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.

Hello everyone! I've added myself to the spreadsheet as my weight is getting ridiculous and I'm finding it hard to stop myself gorging on carbs. I'm feeling very lethargic and podgy. Hoping to lose a stone by Christmas. I'm actually around the same weight as I was when 9 months pregnant with my son (which is really depressing me!). Long-term I'd like to get down to a healthy weight, so need to lose a few stone.

Thanks for that @starsky22 to make things worse , there was sweet corn in my veggie stew for dinner
Note to self , read the rules again

Helloo campers!

I dodged not one, but two birthday cakes today! Feeling good.

Didn't manage breakfast but that's normal for me.

L- left over pork belly and chorizo casserole

S- snackable cheddar cube

T- chilli with no rice.

2 litres of water.

So for today's food I've had

B - Greek yoghurt with cream and coffee with splash of cream

L - salad with olive oil

D - 95% pork and leek sausages with egg fried cauliflower rice. Fried mushrooms on the side

I'm extremely fussy with meat and that's why I struggle with dinners hence the sausages. They are less than 0.5 carbs a sausage and did me well on the the boot camp I actually succeeded

I'm at 2.5 litres of water and will have smashed the 3 litres by 8pm (which is my cut off otherwise I'll be up all night weeing!)

So today has been:

B: egg and mushrooms
L: chicken thighs, spinach with butter
T: Steak, salad and creamy mushroom sauce.

Going to make a fritata type thing (sans potatoes obviously!) that I can portion up for breakfast so I can grab and go - not a natural breakfast eater I'm afraid.

But my god I've been peeing like a racehorse today.

RosalieAlys I usually boil an egg while I'm making breakfast and keep that in the fridge as a snack. Otherwise I like:

• Celery with herby cream cheese spread on it
• Egg muffins

-Pork scratchings (I don't have these often, but I keep some in the house for if I'm in a really crispy mood!)

• Cucumber and chedder sticks
• Cold chicken wing/drumstick

aw, thanks Wheely - I've made it past dinner now, and I'm usually OK from this point, but feck it's a struggle between home and dinnertime. It'll pass...

Hi, littleorange - I've found low carb is like magic for making lethargy disappear

Congratulations on swerving the cake, Henry!

You've reminded me about the water, Kermit, cheers - am behind.

Wheelycote I’m not a fan of olives but my husband who is doing the diet with me is Greek and a massive fan so he’ll be thrilled to have that as a snack 😂

RosalieAlys

Good snacks I use:

Boiled eggs
Cubes of cheese
Veg sticks with dip (cream cheese etc)
Egg muffins
Cured meats
In emergency when out pepperami

You'll probably find after a couple of weeks you won't fancy snacking

spiderkitty thankyou!! Love celery that’s given me some food ideas for leftover Sunday dinner! Next thing I need to try is making those egg muffins. They look delicious

Oh and natural yog!

@StoatofDisarray

You're welcome to post your meals if you like! As you can see, others do this too, and it can be helpful and inspiring for other posters too.

I just don't want people to use these threads only as their personal journal, but encourage everyone to read all the posts so that they can offer support and help to others if/when it's needed.

So my day today:

B - Total 5% Greek yoghurt plus a large dollop of extra thick double cream, to up the fat content. (For some reason Total have taken their higher fat yoghurt off the market)

L - two large chicken thighs, that I'd baked in the oven with different spices on the skin - re-heated in our microwave at work. (Not as nice as when I cooked them at home, as the skin isn't crispy any more!)

D - beef stew with mashed swede.

I'm almost up to 2 litres of water and will probably have another half this evening.

I had too many coffees today though - all too easy to accept one when colleagues offer! (We have a very sociable office and people are always making tea/coffee rounds)

I'm going to repeat an earlier post, because it's clear that already people aren't doing what I've asked!

PLEASE READ ALL THE POSTS ON THE THREAD!

Don't just jump on and post without reading what's gone before. Especially if you have a question - chances are it's already been asked. It's really irritating to have to keep posting the same things because someone hasn't bothered to read the thread!

It's also important to read the whole thread, because other people will ask questions, or might need some help and support, and that's the whole point of these threads. We're all here to support each other.

As I've said before, these threads aren't here to exist as your personal journal. They're for us to share and learn, and help each other, along what can be quite a difficult journey.

Thank you

For those of you using the site on a mobile or iPad, you will need to download the Google docs app.

Here's how to do it

@ClashCityRocker

Celeriac is great in a frittata instead of potato

Ah I might try it to give it a bit more texture.

Evening all

Done well on food and water today and haven’t felt hungry but oh my days, am I tired and grumpy! Developing a cracking headache. Considering going to bed as then I can’t eat is this the start of the carb flu people were talking about? How long does it last? Or have I eaten too many sprouts already?!

Great idea on the measurements too, and love the sound of the egg muffins.

Re snacks, I normally have a few cooked chicken thighs and boiled eggs knocking about for snacks.

I have found in the past that there is less and less need to snack as time goes on and your body starts to 'get it' - hoping that happens this time!

@Collectorofcookbooks

If you're getting carb flu it's a sign that your electrolytes are out of whack. You need sodium, magnesium and potassium.

Sodium - cook with salt and add it to your food. You can try a hot drink made from Oxo or Bovril or Marmite as well.

Other good food sources are salmon, avocado, spinach, and full fat natural yoghurt.

You could also try an electrolyte drink - High 5 make one called Zero, which you can buy online, or from places like Evans Cycles.

But keep drinking plenty of water and make sure your fat content is high.

Loving the positivity on this thread of yours BIWI. It's great reading how you've all been getting along on the first day.

My first day has gone ok, but not perfectly. I somehow cocked up the no nuts policy and munched on some almonds and a couple of babybels, as it was all I could grab in a coffee shop, having managed to leave my lunch on the side this morning.

I annoyingly forgot that most coffee shops sell practically nothing low carb! It was all sandwiches, paninis, pastries and cakes...grr! A cautionary tale for anyone thinking they can grab lunch easily on the go.

Thanks @BIWI, I’ve had 3.5 litres of water today so that’s probably knocked me all out of kilter - never drunk so much water! Wise words, thank you, will investigate and rebalance

Already finding this thread very helpful and encouraging. Loads of ideas

Sorry to be that pain in the ass always asking questions, but can I have herbal/fruit tea because there are no carbs or is it a no no due to the sweetness ?? Just trying to cut back on the dairy a little

Ask away @RosalieAlys! That's exactly what the thread is for

You can have herbal/fruit tea, but you're also right to wonder about the sweetness thing. We are trying to break the hold that sweet things have over us, so I'd try and keep them under control if you can.

tootstastic if you forget lunch again you'd be better off in a supermarket as you can normally get chicken/ hard boiled eggs/ chorizo roll ups or other deli items.