May '19 Low Carb Bootcamp - week 1

[BIWI]

So here we are!

Lots of us signed up this time, so inevitably the thread will move very quickly. Please, though, take the time to read the whole thread!. Although this is a place where you can post your daily menus, or your thoughts and questions, please don't just do this, but read what other people have posted too.

A bit thank you to the very lovely @AthelstaneTheUnready who has set up the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness.

The Spreadsheet

If your name isn't on there, don't panic! Just add yourself to the bottom of the list. Don't worry about trying to alphabetise it - that will be sorted out for you. (And if you're on the spreadsheet but don't want to be, don't worry - if you don't post on it your name will be taken off)

Here's a brief recap of the rules:

1. Eat three proper meals a day
2. Avoid processed foods
3. Eat plenty of fat
4. Make sure you are eating plenty of vegetables and salad
5. Be careful about dairy (apart from butter which is unlimited)
6. You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water a day
7. No alcohol
8. No fruit
9. No nuts/seeds

10.No sugar or artificial sweeteners

The full rules are here . They're supposed to be stickied at the top of the Low Carb Bootcamp topic (along with the recipe threads), but for some reason they're stickied at the top of page 2!

Remember that after the first two weeks we can relax some of this, and move on to Bootcamp Light, which means that you can add some fruit (berries mainly), alcohol (in moderation) and nuts and seeds (again, in moderation), but the point of the strict initial phase is to help push your body into burning fat for fuel rather than carbohydrate.

And remember - if you cheat, you will only be delaying this process from happening!

Good luck to everyone. Any questions or problems, just shout!

All new people added to the sheet!

KooMoo the link on BIWI's OP post should take you straight onto the spreadsheet without having to search.

I skipped dinner last night - I'm used to Intermittent Fasting. I woke at 4, SO hungry. I was dreaming of tea and a slice of fruitcake. I couldn't get back to sleep. Eventually I got some nuts.
I miss carbs and feel rotten, but not bloated.
Is paracetamol ok?

What is recommended for the lethargic uncomfortable feeling?

I used to regularly make ds' rugby team chocolate chip cookies (not so often this past season as he's been away at Uni, 2.5 hours away so we've only been to a couple of games) But I've made them so often, I don't feel the need to "try" them

He also finally makes the transition from U18 to Senior rugby the coming season, so I'll no longer need to make them

I try to get into the mindset that I can always try a carby "treat" at a later date, if I really really want it. It's very rare that such occasions are truly a "once in a lifetime" opportunity.

4 lb down this morning!

Warm water with a few drops of lemon juice is working nicely for me at the moment. But starting to crave chocolate again this morning :( Partly because I've got several overdue assignments I have been swerving for weeks, so it's all part of the same self-discipline problem! Just emailed the first one (yay) and need to finish off another asap (they'd been half done for ages I just couldn't get myself to look at them. why????).

I had a nice fry up sausage/bacon/egg/tomato not all that long ago. Don't know why I'm feeling more peckish today. Must keep posting here for accountability I think!

Just went fridge-hunting and remembered I've a small serve of soy/almond yogurt left. I can't tolerate much dairy so being selective with soya products instead. This yogurt is 2.3 g/100g carbs. Also using a bit of soya cream, and made sure I had unsweetened soya milk in if I need to use it for anything.

Lunch will be lettuce with mashed salmon/mayo. The latter is already in the fridge and I can't be bothered prepping much else today. Plus I've a student comes for maths at lunchtime anyway. Thinking of doing braised cabbage with something for dinner.

Ok off here and back to the assignments!!

I'm in the honeymoon phase of this WoE at the moment, when I love the meals (lamb meatballs with roast aubergine and green salad last night - so good!) and wonder why I ever eat any other way. It's helped by the sunny weather - who wants to fall facedown into the carbs when it's like this? However, I'm acutely aware that I started quite well on the last couple of bootcamps, only to give up a few weeks in. I really don't want that to happen this time round.

Morning everyone. No movement on scales for me really (week 4, expected) but clothes are definitely sitting better and looser.

Breakfast: 2 sausages and creamy coffee
Lunch: chicken salad with plenty of mayo
Dinner: TBC

Having to be strong again, as there are doughnuts at work. Although saying that, I don't really feel that tempted at the moment, long may it last!

Thanks everyone who answered! I'll swerve the ibroprofen and try to stick to paracetamol. If that's probably better. I'm still losing having taken a few the last two days! But I know the beginning is water weight so I want to try to do as well as I can!

@3brightstars3 did you read my post about downloading the Google Docs app?

@Flyingsouthwiththeswallows There's a recipe for low carb granola on the vegetarian recipe thread. It's a Rose Elliott recipe, and it's very, very tasty.

Re the cramps, I think that's probably an electrolyte issue - magnesium and sodium in particular. So make sure you're getting plenty of salt, and look for foods that are high in magnesium - salmon, spinach, avocado and full fat yoghurt are all good. Otherwise get some Zero tabs from High5 that I linked to up thread.

@venusandmars - wow that's an amazing achievement. So glad that it's helped get your BP to normal. Your story reminds me of one of my favourite jokes:

Q: What's the difference between God and a doctor?
A: God doesn't believe he's a doctor

@Summery1 are you a vegetarian? If not, then no nuts in the first two weeks of Bootcamp!. A piece of cheese would have been a much better snack. But I also have to say, if you're used to IF, then you really shouldn't be experiencing hunger like this. Are you eating enough fat?

@Almahart why do you find BC restrictive? I mean, I know it is in that there are foods we can't eat - but there are also lots of lovely things that we can eat. Have you had a browse of the recipe threads to see if there's anything there that takes your fancy?

Wow...this thread is moving faster than a fast thing. I'm loving everyone's enthusiasm!

I'm going well and had lovely non-scale victory yesterday when my work badge pass was renewed (I got that job btw) and my face on the pic from 3 years ago is literally almost double the size of my latest pic. I look like a different person, I was shocked, but delighted.

Double class at the gym this morning, but feeling v tired this afternoon, luckily I'm off today, so going to take it easy.

@ShagMeRiggins i think we have a similar taste for delicious butter. I eat that stuff straight from the fridge by the slice 😍

I'm only 2 days in, admittedly, but not noticing any particular negative side effects.

I've been eating a (mainly) low GI diet for years, and don't have much sweet tooth. Am I likely to find the adjustment a bit easier?

Re painkillers, I used to be on a low carb diet forum years ago, which I don't think exists any longer - there was a stickied post on there about things to consider if you weren't losing weight, and taking ibuprofen was one of them. However, there was never any explanation!

I'll see if I can find anything out about that.

I made slightly bigger cookies so there was only a tablespoon of mix left and scraped it straight into the bin before I could waver Then made my lunchtime salad straight away. Unfortunately only checked the dressing ingredients after I'd sloshed some on - HOW much sugar?? (The Garlic Farm Pesto and Garlic Dressing - 19g per 100g). Back to a homemade mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar tomorrow.

Supper tonight is sausage casserole, so I'll just pick the potato chunks out of mine. (DH does all the cooking, I'm very lucky, but 14 years of trying to explain what I'm avoiding if I'm eating low carb and it still hasn't sunk in, so I've given up - even a list on the fridge didn't work!)

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal you will probably find it easier if you haven't been a carb fiend previously!

Thanks BIWI

I’ve definitely read about it too. I think it might have been in Briffa or maybe Taubes?! I can’t look right now as they’re packed away while the renovations are being done. Mind you, if it was you’d probably remember. I’m sure it was a book though, rather than online 🤔

We're told to avoid balsamic vinegar, Owl - too high in sugar, I believe. Other types of vinegar are okay.

OK - I found this on livestrong.com:

buprofen relieves pain and reduces fever, but it can also sometimes cause or aggravate fluid retention. According to a March 2002 article in the "American Journal of Cardiology," fluid retention occurs in approximately 2 percent to 5 percent of people who take nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs -- the medication group that includes ibuprofen. Although noticeable fluid retention is unlikely in young, healthy adults who occasionally use ibuprofen, it might occur after long-term, regular use of the medication. More commonly, ibuprofen aggravates existing fluid retention in people with heart and/or kidney disease.

VeryLittleOwl well done on the biscuit front!

Bugger about the dressing 😖

I’m beyond happy that Hellman’s are now making a VEGAN mayo (3.9 per 100g and the whole jar is only 200g). It still has a slightly odd flavour, but it’s far better than any other vegan attempt at mayo and my own (egg free) attempts were pretty awful 😖🤣. I use a lot of basil infused olive oil too.

I wonder if just taking the potatoes out will make it low enough in carbs? I think the starch coming out of them during cooking will probably make it quite carby?!

Maybe give DH some new recipes to try 🤣

@VeryLittleOwl. Definitely no balsamic! It's 21.6g carbs per 100ml compared with 0.6g for white wine vinegar (based on Sainsbury's own brands).

@tootstastic - I missed the bit about the job! Well done

There’s quite a lot online about ibruprofen and water retention, but that’s not to say you’re not still burning fat & losing real weight and the water retention will usually sort itself out when you stop taking them. I would have thought if it was a problem the keto sites would have been all over it, but they don’t seem to be. Lots of posts about other ways to deal with pain and a few saying if you’re suddenly not losing weight and everything else is the same then it might be the ib. but actually it’s probably more likely to be another change you’ve made without thinking about it 🤷🏻‍♀️