Week 5 - New Year Low Carb Bootcamp - We Reach the Halfway Point!

[BIWI]

Sorry for the late start to this thread. I had an appointment at my gym for an induction this morning.

If you haven't already, put yourself on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

Good luck for the week!

OMG @ bullet, have fun wedding dress shopping!

Good luck Black

I had a TINY portion of dessert and some fruit at my mums last night, and it was worth the carbs!

My thoughts on this WOE is that I love it, but am happy to have the occasional small portion of something yum, and see it as a lifelong sustainable way of eating. The fact is that 95% of people who lose weight regain it, so most important thing is not to yoyo, and be healthy in the long term, not the gradual creep of a stone or so every few years. I believe low carb the majority of the time is the way to achieve this and feel positive about doing it forever not just to lose weight. (although when I was pregnant all that got me through the first trimester was crisps and coke, and hoping to have a second baby in the not too distant future - got to get through evil exams first though).

Have a lovely weekend all.

Hello again everyone.

I couldn't get hold of stevia for the tiffin cake so was looking online and came across THIS

Does anyone know if this is a load of twaddle?

If it is true then I think I need to find another sweetner.

Quicklook, I've always been wary of sweetners too. I've always been wary of them but I don't know why.

There are two reasons to avoid artificial sweeteners as much as you can.

Firstly, because they are artificial and we are trying to eat pure, unprocessed and natural foods as much as we can. And whilst the food industry continues to claim that they are safe, lots of people are unsure about this. Read what Dr Briffa says about them here

Second, there is some suggestion that artificial sweeteners can cause weight gain - or at least impede weight loss. Read the Diet Doctor's experiment here

That choco pudding looks fab! Is almond flour the same as ground almonds?

Also - I bought some silicon heart-shaped muffin moulds the other day - obv i can't make muffins for dp for valentines, so what could i make? I suppose that pudding might work in individual moulds?

Thanks BIWI.

There is a side effect tab on that link above. I'm pasting it here :

"Stevia and chemicals contained in stevia, including stevioside and rebaudioside A, are LIKELY SAFE when used as a sweetener in foods. Rebaudioside A has generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status in the U.S. for use as a sweetener for foods. Stevioside has been safely used in research in doses of up to 1500 mg per day for 2 years.

Some people who take stevia or stevioside can experience bloating or nausea. Other people have reported feelings of dizziness, muscle pain, and numbness.
Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of stevia during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Allergy to ragweed and related plants: Stevia might cause an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to the Asteraceae/Compositae family of plants. This family includes ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many other plants.

Diabetes: Some developing research suggests that some of the chemicals contained in stevia might lower blood sugar levels and could interfere with blood sugar control. However, other research disagrees. If you have diabetes and take stevia or any of the sweeteners it contains, monitor your blood sugar closely and report your findings to your healthcare provider.

Low blood pressure: There is some evidence, though not conclusive, that some of the chemicals in stevia can lower blood pressure. There is a concern that these chemicals might cause blood pressure to drop too low in people who have low blood pressure. Get your healthcare provider?s advice before taking stevia or the sweeteners it contains, if you have low blood pressure."

That site also mentioned that it is used to 'prevent pregnancy'.

Hth

Sounds lovely, doesn't it, mumat39?

Far better avoided, IMVHO.

Re artificial sweeteners, in John Briffas book escape the diet trap he discusses an experiment where rats were fed pure fat, they stayed thin, then they were given fat with artificial sweetener and they got fat.

Good enough reason to avoid (well, most of the time) I reckon.

Well don choo

I would avoid it completely.

It tastes artificial anyway. We are trying to avoid sweet things and to eat sweetner sort of defeats this whole WOE.

I just found Another article on MDA and he's of the opinion that it's safe to use.

It's confusing when there's so much info online line that is contradictory

Is it better to just use a bit of sugar instead?

No! It's better to avoid sweet stuff altogether!

Aha ok. No tiffin for me then. < sobs quietly to self>

Hoping black is doing ok today! Got all the way thru sponsoring you, black, but it has stopped at the verify visa page aargh! Will try again later.

Mumat39 - stevia itself is a plant it's just the process which is used to convert it into a sweetener that is the issue as far as I understand. I use it very occasionally but it is better to stay away from sweet stiff all together

Once you are on maintenance, maybe try xylitol (made from plums, about tenth less sugary than sugar, low GI) or agave syrup - natural alternatives.

Just went into Whistles and tried on a size ten and it fitted, yay! Didn't get it though as cant afford it, but it was a lovely feeling just to wear it for a few minutes.

Will dig out a pic of me three and a half stone ago before low carbing and and a size 16 and post on my profile to motivate all those of you who are feeling despondent - you will get there, stick with it, don't despair t

Bloody phone posted before I'd finished.

Don't despair at the odd lapse (I've had several and still got here), just get back to it and think of the long term, and have faith in the Whoosh Fairy.

You shall go to the Ball!

Sorry just reread first post and it was a bit unclear - xylitol has about a tenth of the sugar in it that sugar does.

Thanks for the info about sweeteners, I will be avoiding them.

I've made the tiffin twice now without any sweetener. I've had it with berries and some cream, It's delicious.

Chios, thanks for the tip about the natural sugars.

Sorry, Choos

Don't be sad Mumat39 - it's lovely without sweetener. I made some and cut it up into squares and nibbled it after dinner - it would have been far too sweet with sugar/sweetener in.

I must try that tiffin. I've been known to melt some 82% choc (Lidl do a good'un) with a bit of double cream, butter and dessicated coconut to mould into truffles.

I took a batch to a friend's house when she'd cooked a carbarama pudding at a dinner party and put them on the table for everyone to dig into (I'd asked her first of course!)

Choos hurrah for the size 10! Whistles cut quite small, too

Before and After low carbing pics now on my profile for all you who are feeling a bit low today - have faith, you can do it, and you will!

Remains to be seen what my Official weight will be on Monday after tonight's party, but very happy to be getting there.

(the after pic is today in the Whistles dress - got the assistant to take a pic in the hope of maybe persuading DH to get it for me, perhaps for my birthday)