Week 1 - New Year 2014 Low Carb Bootcamp - And We're Off!

[BIWI]

Morning all!

I see several of you have already weighed in on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

As of today, though, we also have our bright, shiny, new Bootcamp section on Mumsnet, including our own Weight Tracker, which will only show your own weight/progress.

You can either use the Spreadsheet as we have done before, which everyone has access to and can see, or you can go here and enter your weight.

Obviously you can do both!

When you're in the new Bootcamp, if you click on the tab that says 'more info' that will take you to a section which has loads of information about low carbing, as well as Bootcamp Rules

Before we get going formally, I have to make an important disclaimer:

I am not a doctor, a medic, a scientist, a nutritionist or a dietician. I have no formal training in food, dieting or low carbing. The information that I provide here is based solely on my reading on the subject, as well as my own experience. If you have any kind of medical condition and/or you are taking any kind of ongoing medication, you should consult your GP before starting a low carb diet

That done, good luck everyone!

Morning all! Gerry I'm a similar weight to you and had 5lb first week and nothing this week until this morning when bizarrely I am 3.5lb lighter than I was yesterday. Don't despair. It really does come in fits and starts. I will be here for the next ten weeks and I want similar results to you... keep going! Also, I don't know if this would help, but my Ketostix arrived yesterday and I found it really reassuring yesterday to find out that I was in ketosis, because I hadn't seen much in the way of results. And for me to lose 5lb in almost-two-weeks, considering how much I have to lose, was pretty disheartening - I know a lot of the early loss is water but I was hoping to be more full of water than that!

So yes, after all my wibbling, I have also had a visit from the whoosh fairy.

Planned food today:

B - sausage and eggs
L - hmm not sure yet, maybe some sort of salad and protein ladled with dressing
D - roast chicken and veg

Am also having an 'I Love the Internets' moment today. When I first low carbed some 15 years ago, there was NOTHING in the way of help or support other than my trusty Atkins book with some well dodgy recipes for bread and pancakes using sugar free syrup. Nobody had thought of cauli rice (bizarrely), courgette noodles, oopsie rolls, my new favourite of greek yoghurt with cream and orange essence, etc. There are so many new and lovely ways to eat this way, and despite the low fat brigade clinging on desperately to their fading mantra, it IS much more accepted to eat LC now. I think to do this as an overweight person I feel very self-conscious sometimes, but then remember that several of my slim and fit friends also eat this way.

Thanks helium that's encouraging. I know that 2.5 st in 5 months is totally doable, it's just I'll let so many people down if I don't manage it.

I have to admit I do feel a bit self conscious being an obese woman buying butter, cream, cheese and fatty meat. I'm trying very hard to ignore what other people think!!

I'm avoiding making things like oopsie rolls and other substitutes for carb type things, they sound too delicious for my will power, I am pretty sure I could eat enough to stop any weight loss. I do miss crunch though, getting a bit bored of all things oily/creamy/soft/buttery.

Gerry - 2.5 stone in 6 months is defintiely doable. And 9lb is fab, esp as you've already lost a stone before xmas. Keep going, it will come off. As helium says, fits and starts.

Betty - at least it was all low-carb! Good luck today.

Thumb and Haz - I am coming to Australia in march - please keep a bit of the heat for me! Coming to Sydney, Cairns then Brisbane - cam't wait

Gerry - a woman after my own heart. I have a guide I try to stick to - if by making something 'faux-carb' I end up eating it compulsively until it's gone, then that by definition means I shouldn't eat it. I made oopsie rolls before and wasn't that enamoured, but have devoured flax crackers before. It's another reason I'm trying to keep nuts out of my diet too.

Morning campers. Well I'm feeling a bit down and demotivated.

I've lost 0.2 lb in since Sunday. I know this is better than nothing but this is my second time doing bootcamp and I lost lots and lots in the first week then. I suspect it's the dairy. I've been batting hunger away with cheese and cream and think I must have overdone it. My BMI is 24 so I'm not overweight but short and I think I look tubby at this weight. I defo have a tummy and more chin than I should ! :)

Is it too early to ubercamp? This really got the weight loss going last time and I think I'm going to have to face that cream, yogurt and cheese are no goes for me.

What makes it worse is that I've done 3 x 3 mile runs and was feeling virtuous. Have drunk 3l of water every day. BIWI any tips - you think Ubercamp and keeping on will help?

In a bit of a rush but NEED to tell you all about my breakfast - I've just had a bacon and egg mcmuffin, bootcamp styleee.

I had two oopsie rolls, with two slices of crispy bacon, some really strong cheddar slices and an egg fried in butter in my scone ring to make it round not going to be using it for anything else anytime soon and piled it all together.

It was amazing. If you are feeling in the mood for a treat, I can definitely recommend. Reckon it would be lovely with a de-skinned sausage flattened into a patty too.

Have noticed I'm sleeping well this week but having really vivid, quite emotional dreams! Anyone else noticed this? Any ideas why?

Dreaming, I'm new at all this, but I suspect you are not losing much because you aren't really overweight, or have very little to lose. Could exercise targeted at trimming your waist be the answer?

On the other hand, I have loads to lose, and was pleased to receive a visit from the whoosh fairy last night. I am 2.5lbs lighter than yesterday morning and have lost 5lbs since Monday. I can hardly believe it, as I feel like I have been stuffing my face with cheese and cream.

My sugar cravings have disappeared. Woooohoooo!

Thank you Lovecat!

hope thanks for the reply. I agree I don't have much to lose - I want to lose 11lb total but I started off at this weight last bootcamp (Xmas piles it all back :() and it whooshed off. I'm confused why its coming off so slowly. If anything I'm being stricter now than first time. I know the rules well, am following them. Loads of eggs. No sugar or starches at all. No milk. Just meat veg eggs cream and water.

Bit of a slip up yesterday with a small bit of birthday cake forced upon my by a colleague... I just felt that saying no would be so rude! It was a small bit though, and I had gallons of water then celeriac tartiflette for dinner - need to remember celeriac doesn't soak up stock/cream like potatoes as it was a bit runny! But yum all the same.

I have a BIG challenge from this evening - a long-planned girly weekend away with a very dear friend who's been working away in Canada. I have looked at the menus and food will be fine, pate and fish and steak and a nice cheese board for both nights, but will be very much expected to have a glass or two of something! Hmm...

Trusty Lidl yogurt for breakfast then have lovely salad with a whole mozzarella all for me for lunch. Have upgraded to a 1l bottle of water on my desk so will try for at least 2 refills!

Woohoo! So excited and it is very sad. I work all over the place so don't have a regular routine which is a pain when trying to plan where to get food. Today was never going to be a take-your-own-food-to-work day and I was anxious about.

Anyway, I found a Leon restaurant/cafe and they sell perfect low-carb brekkies. Just had a cup with poached egg, smoked salmon and avocado. Perfect perfect perfect!!

I started this woe last Monday and have lost half a stone already. I have had lots of compliments about my skin. I am not falling asleep at 9.30 from a sugar come-down and I am feeling so much more positive in general.

The only bummer is the proof that wine really isn't my friend. I love wine. I love pasta. But I love what's happening now more so I am going to keep going!

Morning everyone!
This is the best I've felt in the morning all week - and I am a morning person so losing my morning bounce has left me completely bounceless the last few days - oh to get a "second wind" at tea time like most people do, but I never have, however I get up in the morning, that's as good as it gets all day.

Last night I made sausages/ tenderstem broccoli and pureed cauliflower and stopped half way through. Just full. Slept all night and wasn't too starving this morning, have had 2 l/o sausage and egg muffins - there's a 3rd one there in the fridge and I don't want it. This is really new and unusual and surprising (sorry to sound like a thesaurus) for me.

helium fab to hear you sounding brighter, and very glad to have someone 'get' these feelings
Crabby really hope you feel better soon

Just treated us to an ocado shop to come tomorrow, 25% off some of their bags of chicken/ steak which I'll put in the freezer for leaner weeks financially. And the wondrous vanilla powder, and peppercorns in brine that they don't sell anywhere else. Anything else I'm missing out on that's just waitrose? We don't have the shops up here and it'll be a month til my bank balance recovers the next Ocado shop

Gerry you're doing fantastically well. Haven't you only been dieting in total for about 2 months? And in that time you've lost a huge amount of weight, about a third of your goal. You WILL lose the rest, but let's face it, at this point pretty much everyone here would fight tooth and nail to be slim and healthy. I'm missing crunch too so I've decided I'm going to move over to BC light on Monday (I'll have done strict BC for 2 weeks then) and allow myself some toasted nuts with my ff yoghurt a few times a week.

I have to say I was less than enthusiastic with this WOE two days ago. I felt bloated yesterday but ravenous, in a very pre-AF way (though she's not due for another week). Steeleye I think it was you, thanks for your reassurance about hormonal changes/the fits and starts style weightloss. I woke up this morning weighing 11st, for the first time since I was about 4 months pregnant. Really pleased, and it's renewed my enthusiasm. Especially as I ate really fatty lamb for dinner last night and DEVOURED it.

Does anyone have any amazing recipes for red cabbage? Have just got an enormous one in our veg box.

morning all!
just read this page, wanted to check in quickly...
betty i'm no cook but wouldn't the creamy braised cabbage recipe so beloved of bootcampers work just as well with red cabbage?

just had BAB, stayed on track yesterday despite unplanned 'dinner' at ikea (had the salmon salad, halo intact)
plan to make chester's chicken tonight - v excited
and a big salad for lunch
amazing how often i need to shop on this WOE, the babybel stock is quickly depleted, as is the double cream...

wishing luck to everyone today, really encouraging to hear how you're all getting on

Morning losers :)

Checking in.

Lovely Woolfey ours does a lamb thing, like crispy duck in pancakes, but the wrap is lettuce, tis vair nice. God, so much sugar knocking around isn't there? Tricky. Stir fry veggies? I think you need someone else to help you, am not being very useful!

And yes :) and to Willie I could do slow crochet with wonky arm as long as I supported the weight off my shoulder from under my elbow. Actually hooked together lovely daisy's woolly hug right at the end, when it was difficult to even walk because it was so sore, and it was a very gentle and positive thing to do. And I was on superb pain killers so was fairly woooooooo much of the time. Smashing, miss em

Scales continue to go down, huzzah.

yikes...i'm in....last time i tried low carbing i though i was going to die on day 2....not sure there was an name for carb flu in the olden days. can't resist giving it another go after following this thread and have not been feeling too bad so far except for headaches.

Are we using this thread or the new one?

I'm just waiting for my tescos delivery and I'm going to cook all afternoon. Can the moussaka be frozen? I'm finding it harder to drink the water when I'm off work I must admit.

hello all, can I join again?
is this the right thread?

Morning everyone.

I need advice. I've never been constipated in my life but I've just realised that it's been about five days since I've dropped the kids off at the pool. However, I'm not in any kind of discomfort and I don't feel remotely bloated.

Any thoughts/remedies from the experienced??

Sorry for TMI