Oct '19 - Week 1 Low Carb Bootcamp - Here we go!

[BIWI]

Morning all! Very sorry for the late start. I set my alarm. Woke up. Wondered why I'd set my alarm and went straight back to sleep

Anyhoo.

Here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

For those of us who are new, the spreadsheet is not only where you record your weight (if you want to - it's not obligatory), it's also where you'll find lots of other useful information. Look at the tabs at the bottom for the rules, a veg counter (that will work out your carb count for you if you're using it for a recipe), and lots of other resources to help you learn more about low carbing.

I'll be back to post more stuff later this morning, but for now just wanted to get the link out there.

If you're using your phone to access the thread, you will need to download the Google docs app.

@Themyscira have you tried butter coffee / bullet-proof coffee? Freshly brewed coffee, big knob of butter, whiz in a blender. Honestly it's like a latte. don't just put some butter into a mug of hot coffee, it just goes greasy and breakfast companions look at you as though you've gone nuts

DearPrudence don't forget about breakfast. You will feel less hungry later in the day (and less likely to snack on the wrong things) if you have something high fat for breakfast - an egg, full fat greek yogurt, an avocado…

absopugginglutely don't forget to have lots of vegetables

athelstane well done on your smoking, have a pat on the head from me, and thanks for reminding me of my favourite child-hood joke *see pic)

Oops, the picture posted without the joke

Q: What do you get if you sit under a cow?
A: A pat on the head

Thanks, Venus

You may need to go and sit in the WTF? corner with Shag. I can see you said 'joke', and I can see a picture of a jersey cow with a pair of pink socks on, sitting in a puddle of apricot stuff against a psychedelic background. But I'm not laughing.

ahhhhhhhh... gotcha.

Thanks!

Ah, whizz in a blender! That's where I've gone wrong 😂😂

I need to buy unsalted butter tho.

Athelstane the idea behind my inadvertently menacing Peter Gabriel gif was that six weeks of not smoking is such an accomplishment it deserves something bigger than a pat on the head—it deserves a sledgehammer. Which is, erm, bigger than a pat.

@SittingontheSidelines Sorry about the Brussel Sprouts scare! I'm happy they're amber so I can enjoy them occasionally!

themyscira I use the lovely French butter with the salt crystals in it. Salty, creamy, hit of caffeine.... Makes me feel bullet-proof!

So whilst I was cooking dinner, courtesy of athelstane, who btw, well done on the stopping smoking! Not sure how i missed that, can I blame carb crash yet? 🤔🤣 only time ive ever stopped was when I was pregnant and that wasn't too hard as it felt like I didn't have a say in the matter, stupid me took it back up and now I've been using a vape for the past two years 🙄 defo let yourself off on all the snacking, you've done something amazing for your health and the weight will come off in time! 👏👏
Anyway, yes, as I was cooking I remembered that story of those soldiers who starved because the only thing they had to eat was wild rabbits. And rabbits don't have much fat on them so the soldiers bodies were unable to absorb other nutrients due the shortage of fat (or something like that) anyway, they got very ill quite quickly even thought they were eating daily, so just goes to show how important fat is in the diet!

There. That's 2 mins out of everyone's life that they aren't getting back

Obligatory trip to marks and sparks for meatzza. Half my water down and on track today. I can't believe I actually got through the whole 10 weeks last time, just the last stone to go before Christmas!

Made the cheese 'sauce' using full fat soft cheese and feta 🤷‍♀️
Look so nice but it's made me desperate for moussaka 🤤 think I'll make that at the weekend..

I love how busy and positive the start of bootcamp is!

Successfully ignored all the cake in the office and have almost drunk 2 l of water plus a black coffee. There may be a small groove appearing in the carpet between my desk and the loos…

Tried on my goal trousers. They go on, thanks to past BCs. They are not attractive, thanks to between BCs

B: Boiled eggs, butter and sprouting broccoli
L: Chicken mayo and celery
D: Salmon and buttery spinach

And was it a lot of water or a shit ton of water? I forget.

Oh and two cups of tea. I measure 1/4 of a cup of low lactose full fat milk (lowest carbs) and that's all I get in the tea.

@Nonononon There's a lovely moussaka recipe in The Idiot Proof Diet recipe book (another low carb plan). I have a feeling someone might have put it on the recipe thread, but I'll go and have a look.

... and indeed there is!

Here it is:

IPD Moussaka

500g lamb mince
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons tomato puree
100ml water
1 large aubergine
olive or groundnut oil
3 eggs
300ml double cream
200g Feta cheese

• Pre-heat the oven to 180/GM4
• Fry the lamb mince until starting to brown, breaking up lumps as it fries
• Add the onion and garlic and continue frying until the onion has softened
• Stir in the oregano, cinnamon, tomato puree and water. Bring to a simmer and then cover and cook for 20 mins over a low heat
• Slice the aubergine, brush with oil and grill, fry or griddle until softened but not mushy - it should be golden coloured
• Stir the meat and if it still looks a bit too liquid, simmer with the lid off for 5 minutes or so
• Beat together the eggs and cream and stir in the crumbled Feta
• Layer the aubergine over the meat and pour the Feta custard over the top
• Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown

In the book it says that this serves 2 - but I would make this quantity for 4. I'm sure it's a typo!

By the way, there's another very useful/helpful thread in the Bootcamp topic lots of low carb products that people have discovered, with photos as well as nutritional information

Everyone is off to a great start. I resisted the sweet cravings, had some cheese and cucumber instead and a cup of tea.

3.5l of water done, 3 cups of tea with cream and a herbal tea, I must have done about 3 miles just running to the loo!

Today's food diary!

B: bacon, egg, avocado and mushrooms, coffee with cream

L: leftover corned beef and cauliflower hash with a fried egg on top

D: roast chicken with the skin on, neeps mashed with butter and asparagus with a bit bit of mayo for dipping

Love the sound of the moussaka. That's def on the list for next week!

Marvellous! 😁

Thank you!

I'm back too. Never really came off bootcamp in between, other than the occasional indulgence on special occasions. Lost a grand total of 38lbs since we started the last bootcamp - lowest weight was 9st 13lb which actually freaked me out a bit as I don't remember ever weighing that little as an adult. Put on a few pounds since then but still well within the healthy range for my height. Using the first two weeks to try and get out encroaching bad habits, but generally happy to maintain.

Food today:

B: two boiled eggs, mashed with butter, creamy coffee

L: salad of spianch leaves, avocado and chicken with an olive oil, chilli and ginger dressing, small portion of full fat Greek yoghurt.

Snack: babybel on the way home.

D: probably courgetti with a bacon and blue cheese creamy sauce.

About 2 litres of water drunk so far.

I'm not the only one imagining KondoKonvert throwing out her fat because it does not spark joy?!!

Greebo, that's amazing well done.

Good luck all! Thanks for the BC BIWI.

I'm in/back. BC'er since Oct '17 but recently I've started to stretch (to breaking point) the rules and the weight has crept on. Not to 2017 levels but def more than 2018. So back to it.

That said, today was not great. Bad planning etc meant I had nothing for breakfast and pork scratching for lunch. I'm better prepared for tomorrow. Dinner is chicken Alfredo with mushroom and courgette. Managed lots of water for a change too. The cream in that dish doesn't always do me any favours but I thought I'd get the FLGV in.

(Give me a prod if you are a long term BCer and a runner. My memory has failed.)

@Rayna37 😂😂 that pretty much sums it up. I got all my fat bits out when I took my Day 1 photos today and they did not spark joy!

Wish it was just a case of binning them!