Week 3 - May Low Carb Bootcamp - you've survived the first fortnight!

[CrabbyTheCrabster]

Hello everyone. I'm starting this week's thread as BIWI's away and Sayra's internet connection is a bit unreliable.

Here is the The Spreadsheet of Fabulousness.

Here is the weight tracker.

So firstly, a massive WELL DONE! for surviving the first fortnight. You now have the option of moving to Bootcamp Light, which means that you can introduce low carb fruits (berries, basically - raspberries, strawberries, red and blackcurrants) and nuts to your diet. Be careful though, as this can add a lot of carbs. Nuts, especially, can be very moreish. Some people stay longer on Bootcamp proper, some do Bootcamp Light at weekends and drink wine. I'm sure BIWI will be along when she gets the chance, to give you all some pointers.

Good luck with the weigh in, everyone, and please remember that weight loss is not a linear thing. Don't be discouraged if you haven't seen as much of a loss as you'd like - just KOKO and The Whoosh Fairy will visit you, whisking away a sudden whoosh of weight.

sass is the salami rannoch smokery? I've had their salamis and smoked meats before (noticed aldi had started selling them) they are yummy!

Thanks Gcalgske. DS4 does seem to be reacting when I have dairy so it looks like we're back on the reflux/dairy-free bandwagon again. It is a complete PITA when you're trying to eat clean and low carb. DS3 was allergic to soya and egg as well so I'm going to have to do some trials to work out what I need to avoid with DS4.

For those interested in the Alpro coconut yoghurt they also do an almond yogurt that is dairy-free (but not soya-free.

Thank you romey

I know I shouldn't be moaning so much about a cold , - for all who're really under the weather - but since I had sepsis a few years back my immune system is crap and I feel really rotten, also I get a nagging doubt / psychological aspect where I think I might actually be dying again. Another one for the psychologist!
I'm feeling a bit better so more of the same today - zinc, vit c and contact with lots of fruit tea!

Lunch...

Not all of it, obviously, though it's tempting.

Crustless quiche. Happy to post recipe if anyone wants it.

Crabby - that looks yummy - as opposed to the salad I had - swear to God I am eating so much lettuce I am thinking of name changing to Romaine-Cos

crabby please post recipe! It looks delish....

Yes please crabby, if you have time post the recipe!!

dilite do you think more than colour that you miss the stodgy consistency of carbs, as in something to bit in to?

I find fried wedges of aubergine give me that stodginess, although I notice they are a bit higher in carb than other vegetables.

Today for lunch I made a flash in the pan eggplant parmesan.
Basically cut the eggplant across to make thickish circles. Fried in about 1cm of olive oil (so almost deep-fried). Drained on paper towels, poured excess oil out of pan. then eggplant back in the pan with a drizzle of parmesan and mozzarella and a drizzle of pasta sauce (cooked tin tomato sauce).
Then repeat again on top layer and I had a sort of pizza-ish eggplant parmesan. It was really satisfying to eat!

No idea of carb content of mozzarella though? It doesn't say on the packets I buy here.

And sorry, but could someone explain what too much protein is? Someone above was talking about being in protein limbo: too much protein/not enough fat etc etc..

From my quick search I have not found any instructions or guidelines of how many grams of each we are aiming for, and anyway I thought it was better that we self regulated rather than counting grams.

However it would be good to have an idea if I'm getting it right…
[thick emoticon]

morning all

only had brekkie so far - 1 bacon, 2 eggs fried in same pan as the bacon, courgettes & mushrooms in bacon fat from the jar (loving having veg at breakfast), cuppa

have bit of a cough/sore throat so sipping concoction of hot lemon, ginger & turmeric

Ewan I'm pretty sure one body-pump session will guarantee more defined abs!!

Well done for getting through a session!
I downloaded the Davina 7 minute work outs they are very good at making you feel like you've done something. They are not too hight intensity and just give you an energy boost if you've been sitting around a lot.

However very happy to use the 'my body is adapting to low-carbing' as a plausible excuse to slow down completely stop gym workouts.

Help...

I have been invited by DS best friend's mum to go and watch footy with her with the DSs at the weekend, pizza and wine

would it be HIDEOUS form of me to take a massive plate of antipasti to eat and share?

Ohh, Patapouf

Your brussels concoction sounds lovely! do they make you fart less if on LC

justone apparently too much protein can trigger an insulin response in the same way carbs can! I have no idea how much is too much though!

hissy sprout mix was nice, but it could have done without all the whole grain mustard I stupidly added without checking the carb count. no they don't make you fart any less

B: a pepperami. I had to go into work at very short notice and had no time.
L: final leftovers of lardons/celeriac combo,
D: something with cauliflower and possibly chicken.

I think I need to up my flax intake to , erm, keeps things moving

Hissy I have a similar problem. Going to a pot luck dinner tomorrow where there will be a lovely spread, based on previous form.. I'm trying to think of a good low-carb starter to bring as my contribution?
Or a main dish at a push, but seem to be stuck for ideas.

Gcal, you are not moaning at all, colds are awful at the best of times, never mind when you have a low immune response. I will pick up some koko on the way home for the lasagne, DS has asked for lasagne for three nights in a row now, so I should make it

Not caught up on thread yet, look forward to catching up later.

justonemorethread no, it's not that stodge, it's the colour itself and the different flavours that come with it- like tomatoes or red/ yellow peppers in salads. Or fruit salads. Although the crunch that comes with it as well- this is why I hate mashed foods as they have no crunch to them.

BIWI it feels like I am eating a lot of protein because where before I would have had carbs/ starch I am having to replace those meals with meat/ fish/ eggs.

today:
b: eggs with bacon fried in butter, cucumber, radishes
l: pork scratchings- no lunch as such as breakfast was late and was out at lunchtime
d: oven cooked chicken in mayo marinade, spinach, cucumber, radish salad with oil

Water, tea, water

By the way, if anyone is planning on having a bbq, I would highly recommend marinading your chicken in mayo and lemon juice. It comes out so juicy and tender then, literally melts in your mouth.

Success - ignored all temptation at lunchtime. Having a plan really helped. Being able to make my choice beforehand and sticking to it and not having a taste and kidding myself that I hadn't really gone off plan ( how many time have I done that in the past) was so calming. The restaurant even had kale crisps as a side!
Now all I need is to get an offer from this evening's viewing... Being greedy

Ok, here's the crustless quiche recipe. I don't usually put asparagus in but I found 4 spears lurking in the veg bin so thought I'd use them up. You could use any combo of meat/fish/veg/cheese you like here really. The quantities of 8 eggs and 300ml cream make enough mixture to fill a standard flan dish. I'll put this on the recipe thread too.

Crustless Quiche
8 large eggs
300 ml double cream
1/2 pack of garlic boursin
1/2 pack feta
handful grated gruyere
3 or 4 spring onions
4 rashers streaky bacon
4 spears asparagus
Crushed black peppercorns
Chopped herbs

Preheat oven to 180*C

Snip the bacon into little bits with scissors and lay them out in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil. Fry them until crispy, turning over when they're done on one side.
Put the eggs and cream in a bowl and beat with a fork.
Mash in the boursin so that it's distributed in the mixture. Crumble in the feta.
Chop the spring onions and add to the mixture.
Chop the asparagus fairly finely, leaving the heads of the spears longer. Add the chopped bits to the mix, reserving the heads.
Add the pepper and whatever herbs you like. I used dill today because I had some left over and thought it'd complement the feta.
Still in the crispy bacon and olive oil from the pan.
Mix thoroughly and pour into a buttered flan dish. It's easier to put in the oven without spilling if you put it on a baking tray first.
Lay the asparagus heads on top in a vaguely arty way and sprinkle the gruyere all over.
Bake in the oven for about 40 mins until golden brown and the middle has stopped wobbling when you jiggle the dish. It will puff right up like a souffle, but goes down within a few minutes.

It's lovely hot but also very nice cold. I make one a week and have it for lunches with salad and mayo.

Tried this tonight. I did take a picture, but it looked nowt like this! Tasted good though.

Only problem was, the mushroom is too hot to pick up!

crabby quiche sounds lovely, marked that for when I am back on dairy

sass I wondered about those mushroom burgers, mainly the probability of the burger slipping as mushrooms can be slippy can't they, hadn't thought about the heat issue, were they worth it or should I stick with lettuce to wrap burger in?

tetley is that a local restaurant or so they have branches accross the UK? been away for so long am out of touch, will have to re-familiarise myself with eating establishments although if DH gets his way we will spend the first year sampling nothing but country pubs - missed those the most I think

L - watercress, cucumber, hm mayo, pate on celery
D - will be leftover beef shortribs (lovely by the way, very rich) shredded and eggs scrambled in butter with spring onion & chilli powder and an avocado if it is ripe

CrabbytheCrabster, that sounds amazing. I've printed out your recipe and will definitely be trying that this week!

Sass, also, thank you for the Mushroom Burger idea.

dillite there's nothing to stop you having red veg, as long as you don't eat too much of it. All that I say with Bootcamp is that you focus on veg around 3g per 100g - you can eat other veg, just beware that it's higher in carbs.

justonemorethread as long as you're eating plenty of fat, and getting your carbs from veg/salad, you won't be eating too much protein.

Just remember that we are looking to eat fat, then protein, then carbs.

If you're looking for meal inspiration, don't forget our recipe thread! There are some lovely recipes here to inspire you

lex they were really nice, but I'm not sure they were any better than just having mushrooms with melted cheese as a side dish to your burger.

I ate it with a knife and fork, which was a bit defeating the point if having a burger! I thought I could maybe wait until the mushrooms are just warm. Or maybe wrap the lettuce around the mushroom burger!

I have seen them with bacon in the middle.
I am Sooooo trying that next time.

Alpine kitchen is the brand gcal

sass oh yes bacon and mushroom sarnie for breakfast - now you are talking!