January 2019 Low Carb Bootcamp - Week 1

[BIWI]

Well happy new year!

Here's a sparkling, brand new, Spreadsheet of Fabulousness for us all to get this new Bootcamp off to a good start.

Remember, you don't have to be on the spreadsheet if you don't want to - and if you don't want to declare your actual weight, you can index it - which means that your starting 'weight' is 100. Then for every pound you lose, you take off one. So if you lose 4lbs in week 1, then your 'weight' starting for week 2 will be 96.

There are over 170 people signed up, so the thread will move very quickly - but please, please, please read all the posts. Don't just jump on and post your own stuff without reading what other people have posted. That's especially the case if you're posting with a question - read the thread to make sure it hasn't already been asked.

Have a good look at the spreadsheet and all the tabs at the bottom, as there's a huge amount of information there - not just the rules, but also the list of vegetable carb counts, and some really interesting reading/videos too.

I hope everything there is clear, but if not - just shout.

Looking forward to getting going!

Today's menu is:
B - Smoked salmon and avocado
L - Spinach soup
D - Butter chicken
Looking forward to tomorrow's weigh in!

Sounds like you're doing a great job there @SummerSazz - and very well done on resisting the wine trolley!!!

Hi everyone, I am lurking away but thought I would pop up to say hi. This is second go at low carb for me - last time I did lose about a stone, but I stopped and couldn’t find the willpower to start again...until now! Doing teacher training so am a bit (!!) snowed under but I will read posts and try to comment if I have any wisdom to impart (unlikely..!!). Staff rooms are a hotbed of chocolate biscuits so I will have that to contend with...
For those who are struggling with carb flu, I found last time that a drink made using fat (coconut or butter) a tsp of cacao powder (aldi) and warm coconut milk helped me feel a bit better and was very filling.
Chiming in on the fibre debate up thread, the thing that gets missed about lc diets is the sheer quantity of veg you eat! I love veg so have always eaten lots, but I ate so much more on lc.
I have this book others might like to look at - it is called ‘the paleo primer’ and has lots of easy recipes and explanations about lc in it. They have a website too, they have a thing you can sign up for, but the info and recipes are all available anyway. Quite a lot of ‘replacement’ style recipes, which I try to avoid as I don’t think they are necessary - but also some twists on the usual stuff that helps keep dinner interesting!

Finally managed to catch up and have a moment to post! Loving all the support and meal ideas.

Started HFLC 4 weeks after the last bootcamp started so just lurked and followed the threads, lost 12lb then put 4lb back on over Christmas.

I've read the discussions about health benefits with interest, I was surprised that the main benefit for me (other than weight loss) has been my IBS clearing up completely. I now look forward to the walk up to school and getting out and about - it's been such a transformation! I've also experienced fewer mood swings and PMT rage.

Glad to see you posting, oh you lurkers!

And also good to have the benefit of your experiences and knowledge.

Like you, @Peggyyoudonkey my IBS cleared up completely when I started low carbing - which was a complete revelation.

I'm another one with special snowflake scales. Apparently I managed to put on 7 lbs over the course of 24 hours, which I know is impossible! Thank you to those posters who've been doing this WOE for a while sharing your experience of the scales playing silly buggers, it helps keep me on the straight and narrow knowing that the numbers going all over the place is normal!!

However I'm wearing trousers that I last wrote on honeymoon 5 years ago, and although they're a touch snug, it was more than I expected!!! So the scales are lying bastards!!

Although I'm going to drink a gallon of water today in the hope of getting a decent loss for official weigh in tomorrow!!

Well done all for avoiding the wine/gin last night! We had a lovely Steak dinner, which would usually go down with a nice glass of red, it was the first night both hubby and I really wanted a glass during the whole of dry Jan. We resisted but during the movie I did pour us both a large wine glass of Elderflower Presse, which was nil carb, so didn't feel like cheating and actually tasted like a weekend treat, so will be getting a couple more bottles in for the weekend in future.

Think hubby has carb flu, has spent 13 hours in bed and says he still feels rotten, but well enough to eat full cooked breakfast! But one odd thing he's complained about is getting cramp in his feet when he's in bed, just wondering of anyone else has experienced this?

Meant to say Thanks to @Biwi for all the effort and top tips you post, and for being so honest, given you're a LC Ninja it's nice to know you're sometimes tempted too, and you're right it does feel good to know you can resist!

@LazydaysofSummer yep, sounds like carb flu - he needs salt!

good piece here from the Diet Doctor about side effects and how to deal with them

You're welcome!

I truly wish I was a LC Ninja

The real poster girl for LCHF is @StuntNun. As well as being the one with all the proper scientific knowledge. I just burble on here in the hope that it's helpful!

Thanks @Hefzi, I'm home safe and sound and already had a lovely afternoon nap (never sleep well in strange beds and my flight was stupidly early this morning). I love the sound of the Rolex pancakes, I might have a go at those.

DH is in the kitchen making a roast chicken Sunday lunch. I'll skip the roast pots, Yorkshire pud and gravy that DH and DD are having. I'm going to have mine with a pile of buttery Brussel sprouts and a huge dollop of mayo. I've missed home cooked food whilst I've been away.

Thanks @BIWI i'm very pleased about keeping on track . I second the thanks on this thread to you

Just had my favourite salad for lunch which i thought id share - warm bacon, halloumi and mushroom salad. fry off smoked bacon pieces then add mushrooms and butter and fry off. Push to one side of the pan and add halloumi slices. Then tip onto salad leaves, drizzle with basil oil and freshly ground black pepper. When not on bootcamp i add halved cherry vine tomatoes and beetroot

It's nice because its warm for winter and salty (bacon and halloumi). Very satisfying!

For drinks i love fizzy water with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Thanks so much @BIWI et al for the information on low carb diets. Fascinating!

Should children be eating lower carb too?

Talking of gratins, I made a very successful lunch... Quartered endive (chicory) fried gently in butter. I used a metal handled frying pan and a lid and it took around 20 mins. Then added juice of half a lemon and let it bubble down. Mixed small pot sour cream together with grainy mustard and some chopped ham put over the top, let it bubble a bit then sprinkled over grated chedder and put under the grill for a few minutes. Served with salad leaves. It was GOOD. I love being inventive with things from the fridge!

Just downloaded the app. It's weird

Sounds delish @SummerSazz, might have similar for breakfast

Salad sounds lovely summersazz.

Know what you mean unexpectediteminshaggingarea (love your name) about feeling fatter. Not looking forward to weigh in tomorrow, bit put off by lising 4lbs and then gaining a pound back. We shall see.

B - poached eggs, bacon, spinach, hollandaise sauce
L - celery with cream cheese, tuna mayo, green salad, a few olives
D will be prawn laska from M&S (0.4g carbs for whole packet) and some veg, not sure what yet.

Haven't quite got my head round not snacking, keep nibbling on bits of cheese and ham & cream cheese roll ups. Better than a biscuit I suppose.

Making this to go with dinner
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1607648/mushrooms-stuffed-with-pate

My pate is aldi spec.sel. smooth chicken liver parfait 2.1%carb

@notlostjustexploring our scales are twins! It is so frustrating having seen weight loss all week then an impossible gain overnight - even if I'd sleepwalked and eaten all the carbs in the house I don't think I could have achieved that! It all adds to my dilemma of weighing daily. If I'd waited a whole week and then seen that final weight I would have been so despondent, however I KNOW that I was losing weight steadily (if slowly). Full moon, perhaps? But however nice it is to see quick wins I remind myself that this is for the long game, and even my tricksy scales never weigh in at the +10kg that they were reading this time last year.

Re: health benefits. I started low carbing last year because I had high blood pressure. Over the previous year I'd made the suggested life style changes and the kind of diet recommended by my doctor. There was a small improvement but I really wanted to tackle it and after researching (and trying) every relaxation technique and herb supplement, low-carb was what really worked for me. I reduced my medication gradually, have come off one completely, and the other one I now only take half the dose. I'd really like to stop altogether, hence joining boot camp to reinvigorate my enthusiasm for this woe. As well as recording my weight weekly, I am also recording my blood pressure. Looking forward to a sustained reduction.

Interestingly my GP was not at all interested in what I had done to achieve the results so far, even though I'm saving the nhs a wee fortune in expensive meds. In fact the doctor's approach at the beginning was "don't worry if you blood pressure continues to rise, there's still more we can give you!!" I was incredulous and it made me so cross that I determined to show him better.

Sad about the lack of interest by your GP @venusandmars. You are doing wonders - and that sort of improvement might well inspire others.

According to one I know, GPs don't do much on food and nutrition in their basic training. How to lose weight is a mystery to them too.

@AandL thanks for the mushrooms recipe. Happened to have the right ingredients and they were gorgeous!

Thanks @Haworthia, good to know!
Just had the coconut and ginger pork for dinner, it was delicious!
I went for a run (slow jog!) this afternoon and felt surprisingly good, as I haven't run for months and was worried I'd run out of energy after 5 min. I'm holding off weighing myself till tomorrow but definitely feel smaller.

Hi everyone just checking in pre the first weigh in.
B egg mayo in lettuce and large bowl of FF yog.
L veg curry (not great but I didn't eat the potato)
Su - making a lovely big salad with boiled eggs and loads of veg

Love the sound of Rolex pancakes. Will try them later this week.

@Dia12 I tried the cream cheese pancakes the other day - very nice & could be filled with something yummy. Thanks for the recipe.

@latebloomingleo Great! They were very tasty alright, would be great with steak, I rem a restaraunt i used to go yo had Steak a la Tornodos..steak sitting on large pated crouton...

venusandmars that's a rather crap response from your GP. Interestingly, my GP surgery actually runs low carb weight loss clinics. Must be a forward thinking lot!! And I'm with you on the weekly Vs daily weighing. I've come down on the side of daily weighing as it both keeps me honest, and I'm an engineer, so I like lots of data points and graphs!! But yes, lose enough, the scales will catch up!!!

Just cooking some salmon in tomato sauce with extra butter. I'll eat it with green beans.

I'm still feeling quite nauseous today, but trying to power through. All this discomfort will come to nothing if I eat carbs again.