bed rest. I am at home and feeling a little sore but def on the mend

As for food, I have been force fed biscuits and some toast, but only 1 slice and 3 biscuits in 3 days.. No appetite really.

Just about to sit and do a waitrose shop to be delivered and then read another book. But it feels great to be well enough to come back and chat, really missed it.

Off to catch up on other thread, so may be gone a few hours!

Dosh- you got to day 10 so give yourself a pat on the back.
I note you are back at target so maybe your body had gone into shock but you are balanced again now!!!

Willie- caffeine withdrawal is just the worst. I drink decaf so if it works for you do it.

Half - glad the op went well but not the minor complication. Hope you feel better soon- you can do the daytime shift on the newbie thread!!!

Gless I have just been having a read of the threads, oh my word its busy

Glad you are back half.

Hope you heal soon.

Busy is not the word. They are all such eager beavers wanted to get every detail right.

Dosh if I had any rum in the house it would have been consumed last night. I must stay strong and not but any.

half crikey that sounds a bit scary - glad you're on the mend. Take it as easy as you can.

willie Funny you should mention me and the sleep thing because DS1 slept through last night for the second time ever! I feel like a million bucks this morning (sorry ) I could not ditch caffeine and am in awe at anyone who tries so am waving my pompoms for you.

I had a happy result on the scales this morning so shall report on the other thread.

Ewan so pleased to hear you got a good nights sleep, fingers crossed its the start of many

Willie good luck with the cold turkey on caffine, I couldn t do it, I still have 2 cups a day.

half - glad you're on the mend, and welcome back!

Willie - I never had carb flu, but oh my, withdrawing from caffeine was hellish! If I was to do it again, I really wouldn't go cold turkey. I would do one of two things - either restrict the number of cups, which is what I'm doing now - 2-3 cups per day - or cut down the caffeine gradually. I only drink ground coffee, and you can get some pretty decent decaff these days - if you can't contemplate switching completely to decaff, one thing that I have done before is to mix a pack of caffeinated coffee with a pack of decaff, so it's 'half strength', IYSWIM.

I don't have small children waking me up, but haven't been sleeping brilliantly for a while, and it is wearing. It's especially wearing when, like last night, I'm yawning my head off sitting on the sofa, yet wide away when I go to bed!

dosh - as I have come to learn, it's really difficult when you're 'running' something if you aren't doing things properly! Ultimately, my view is that it's 'do as I say not do as I do'

I do feel, though, on the 'main' threads, that I can't really confess all, the way I can with you lot. Mind you, I suspect Xenia's Big Stick is a bit bigger than mine, so maybe I should be careful ...

That will be 'wide awake' of course. And I'm typing this on the laptop so don't even have iPad autocorrect to blame

Glad she scares you too BIWI

lol ewan - YOU stole my sleep!

halfthesize lovely to have you back! two cups a day seems fine, i just don't seem to have self-control with even mildly addictive things and it quickly escalates until i'm a jittery sleepless mess with palpitations. caffeine, sugar, carbs, even 90% chocolate... it's a good job i never started smoking or i'd be on crack by now! i once chewed so much sugar-free gum that i got the runs (TMI)

i do seem to be ok with alcohol, weirdly, but maybe that's because i have somewhat expensive tastes so i don't tend to indulge unless someone else is paying it's a special occasion

that's why this woe is such a revelation for me - recognising feeling satisfied but not stuffed etc

biwi, the mixing half decaf half normal is a great idea, thanks for that - i'll try that tomorrow.

i did carb and caffeine cold turkey at the same time last year and was close to begging for relief or death (the same thing really).

i did so well and was having decaf coffee (a decent brand, it's in the cupboard at home and i can't remember it) up until christmas with just the occasional caffeinated at other people's houses etc. stupid to allow myself to get this way again, but we had rather a lot of hospital visits and phone calls in the night and i LET THE CAFFEINE IN

BIWI thats a fab idea re mixing the coffee, think I will try that too.

Willie you sound like my DH, he has a very addictive personality so find it very hard to just cut down. He always has to go cold turkey.

Half glad to have you back and pleased the op went well, scary re the bloody pressure! Take it easy.

Biwi yes, think I will go with that approach....might wait till after the weekend to confess all, as a) am sleeping over with DS2 at BF's house tonight (she has got in a red wine called Black Stump, my all time absolute fave) and b) don't want people to fall off the wagon over the weekend on hearing that I have!

on another forum i'm on i've just seen the slowing of weight loss after the first two weeks of low carbing described as 'Post Induction Stall Syndrome (PISS)'

Which forum are you on, Willie?

ha, it's ravelry - for knitting/crochet primarily, but they have tons of user groups and low carb living is one of them

mums just taken dd - i can breathe lol. half so glad you are ok and back well done for being so brave!

i usually drink load of coffee in the morning then i switch to decaf and try to drink water in between. would save myself a fortune if i stopped!

i just entered my foods into fitday for what i am planning to have today, and realised i am eating 30 grams more protein than i am carbs. cos of tuna and was planning to have turkey for dinner (plus yoghurt added it up too ) don't know what this means is going to happen!

sorry i meant 30 grams more protein than FAT not carbs.

willie that has made me giggle, god I am so bored.

Just ordered half of waitrose trying to find low carb ready meals as DH is not to good at juggling work, 3 DC, house, ill wife and cooking

Child free time jan how lovely. Anyone know of any good books?