Week 2 - October Low Carb Bootcamp - how did you all do?!

[BIWI]

Morning!

Here's what you have all been waiting for!

I love this week, because there are always some fabulous results - and those who really didn't believe it was going to work are always amazed!

I am SOO constipated, it's awful. I've lost 5lb in 10 days so can't give up now, but this is all very testing.

Some really nice meals listed above. I've never had much luck mashing food with a stick blender as it always goes a bit gelatinous- is there a technique or am I just useless?

Bit of an odd day. Have had to make up for the lack of veg during the day.

B: bulletproof coffee plus two boiled eggs (eaten on the run)

L: roast chicken pieces with olives and a spoonful of tuna mayonnaise

D: leftover lamb meatballs with mozzarella, lettuce, cucumber, spring onions & olive oil dressing

12000 steps and a Bodytone class.

I've had a fair bit of water but I've failed a bit on the veg front. Tomorrow is another day 🙌🏻

Just to say that Jamie Oliver's Mushroom Curry is lovely

I left out the paneer (since I'm eating less cheese this week) and the mango chutney. I used coconut cream instead of milk so it wasn't too watery. Added a few extra spices 'cos I'm a bit like that... And served with cauli rice, not basmati. Apart from that it was identical

Accompanied by a sort of indian spiced leek omelette (using up the leeks, garlic and ginger from my veg box).

Best thing is there is a portion left for me for tomorrow dh can have all the things in the freezer that I don't want

Today's food:

Food today:
2 eggs scrambled and a bit of smoked salmon,
Snack of Manchego
Lunch: tuna mayo with spinach tomato cucumber salad. My first can of no-drain tuna and I am a convert! Yogurt.
Dinner: Thai chicken curry with cauli rice...Pack of marinated Thai chicken from Waitrose, added a courgette, green pepper and shallot plus a can of coconut milk, served 2. Split a single steam bad of cauli rice with DH (fried in coconut oil, I never steam it). Really nice and easy meal.

Loads of water.

Just making a double batch of stuffing ready for the freezer for Christmas and an early Christmas lunch I'm cooking for friends next weekend.

Cauli Kofta recipe would be amazing - I do love a minced kebab!!

Venus Another recipe for me to try!! Have really slipped in our meat free days here since low carbing. Must get back into it.

skunka Constipation or not going as much? Loads of people on these threads end up going less, as we're eating less bulk that needs to be excreted. Green veg is normally good for keeping one regular ish. I def go less on this WOE though - usually a daily gal!!

Sugar free sweets have also been, ahem, said to have the desired effect.

Wow though, 5lbs is awesome!!

Gelatinous blend sounds like it might be over blended - maybe try pulsing it and leaving some more obvious lumpy bits in. I quite like them in celeriac mash for example - unlike potato mash! But just do mine with one of those swirl-of-metal-onna-stick mashers. I do make soup in a soup maker which blends for me!

Also, Rayna or anyone else -care to share a stuffing recipe? Maybe PM if it's less low carb than bootcamp, but there are some seriously creative cooks on this thread and I'd love your expertise.

Do herbal teas count as water?
I'm really struggling to drink enough.

Also finding three meals a day hard, last couple of days was big breakfast and tea.

@SittingontheSidelines thanks for the advice to eat last night. I did, and I slept ok and I'd dropped another pound this morning!

Food today:
B coffee with cream, paté with cucumber slices
S piece of red leicester shaped like a pumpkin, piece of cheddar shaped like a bat.
L Lidl Greek Salad, decaf with cream
S naked scotch egg
D hm "pizza" with anchovies and mushrooms on a cauliflower and mozzarella base

2.5l water, 1 cup of earl grey rooibos tea.

I'm struggling a bit with the water - I feel all bloated and sloshy. Does this get better with time?

Yes, water gets better with time. Especially if it’s spread continuously throughout the day.

For constipation (someone up thread), I highly recommend glycerine suppositories for those especially needy times. Revolutionised my life.

@8Track, stuffing , I use either pork mince or sausage meat with lots of herbs (usually dried ) an egg and some garlic , bake in a buttery tin
Makes lovely stuffing balls ( and is perfect on a Christmas turkey )

@skunka101, yep me too , but ( this is my 4 th Bootcamp , 2 of them may not have seen much loss though ) it’s normal , you’re not eating the bread , pasta etc , so you don’t need to errrrrr get rid of so much
Keep on the. Water water water , and the green veg and it’s fine

Oh , how I love roasted chicken thigh , with roast cauliflower on the side ( and spinach ,mushrooms and courgettes )

Could murder a glass of white though 😩

@8track it's on the meat recipe thread.

I used to stuff my xmas Turkey with sausagemeat that had chopped onion in it and some pepper...

There must be some great recipes out there.... (((toddles off to look)))

@skunka101

Constipation is only if you're having real trouble going, or if you're in pain. It's not about not going every day.

Make sure you're eating plenty of fat and drinking lots of water, and also getting your carbs mainly from veg and salad.

@IWillWearTheGreenWillow I like the idea of Hallowe'en-shaped cheese! I think I need more themed cheese in my life!

@stayathomegardner yes herbal tea can count towards your water. Just be careful to check the label as some fruit teas have sugar / sweetener added.

So much activity and lots of delicious recipes! I love it when the thread is so busy.

Yesterday’s food
B scrambled eggs
L hm coleslaw greek salad chicken mayo
D massive salad halloumi

Away for the weekend and planning to stay in track

I had prawns today, yum. And salad. And I walked and walked!

Fucked up badly yesterday. Was deliberate sabotage and linked to my stupid, useless stress eating habit. I am cross with myself but am climbing right back on the wagon whereas I’d normally derail for a fair old few days at a minimum. I also think making a decision to cut dairy put me in ‘diet mode’, something I always rebel against, so will go back to my usual meals and take a bit more of a scenic route to weight loss if that’s what it takes.

B: eggs, utter, cream
L: yesterday’s tuna salad which went uneaten in favour of cake
D: hm donner kebab, salad, tzatziki

Thanks all for the advice... This is definitely true constipation I'll get some glycerine suppositories and up the water even more.

Sorry to hear about the crap day Prima - but glad to have you back on the wagon with us. Great stuff that you've leapt straight back on.

I'm halfway to work for a "breakfast meeting" at which I shall be bringing my own eggs to avoid the bacon rolls, fruit platters and pastry mountains. Carby twats!

Then leftover shepherds pie with celeriac topping (made it last night, was delish!) And roast pork joint for tea. Crackling, mmmm!! Although "D"P suggested roasties.....as it's Friday. I stayed firm and suggested roasting celeriac chunks!!

Bugger, phone crashed and I lost a post. In summary:
@KondoKonvert, Lidl do halloween themed cheese. I am all about food theatre to keep me focussed at the minute, so I bought some. I suspect it's actually meant for lunchboxes for the under 11s. Hey ho!

Food today is starting badly, can't think of any breakfast. Will probably be FF greek yoghurt on that basis.
L: tuna mayo in little gem boats with cucumber sails (see earlier note about food theatre!)
D: roasted chicken thighs with buttered asparagus and kale
S: if needed, more Halloween cheese!
Water, water, water...

It's Friday. No crisp glass of white with dinner. Wish me luck!

It's funny, a friend of mine was saying that she tried lchf diet but she found it really boring as the choices were so limited. This is the friend who has eaten the same breakfast cereal for 50+ years, and a sandwich, crisps and fruit for lunch....

Also there a thread on mn where several posters keep saying that its unhealthy. Of course it can be unhealthy, if you're not eating veg but it's not inherently unhealthy not to eat pasta, bread etc. Nice to see some sensible posts, and good to see some familiar faces...

B - scrambled egg, fried mushrooms'
L - tuna mayonnaise, avocado, salad
D - courgetti bolognaise with roast cauliflower

Hello … please may I join? Long time mumsnet lurker and I've actually been low carbing for about a month now on my own. Have been starting to reach for the chocolate and wine and feel like I need some buddies, new recipe ideas and somewhere for accountability!

The good news is that I am finding this way of eating does work for me. Since starting I have dropped 4lbs which may not sound much but I'm only short with another couple lbs to go. The first few weeks I did get palpitations but these stopped once I cut out caffeine. (Disclaimer: I work with medical professionals. If you have palpitations on this diet please don't just assume that's what it is!)

I haven't missed rice, bread, potatoes, noodles at all. I am missing fruit, pasta and breakfast cereal - having lived on cereal for breakfast all my life and my breakfast options are rather limited because I don't like eggs, fish, mushrooms or baked beans!

Hope it's okay to join, I do need to be beaten with a stick frequently to stop my hands reaching for the wine and the chocolate!

You're very welcome to join, but you may need to change that username!

Hi- am I in the right place? I have about 8kgs to lose. I really want to start low carb but I’m breastfeeding so my plan is to cut out bread, pasta, potato, cakes, cereal, rice- basically the obvious carbs! However, I will continue in moderation to eat fruit and have milk in coffee. Any advice appreciated! I know it’s not recommended to drop below 1800 calories when BF. My partner started the Keto diet two weeks ago and has lost 4kgs! And that was with a bit of a slip up last weekend!

You're very welcome @Exitstrategist! As you're breastfeeding you'd be better off following Bootcamp Light - check out the rules, which are on the spreadsheet - see the OP of this post.

(Oh, and generally we don't worry about calories on Bootcamp - just make sure you follow the rules and eat well, so that you're not hungry)