Continued - Week 1 New Year Low Carb Bootcamp Chat Thread

[BigStickBIWI]

Last one filled up really quickly, so here is a brand, spanking and distinctly thinner thread for you to fill up.

thatgirlevil thank you - unfortunately the feeling of disappointment afterwards wasn't worth it

5 days in and just checking in!

daisie I've got to say, I've found going hardcore a lot easier. It's only 2 weeks, and it gives you the weightloss boost at the beginning that I really think you need on a diet to keep at it. I have suffered a bit with a funny taste in my mouth, but that's easily been remedied by drinking lots and lots of water and keeping a stash of sugar free gum nearby. I have a 1L bottle of water on my desk and I have to empty it 3 times a day, plus then whatever I drink at home. But I do work out 3/4X per week as well so I would naturally drink more.
We're all here to hold your hand.

thekitchenfairy! You're back! Missed you yesterday! Yeah I need motivation to avoid weekend wine. I'm going to do it though, I'm duty tech on Sunday so I can't drink in case I get any callouts. Tonight and Saturday are my only potential pitfalls. Oh, and the Sunday lunch we're supposed to be having. Any advice for that one BIWI?

And I've got my food boxes coming today!!! SOOOO FUCKING EXCITED!!!

daise I dont think with the others it lasted for ages and the water intake helps. I have just read an article that says chewing on mint can help. The breath issue normally means you are in ketosis, which is great for the weight loss

lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Is-Your-Low-Carb-Diet-Giving-You-Bad-Breath.htm

Spreadsheet of Fabulousness is here

daisie - I'm surprised you didn't put more on, actually! What you have discovered is that carbohydrate = weight gain. Please don't worry about the bad breath. It will only be temporary, and during that time you can always use sugar-free gum/mints to help.

If you don't follow the rules you won't lose the weight. Sad to say, it is that simple.

Rollergirl - if you're near your target weight then weight loss does slow down. However, what I have found (and others have also described) is that there there seem to be certain weights at which the body stops losing and stubbornly hangs on to everything. Then suddenly, you start to lose again. I have no idea why nor what the science might be behind this! What I've learnt is that you just have to stick with it and eventually your body will give in.

On low carbing, though, given that it's about burning fat, presumably there must be a point at which your body will stop burning its own fat and will turn to dietary fat? I have been reading stuff recently that suggests that cutting down dietary fat may help here. If you really are near your target, then possibly this is something to consider? A slight increase in both protein and carbs is, I would think, probably worth considering.

Thank you for all your support - I will go hardcore today. Before I cut out tea and coffee completely - do I have to? Or should I restrict to minimum of a couple of cups a day? Maybe coffee with cream rather than milky tea 9says hopefully)..

slatternly - are you hosting or attending? If the former, it's easy! If the latter, much less so.

If you can, tell your hosts that you are low carbing and that you won't be able to eat roast potatoes, roast parsnips or Yorkshire puddings. You can, though, eat any green veg that they may be cooking. You will also need to think about pudding. Either you tell them that you can't have any, and offer to take some lovely cheese for a cheese board - or you simply refuse pudding on the grounds that you're full.

Re the alcohol - make sure that you are driving, if possible. If not - just say you don't fancy it.

It's not easy. I have a group of friends and we take it in turn to host dinner parties. All of them have nodded kindly when I've told them about low carbing and then gone on to serve things that couldn't have been more laden with carbs if they tried! Not because they were trying to sabotage things, but because they simply don't understand what foods are carby. From this, I have learnt to be much more specific - so I don't say 'I can't eat carbs', I say 'I can't eat potatoes'.

It's difficult to do this, as it feels so selfish. Yet if you had a specific allergy you wouldn't think twice about telling people what you can/can't eat!

awesome, all of you

remember re the pooing thing, you're also weeing a lot and waste products will leave that way too!

7lbs since Monday here too! But I am a heifer and have over 5 stone to go!!!

Wow. Some amazing losses! 10lbs for was it OTT? Incredible.

Well I stayed off dairy yesterday not even a sliver of cheese nothing and cut my caffeine intake to two cups of coffee. And still no further loss.

I drank 4l of water as I was super thirsty.

Perhaps I will lose more the second week?

biwi - How do I add myself to the spreadsheet?

10.2 skandi1 lets not forget the 2!

I haven't cheated at all, and have been having 3lts of water a day, not had coffee the last 2 and i eat a lot of butter, which has affected my appetite, so not been hungry at all!

Plus, i weigh nearly 20st, so it is probably a lot of water weight and i expect it will slow down when it gets to real fat burning.

BIWI and Ewan: I get where you're coming from in terms of weight loss slowing down once you get close to your target weight. But how does my body know what I set as my target weight? .

You may also be right on the whole getting to a certain weight and it stubbornly sticking there. Since having children I have never got below a certain weight. And that's with intermittent low-carbing, cutting out alcohol for a period of time and prolonged bouts of intense exercise (although not perhaps all done simultaneously). The only times that I have dropped below is if I have been ill. Having said that there have been times when I was running loads, when despite the fact that I was still 1 stone off my pre-DC weight I was able to fit back in to my old clothes. So I try not to fixate too much on what the scales say.

Anyway, I will persevere and see where it gets me.

Well done to all the people sticking with it and reaping the benefits!

bullet you're on there mdear

BIWI We're going out for lunch, perhaps I could link to the menu on here and you could help me select accordingly? I'm much better when I go with a game plan. I'd be ever so grateful.

Also, when things are less... Bootcampy; how is the general feeling about having one 'cheat' meal per week? I have heard it can be recommended to kick start the body into calorie burning again, and to give a bit of flexibility with regards to alcohol/nights out/dinners out etc. How would that work out BIWI? I am enjoying the diet and way of life, but surely variety is the spice of life and all that?

And OTT That is amazing. I bet it'll be near enough a stone on Monday

OTT. Oh yes sorry I forgot the .2!
Happy days though that is truly amazing! What a start for you.

Perhaps I need to eat more butter. But I can't quite face buttering a lettuce leaf though. I cook with butter but perhaps not enough. Should I eat butter on its own?

I cling to my coffee. I have gone to two coffees a day from two coffees and 8 cups of strong tea a day so an 80% caffeine reduction but my youngest doesn't allow me much sleep so I cannot get through the day without some coffee.

Hmmm. Off to find ways to eat more butter.

OTT, we are similar weights :) are you staying with strict bootcamp until you have a few stone off? I am, hopefully get a lot of this lard shifted! :)

slatternly i think you are right that some people have found it helps (is there an actual diet plan that includes one carby meal/day a week or am i wrong?), and some people on here have found they have lost quite well after a carb blowout after bootcamping for a while. but you would have to be aware that you would be knocking yourself out of ketosis and setting yourself up for possible major carb cravings

plus, y'know, all the other bothersome things about carbs

certainly bootcamp light is more flexible, and enjoying cheats mindfully every now and then is obviously part of life, but personally i'm not so sure about planning a weekly 'cheat'. you might get away with it if you were maintaining, but it might well derail if you were still trying to lose.

slatternly - asking a question like that at this stage suggests you haven't quite got your head around low carbing yet, and are still thinking about carbs as things to miss. Whilst it's true that Bootcamp Light is more flexible, and you can introduce more carbs, you still (if you want to lose weight) can't expect to suddenly have a massively carby day every week - if that's what you're planning!

For me, the biggest change - and what got me truly into the low carb zone - was after I read more about carbs and their impact on our bodies and our health - especially our long term health.

So now, when I look at things like sugar, chocolate, pastry, white bread - although I still recognise them as tasty treats - I also see them as the work of the devil!!!

If you can bear it, I really recommend that you read Gary Taubes' book, "The Diet Delusion", as well as Dr John Briffa's book "Escape the Diet Trap", both of which talk more about long term health as well as weight loss.

I don't know about introducing an occasional carby meal. Certainly I have heard that it can break a stall, but I don't really know why that should be. My main concern is that it would simply impact negatively on weight loss and also trigger carb cravings, and make it very hard to get back on the low carb wagon after that one meal/day.

Some fantastic losses here. Really inspiring. Well done everyone.

Am having a pedicure as I type and think I must have lost about 3lb just on hard skin from my feet! She's on her third blade for my rhino skin.

Pretty bird and slatternly- no poo here either! I have had no urge to go either.

Great to see so many people doing well.

I've hit just over 2 weeks now & am feeling GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD! I'm always amazed by how quickly my hunger disappears when I am properly low carbing & I seem to think about food so much less. It is great.

I second BIWI's recommendations for the books by Taubes & Briffa. Taubes has also written a more digestible book called "Why We Get Fat - and what to do about it", which is a very straight forward read & will set you straight on the science of the whole thing & why sugar & refined carbs are so very bad for us.

Please don't get too hung up on weight loss with this WOE. I know we are all conditioned to think in pounds or kgs - BUT - who ever actually picks you up? For me, it isn't about what I weigh, it is about how I look and what clothes fit me. I know if the pounds are going on because everything starts to feel tight. Even after two weeks, my clothes are looser & more comfortable & I reckon in another two weeks, I'll be moving back into my slimmer clothes! So, please don't agonise over the pounds - tell us how your clothes are fitting too!!!!!

Hello everyone

Well done to you all! Sounds like some of you are getting some awesome losses. I started a week before the big kick-off at 9st 6lb, and I think my 'starting' on the spreadsheet is something like 9st 2lb. Today Im 9st which is good but if Im honest I wouldnt have minded a little more When Im not feeling so damn cold I'll go and try on some skinny trousers and see how they feel and hopefully be encouraged by that. I definitely feel better though, today I feel nicely content with my life which feels so amazing, its so strange! Ive dealt with depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember, its so nice to now (even if only for a moment) to think 'you know what? You're just fine'.

I must say though when watching eastenders last night (yeah ok I'll admit it) and bloody Max was eating jammy toast I couldve cried, the sugary twat

Anyway today Ive had yogurt for breakfast, didnt fancy 'eating' eating, and I bought some prawns for lunch. Roast chicken for dinner, I think I'll have mine with buttered spinach and cauli. Doing good water-wise, though the only exercise Im doing is walking.

Jumping back in very excitedly - have just weighed myself and have lost 4lbs so far. My dd, who is not normally very observant, told me this morning that I looked different. Am hoping different is good :)