Bootcamp Ordinaire - Week 2

[BIWI]

Evening campers!

Setting this up now, as I had a bad night last night so I'm sloping off to bed early

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

Seriously - if you haven't had a look, explore all the different resources on the tabs

[BIWI]

To remind us all, these are the things we're not eating:

The things we are not eating during Bootcamp are:

pasta/noodles
couscous/grains
oats/porridge
cereals/muesli/granola
rice
lentils/legumes/pulses/chickpeas/hummus
peas/beans
bread/pitta/bagels/wraps
potatoes/sweet potatoes
biscuits
cakes
sweets
chocolate
pizza
flour/cornflour
sugar/honey/agave syrup/maple syrup/jam
full-sugar drinks (fizzy drinks/squash/cordials)
balsamic vinegar
fruit juice
fruit (for the next two weeks - you can introduce berries after this)
alcohol (for the next weeks - you can re-introduce it in moderation after this)
nuts (for the next two weeks)

If you're vegetarian you have more latitude and can include nuts/seeds - see the tab on the spreadsheet.

[BIWI]

So we've had a super strict first week, which was designed to get us all to refocus on eating better, so that we'll lose weight.

A part of that was calorie and carb counting.

What's been obvious is that everyone has focused on calories. In part, that's been useful, as it's helped people think about the portion sizes they're serving. But actually in the main it's not really been helpful, as this WOE is about counting the carbs.

The main reason we're gaining weight is because we're eating too many carbs.

[BIWI]

So here are the rules of Bootcamp Ordinaire:

1. Eat three proper meals a day

NB although this is the first rule of Bootcamp, having started the Leaving Lockdown Bootcamp with intermittent fasting (IF) you may want to continue this. As long as you're managing to do this without being hungry, this is fine to do

If you're new to low carbing/Bootcamp, then you should consider this.

In the first two weeks of Bootcamp you must eat breakfast. It doesn’t have to be a lot, and it doesn’t have to be absolutely first thing, but you must have something. For the rest of the day, if you’re eating enough food then you shouldn’t be hungry between meals. But if you are hungry, eat something. (Hard boiled eggs make a great snack).

After the first two weeks of Bootcamp we will relax this, but these two weeks are critical in terms of helping you switch easily to a low carb way of eating - and if you start to feel hungry, it makes things much harder! Eating this way will ensure that your blood sugar levels are kept stable, which will mean that you are much less likely to experience hunger.

A typical high carbohydrate diet can mean that snacking is a routine part of your day. Once your blood sugar levels are stable, by eating low carb, you should find that you no longer want to snack. But the rule of thumb here is ‘if you are hungry, eat!’. (Just make sure you are only choosing low carb snacks, of course!)

2. Avoid processed foods

Focus on pure, natural protein as the basis for your meals - meat/fish/eggs. Things like sausages, ham, bacon, pre-prepared burgers etc should be avoided as much as possible. You can have them, but just not every day. Avoid foods marketed as low carb, eg. Atkins bars.

3. Eat lots of fat

Eating fat will not make you fat. Honestly! But it will keep your appetite satisfied, and it sustains your body’s energy requirements perfectly. Fat does not provoke an insulin spike, unlike carbs which do (a lot) and protein (a little). Fry in olive or coconut oil or lard or butter, add butter to vegetables, eat salad with a home-made oily dressing (not made with balsamic vinegar though, as this is too sweet), add mayonnaise where you can (just check the carb count on your mayo first). Eat fattier cuts of meat – e.g. pork belly, roast chicken with the skin on and/or eat the fat off your lamb chops. Absolutely no low fat/light foods of any kind!

4. Make sure you are eating plenty of vegetables and salad

This is where your carbs should come from, and this is non-negotiable But choose only those vegetables that are under 4g carbs per 100g - there will be a list of vegetable carb counts on the spreadsheet. If you focus on eating those vegetables that are 4g carb per 100g or less, this will ensure that your carb counts are kept low. You don’t have to weigh/count carbs – this is one of the great joys of this WOE (way of eating), but if you’re new to low carbing it can be helpful to weigh your portions of veg in the early days, just so that you know how many carbs are in the sort of portions that you like to eat. (There's also a handy carb counter on the spreadsheet that will calculate the carbs for you)

5. Be careful about dairy (apart from butter, which is unlimited)

Dairy can impede weight loss for some people. If you are drinking tea/coffee with milk or cream, try to restrict yourself to max 2 cups per day. There are a lot of carbs in milk, so if you are having several cups of tea/coffee per day, you will quickly rack up your daily carb count (e.g. 1 medium latte contains more than 12g carbs!) You may eat cheese but again, don't overdo it. Full fat yoghurt is the best way to include dairy in your diet - but beware, it does contain carbs. Total Full Fat is the best

6. You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day

The more weight you have to lose, the more water you should drink. This is from //www.low-carbdiet.co.uk/.

Water is essential to weight loss for those who eat low-carb. The minimum consumed in a day should be:

Your Weight----Litres
140lbs-----2.5
160lbs-----3.0
180lbs-----3.0
200lbs-----3.5
220lbs-----3.5
240lbs-----4.0
260lbs-----4.5
280lbs-----4.5
300lbs-----5.0
320lbs-----5.5
340lbs-----5.5
360lbs-----6.0
380lbs-----6.5
400lbs-----6.5

High levels of ketones in the blood stream can lead to a reduction in ketone production, therefore being well hydrated could aid in keeping the levels low and ketone production ongoing. Consuming enough water can have many other positive side effects: aids your kidneys with the processing of protein, reduces the retention of water, helps with preventing constipation, and reduces the levels of ketones released by your breath, which in-turn will reduce breath odour.

However, drinking a lot of water can mean that you also need to keep an eye on your electrolyte balance. You need to make sure that you are consuming sufficient sodium and potassium. On a low carb diet we can eat more salt, so make sure that you are cooking with salt and adding salt to food, if you like it. Good, low carb, sources of potassium are spinach (raw), avocado, mushrooms, courgettes and asparagus, as well as salmon and yoghurt.

7. No alcohol

Alcohol is the easiest source of fuel for the body to burn, so it will always use this first before it starts to burn any fat - which is why you need to restrict it, especially in the first two weeks of Bootcamp, when we are encouraging the body to stop using carbs for its source of fuel and turn to fat-burning instead. If you really can't do this - at least try and restrict it to the weekend. Vodka with soda is the best thing to drink. Or Champagne, red wine or dry white wine.

8. No fruit

Really. Seriously. Honestly. None at all. Zilch. Nada. After the first two weeks of Bootcamp you will be able to introduce certain fruits, but at this stage fruit is simply too carby. We are also trying to break the addiction to sweet things, so cutting fruit out is part of this process. If you are getting all your carbs from vegetables and salad, you will be getting all the nutrients and fibre that you need.

9. No nuts/seeds

They make a great snack, but it’s also very easy to eat large quantities of them very quickly, so you can consume way too many carbs this way. (It should also go without saying that we don't eat any crisps or other salty snacks on Bootcamp!)

10. No sugar or artificial sweeteners

Sugar is an obvious ‘no no’, but artificial sweeteners are also an issue. One of the aims of this way of eating is to eat pure and natural foods, so including sweeteners is not recommended. Some people find that artificial sweeteners can impede their weight loss, and there is some suggestion that your body can respond to sweeteners as if they were sugar, by releasing more insulin - and therefore laying down fat. Given that the aim of Bootcamp is to help us lose our sweet tooth and addiction to sweet things, then it is a good idea to avoid sweeteners altogether in this first two weeks.

[prettybird]

Glad to be progressing on to Boot Camp Ordinaire. Even though I didn't formally count calories this week (so in that sense, I was effectively already doing the usual BCO ), I was much more aware of what and the amount I ate.

I'll post the photo again of my dinner tonight just to show how lovely, fresh and healthy this WOE can be. Warm bacon green salad with an olive oil dressing and eggs mollet (soft yolk, set white), half a homemade hamburger and griddled courgette and asparagus (left over from our braais bbqs ) Very filling!

[LaLaLanded]

Hi - have been watching the calorie counting first week with interest and huge kudos to everyone who took it on! I stayed quiet as I can’t have 1,000 calories a day - I’m 5’10” and very active - but would love to join for bootcamp ordinaire.

I’ve been low carb (keto actually) for 4 years - fell off the wagon a bit with too much wine but have sorted that in the last few months and accepted that with Keto you’re either on or off - there’s little point in eating the right things if you then have half a bottle of Prosecco. I’ve cracked down recently to improve my running and get back to peak low carb. Looking to lose about 4kg which isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things but seems to be a bugger to shift.

I definitely need to cut down on if not eliminate artificial sweeteners as they’re a crutch, and I’ve temporarily cut out nuts (although I do weigh them, they seem to lead to cravings). No alcohol for some time now so that’s sorted.

Today, DS and I bought a waffle maker and made chaffles for the first time. Very exciting!

[BeyondDreamsOfBeyondFourWalls]

I hope I've hit 14lbs, just so I can worry a little less about getting enough water in

[MrsTerryPratchett]

eggs mollet (soft yolk, set white)

How many minutes? are there carbs in pencil lead?

[PastramiNoRye]

Thanks BIWI!

[ExShield]

Checking in!

[Freetodowhatiwant]

Checking in too! Not sure if I should do another day on the cal counting as I started a day late.

[prettybird]

mrsterrypratchett : Eggs Mollet - I learnt it from an Anthony Worral Thomson recipe for Salad Nicoise: lower eggs into boiling water and boil for 6 minutes exactly (might be 6.5 minutes but I can't find the recipe at the moment, so I just gave it a generous 6 minutes ). Cool immediately under lots of cold running water.

Peel when cool enough to handle. They're quite delicate so you have to handle them carefully.

I used large eggs at room temperature.

Normally for boiled eggs, I do them from cold and boil for 2'45" for soft boiled (runny yolk, white not always fully set) and leave the extra ones in the water to cool down, to be hard boiled (but not dry) eggs to snack on.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

[SunshineInMySprocket]

Morning all,

Early start for me and I have weighed in before I get going for the day. A 5lb loss for me this week, which I am delighted with. This was the weight I had put on during lockdown so I am pleased to see it gone.

I have got on well with the IF and calorie counting. I think I will continue with the IF while just keeping an eye on the calories.

Have a great day everyone!

[Mummyoflittledragon]

Just weighed myself. I’m 4.4 lbs down. As I can’t exercise much, this is pretty much where I expected to be. I know it’s modest for some. But I am happy with my achievement.

[SquishyBones]

Checking in! Tempted to redo week one as I cheated so many times last week I dont feel like I gave it a proper go 😞

[LostaraYil]

Weighed myself before even having coffee. 8.8lbs down! 1 inch gone from waist and hips. I'm really happy with that.

[Burnshersmurfs]

I had a great loss this week- I think the lockdown weight hadn't had time to properly bed down, so was a bit easier to shift (??) I know it won't be happening at the same pace from now on- but I feel a lot better to have had a good start.

[ShagMeRiggins]

Thanks for the thread. I made the beat cheeseburgers in the world last night and had mine with sliced hamisha pickles and truffle mayonnaise, along with a captured salad, a green salad with French vinaigrette, and an onion cucumber salad with a leftover thyme and shallot vinaigrette that I had leftover from my beetroot salad a few weeks ago.

I am clearly in a vinaigrette experiment phase

[Wormthatturned]

Morning. The Scales of Doom say I've lost 4lb, Yippee! and that's without calorie counting.

[BIWI]

@Freetodowhatiwant

Checking in too! Not sure if I should do another day on the cal counting as I started a day late.

No - just move on to low carbing. The calorie counting wasn't about weight loss but a device to get us all refocused!

[BIWI]

@SquishyBones

Checking in! Tempted to redo week one as I cheated so many times last week I dont feel like I gave it a proper go 😞

No need! You'll find this week - if you stick to it! - will work.

You may have cheated, but you're lucky in that you still lost weight (according to the spreadsheet).

Now get focused on the carbs. And don't cheat!

[BIWI]

@ShagMeRiggins

along with a captured salad

You're holding your vegetables to ransom now?!

[BIWI]

@SunshineInMySprocket

Morning all,

Early start for me and I have weighed in before I get going for the day. A 5lb loss for me this week, which I am delighted with. This was the weight I had put on during lockdown so I am pleased to see it gone.

I have got on well with the IF and calorie counting. I think I will continue with the IF while just keeping an eye on the calories.

Have a great day everyone!

Honestly - you don't need to count the calories. Just focus on keeping your carbs low.

[ShagMeRiggins]

You're holding your vegetables to ransom now?!



If I had a better memory I would say something pithy about holding to ransom those particular vegetables that Athelstane and ilovecherries were frustratingly unable to get a few weeks ago. Was it a broccoli for one and anything but root veg for the other?

Alas, my memory is a sieve on this one!

[bibliomania]

6lb down. Excitingly, this tips me back across the border from obese to overweight.