Week 1 - January Low Carb Bootcamp: and we're off!

[BIWI]

Evening everyone. I hope you're all ready, prepared and raring to go!

Here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness:

for you to enter your starting weight

Have a good look at the tabs at the bottom, as there you will find the rules, the list of allowed veg and lots of other really useful information.

I've also started the questions thread , so if you have anything you need to ask, that's the best place to ask it. The chat threads move really quickly in the first weeks, so this thread is the best place to ask your questions.

And this time around, I thought it might be useful to have a thread to post about good/interesting low carb products that you come across:

Here

Good luck!

I can't quite get to eating butter on its own.

So far I have had today

B - 2 hard boiled eggs; coffee

Snack - three small cubes of cheese

L - just had salmon which I cooked yesterday, and spinach leaves for lunch. I'm really impressed with how easy that was to put together. I am tired today as working late the last two evenings, and really busy day with meetings, so trying to stay off the coffee. I will have another in a bit with a small piece of dark chocolate, which should see me through.

Dinner will be veg lasagne - yum.

I need to stock up on sparkling water and eggs!

Beyond that does look good. I'm going to have to try one.

galbraith happy to oblige

lurking you may not say that for much longer, as I continue to be tough

Breakfast was a mushroom omelette with a smidgeon of grated cheese , Lunch at work , Grilled turkey with salsa verde and broccoli and kale , managed to leave the carrots luckily they were like rock so not very tempting .

Now hiding in my office avoiding the cakes in the kitchen!

Thanks miffy unfortunately I don't know the name of the butchers to ring. The sausages have leeks and herbs in though so that will take a bit of the possible carb content. I think they'll be ok.

Notso, when i buy sausages, leek is one of the ones that is usually lower carb (and dh likes them) so we have them a lot. Another one is the welsh cheese and spring onion i had this morning :)

I've bootcamped as a lurker before and successfully lost half a stone. Unfortunately getting married/going on honeymoon/Christmas then derailed things somewhat but I'm back on it now!

Going well so far, but is anyone else finding that since starting they're freezing all the time?? I'm mainlining herbal tea just to stay warm

Going to be tested this evening, as off out with some friends to Zizzis.

Looked at menu and there are carb free options fir me, it's the will power I'll need to resist wine and dessert.

So far today have had:

B: Ham and cheese and cherry tomatoes
L: chicken salad with a smidgen of dressing

Still not managing to complete required water intake. Only drunk 500ml so far.

Don't suppose water in my coffee counts? I've had two today, so that's aporox 500ml.

Today I've had yoghurt, cream and cinnamon, and lunch was 2 cold Toulouse sausages and cold roasted cauliflower (from last night). Dinner is going to be Stilton and celery soup, with homemade chicken stock.

I've just realised I've not posted my weight on the spreadsheet yet - will do that when I'm back on a laptop. I lost 2lb in my 1st week of Boot Camp (I started last week).

It looks like I've put on loads of weight since that last Boot Camp, when I'd got down to 10st 2lb. In reality, I'm only 6lb up, even though I'm posting a weight of 11stone 12lb - it's just that I am now positioning the scales on a more accurate consistent less flattering position in the bathroom.

To be fair, that tallies with how I feel my weight is.

projectbabyweight not sure I could eat butter off a spoon but slathered on radishes with sea salt, yes

Out0fCheeseError I am also cold, made worse that I do not normally drink any hot drinks! Going to have to get some peppermint tea. Also when I am cold I eat more. So struggling a bit today as body saying "lay on fat" whilst brain is (just about )holding off the carby snacks.

I love a little (quite hard) butter with a smear of marmite on it

A stressful week at work for me, although I'm managing (just about) to lay off the wine. The test will be at the weekend - it's my mother-in-law's birthday and she's spending a few days in a hotel near us. She's lovely, but she tends to bring a tonne of cake and chocolate with her whenever she visits (and she visits virtually every week!). She's offered to babysit on Saturday so we can go to the cinema and out to lunch, but I can handle low carb options for that. But I think she wants to go for a family lunch on Sunday, which is likely to be for a roast dinner type of place, so I will have to avoid potatoes (which is one of the only things I miss when LC-ing).

I'll keep BIWI's rant, err, I mean reasoned argument, in mind.

Today:
B - scrambled eggs, leeks, mushrooms, butter
L - chilli beef, mushrooms, kale
D - don't know yet, but possibly chicken with pesto, and celeriac or cauli mash

Right. First off, I have to apologise to you lot. I didn't believe you. Kale crisps couldn't possible be tasty.

I made some this morning.

15 minutes later there were none left.

They are bloody lovely! I have always hated kale, but like this it is divine. I will make more to take to work tomorrow.

Breakfast was bacon and mushrooms, lunch was veg soup and my body weight in kale crisps. The chicken enchilada zucchini boats are made and ready to be popped in the oven to cook before dinner.

I felt a bit meh last night, wasn't sure if it was carb flu or the lurgy DH has. I feel loads better today though, so must have been carb. And I am enjoying my very, very rare and lovely day at home on my own!

Oh, and does anyone find themselves having a thought process that goes something like, "hmm, I'm a bit peckish. I know, I'll have some nuts! Oh... No. Oh, right, I'll have some crisps then! oh... really no. Lightbulb! I will have nuts! NOOOO! Pay attention, Grinch!"

God I am starving today, I could just eat and eat. It all went wrong with a disappointing avocado for lunch and since then I've had some kale crisps, a bag of scratchings and am now debating marmite on butter. I have also drank two litres of water so far, three coffees and a buttermint tea. What is wrong with me?

Much easier for me this time.

Here are things I am doing different this time:
I don't force myself to drink over 3.5 liters of water, more like 2.5 max.
taking vit D3&C supplements
I started lighter version of low carb 2 weeks ago so easing into it with fewer expectations
I am bit fitter (doing more walking last few weeks and a bit of gym before Christmas but had to stop due to my shoulder pain)
taking food which I can reheat to work - today was fried salmon + leek + red pepper
doing my lunchtime walk - v.fast 3.5 miles in 60 min.

I am very positive that this time I will be greater success than last year.
More after feeling healthier and getting fitter than just watching pounds to drop.

My feet are already looking so much better! Dry skin slowly disappearing.
I am convinced in my case rough skin on them is due to crap in the food I used to eat

WOE for life more than just a fad methinks....

Thanks Beyond welsh cheese and spring onion sound lush.

TheGrinch yes all the time. Totally agree with Kale crisps, they are lovely.

My food today,
Breakfast tea with milk, piece of pastrami. Doesn't sound much but I really wasn't hungry.
Lunch, cauliflower cheese soup, with Kale crisps, a couple of olives.
Dinner is cooking. Sausages, swede mash and broccoli.
I've drunk loads of water and replaced a couple of my usual tea and milks with caramelised apple green tea. It's not quite the same but I feel virtuous and it smells like a pudding

one more ....
I eat much more butter & coconut oil - some may agree this is the point which makes greatest difference

Beyond, glad you liked it, they can get some getting used to.

Feeling hungry and head-achy today but i think thats tiredness kicking in. I have the breath so i think i am in ketosis and will have another litre of water and some pain tabs.

B- BPC
B - green smoothie
L-Thai soup with coconut cream
D - Beef burger, cheese, slice of tomato, green leaves and oily dressing and mayo

Uuurrgghh cant wait to get to bed but i have food shopping and college tonight. Woe is me lol

Checking in. Getting along fine today jinxes myself

Breakfast this morning was a smoothie: avocado, celery, cucumber, greek yoghurt and a small amout of water.

Lunch: silced gouda with leaves, celery and a tbsp peanut butter

Dinner will be some minced beef and feta meatballs. Used this recipe Rissoles

Left out the breadcrumbs and used 1 small onion. They're holding together fine and will bake them in a while so they shouldn't fall apart.

It's the opposite for me, Outofcheeseerror I am like a furnace. Even my feet are toasty and warm whereas previously (i.e. when not Low-carbing) they were always freezing. It's like my metabolism has been stoked.

BIWI - I know how unforgiving this WOE is especially at the start. And I absolutely appreciate how important it is to stick to it. And I know how much work you put into the bootcamps etc and I absolutely applaud you for spreading the LC word - I genuinely think it's important and valuable.

However... having said all that... I am really uncomfortable with any WOE that encourages women to feel 'anguished', or thinks it's fine to tell women they should 'beat themselves up' about their food choices. People are just being honest here - they don't have to admit their slip-ups after all - and whilst I know the big stick is a tongue-in-cheek Bootcamp tradition, no one should feel 'anguished' about what they eat.

Sorry to be so po-faced . Maybe the lack of sugar has just prompted a sense of humour failure, but it doesn't sit well with me, so I think I'll bow out.

Best of luck everyone!

Mrsstevejones - if your hungry and tired then eat, and try a hot stock cube drink for the headache (probably low electrolytes)

Better day today

B. Bacon and 3 eggs
Run 6k
L. Cheese, salad
D. celeriac dauphinoise pork chop and brocoli

Dinner is cooking. Pork belly slices, broccoli and swede chips.

Have drunk about 5l of water again today. Which is fab, cause i remember getting to a stupidly thirsty bit last time, when the woe was def working and the lbs disappearing :) :)