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Low-carb bootcamp

Join discussions about low-carb bootcamp plans, meals and progress. Consider speaking to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Anyone starting boot camp earlier than the official one?

457 replies

IamTitanium · 03/01/2015 12:33

Hey
I'm starting again on 5th Jan, just about to go through recipes and meal plan as for me, when I fail to prepare I prepare to fail!

OP posts:
readyforno2 · 17/01/2015 13:45

I am loving the blog BIWI!
Got up too late for breakfast today.. Ds' stayed at my df's last night so grabbed the lie in when I could.
Lunch today was a bit of a chuck in thing.. Brussel sprouts, shallots, mushrooms and bacon fried till crispy in garlic butter. Was yummy though.
Going to do Bolognese tonight, with courgetti, will do pasta for the dc

BIWI · 17/01/2015 14:03

Glad you like the blog!

Re cauliflower pizza you really do need to get all the moisture out of it, so either squeeze it in a tea towel before you cook it, or cook the base you make for a longer time on a lower temp

BeyondDoesBootcamp · 17/01/2015 14:06

We have duck tonight betty :)

Its lunch time, i should be making something but not hungry at all and no idea what to have... Hmm....

Apophenia · 17/01/2015 14:27

Sorry, beyond, I meant the 'due in April 2012' threads! Missed two vital words there!

BeyondDoesBootcamp · 17/01/2015 14:40

Aha! Then yes!! :)

Crazy day here, sorting out the boys room ready for their new bed to come. I have done way too much and think me and my morphine may be retiring to bed for the rest of the afternoon :(

Lunch btw is tuna cheese melt with spinach. And fried in dhs left over bacon fat Grin

LexLoofah · 17/01/2015 17:53

beyond how do you do your tuna cheese melt, what do you put it on instead of bread? Tnx

Looking forward to trying the cauli pizza tomorrow, had cauli grilled cheese 'sandwiches' for lunch today - divine!

BIWI · 17/01/2015 19:10

Here is my version of tuna melt, using the microwave:

Tuna Melt

1 tin tuna, in oil
2 spring onions, chopped
double cream
grated mature cheddar
freshly ground black pepper

Drain tuna and mix with spring onion in a microwave-safe bowl
Add a generous sloosh of cream (probably around 3 tablespoons) and a good handful of grated cheese. Season with black pepper and heat on high for 2 minutes. Stir, and allow to cool a little before eating

bettybigballs · 17/01/2015 19:29

Oh my, cauliflower pizza is actually delicious! Better than normal pizza. I am in food heaven.
I am alllllll by myself tonight, shit tv, a glass of wine and my ammmmaaaaazzzziinggg pizza. Life is very good today!

BeyondDoesBootcamp · 17/01/2015 19:45

Lex, i eat it from a bowl, not on anything. Gorgeous stuff :)

Tea time and neither me nor dh are hungry enough for our duck, so its going (cooked now) in the fridge and i'm having scrambled egg, mushrooms, spring onion and matesons garlic sausage.

DH did some googling and found a use for our cauli (i wanted him to make pizza :( ). Hes making corned beef hash with it.

Apophenia · 17/01/2015 21:36

Check this out! Lots of cauliflower-hacks! Smile

www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/cauliflower-not-carbs#.wwa8kPGNEO

BeyondDoesBootcamp · 18/01/2015 07:44

Oo, thank you :)

MrsDesperado · 18/01/2015 07:51

I joined this thread a couple of weeks ago and have been avidly reading it and getting loads of yummy good ideas. I've been doing really well, really enjoying the food and the not feeling hungry feeling etc, I've lost an inch off my waist and another off my hips already which is brilliant.

I'm a runner and am used to running 3-6 miles a few times a week, however, since I starting this woe 2 weeks ago I have lost all my power! I am barely managing 3 miles without having to walk, and my pace is much, much slower than usual. I'm eating 3 proper meals a day and am drinking enough water (could probably drink more though). I thought it might take my body a while to adjust but after 2 weeks I'm fedup, just back from another rubbish run and feeling frustrated. Can anyone offer any advice?

BIWI · 18/01/2015 08:55

Yes! You are in the process of adapting your body. Before, you were burning carbs for fuel. Your body can only store a limited amount of energy that it gleans from carbs - hence why you need to 'carb load' before a significant amount of exercise. Runners who talk about 'hitting the wall' or cyclists who talk about 'bonking' are all referring the point at which their bodies run out of fuel.

That's why all those energy bars, drinks and gels for athletes exist.

However, when you have switched your body to burning fat, you will have an unlimited (practically) source of fuel. Even elite athletes will have enough body fat to sustain serious exercise.

You need to give yourself a bit longer, make sure that you're keeping your diet low carb - don't fall into the trap of thinking that you need to add extra carbs for your exercise - and you will find that it gets better. If you've been doing it for a couple of weeks already, it should get better for you soon.

It's really worth reading this book:

The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance

These guys do their own research into the whole thing, and this book is specifically written for serious athletes - although it's just as applicable to any of us who are low carbing and wanting to exercise.

You may even find, actually, that your exercise gets easier and your times get better once you're keto adapted!

projectbabyweight · 18/01/2015 11:24

BIWI - or anyone knowledgeable - I have a question (though I fear I already know the answer). To lose weight, I've found from previous experience, I must cut out dairy. Hopefully this won't be a major problem nutritionally as I only have 10lbs to lose.

I'm able to stick to bootcamp with no dairy (this is ubercamp I think?) as long as I can have something chocolatey. Would is be ok to have either a low calorie hot chocolate or some dark chocolate every day?

BIWI · 18/01/2015 11:26

Well ..............

Bootcamp is about cutting the hold that sweet things have over us. So I'm afraid I'd say 'no'.

Why is it either dairy or chocolate? This doesn't make sense!!!

How are you with yoghurt? Some people find that they can tolerate yoghurt better than cream/milk/cheese.

projectbabyweight · 18/01/2015 14:17

Yes I see your point about breaking the hold these things have. It's not either dairy or chocolate, I didn't explain it very well. What I've found over the years is I can stick to any eating plan, except I crave chocolate (no other cravings at all).

To lose weight I can't have dairy, otherwise my weight stays the same despite low carbing.

I'd love to get over this chocolate thing. Well I suppose there's nothing for it except willpower. Then hopefully I'll get out of the habit of wanting it.

MrsDesperado · 18/01/2015 14:28

Thanks for the reassurance BIWI, I really do hope it gets better soon! At the moment I'm put off from going out (I actually dread it instead of looking forward to it!) and I had been thinking that perhaps I needed to add some carbs back in in order to get back up to speed again (but hadn't yet)...

I actually have that book, unread, lent to me by a friend. Probably should read it now!

Do you know how soon it takes to get keto adapted or does it vary depending on the person? I guess if I knew how much longer this was likely to go on for it'd be easier to cope with.

SayraT · 18/01/2015 15:29

project have you done BC/LCing before? If anything will help you lose/reduce your craving for chocolate then it will be LCing. If you are serious about wanting to break your addiction (which, ultimately, is what it is) then you need to stick to it.

All that BIWI and BC ask is that you avoid chocolate for two weeks, after this two weeks you can have chocolate but just not too much and not everyday. When I am not actively trying to lose weight (so generally between bootcamps) I have two squares of dark chocolate a could of times a week. I eat it very slowly and find that I really enjoy it more and don't just eat it mindlessly.

How much dairy were you eating when it stalled you?

MrsDesperado I don't run but I did think that someone on the last BC had similar problems (sarahbeenysapprentice?) and they found that on days they were going to run a lot a slightly higher carb intake helped. I can't remember the type of carbs they had but obviously something like egg on toast (not white) would be a better option than a sugary thing. I think that stunt, pisses and ready do a lot of exercise so they might be able to help as well.

Yeah, read the book, I know that it gets recommended a lot and people say it is good. It might help you in understanding what is happening and why.

Pisseslikeahorse · 18/01/2015 16:50

did some one say my name or was I just lurking Grin

MrsDesperado - firstly read the book.
theres no need for any extra carbs at the moment, I would even say don’t do it as it will throw more issue onto what is already going to be a strange change for you.

The key point is to do bootcamp and stick to it, eating what you need and getting all your water down for the next few weeks. On running days add in a stock drink (oxo cube in a mug of hot water) just to keep up your salt levels. If you up your carbs at this moment its only slowing down your going into ketosis and hopefully becoming Keto Adapted - the point you really want to be at.
this is a nice explanation of ketosis and kept adaption

For me it took a number of weeks to become fully adapted but when I did .. wow! your running will be great.
My run this morning was 90min slow HR training, I did 13K on a cup of coffee.

BIWI · 18/01/2015 17:01

I always go to the gym (personal trainer sessions) in a fasted state, and when I was running (5K runs) I did those without eating before as well.

projectbabyweight · 18/01/2015 17:28

Hi SayraT - yes I've done a lot of low carbing but the chocolate addiction endures Blush Definitely psychological. I don't drink or anything, so it's my naughty stress reliever. Actually it was a slight shock when I saw the word addition! Also I'd forgotten it's only off limits for two weeks.

I was eating a fair bit of dairy before I cut it out, maybe half a big pot of greek yoghurt a day, and some cheese (no milk). I lose 2 inches from my waist and 5 pounds within a fortnight! Probably a small bit would be fine, though I don't find it hard to avoid really.

Incidentally, when I used to run a lot I found salted nuts kept me going for ages (a half marathon in fact) (could barely do a 5k now post-dc).

MrsDesperado · 18/01/2015 18:07

Thing is I anyways used to run in a fasted state anyway - first thing in the morning before breakfast, and found it fine, no problems. Its just been these past couple of weeks that I've found running really really tough. The only difference is I've consumed way less carbs than I'd normally have eaten.

BeyondDoesBootcamp · 18/01/2015 18:38

D - roasted duck leg with swede chips and mayo

BIWI · 18/01/2015 18:54

You will be fine, MrsDesperado - you just need to give you body time to make the transition.

Read the Volek and Phinny book if you need someone else to convince you!

MrsDesperado · 18/01/2015 19:05

Phew, it's good to know it's going to pass! Pisses that's a good link, thanks for that and thanks for encouraging me to stick with it - I can't wait for that wow feeling!

Ok, lots if sensible advice here - sounds like I need both a wee bit of patience and also a perusal of that book. I shall do both and will come back and let you know how I get on!

Thanks everyone FlowersWine