And off we go! Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - Week 1

[BIWI]

Welcome everyone. We have over 150 people signed up this time, so it's going to be pretty busy, and the initial chat thread is going to be very fast-moving!

Here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness for you to post your starting weight.

Remember, you don't have to input your actual weight if you don't want to - you can index it, which means starting at 100 and then for every pound you lose, you take off a point.

If your name isn't on the spreadsheet, don't panic! Just add your name to the bottom, and then the lovely @AthelstaneTheUnready will re-alphabetise the list.

If you're on the spreadsheet and you don't want to be, don't worry - just don't enter any info, and then you'll be deleted after the first couple of weeks.

@Rainbowturkey Great idea on the clothing fit but don't forget the ridiculous "I'll never get into this" piece.

Soon becomes "you know I might if I koko"

I have jeans that I had that now are too big. But I keep as if they start to fit I need a BC. Hence Hello...

Does anyone know of spaghetti squash is ok? My husband brought me home 2 enormous ones! I've found conflicting carb counts for them online and I'm not sure which believe!

@KNPepper - you don't need to carb up before a 5K race, assuming that you're already fat-adapted.

Just got back from a cruise and tried to keep up to date with this thread when I had signal.

Tried to stick to no carbs which was great in the mornings and lunch as it was all you eat buffets night was slightly difficult. Just done a food shop after being attacked by the dogs 🐶 the cat just looked at me with a 'so you're back then' look.

Food stocks hopefully all prepared for the weekend and next week back at work!

Thanks again @prettybird very informative!! I've read a bit more now as well and I delay the fasting longer.
@littleredlipstick my cats look like that too when I come home after being gone for a long day, no idea how they would respond to me on holiday 

Evening everyone. I have sabotaged my own efforts and it's only the first week. I'm really annoyed at myself. I will draw a line under it and start again. I have eaten this way mostly for the last 4 years or so, so it's not like I don't know enough about it.

I'm pleased to see so many are doing so well. I'm off to peruse the recipe thread.

Hi Koko. Patience is required I think. I saw your previous post about macros and calories. I think you should forget about counting carbs and calories and stick to the general rules for the first 2 weeks. They really do work. It's easy to get too hung up on measuring and weighing.
Keep up the good work

I second what VampireBatshittery says

Stop. Counting.

The Rules are simple - but strict for a reason. As long as you follow them, this WoE works

prettybird as a vegetarian low carber your egg fast is basically my diet 😂 (it’s not, I promise i’m eating veg too 😳)

As a veggie, you're also allowed nuts (And pulses and kidney beans? - I'm on my very old iPhone so can't check the spreadsheet)

prettybird yes, peanuts often save me from grabbing carbs from hunger! I don’t do other nuts this early though, or pulses, although I do start adding them after a couple of months if all is going well. I do love a lentil 😂

@Peaches2018

Anyone exercising these first weeks? Any experience of how feeling afterwards?

In the early days of low carbing you might feel a bit rubbish, and it might be harder work than normal - but that will pass and soon you'll feel much better, and might even find it easier!

@Kokoloco

How does boot camp view cottage cheese? Mine is 2.2g carb per 100g. And it's full fat.

Perfect! I love cottage cheese. I find it so frustrating when so many places, especially smaller/local supermarkets, only sell the low fat stuff!

Also, what about pate? Lots of vitamin a! Low carb, high fat..

Again, perfect - good with celery I think

BUT STOP COUNTING CALORIES! It sounds to me like you're not eating enough if you're only 800-1000.

@Collectorofcookbooks

I love the first weigh-in of Bootcamp! There are always so many who don't really believe it's going to work, and so many who are gobsmacked at how much weight they've lost!

So we're at the weekend. This is a much more difficult time, and it can be very testing, especially where alcohol is concerned!

If you can stick with Bootcamp rules, trust me - you will have a much better result when you step on the scales on Monday morning.

What's more important? That glass of wine right now or a better result?

Just nipped to the supermarket. Oh the excitement of a Friday night.💤DP bought raspberry ripple ice cream. He's currently scoffing it. I, on the other hand have assorted cheese, olives and some cucumber chunks. Go me! 😇🧀

Way to go Justmuddling

I’m normally through most of a bottle of white by now , not this weekend though , oh no !
Loving the eggs for breakfast
B Cheese omlet
L Smoked salmon , avocado
D Chicken breast with spinach , courgettes , cauliflower , mushrooms, tomatoes, some cumin and chilli to spice things up , and some cream to make a sauce
Still a bit headachy , but not as bad as yesterday , and I kept away from the apple tree 😀

I've just scoffed my supper.

Wait for it.....

Wait for it......

A big bowl of buttery microwaved brussels

Yummy!

Has the added benefit of getting my veg portion count up which I always struggle with

Dh was planning on having 2 scotch pies as he got in too late from his mum's (who's just home from hospital and still not well) for me to go shopping. As it happened, he then decided to make himself some curry using left over roast chicken and a chili and tomatoes from the greenhouse, an onion and some flaked almonds I could have had some after all - but by that time I was already down the brussels route (would have got him to use shallots instead and hold the almonds for my portion).

Wow everyone, good work!
I’ve spent the last hpur or so reading the thread as I was late getting started - Wednesday in fact. I will weigh next Monday so I can properly join in but even just three days in I am remembering why I like this WOE so much.
To those feeling like they are eating too much I sympathise. It will pass. I have definitely been eating quite a lot (all lc) but I know after the first week this will settle down. I have purposefully made sure in this first few days that I am not hungry and therefore don’t go hunting for carbs. I had to have a strict pep talk with myself earlier about not opening a bottle of red wine to have with steak and I did stop myself so that’s good.
Onwards and downwards everyone!

Cooked a chicken & leek casserole for dinner, was so goood! Made with chicken thighs and cream, so good amount of fat and felt nicely full afterwards.
Here is the recipe if anyone wants it:
www.bibbyskitchenat36.com/chicken-and-leek-casserole/

prettybird I let the kids choose the veg tonight and they chose broccoli over sprouts, so I missed out this evening!

spiderkitty I'm pretty sure I had spaghetti squash last autumn when I was doing bootcamp, it's on a lot of american low carb/keto website as an low carb alternative for pasta, so I think it is ok, but I wouldn't go overboard with it! The USDA state the carb count as 7g per 100g, but they count carbs differently in the US, so you have to take off the fibre to make net carbs, which makes it 5.5g, but I really don't know how accurate that it. I've seen wildly different carbs counts on US websites compared to the ones we use, for instance USDA says leeks are 14g carbs with 1.8g fibre, so 12.2g net, but leeks are 2.9g on the bootcamp veg counter!

I’ve struggled a bit today, but stayed on the straight and narrow. Just wanting some chocolate as it’s Friday night - I’m not at all hungry, just fanciful!

B- Greek yogurt with cinnamon
L - tuna mayo on a big green salad
D - Curry made with cauliflower, mushrooms, prawns and coconut cream. It was bloody delish!

• 3 coffees with cream and lots of water.

Thanks prettybird for posting that just in time for me to amend my Sainsbury's order and add Brussels sprouts to it!

Had a lovely dinner tonight - stirfried celeriac, broccoli and spinach, just enough as I was feeling a bit meh. Am really working to get my water intake up, and have that odd 'sloshing' sensation going on inside now...

First Friday night with no alcohol in ages! Just stocked up on kale, cabbage and spinach, all ready for the weekend. Will try the egg muffins tomorrow that everyone talking about. I’ve had a really good week, feeling good and tummy def looking a smidgen slimmer, but tomorrow will be the big test for me!

@Rshard @prettybird @BIWI

Thanks for the responses to my questions around exercise and managing on this WOE. I have been going heavy on the exercise recently (by my pretty paltry standards that is) so my body is generally achey so I wasn’t sure if I was missing something else as well. Don’t worry I haven’t slipped yet but trying to get even more water in is HARD!

Does anyone else find it hard to justify this WOE to those around them. I keep getting friends and family telling me I’m eating too much fat and suggesting low fat alternatives to “help me lose even more weight”. Is it too much to ask to be able to get on with things in peace?

You just need to ignore them initially. Then you'll be able shit them up with, "Well, I've lost x amount of pounds so far on this WoE, so it works for me"

At least, that works for me!

Only if they're genuinely interested is it worth trying to explain some of the science behind it (which I'm not very good at anyway) like the fact that you're not at risk of increased "bad" cholesterol, carbs creating insulin spikes etc.

But I don't make a big deal about it.