Lots of people have signed up for this one - no doubt thinking about Christmas and squeezing into that little black dress!
So in advance, here's some stuff to think about so you can get planning over the weekend.
1- How long is Bootcamp?
Bootcamp lasts for 10 weeks, so our final weigh-in will be Monday 18 December.
The first two weeks of Bootcamp are the strictest, to help you shift your body away from burning carbs for fuel, to burning fat for fuel.
After the two weeks are up, you can move to Bootcamp Light, which is a little bit more relaxed. If, though, strict Bootcamp is working for you, you can stay on that. Or you can do a hybrid, following Bootcamp during the week but switching to Bootcamp Light at the weekend.
2 - Bootcamp should be easy to follow
There is absolutely no need to weigh anything, or count the carbs in anything. Nor do we count calories. Just follow the rules (only 10 of them!) and you will be fine.
Low carbing isn't the easiest WOE (way of eating), because our contemporary diet is built around carbs. Just take a look at any high street coffee shop or takeaway - all carb central!
And you may find the first few days tough going, until your body adjusts, but once you're into it, it's a simple plan. It's made that way because I'm a lazy arse who can't be bothered with all that weighing and counting!
3 - Foods that you're not allowed to eat during Bootcamp
Absolutely NONE of the following:
pasta/noodles
rice
bread (in any form - so no wraps, bagels, pittas, naans, chapattis, etc)
barley/oats/quinoa (or other grains)
flour
cake/muffins/brownies/flapjacks
potatoes
other sweet vegetables - especially sweet potatoes/sweetcorn (the clue is in the name!)
pulses/legumes (e.g. peas, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans etc)
balsamic vinegar (it's made differently from other vinegars and is very high in carbs - wine vinegar is fine)
4 - Well what can I eat then?!
We're aiming to switch the ratio of macronutrients from carbs:protein:fat to fat:protein:carbs.
This is a high fat diet. This is something that blows most people's minds when they first start out low carbing. We've been told for the last 30-40 years that fat is bad for us, but this simply isn't true. It's a claim that was initially based on bad science and given further credence by politicians and the media.
Good sources of fat include olive oil, coconut oil, butter, cheese and cream. You will find that not only will your food taste absolutely delicious, but it's also very satiating. You will not be hungry on a low carb diet!
Other things to include in your diet are fattier cuts of meat and fish. Stop seeking out low fat chicken breast with no skin, and embrace the loveliness of roast chicken with lots of gorgeous crispy skin!
Buy mince with a higher fat content. It will have a much better taste than low fat stuff.
Fry your food rather than grill it, etc.
Your carbs on this WOE will come mainly from vegetables and salad. When I post the spreadsheet on Monday morning you'll see on the tabs at the bottom that there's a list of vegetables and their carb counts - if you stick to veg that's around 4g carbs per 100g or less, you'll be fine. Higher carb veg occasionally is OK.
If you've been used to basing your meals around pasta or rice - which lots of us do, especially if you buy a lot of ready meals, you'll have to re-think your approach to meals/cooking.
Here are some examples of meals that I might cook:
•Roast chicken with roasted vegetables• (e.g. shallots, leeks, fennel, courgettes, peppers, cauliflower). Veg roasted in olive oil, and oil or butter on the chicken skin
Marinated salmon fillets with stir-fried vegetables (salmon marinated for c. 20-30 minutes in olive oil, with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, lemon juice and Chinese 5 spice powder); veg could include mange tout, shallots, baby sweetcorn, celery.
... or serve it with egg fried 'rice' made from cauliflower
This is really easy and tastes surprisingly good - trust me! I resisted cauliflower rice for a long time, because I thought it would have too strong a cauliflower taste, but I was wrong.
To make this, separate the florets of a cauliflower, wash them, and then either pulse in a food processor until it's blitzed into small rice-like pieces, or use a box grater (this way is a bit messy, but works well if you don't have a food processor). In a wok or large frying pan, fry this in some light oil or coconut oil. It's all cooked through, which won't take long, push it all to the edges of the pan, and then in the 'hole' in the middle, add a little bit more oil, and then pour in a beaten egg. Let it set a little bit, and then stir it through the cauliflower, so it forms shreds
Shepherds pie made with high fat mince, and using celeriac mash for the topping