New Year Low Carb Bootcamp - The Final Weigh-In!

[BIWI]

So here it is - come and weigh in for the last time and tell us how much you've lost in Bootcamp.

The Spreadsheet of Fabulousness is here

I've got a bad stomach again! I have no idea what is going on but everytime I have started being strict over the past couple of months I've been ill :(

Sorry if it's already been posted, but when is the next bootcamp starting? I did so well on the last one, but have just been maintaining as I've been really bad. I need bootcamp!

How is it manifesting itself, AuntieMaggie?

And what have you changed from/to, in terms of things you were/are eating?

And what medication are you taking?

Stomach cramps and diarrhea in the middle of the night... felt queasy when I went to bed last night.

I am taking metformin, esomeprazole, citalopram, and the pill.

Not massive changes as since doing bootcamp the first time in August I don't eat bread or pasta. Occasionally when I'm off the wagon I'll have a small portion of rice or potato but my diet wholly consists of:

Bfast: yogurt sometimes with berries, protein shake or bacon/sausage
Lunch: salad of some sort
Dinner: meat with veg/salad

maybe a couple of pieces of fruit but again not so much since August as I only buy it for DP to take to work.

Looking at my diary from last year on mfp I had saus/bacon for bfast a lot (tho I know we're not supposed to have processed stuff every day) so wondering if that might help.

AuntieMaggie - a quick Google shows that nausea/diarrhoea is a possible side effect of metformin, eseomeprazole and citalopram. But I don't know why you should suddenly get these when you are low carbing. (BTW, if you are having diarrhoea then you should also be using another form of contraception!)

I'm not a medic, so I can't advise you on this. But if it's making you feel so poorly then perhaps low carbing isn't for you? (Or at least not strict low carbing)

Sorry I can't be more helpful. I think you should check it out with your GP.

AuntieMaggie I think that with the metformin I have to have something more substantial protein-wise on this woe. I couldn't just have yogurt for breakfast and I have stayed away from protein shakes as I think the diary/liquid aspect wouldn't work well for me on metformin. I also find, that when I am strict again for the first week or so I have many of the things you desribe, but that they do pass after a while. My does is however, less than yours and you also have other meds so I know it is different.

I don't tend to worry about the processed meat quite so much as others in terms of bacon in particular. I am sure that unprocessed is always better, but I don't have much else processed stuff the rest of the day eg fresh meat/fish/veg/salad like you so for me I don't worry about the bacon/low carb sausage aspect!

*dose not does

Just remembered a great Robert Carrier recipe for a salad that would be great on Boot Camp Lite (as it has almonds in it).

I'll need to go away and look up the detailed recipe but essentially it is cubed avocado, tomato, cucumber, spring onions, cheshire cheese and blanched almonds (which have been roasted in the oven that's the refinement my mum added ) in a dressing which has olive oil, vinegar, crushed garlic and a wee bit of concentrated tomato paste.

It is really tasty :)

DangerousMouse, Im pretty sure next Bootcamp starts 29th April :) That date is going to be hard for me though as my DS is having an op. I think I will have to start on the 1st May instead, when I will be at home & able to prepare my own food.

Yup, next one starts 29 April.

BlackAffronted - sorry to hear about your son needing an op. Perhaps a good plan not to put yourself under any unnecessary pressure at the same time.

Black good planning, poor DS and you though. Hope it is all straightforward.

At DD's nursery school this week they are doing about vegetables, and on Tuesday they were given an A4 sheet of paper split into two to draw on what vegetables they like on one side and which ones they didn't like on the other side. DD filled the side she liked with scribbles drawings of vegetables and left the other side blank and told me "I TOLD Miss O that I like ALL vegetables, I don't know why that bit is there" pointing at the dislike box...!!!! I honestly think that is in part down to this WoE as we eat so many vegetables and so of course does she - thanks BIWI!

BIWI I am still continuing on LC but if you could give me a prod just before 29th, if you have time/chance I will be full on BCing again.

Oh yes, Jax. The big stick will be waved around with gay abandon!

Bless your DD MrsHP that's really sweet! And so encouraging. Mine has just discovered mushrooms. I was as I hated them until 2 months ago... didn't expect a toddler to go for those.

I feel really nauseous and disgusting today. Hoping it passes soon . It was initially bad luck as I woke up feeling like this at 4am. But then I have done some self inflicted damage by being a sugary twat at playgroup. And now I have sugary giddyness too which is nasty. Came home and made a bacon, mushroom and onion omelette and then went for a brisk 50 min walk and have drunk a couple of pints (water!) and hope that all will help get me back to rights asap and get that sugar used up and gone.

I posted at the end of BC about my type 2 diabetic dad who was trying out lower carbing. I say "lower" as he's reduced from about 400g carbs/day to around 150g/day. At the time (2 weeks into his dietry changes) he was still getting really high blood sugar results, esp fasting and was feeling a bit glum and despondent about it and wondering what the point was. I encouraged him to keep going and give it a longer trial. He's also added a 1-1.5hr bike ride a day, and a month later has pre diabetic sugar levels!! Fasting around 5.6, which is so so fab Looks like no metformin for him for a good while, can't wait to hear what his diabetes nurse says when he's next seen

Thanks BIWI and MrsHP

I'm trying to lose 2-3 stone before ttc in the summer... would be amusing to get pregnant now!

Will up the protein and be less strict with carbs - worked for me before so fingers crossed!

Spilt that is fab news about your dad - good on him. I seem to remember he also had been having a few snacks of crumpets or something when you asked him. It is unbelievable the difference it makes to blood sugar levels and I don't understand why they give out the advice about eating carbs it is just bizarre. Hopefully the research will change soon...

AuntieMaggie I sometimes think we are the same person. Aiming to lose another stone as I think that will help with my ttc. I wouldn't put it off forever, and I think if your body is ready it will do it and if not it will wait until it gets to the weight it wants to be. Good luck, am sure you'll be fine as you say it worked for you before!

MrsHP :) I need to lose the weight as I may need help because of PCOS and they wouldn't help me at my current bmi so I figure if I lose the weight first it will help ttc and if not it will help get me fertility help!

Ah I see! I was about a stone less when I conceived last year (had mc) so I reckon another stone here too. Let's do it!!!! Are you feeling better today?

Felt queasy all day yesterday so I ate bits and pieces including some blueberries. Feel better this morning though which is good!

The ttc stuff is scary - I have a few other health issues which need to be monitored which is why it needs to be so controlled.

On another note I really want some low carb ice cream! DP had a dessert when we were out last week which was a scoop of ice cream with espresso poured over it which was yummy and I thought a nice low carb treat if I can find low carb ice cream! The lowest I've found is carte'dor light at 11g per 100g.

auntiemaggie someone last year made a sort of low carb ice cream with greek yoghurt but I can't remember who/how

i reckon though if you whipped up double cream with vanilla powder and possibly a bit of sweetener until it was stiff and then froze it you would get a close approximation. i might experiment in the summer

You could make a custard with eggs and cream then freeze it? It would need a little bit of sweetener, I should think..?

Nigel Slater made an espresso ice cream last year with shop bought custard and espresso. I think that someone else posted a recipe for low carb custard (egg yolks and double cream perhaps) and so wondered if you could cominbine the two.

I think Viper did one with various yoghurts too?

So, ketones.

According to the stick I used today, I don't have any. Yesterday I thought I had been super strict, so was surprised when I wasn't in ketosis today. There must be a bit of carb creep somewhere. I'm not sure how long it takes to get into ketosis.

Yesterday's menu:
B - omelette with cheese & 2 cherry tomatoes
Sn - coffee with cream
L - homemade mackeral pate and 3 sticks celery
D - homemade fish pie (mixed fish, spinach, eggs, chopped carrot - tiny amount, chopped green beans, cheese and double cream), with rocket.
Lots of water

I know you don't have to be in ketosis for this to work, but I just don't feel I am making much progress.

I am going for a cycle this morning to try to speed things up through exercise.

beryl how much water are you drinking? if you're drinking plenty (2-3+ litres per day), then ketosis shouldn't really register much on the ketostix. the ketones need to be flushed out by the water, because if your blood ketone level is high then your body won't break down fat (because it doesn't want to release more ketones into the bloodstream)

when you say you don't feel you are making much progress, how much progress have you made? are you losing weight (if that's your aim)? because if you are losing and it's just not quite as quickly as you might like, we all know that weight loss isn't linear, and a slower loss is more effective long-term. though it can be frustrating I know

are you measuring yourself in terms of inches lost?

how much exercise are you doing? exercise can encourage the body to hang on to weight IME (usually through water weight or muscle building), at least at first, though that shouldn't stop you doing it. but you may well still be losing fat

looking at your menu (though generally it looks fine), you could check how much dairy you're having. i know cream especially can affect me adversely (doesn't make me put on weight, but can stop me losing)

i've never bothered with the ketostix by the way.

have you tried ubercamping for three days (details in the spreadsheet)? that can help rein in carb creep if you're really worried about it