Week 6 - New Year Low Carb Bootcamp _ Where I start to wave my big stick again

[BIWI]

Morning all

Here it is - come and confess all

Now. Three things have come to my attention.

1. There is a lot of baking going on. Sweet things and bread substitutes.

Please remember that we are trying to avoid sweet things and that we are trying to avoid using artificial sweeteners.

1. A lot most of you are falling off the wagon - either 'accidentally' () or because situations arise where you have not planned ahead or deliberately.

This is not a very forgiving WOE. Lapses/cheats like this will have a big impact - at the very least you will not see any weight loss for a while - most likely, though, you will see a gain of around 3-7lbs. You really have to plan ahead and make sure you do everything you can to stay focused and avoid the carbs. Going out for a meal or to dinner at a friends does mean that you have to think about what's going to be on offer. You cannot assume that low carb options are going to be available (although most restaurants should be fairly easy to navigate).

1. There is a lot of moaning about seeing a weight gain or not losing.

May I refer you to 1 and 2 above?

Please, please, please go back to Bootcamp/Bootcamp Light rules. They are there for a reason!

I can tell you that almost every time someone posts "I don't know what to do, the scales aren't moving for me/I've gained half a stone and I don't know why, because I'm being really good/have been following the rules" this is a massive signal that, actually, they haven't.

Fat is key.
Water is key.
Too much alcohol will stop weight loss.
Dairy - especially cream and cheese - can be an issue for many (yoghurt is better tolerated)
Artificial sweeteners are to be avoided.
Fruit should be severely restricted.

We have only five weeks of Bootcamp left, including this week. Let's get serious and back on track.

Enjoy it bullet! No point in doing it otherwise.

Delicious dinner here of chicken breast, broccoli, mushrooms, leeks and a small bit of left over gammon, all fried up with butter and garlic and then a little stock reduced down then good slosh of double cream. Served over shredded buttered cabbage. Yum.

How are my fellow newbies doing?

Depressing meeting with SENCO today re DS so have had a couple of glasses of wine but scales said this morning I am already down a pound or so this week so hoping it won't hit me too badly. She said that although the good news is his statement is being fast tracked, most children with ASD are not at the school by year three - do any of you others with children on the spectrum have any happier anecdotes?

black and skandi so sorry to hear that it is not working for you yet but I do think years of eating the wrong stuff does take its toll and that it is worth you allowing your body a bit more time to adjust. Hope your DS enjoyed his karate lesson - my 5 year old has also just started karate and loves it (perhaps a bit too much).

BIWI and novelty am also nearly at goal and with flabby tummy (but am a pear so also still big bum) - sadly think it is the last to go - although I look good dressed, and have lost the carb bloat, there's still a way to go (am not aiming for Boobz's final pic though - would be happy with her starting one!)

Sure will add the chorizo broth to the recipe thread but is dead easy - slice up chorizo, fry a bit (no need for oil as lots of fat in the chorizo) then add the garlic and fry a couple more minutes, then add the kale and toss around for a minute or so, then add some boiling water and steam/simmer for five minutes. And that's it. No need for stock cube as the chorizo and garlic gives lots of flavour.

Tonight's supper - cold roast chicken with mayo and buttery kale and leftover leeks. Have eaten a whole packet of kale today. Is that too many carbs?

Chorizo kale broth recipe now on - and thanks Ewan for adding the morrocoan chicken, swede and halloumi tray bake - mmm! (PS sorry not to notice earlier that you already said you had - thread moves so quickly)

Night night all.

Dinner was a roaring success.

Pork meatballs with a mushroom cream sauce served on Courgette Tagliatelle!

It was totally fabulous!

B - bacon and cucumber
L - chicken with avocado
S - pork scratchings
D - As above and also 3 tbsp FF yoghurt

I do soooooooooooo hope I have lost something in the morning as I really need to now.

Choos - I don't understand - she's saying your child will be placed in a different school? As far as I am aware having taught quite a few kids with ASD - surely it depends on how far along the spectrum they are? If you want to PM about this you can.

BIWI and I think it was Novelty? That's my body shape too - never had a flat tummy - the weight just clings there.

BIWI - made the stroganoff sauce you mentioned. It was lovely thanks!

Black - I think you've got something else going on - have you had your thyroid checked?

Two minutes of job hunting then I'm going to bedfordshire - night ladies xxxx

Ruprekt glad it went down well

Did I hear mention of crime eggs?

Dons deerstalker, grabs magnifying glass and goes off on the trail!

choos my son is in y3 and firmly in his Ms school as is my friends son who is more severely affected and has adhd as well

FINALLY, A (small) WHOOSH!!!

2 lbs gone today, meaning a stone in total

(4 stone to go, mind )

SOrry to those who are struggling. I seem to have got myself into a 'zone' atm, where I no longer consider carby things 'food'. Even testing the dcs pasta I bite it but then spit it out (am I wierd?)

I know from previous weight losses that the longer I can stay n the 'zone' the easier and faster weight loss is, so I am making the most of it and have gone back to bootcamp, rather than 'lite'.

Thanks BIWI for all the sage advice on here!

Scilly, I do that too! (testing pasta with my teeth then spitting it out)

true devotees to the LC cause, Black!

ChoosandCHips - I missed your post.

I work in a ms Secondary (800 students) and we have at least 6 students with ASD - who are doing extremely well. PM me if I can help at all (I have a fairly senior, SEN-related role)

Had my diabetic review yesterday - they do this test where thy measure your average blood sugar over the previous 6 weeks - 3 months. I had mine done early ish in jan south mostly included my Christmas activities - it was lower than it has been for ages stil! My cholesterol was down ad my kidney, thyroid etc all fine - hurrah! I wasn't sure if we'd talk about diet but she just said "you're not eating too many carbs?" And I said " oh no, I am very careful about the carbs I eat!" Which she said was good - hurrah all around! I am going back in six months and hopefully will have even better results and be lighter.

Hope the whoosh fairy visits those waiting soon!

Excellent work, MrsHP - that must be a real psychological boost as well as feeling physically better.

Choos that kale and chorizo recipe looks delicious, it's on my meal plan for next week.

If anyone has some thrilling ideas of what to do with some leftover roast chicken I'd be glad to hear 'em. Am bereft of inspiration this morning.

Skandi meant to say - good to see you back! How's the sleep situation?

How fab MrsHP! Its posts like yours that keep me going, knowing that even though Ive stopped losing weight, good things are happening inside my body :)

Ewan, mix with mayo and have in lettuce wraps? Or add broccoli & a little stock in a baking dish, top with cheese & bake?

Choos sorry about your meeting...hope other experienced campers can offer some good suggestions.

MrsHP that is fab news - as Black says, even when we stall it's good to know that the WOE is still doing so much good for overall health.

Skandi welcome back!

Val good luck with job hunting

MrsHP- it's good to know that your cholesterol is good too, it's the first thing anyone says if they find out im on this 'diet' - 'oh all that cream/fat/meat!, Can't be good for your cholesterol!'

Ewan - I'd make chicken soup (stock from the carcass) and chuck in some of the leftover meat, with leeks and carrot.

Thanks all. Despite knowing that, I do sometimes worry when it comes to the actual numbers on the blood tests!

Thanks to whoever suggested Camembert - going to cook something nice for DH later it sounds like a nice starter!

val good luck with the job hunting

ewan would it work to dip in egg then grated Parmesan and make like chicken nuggets from it?

choos sry thing are difficult with your DS with the right support though hopefully he will cope we'll with school.

black have you taken measurements? If not do it NOW you might find that you are losing cms just no weight on scales as there are 3/4 weeks left you should see movement on at least one of cms lost or scales I should think.

That's great news, MrsHP!

Ruprekt - glad your supper was so fabulous

BlackAffronted - sorry, I didn't reply to you yesterday re your concerns; but I'd say the same as I said to skandi1 - list out everything that you've eaten (and drunk) over the last 5 days. That will help you to see if there's anything untoward, and we can have a look and see if there's anything else we can spot.

There are also three things I'd suggest to anyone who is worried about the weight loss slowing down/stopping or even reversing:

1. Print out a copy of Bootcamp rules. Read each one carefully and answer truthfully/honestly if you really are following each one. To the letter

2. Start to keep a food diary, recording everything that you are eating and drinking. It's amazing how little things that creep into the diet can add carbs. Look at all the prepared foods you are including in your diet and check the carb counts on the labels. That big dollop of mayo with your salad - how many carbs will be in that? Those low carb sausages you're having - how many carbs are they in total? How many cups of tea/coffee with milk are you allowing yourself? That little bit of roast potato that you allowed yourself on Sunday ...

3. Don't just rely on what the scales are telling you. Have you measured yourself? Try on a piece of clothing that you couldn't get into at the start of Bootcamp. Does it fit better? Keep that piece of clothing to hand, and try it on regularly to help you measure your progress. This will be much more accurate than your scales

But above all, don't panic! This is not a quick fix diet (despite the fact that some people have a big loss initially). It is a way of eating, and a healthy way of eating that we are trying to adapt to from here on. Think about the food that you are eating. Are you enjoying it? Are you ever hungry? Do you feel deprived?

Now take a step back and remember the last diet you went on. Remember that gnawing hunger that started around 10.30/11.00 in the morning. Remember the obsession with calories. What can I have? What can't I have? Remember the guilt you felt about eating 'naughty' foods, like cheese or cream. Remember the horribly processed and artificial foods you ended up eating because they were 'allowed'.

And if you're still not convinced, then perhaps it's time to do a bit of reading about low carbing and its benefits beyond weight loss. I'd seriously recommend reading The Diet Delusion, by Gary Taubes (although it's not exactly a light read!) as well as Escape the Diet Trap by Dr John Briffa. (I really must start charging commission for recommending that one!)

My best advice to those who are struggling - apart from all of the above of course - is to have a few days of simple eating. Eggs for breakfast. Fresh, unprocessed meat/fish as the centre of your lunch/dinner, with some salad (dressed with an oily dressing) and low carb (3g carbs per 100g carbs or less) veg with butter on the side. With a large glass of water with each meal, and more water in between. Cut out the tea/coffee, and ditch the dairy. You might also want to look at your portion sizes. If you're having a 3 egg omelette, use 2, for example. Don't go hungry, but see if you can cut down a little.

Congrats MrsHP!

choos, my DS has ASD (with dyslexia & dyspraxia & other cognitive impairments) & was at school from the start. He was formally diagnosed aged 7, but there had been suspicions from 3 onwards.

Not really sure what the SENCO meant by most children with ASD are not at the school in year 3? That doesn't make alot of sense to me. Do you know what she meant?

I have had a visit from the whoosh fairy! After cutting out the wine sticking firmly to the rules for the last 3 days, I have lost 1.3 pounds. Hurrah!

I have also been much less greedy to be honest - I have been wary of BIWI's big stick :o. I had spinach for breakfast (I know it's weird but I really like spinach) and a salad for lunch and dinner on the first day. And just less pig-like generally.

choo - I would be really upset too if they said that about DS (who is on the long road to assessment - he's been referred by CAMHS so we're waiting now). I can however see that the teacher he has at the moment (he's in yr 1) really would prefer it if he weren't in MS school :( Have a few un-MN (((hugs))) - it is hard work sometimes I now x

Choos - sorry, also forgot to say that my nephew has always been in MS school and he is 12 now. Some schools have been better than others though - he's just moved secondary school because they weren't addressing bullying issues/providing him with enough support.

Choos, sorry to hear that you're having to deal with inept people. If you find you are not getting the right level of support from the school, then it might be worth contacting your local authority education dept about it. Basically there should be a seen co coordinator there who should be ale to offer you advice on what should be happening at school. For example, the school are not allowed to exclude pupils, and by saying what they've said it sounds like they somehow are :(

Also, if the school have concerns over the extra support that they may have to provide, the local authority should have budgets to help schools with this.

I know some schools are so focused on getting their results just so, and even though they are state schools they are still sort of being selective by not accommodating. I've heard for example of a local school not including the results for children with learning difficulties as it brings the average down. It's awful but it happens.

It's a shame but as a parent we only find out what's what when we need more help than a parent of a child with no issues. Schools have lots of training in how to manage parents. Parents don't get that. So the LA people are your friend in this case as they should be there to ensure that your child and you get access to the correct level of support.

I had problems with my DD's allergies and in the end, getting the la poeple involved helped me feel more confident about my rights. Not the same as your situation I know, but still a child with slightly different requirements. IYSWIM?

Take care. Xxx

Mrs HP, that's such good news! It must be really empowering and such a relief to have discovered a simple woe that has made such a positive difference.

I'm curious about what effect this woe has had on your thyroid? I have heard that diet can help with this.

OMG Please tell me, when does the feeling that you would climb over your own mother for a golden syrup sandwich pass??
I have got the shakes and feel "hollow" and weak and desperate for sugar.

Have had a good breakfast so I shouldn't be hungry - bacon, 2 fried eggs, coffee & cream, yogurt.