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!

I know we cant eat them In the first 2 weeks, but what are peoples experiences of Atkins bars? I'm struggling without chocolate!

Everyone is doing so well and sounding so optimistic! My headache is finally gone so I think I'll join you.

You know what's weird? Last nights dinner was couretti with homemade pesto, cheese and yet more water. I was worrying about the carbs in the basil and courgette! The olive oil and cheese I was blissfully happy with. I checked and basil and courgette are both very low so all good, but it's so odd on this WOE to ignore the fat and worry about the carbs. Everyone else had pasta and ice cream and I bet they didn't lose a pound this morning.

Congratulations @prettybird on the anniversary and @tootstastic on the job.

Well I'm feeling a bit better than I did this morning.

Breakfast was bacon, mushrooms and an egg, all fried in butter, plus the salty coffee.

Lunch was delicious - raw baby spinach in olive oil, couple of slices of chicken, a few olives and some slivers of yummy cheese.

Pink Himalayan salt on everything.

My head is telling me I can't possibly eat all this fatty food and lose weight - I hope to god it's wrong as I'm really enjoying it! Although I'm getting some odd cravings - just opened the fridge to get (more) water and had an urge to down a pint of milk. Didn't, of course.

Dinner will be steak (either venison or beef, not sure which) with green veggies. On my 2nd litre of water now.

Always amazes me how much exercise can change your shape albeit a memory rather than current reality yet I’m sure I read on the last BC actually, that or perhaps a link from it(?), that the high fat element of this WOE really helps with skin. Between the water, exercise and fat consumed, you’re hopefully giving yourself your best chance. Both you and Ilovecherries both inspired me massively reading last BC

Loose skin has always been a concern of mine around the upper arms and post preg tum area. Ironically now that I’m shifting again properly, it’s my face that is sagging the most fucker Bit annoying as I’ve always had a round face, and now, just when I need it (age) the bastard decides to start caving downwards. Somebody tell me that it’s loose skin and will bounce back in time and not just the ageing process being revealed to post fat loss

Lol at ‘Wagon’s Turning’ sign. Certainly NOT something we’ll be needing on this thread, eh?

Don’t worry, I will help remount(?!!) you if you look like you’re in danger after SoF.

Sympathies to Siam too, we appear to have a germy little corner of colds going on. I’ve also got the wee like swamp water thing as I’m struggling to get enough water down yesterday and today. My throat hurts so much to swallow atm that I know I’m getting nowhere near enough. I am a couple of months in though so no need for big stick yet because normally I’m really good with it And lurgy has done the rounds in this house quite quickly over past week so hopefully will be gone again soon. I def suffer less with illness (and usually periods) when low carbing. Just not this month for some reason. Hay fever not helping anything either!

Three posts back to Toots btw!

Thanks @ChippingInLowCarbing and @MrsTerryPratchett 🙌🏼

@18pagesfrontandback thanks for your lovely words and oh I'm with you on the aging face....late 40s here and I miss the, unappreciated at the time of course, gorgeous skin of my youth.

for all those with colds and carb flu at the mo, wishing you all a speedy recovery.

jackie. I’ve never tried one. There are lots of good ‘chocolate’ recipes on the spreadsheet or you can have dark chocolate. I occasionally have the 85% one, but can’t remember which brand. Lindt I think. But check the carb count as it varies a lot. I do find though, once I’m back to fat burning, I don’t really want chocolate (but I’m not a real craver if it anyway) and it’s nit ‘dairy milk’ so the dark stuff is meh to me.

MrsTP. I’m glad you’re headache is gone and you’re feeling a bit more positive!

Everyone else had pasta and ice cream and I bet they didn't lose a pound this morning

🤣well done you!!

Greebol. I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better. It is (excuse the language) headfuck eating so much fat to LOSE weight, but that’s just years of BAD advice. Try reading Dr Briffa’s book Escape The Diet Trap. It’s an easy read and really interesting & motivating.

18 pages. I think for many of us, especially those of us over 40 (not saying you are) it is a bit of the age old ‘face or arse’. Loose skin and face & boob drop do put me off a bit tbh, BUT if I don’t do this I’ll be dead not just saggy 🤷🏻‍♀️

Exercise definitely helps with shape, if not weight. Even at my size I notice the difference.

Don’t worry, I will help remount(?!!) you if you look like you’re in danger after SoF.

That sounds, umm, interesting 🤣 But thank you, I may need a kick up the bum and a reminder of ‘Do it or take meds - YOUR choice’

Toots

I miss the, unappreciated at the time of course, gorgeous skin of my youth

Yep. Double. Yep! I also have some ‘before’ photos from when I was about 19. I look at them and wonder WTAF I was thinking. All the curves are in exactly the right places. I’d die for that body now 🙄.

@Jackielaffertyiscold honestly, avoid the bars. Try to get through the 2 weeks without, knowing you can have chocolate soon. Dark chocolate is best and I promise that after 2 weeks your sweet tooth will have changed and a couple of dark chocolate squares will be plenty to satisfy (I was such a chocoholic before I did January boot camp. Now when tempted I have a slice of cheese instead. Good luck! It's worth it!

@ChippingInLowCarbing Those packets of caulirice are truly vile! I used to buy them occasionally at work, and found I could make them tolerable if I used a curry past with them - but it was very much a last resort!

But it's really easy to make your own - just separate a head of cauliflower into florets, and then chuck them in the processor and blitz until it's like couscous. Then fry in oil with whatever low carb veg you want (garlic, ginger and chilli all work really well too)

Hey @prettybird it’s my anniversary too! Just the ten years though. I’ve got steak for dinner tonight which I’ll have with mashed cauliflower and creamed spinach. Lunch was asparagus and poached egg and breakfast was Greek yogurt (in Costa so I did well to avoid the pastries).

I seem to have dropped 3lb overnight, but I think that’s possibly mild dehydration as I stopped quaffing all the water last night because I needed a good nights sleep.

On the subject of chocolate, I was desperate for some dark chocolate last night - I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but have a weakness for very dark, good-quality chocolate.

Anyway, I didn't have any (managed to resist the allure of the baking chocolate...!) but I did scour the Sainsbury's website to see what I could have when the two weeks are up. Montezuma's do a 100% dark chocolate with almonds which is 8% carb per 100g, what do you think @BIWI, would that be ok in small quantities? The next lowest carb one I found was Sainsbury's TTD 85% dark at 16% per 100g.

Anyone know of anything better?

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal If you can manage to keep it to small quantities!

This is one I've bought before it's individually wrapped bars, each of which is 4.2g carbs, and being individual stops you scoffing the lot.

The 100% chocolate you might find too bitter (unless you're already used to dark chocolate)

@Jackielaffertyiscold I'd try and avoid them if I were you, and just go for some straightforward dark chocolate. They're fully of processed/artificial ingredients.

Tbh even when not trying to lose weight I rarely ate more than a couple of squares, so I think I'll be ok.

Thanks Chipping and BIWI - it's just tough when everyone is dropping lbs. However, I am wondering if it's linked to my having the depo contraceptive injection (which I didn't have last time).

Happy anniversary too Hobbes8 Lovely day for it

On the skin/face thing, ilovecherries (who I've met for coffee) has the most fabulous cheek bones and jawline and has lost shedloads of weight, as well as being slightly older than me So all that water and fat really does help Plus her good genes

Seeing my wedding photos today on Facebook (from the "On this day" memories after I posted a selection last year for our 20th) made me muse about how young I looked (even though I was "older" when we got married, at 38) - yet I'm still me just a few stone heavier

Greebols - I like the Lindt 90% chocolate, both the flavour and the texture. One square will usually assuage my chocolate cravings

My go to choc is the 85% stuff from Sainsbury’s or Aldi. Both cost about the same, come in individually wrapped bars of 25g so easy to control portion size and come on at 4.6g carbs (Aldi) and 4.2g (Sainsbury’s). They are both nice - though I am a dark choc fan ordinarily anyway - but to my tastebuds, the Aldi one slightly creamier tasting. Lidl also do an nice one - 81% but that comes in large bar of squares and is slightly higher in carbs.

Wow @tootastic, great going with the gym. Just trying to catch up with everyone at moment the thread is moving so fast.
@Chipping I've found my slightly arthritic mid 40s knee feeling much better on this WOE. @Greebols I have tried 100% coco chocolate and it was much less pleasant than 90%. The quite lovely man at the farmers market uses Peruvian chocolate and 6g of raw cane sugar in the 50g bars. I wasn't sure about single origin beans but it's very fruity, bit like medium roasted Brazilian coffee.

In other news after 7 and a half weeks , with only one popcorn slip up( Endgame is very long) I've lost a stone. And since it is unseemly to run round shouting at work I am celebrating now. Very pleased as my weight as been a little up and down over last couple of weeks and wished off today. Wooshed if only we could wish.

B creamy coffee
L feta and olive salad
T cauliflower and broccoli cheese with asparagus, sauce made with Langley farm cream cheese and chicken stock

Thanks prettybird! And the same to you

Post 40 face here too . I just seem to notice new lines everyday at the moment! Getting away with it less than I thought I was pre weight loss. Though maybe it’s just accelerating at normal speed

Still, never a wiser word was spoken than that getting older is a privilege many don’t get to have. Doesn’t always feel that way sometimes, granted, but worth remembering in moments of grey hair/saggy bits/wrinkling skin angst at least.

Well that and the fact that they’ve invented such things as fillers/botox

@Heartyhooker congratulations

Interesting to read of the post 40 faces, mine isn’t too bad at the moment but it does make me think about a goal weight and perhaps hanging on to a few pounds to save the face a bit

Will sit down and read posts layer, but just checking in.
B. Ver very late... 10.30, as I was busy as soon as I left the house. 2 boiled eggs
L. Pizza topping! Bought in for my 6th formers, as its the last day with me, ended up stripping off the topping and eating that...
D. Seafood. Loads of it, in butter and cream sauce.
I've had very little veg all day so need to dort that. Mean time I'll be doing various trips out in the car and working most of the evening, have a stinking cold, would have had honey and lemon, can't have that, any other suggestions?