Pre-Christmas Bootcamp: final weigh-in and ongoing chat thread

[BIWI]

Morning all.

So here, for the final time, is The Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

I hope that you've all enjoyed it, and have lost the weight that you wanted. Ten weeks doesn't seem very much until you actually start them! But I know that there have been some really good losses so it's great to see it working for you all.

But this isn't the end! (Unless you want it to be, of course). This chat thread will stay up, for everyone to keep posting, supporting and generally wittering on until January, when the lovely @StuntNun will be running the next Bootcamp.

Thank you all - I have very much enjoyed this Bootcamp and getting to 'know' you all

Thanks - got through it and the scales are continuing to head downwards. 6lbs gone since 1st Jan. Still 3lbs over my start weight for the last boot camp but heading in the right direction again.

Hello everyone. We are doing vegetarian January, vegan January was a bit far fetched for us I think and with a toddler to feed I wasn't confident enough to make sure he's getting what he needs. Anyway, after both of us eating low carb for a long time, eating the carbier vegetarian food has killed us off.
I'm starving all the time. I've missed my period, have PCOS and both bootcamps I've done I've come on my period within a week. I 100% know that's related. DP has Crohn's disease which has been managed on low carb, but last night for the first time since May bootcamp he had blood pouring from his stools last night.
I KNOW everyone says being veggie/vegan is a healthier life style and I always thought it was a load of rubbish that people NEEDED meat and dairy to be healthy by my god is he suffering. I'm starting to think that actually for SOME people it isn't healthier. We really wanted to commit but not at the detriment of our health.
Having Crohn's disease you'd think meat dairy and fat would make you suffer madly but everyone is different I suppose. Meat and lots of veg, seemed to really help it.
He's booking emergency bloods with his specialist today and probably going to go back to meat and 3 or 4 veg for dinner.

taming sounds as if your bodies know more about what's good for them than any generalised hype.

I'm not doing vegetarian January, but I am being more mindful about where my food comes from and how it is produced. For me it's better to have locally sourced organic eggs than asparagus from Peru.

So dreamy, creamy scrambled eggs for breakfast. Dinner is locally caught fish. It was supposed to be Thai fish cakes but something went badly wrong and now it is an incredible tasting but terrible looking pile of fish, lemongrass, herbs and veg.

Looking forward to the start of bootcamp on Monday, and to being inspired by everyone's food lists.

@venusandmars I follow a lot of scientists and keep up to date on new evidence etc, (I work in pharma), and I don't think I have anything concrete to go off that I'll die of heart disease next year if I eat low carb.

DP and I feel best on a low carb lifestyle. Definitely going to be mindful about where our meat comes from though.

@tamingtoddler I was a scientist too in a past life, so I get frustrated with headline noise. For example a couple of years ago there was a load of stuff about eating 10 fruit and veg a day (rather than 5 a day). However it didn't alter any of the other metrics, so it still had the Standard American Diet portions of carbs, with a third of the plate filled with grains, potatoes, rice etc. Plus some protein. All it was doing was encouraging people to eat MORE (and probably more fruit juices!!)

I also get quite irritated by the n=1 anecdotes where someone says 'I ate low carb, high fat and got gall stones within a week' therefore HFLC equals gallstones... Grrr!

But I do think it is a nightmare for people to navigate between fad diets, sensible eating, and untested government advice. My geeky scientist brain meant I looked in to the biochemistry of this woe, but not many have that training and I see friends (not people on bootcamp) who are doing half keto / half low fat. Then complain that neither work

The thing I like about bootcamp, and this way of eating is that it is so bloody sensible (and based on some good principles). It doesn't drive after excessive keto targets at the expense of 'normal food'. It discourages processed food. It cuts out sugar and sugar substitutes. It doesn't focus on obsessive calorie counting (although it does pay attention to portion size). And it encourages a FLGV.

I'm preaching to the converted, I guess

In my own n=1 experiment my blood pressure has reduced from hypertensive crisis to pretty close to normal (now without medication). I'll go with that for a bit of butter and the occasional steak.

Hello again everyone :) It is lovely to find you here- I feel truly home again.

I've returned from pastures-christmas-carby and am warming up for next week's bootcamp (I did manage to sign up) by returning to normal (HFLC) eating.

Here's hoping that the damage isn't too great. My clothes still fit and the airline allowed me to travel without additional charges for hidden carbs.

Oh no Taming it sounds like you've both been in the wars. The only reason for assuming a vegetarian diet is healthier is because we're constantly being told that meat is going to give you cancer. It's well worth looking into the research because the statistics don't always add up. There was a recent study that said if 100,000 cut their meat consumption for their entire lives then there would be five fewer heart attacks. You have to wonder whether (a) those kind of statistics, relying as they do on someone recalling their diet from years ago, are even remotely reliable; and (b) would that even be worth it? Then the other thing to do is look at who paid for the study. There was a huge one recently about how much healthier vegetarians are... funded by the Gates Foundation. FWIW I honestly believe that meat is a health food. Better unprocessed than processed but I'd rather eat a steak than a salad any day.

Sorry to hear about your DH, Taming - wish him well very soon.

Well done to the un-smokers! What will you do with your savings? (Something really lovely for yourself I hope.)

We will miss out on veganuary: it turns out that some previously loved foods - lentils, beans, grains upset my sensitive stomach (and anyway I NEED another bootcamp). Going without them on HFLC cured what seemed to be chronic problems.

However, it is wonderful to discover that I've accidently signed us up to organuary (thanks @Rayna37 ) by bone broth today (yum) and deciding to add Eastern Spiced Heart Stew to the 'new' cheap things we will try this month.

THanks for taking up the big-baton Stunt-nun

Thankyou everyone. DP current waiting for emergency specialist phonecall. Been told to get rid of all the fibre, so back to LCHF we go.
@venusandmars I am slightly obsessed with all the science, bit in awe you were a scientist! I think we can all agree that the majority of unbiased studies point towards sugar being the problem.

Epic birthday meal at Restaurant Sat Bains on Friday, 10 courses, 9 wines, and even some LCHF inspiration: partridge ragu with turnip tagliatelle! Last slice of chocolate Guinness birthday cake my lovely friend baked for me tonight then bootcamp tomorrow. 40 will be awesome.

Happy birthday @Rayna37 or should that be Rayna40 sounds like a great experience.

Happy birthday @Rayna37
Sounds gorgeous, your meal!!

I made celeriac chips today with paprika and salt, put them around a roast chicken and made beautiful, creamy home made coleslaw to go with it. It was heaven!
2.5 litres down!

Please, could anyone tell me how it works with cocoa powder?

I’ve bought some Dr Oetker dark cocoa powder and it says it’s 9.6g carbs per 100g but obviously I’ll be only having 2 teaspoons in a cup so that will be well under 5g carbs in one drink?
I’m confused!

www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/dr-oetker-fine-dark-cocoa-powder-190g?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_LDy6en-5gIViLHtCh2i4wgIEAUYASABEgLkRPD_BwE&storeId=10151&langId=44&krypto=XUxM9GVMrhv1DQmkPq%2BC2Qgo4WTG5cOxwNE3GSoMscWIX9OKjpIY4ws7NeRTIWh4WBcUN%2BAD8%2FsqXpL9uxVvaJUrRW2dqbwbldugwg7k7tWwHdP2aPplbW7P1skATMa9vItA02PRV6SfoY0r2WBWeV72ksOavmNu37NqOwaOazdpaAfy%2Bb%2BlfZBtnxuBSfNn4DAnaRnT78mn1LhSwzISoSLaCV18EEhaUBRCkM6%2FosLKIVNQkWBg4gGKFYzjfSaUhLwzt%2FFm0imjToNNcMnY9xLR6%2BQDDJ1aD8TvoLuMjOKXzKvzx0Xg3gwos3giBjLNrNhrAd%2BUUhSiGnD3OyRgpQhmGWSdnftK1F4nAkwisLA%3D&ddkey=https%3Agb%2Fgroceries%2Fdr-oetker-fine-dark-cocoa-powder-190g

Abso if you're adding that to milk then that will be at least another 10g of carbs so a minimum of 11g carbs per mug of cocoa assuming you don't add any sugar. Not terrible but probably not something to have every day. You could cut the carbs by replacing some of the milk with double cream.

Or (unsweetened) almond milk, Stint in?

StuntNun! Damn autocorrect!

@ StuntNun thanks but if it’s 9g of carbs per 100g surely that’s less than 1g carbs per tea spoon? And yes I only have it with hot water and a splash of double cream.

I sometimes make hot chocolate with coconut oil and butter, some hot water, and a splash of cream. It's my version of bullet proof coffee...

I heat it in the pan, then blitz it with a blender to make something frothy, creamy and satiating. More likely to have it at 11am on a chilly winter morning than 11pm as a nightcap. And won't need lunch!

I think its about 200 calories. 2g carb, 22g fat, 1g protein which gives macros of 4% carbs, 92% fat, 3% protein.

Abso making it up with water rather than milk is fine, does it taste nice? Or as Greebo says an unsweetened milk alternative would work too.

The new Low Carb Bootcamp has now started so here is the Week 1 Low Carb Bootcamp thread.