Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Low-carb bootcamp

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

New Year, New Start Boot Camp: Week 1, Now we get down to it in earnest

999 replies

prettybird · 08/01/2018 08:37

Stepping in to BIWI's big shoes and with a loan of her Big Stick, I take a big gulp and lead the first Boot Camp of 2018. ShockGrin

Here is a link to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness If your name is not on it, because either it got lost in one of the many copy and pastes, or because you "signed up" after 0732 on Friday, which was when SayrraT produced the spreadsheet, you can add your name add the bottom and at some point it will be re-ordered alphabetically. NB: there is no obligation to add or your name or to weigh-in weekly - this is for those that find the weekly weigh-ins useful for motivation or accountability Wink

These are the Rules for Boot Camp. They are also on one of the tabs of the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness (SoF).

You need to follow The Rules for the first two weeks of Boot Camp. This gives your body a chance to "fat adapt" and for you to learn to eat because you are hungry, not because you crave carbs/sugar. As you get used to this Way of Eating (WoE), you will be amazed to find how often you are not hungry. You will find your fat stores give you sufficient energy.

For newbies, it is important to eat 3 meals a day - even if it is just a nominal breakfast/bulletprooof coffee (coffee blended with butter). Otherwise, you may find that hunger - or habit - will lead you to fall face first back into carby twatdom and then you need to start that process of fat-adaption all over again. Some of us who have now been low carbing for a while have found that we can follow 16:8 fasting or even the occasional 24 hour fast - but this is not something to be done in the early weeks. Don't try to restrict your fat because you think you are having too many calories, as they are important for the process of encouraging your body to change the way it uses its fuel.

So, here are the Rules. After 2 weeks I (or whoever takes over the next stint of the BIWI Replacement Programme ) the rules will be posted for Boot Camp Lite. Many of us who are still actively trying to lose weight tend to follow "full" Boot Camp during the week (maybe with extra berries and nuts) and then allow a small amount of alcohol at the weekend).

1. Eat three proper meals a day.
"You must eat breakfast. It doesn’t have to be a lot, and it doesn’t have to be absolutely first thing, but you must have something. For the rest of the day, if you’re eating enough food and you are in ketosis then you shouldn’t be hungry between meals. But if you are hungry, eat something. (Hard boiled eggs make a great snack).
After the first two weeks of Bootcamp we will relax this, but these two weeks are critical in terms of helping you switch easily to a low carb way of eating - and if you start to feel hungry, it makes things much harder! Eating this way will ensure that your blood sugar levels are kept stable, which will mean that you are much less likely to experience hunger.
A typical high carbohydrate diet can mean that snacking is a routine part of your day. Once your blood sugar levels are stable, by eating low carb, you should find that you no longer want to snack. But the rule of thumb here is ‘if you are hungry, eat!’. (Just make sure you are only choosing low carb snacks, of course!)"

2. Avoid processed foods.
Focus on pure, natural protein as the basis for your meals - meat/fish/eggs. Things like sausages, ham, bacon, pre-prepared burgers etc should be avoided as much as possible. You can have them, but just not every day. Avoid foods marketed as low carb, eg. Atkins Daybreak bars.

3. Eat lots of fat.
Eating fat will not make you fat. Honestly! But it will keep your appetite satisfied, and it sustains your body’s energy requirements perfectly. Fat does not provoke an insulin spike, unlike carbs which do (a lot) and protein (a little). Fry in butter, add butter to vegetables, eat salad with a home-made vinaigrette dressing (not made with balsamic vinegar though, as this is too sweet), add mayonnaise where you can (just check the carb count on your mayo first). Eat fattier cuts of meat – e.g. pork belly, roast chicken with the skin on and/or eat the fat off your lamb chops. Absolutely no low fat/light foods of any kind!

4. Make sure you are eating vegetables and salads with your food.
This is where your carbs should come from, and this is non-negotiable. But choose only those vegetables that are on the allowed list. Make sure that you focus on eating those vegetables that are 3g carb per 100g or less, and this will ensure that your carb counts are kept low. You don’t have to weigh/count carbs – this is one of the great joys of this WOE (way of eating), but if you’re new to low carbing it can be helpful to weigh your portions of veg in the early days, just so that you know how many carbs are in the sort of portions that you like to eat.

5. Be careful about dairy (apart from butter, which is unlimited).
Dairy can impede weight loss for some people. If you are still drinking tea/coffee with milk or cream, try to restrict yourself to max 2 cups per day. There are a lot of carbs in milk, so if you are having several cups of tea/coffee per day, you will quickly rack up your daily carb count (e.g. 1 medium latte contains more than 12g carbs!) You may eat cheese but again, don't overdo it. Full fat yoghurt is the best way to include dairy in your diet - but beware, it does contain carbs. Total Full Fat is the best

6. You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day.
"The more weight you have to lose, the more water you should drink. This is from www.low-carbdiet.co.uk/. Water is essential to weight loss for those who eat low-carb. The minimum consumed in a day should be:
Your Weight----Litres
140lbs-----2.5
160lbs-----3.0
180lbs-----3.0
200lbs-----3.5
220lbs-----3.5
240lbs-----4.0
260lbs-----4.5
280lbs-----4.5
300lbs-----5.0
320lbs-----5.5
340lbs-----5.5
360lbs-----6.0
380lbs-----6.5
400lbs-----6.5
High levels of ketones in the blood stream can lead to a reduction in ketone production, therefore being well hydrated could aid in keeping the levels low and ketone production ongoing. Consuming enough water can have many other positive side effects: aids your kidneys with the processing of protein, reduces the retention of water, helps with preventing constipation, and reduces the levels of ketones released by your breath, which in-turn will reduce breath odour. However, drinking a lot of water can mean that you also need to keep an eye on your electrolyte balance. You need to make sure that you are consuming sufficient sodium and potassium. On a low carb diet we can eat more salt, so make sure that you are cooking with salt and adding salt to food, if you like it. Good, low carb, sources of potassium are spinach (raw), avocado, mushrooms, courgettes and asparagus, as well as salmon and yoghurt."

7. No alcohol.
Alcohol is the easiest source of fuel for the body to burn, so it will always use this first before it starts to burn any fat - which is why you need to restrict it, especially in the first two weeks of Bootcamp, when we are encouraging the body to stop using carbs for its source of fuel and turn to fat-burning instead. If you really can't do this - at least try and restrict it to the weekend. Vodka with soda is the best thing to drink. Or Champagne, red wine or dry white wine.

8. No fruit.
Really. Seriously. Honestly. None at all. Zilch. Nada. After Bootcamp you will be able to introduce certain fruits, but at this stage fruit is simply too carby. We are also trying to break the addiction to sweet things, so cutting fruit out is part of this process. If you are getting all your carbs from vegetables and salad, you will be getting all the nutrients and fibre that you need.

9. No nuts/seeds (unless you are veggie: check the SoF for veggie rules)

10. No sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Sugar is an obvious ‘no no’, but artificial sweeteners are also an issue. One of the aims of this way of eating is to eat pure and natural foods, so including sweeteners is not recommended. Some people find that artificial sweeteners can impede their weight loss, and there is some suggestion that your body can respond to sweeteners as if they were sugar, by releasing more insulin - and therefore laying down fat. Given that the aim of Bootcamp is to help us lose our sweet tooth and addiction to sweet things, then it is a good idea to avoid sweeteners altogether in this first two weeks.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
29
prettybird · 12/01/2018 07:56

Thank you BIWI for the timely reminder. I've realised I've not been salting enough (I'd forgotten to make a point of doing so Blush) which would explain why I've been thirsty even after drinking and why I've been craving Parmesan. I should have known better Blush

I remember my mum telling me when they (Mum and Dad) were cycling in Greece in really hot weather yes they were nuts Wink, she would sometimes lick salt, which she kept a few sachets of with her, as she was sweating so much.

headoutofsand - I mostly cook with coconut oil, using it instead of olive oil. I also put a teaspoon in to herb teas. Ds doesn't know it, but I also use it in the granola I make him (not Boot Camp compatible, but crammed with "other" superfoods and with a minimal amount of maple syrup rather than refined sugar).

OP posts:
Rshard · 12/01/2018 08:05

Thanks sayyra, I guess it cools down in the same way that spinach does?

I also drink bouillon as recommended on here who, I had an unquenchable thirst. I drink it now when I fancy a warm drink at work. Colleagues are a bit wtf

MaudesMum · 12/01/2018 08:06

Menu yesterday:
B: whole milk yoghurt w cinnamon
L: home made chunky veg soup and a couple of fingers of strong cheese
S: fried cabbage with a bit of chorizo, celeriac mash, and some grated cheese on top.
Slightly low on water, but I did have two mugs of herbal infusions - Lidl is currently selling some wacky combinations - liquorice and peppermint, green robios peach & cherry - trying to get into the habit of drinking these in the evening instead of wine!

PennyMise · 12/01/2018 08:18

Wish me luck! Travelling for work today and will avoid all temptations carby and sugary.

B: leftover broccoli leek chicken soup with 1/2 avocado
L: lots of nibbly things - olives/cheese/celery/cucumber/ham. My colleague already think I'm nuts so this will probably raise an eyebrow when I pull out my yumbox
Emergency snack if needed - Waitrose Parma ham involtinis (sp?) filled with cheese and doused in oil
D: at someone's house for dinner so I've cheekily asked for some grilled food and am carrying an avocado to eat alongside. I am not undoing this week by being polite!

Wh0KnowsWhereTheT1meG0es · 12/01/2018 08:18

I found the problem with coconut oil was getting it out of the jar, not so bad in summer but requires a lot of digging at this time of year when it's rock hard. I haven't used it for a while for that reason (and the taste, interesting to read that you can get flavourless versions).

TheWayOfTheWorld · 12/01/2018 08:19

Morning everyone!

Very busy day yesterday which meant I didn't get breakfast until lunchtime, so on and so forth. Which meant I didn't have an afternoon snack either.

B: creamy coffee, 2 sausages
L: tuna mayo salad
D: pan fried chicken with Parmesan crust, asparagus, broccoli and spinach cooked in butter; generous spoon of extra thick cream as pudding
S: creamy coffee
W: 3 litres

TimbuktuTimbuktu thanks for the pointers - I am now away for 3-4 days, mainly in Scandinavia. Will take some stuff with me and will just have to do the best I can. If needs be I will stick to BC for another week.

BIWI · 12/01/2018 08:23

If you’re in Sweden you should be able to get low carb food easily! They have adopted LCHF much more than we have in the UK

littleladylawyer · 12/01/2018 08:26

Happy Friday!

We are going for a team pub lunch today, which is always a challenge as the others usually have the pub special of curly fries with chilli and cheese. I'm thinking of having an omelette with cheese and mushroom with salad instead of the fries it comes with.

I find eating out a bit of a challenge, as i don't like to appear too fussy. Although more places are starting to provide suitable meals or swaps it seems that the idea of a meal without starchy carbs is still something fairly alien to a lot of restaurants.

FiveTwoFaster · 12/01/2018 08:28

Just checking in - yesterday was good, though a little low on water. DH AGAIN brought home a box of chocolates that he knows I love and presented them to me. I was not grateful.. I asked him to take them to work with him today and he’s forgotten. I was going to throw them out but I’m annoyed enough to just not eat them. He knows perfectly well I find it hard to resist so will be astonished by their untouched state tonight.

Am out to dinner this evening so need to check menu ahead of time and go for a good walk at some point. Day 3 will be good too! The thread is very motivating.

BIWI · 12/01/2018 08:29

Look - if you want this WOE to work, you’re really going to have to get over what other people think. Not just you, @littleladylawyer, but all of us. Someone posted about not wanting to look silly for eating the insides of sandwiches.

This is about YOU not other people. Are you not important?!

prettybird · 12/01/2018 08:34

WhoKn0ws - indeed. In winter it does get quite solid. I use a strong dessert spoon to dig into it (and any extra/bits left on the spoon I massage into my hands). The good news is that flavourless KTC oil is only £2.50 for 500ml - unlike some of the virgin coconut oils which can be extortionate (although the Lidl version is well priced) Shock

OP posts:
TimbuktuTimbuktu · 12/01/2018 08:36

I have the refined and unrefined coconut oil. I use unrefined for cooking all things that I don't want to taste of coconut (and that wouldn't be better cooked/slathered in butter) and the unrefined for adding to green tea and cooking Asian things where it enhances the flavour.

TimbuktuTimbuktu · 12/01/2018 08:38

Hmm obviously one of those unrefineds should have been refined!

prettybird · 12/01/2018 08:39

FiveTwoFaster - maybe seeing the box in an untouched state will get the message through to him Wink

Come on here any time you feel tempted and we will talk you down from the ledge Wink

OP posts:
prettybird · 12/01/2018 08:47

Good advice from BIWI - don't care what other people think. Remember what BIWI's name stands for: Because I'm Worth It" - a lesson for us all!

I've found that restaurants are very accommodating when asked for substitutions and/or not to put (eg) potatoes on the dish.

And who cares if you're picking out the filling - it doesn't actually impact on anyone else.

OP posts:
Mimosa1 · 12/01/2018 08:50

Hello everyone, signing up a bit late for week 1. I was in the previous bootcamp and did so well but I had a month of binging around Christmas (instead of one day - I'm so cross with myself) and I've put on 6kg!!! I was feeling so well and confident in the run up and almost at a healthy BMI aaaargh. The good news is my DH is joining me on this woe. I look forward to reading the thread and catching up with old bootcampers and new.

Almahart · 12/01/2018 08:54

Hallo, hardly posting as one of my new year things is to spend less time online, but just to say am totally going for it.

Made a lovely fish pie with spinach and celeriac mash. Also M&S do a range of low carb snacks including snacking crackling which is pretty good (apols if anyone has already mentioned this)

NSV - can get into my smallest jeans though they are a bit tight.

Am back at the weight I was at the end of pre-Christmas bootcamp - 8ibs to go to target

littleladylawyer · 12/01/2018 08:56

Hi BIWI, I know you're right and it's silly to put what other people think ahead of my own well-being, it's just taking some getting used to as I think politeness and a desire to oblige is ingrained in us all from a young age.

I will take inspiration from your username and make 2018 the year of making myself the priority and not concerning myself if others don't approve.

FiveTwoFaster that sounds tough, can you donate them to someone else or hide them out of sight? I ask DP to put his treats and snacky crap in a cupboard I'm too short to reach!

StuntNun · 12/01/2018 09:10

WhoKnows for only £35 you can buy a warmed butter dish that would keep your coconut oil at room temperature (sorry for the Daily Fail link) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2909775/The-air-conditioner-BUTTER-Dish-warms-butter-s-soft-spread-keeps-cool-summer.htmll*

Rshrd kale crispss* are the shizz.

Wh0KnowsWhereTheT1meG0es · 12/01/2018 09:16

Hmm, 10s in the microwave is probably easier!

TimeIhadaNameChange · 12/01/2018 09:24

Stunt - unfortunately my gym only has the very basics: treadmills, rower, cross-trainer and bike. The next nearest is about 20 miles away which, by bus (I don't drive) takes most of the day to get to and back. Hopefully the work gym will get some weights eventually, but they're reliant on subscriptions and fundraising so it may take a while.

StuntNun · 12/01/2018 09:39

Deffo WhoKnows I just chisel out chunks of coconut oil with a table knife. I do like the idea of a butter warmer but there's not much point when you aren't spreading it any more.

Twoo · 12/01/2018 09:47

It’s inspiring to read about all your progress. I’m keeping 100% to plan. That in itself is a NSV as I usually go off piste Grin

I slept better last night. Weighing daily. Put on 2lbs by the second day, then lost it the following day. Last couple of days it’s been lb on lb off so overall no scales progress.

But determined to see it through. If no real scale progress by the end of week 2 I will need to calorie count too. I realise that’s frowned on with this woe but don’t know what else I could do.

B 2 HECK SAUSAGES

L Humongeous salad with grated cheese & boiled egg.

D Cottage pie with Celeriac mash.

Does anyone know off a low carb gravy recipe please?

Wh0KnowsWhereTheT1meG0es · 12/01/2018 09:50

Stunt - I used to chisel out with a knife too but always ended up with flecks of oil flying everywhere. I use cold-pressed rapeseed oil ATM as it is easier.

Appaloosajunction · 12/01/2018 10:04

Stll clinging to the wreckage (ha)
Roast chicken with crispy skin and greek yoghurt with a dollop of cream have been my saviours.
Will make a big pot of creamy broccoli and stilton soup today.
Be careful out there!