Week 1 Early Spring Low Carb Bootcamp - at last!

[BIWI]

Evening all!

Just getting this out there, so that everyone knows where to go/what to do in the morning.

Here's the link to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

I'd like to say a massive thank you and to Sayrra and Wombattoo who set this up and maintain it for us all.

PLEASE don't touch anything other than the cell where you input your weight.

If your name isn't on the list, just add it to the bottom, and it will be magically re-alphabetised to include you.

It's called the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness because of all the information and resources that are available to us. Look at the tabs at the bottom - the rules are there, along with the veg counter, and all manner of resources for you to read up more about low carbing.

If you can't access it, or can't input your weight, just add your weight to the chat thread, and someone will do it for you. (I believe it's difficult to do it from your phone).

But more than anything else, a massive good luck to you all!

All I can say to you is follow the rules!

It does work, but only if you follow them.

Good luck everyone.

Here are a few calculations I did on changing macros when switching to a low carb diet. It's for information only so please don't feel that you have to start working these out. BIWI designed the Bootcamp rules so that you will automatically get the right macros without any calorie or carb counting.

Assume a daily 2000 calorie requirement. If you are losing 1lb a week (a pretty typical rate of weight loss on this way of eating) then you need to eat 1500 calories per day and burn 500 calories of your fat stores. However, those 500 calories from your fat count towards your daily macros. Your body doesn't distinguish between fat from your diet and fat released from your fat cells, it is exactly the same once it is in your bloodstream.

This means your diet should be approximately 10% carbs, 30% protein, 60% fat. (When you take into account the body fat burned this becomes 5% carbs, 25% protein, 75% fat.)

But isn't that a lot of fat, everyone cries. Actually no. Because fat is more calorie dense than carbohydrate and protein, it isn't as much more as it sounds.

Going from a standard diet to a low carb diet your macro intake changes as follows:
Reduce carbohydrate from 225g per day to 25g per day.
Keep protein the same at 125g per day.
Increase fat from 65g per day to 100g per day.

Calorie intake drops by about a quarter but calorie use by the body stays the same. This is the key difference between a low carb diet and a reduced calorie diet for weight loss. Yes you are eating fewer calories but your body still has access to the same amount of calories for energy so there is no slowdown of metabolism or loss of muscle mass.

As I said before, you don't need to work out your macros or calories, the Bootcamp rules do that for you. You may need to make tweaks such as reducing dairy or increasing fat but this will usually be obvious from your food log.

I lost 3-4lbs in the first week, but that was from my trouser-bulging biggest!
I think I know what you're going to say...
I've never logged food before though, so will start from now to keep me on the straight and narrow xx

Tartle for a starter I would probably go for Chicken Satay or Lamb Chop or Salmon/Tuna Sunkiss or Beef Tataki. For a main the Malaysian Chicken Curry would be good if you left the rice - that photo looks nice and oily! The Sze-chuan Sizziling might be okay, again without the rice - it says rice on the side so it would be easy to avoid. Do you see anything there that you fancy?

Yeah I was thinking maybe one of the sizzling platters. It looks as though o could just ignore the rice. I wasn't sure if the sauce would have sugar in though. Malaysian curry sounds good too.

There are loads of good starters that I fancy so I suppose an option would be to have Japanese tapas.

He does say that the standard low carb diet is under 100g/carb a day so it's definitely something for post-bootcamp. It's just nice to have the option of making creme brûlée afterwards without blowing the carb budget, even if inulin is fucking eye wateringly expensive!

I'm partial to a bit of Lidl gravy when not on bootcamp, it's well under 5g/100g but I stay off it when bootcamping!

I'm doing better with the water intake since yesterday. Timing my meals to get 3 proper meals in is going to take a little effort - I'm often a 2 or 2 and a bit meals person. Yesterday I'd forgotten, sort of, that I wasn't really going to have time for dinner until it was too late to fit in the piece of fish I'd had my eye on. Combination of teaching from about 4:50 to 5:30, then going to evensong for 6:15, then bringing my son home and putting food in front of him as quickly as possible before going to a rehearsal. Didn't feel like eating when I got home at 10. I'd had a small snack mid afternoon, maybe I should "give myself permission" to make afternoon snacks look like a meal, would probably suit the way I like to eat best.

It's early but might go and make myself lunch now ... Briefly wondered whether a cup a soup might be an option, but looked at the ones I had in the cupboard and they look a bit carby really. Thanks for the people mentioning Bovril - I've only ever used it as a spread but as a cuppa might just hit the spot!

I'm a bit confused..... i thought we weren't supposed to calorie count? Also is leek a bad thing?

We aren't Snowdonstreet I am cheating on that as I'm training for an event and my PT wants me to eat a certain amount but it's not in the rules.

Phwoargh! Tartle, that menu looks really lovely. I might have to find an excuse to visit. Is it in that there Lunnon?
Pleased to report that my lamb doner was just right in terms of spice and also my fried leeks were brilliant. I shall be adding those onto the shopping list for the foreseeable.
Is anyone else a bit clagged up? I'm sure my digestion is slower than usual. I'm easily hitting 3l water per day. Perhaps it's my veg intake that isn't enough. Think I might add some sauerkraut into the mix (once I've checked the label & use by date). I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be good for digestion. Or something.

@snowdonstreet - according to Sainsbury 's website, leeks are only 2.8g per 100g, so they're perfect low carb veg.

@Flisspaps (and everyone else!) the Tom Kerridge book does have some lovely recipes - I'd definitely recommend it. They're a bit more imaginative than most (even if they are a bit more carby).

He's lost 11 stones over the last three years, so he's probably in a more relaxed mode now, hence the higher carb counts.

I'm not bunged up but the headache has kicked in now and I just want a mini bounty boo.

Must.stay.strong.

Feel good here today. Carb flu pretty much gone. Tummy flatter

Achey legs could indicate that you're not getting enough of the key electrolytes (sodium, magnesium and potassium) - hopefully @stuntnun will be able to advise on this too.

So - cook with salt and add to your food, for sodium. Also, try a hot drink made from Oxo/Bovril or Marmite.

Then make sure eating plenty of foods like salmon, avocado, spinach and full fat natural yoghurt.

There is a jam doughnut staring at me....

I will not give in

Please don't!

Keepon are your legs achy or crampy? Muscle cramps are often a sign of electrolyte deficiency. If I go very low carb (ultracamp low) then I need a low dose magnesium supplement or better yet, magnesium-rich foods as BIWI mentioned earlier.

Can anyone remind me how to do the exploded Babybel? I tried yesterday but it just melted limply.

Here's a really good post from The Diet Doctor about how low carb is low carb

I've just bought pork belly slices on a whim today- any clues what I can do with it?
The butcher said to pan fry it but recipes online mainly say slow roast.

Any ideas?

@Glitterkitten24 I put a bit of salt & pepper on them then chuck them in the oven @180c for 40 min. You can chuck some halved courgettes in at the same time.

Shocking headache today and yesterday, I thought it was a bug, but, I see that some of you have it too.

Am going to make 4l of water today - been drinking a 2l bottle of fizzy water and filling it back up with plain water and some lemon slices. Peeing like a racehorse.

Weighed myself. 2lbs down in 3 days.

Witchcraft.