Jan ’20 – Week 1 Low Carb Bootcamp – Here we go!

[StuntNun]

Welcome to the January 2020 Low Carb Bootcamp. I know some of you have already started eating low carb so please share your good experiences to give the rest of us some inspiration as we begin our weight loss journey.

Make sure you’ve read the ten Low Carb Bootcamp rules. There are some shopping list and meal plan suggestions on the preparation thread.

If you need recipe inspirations then there we have hundreds on the meat recipes thread, the poultry recipes thread, and the vegetarian recipes thread. Note that vegetarians may include small quantities of legumes, nuts and Quorn right from the start to make sure they’re getting enough protein. There is also thread of low carb products people have found in the shops.

We weigh in every Monday so add your starting weight to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness. If you’re on a mobile or tablet and can’t get the spreadsheet to work then please post your entry on this thread and someone will add it for you. Some people choose to record their starting weight as 100 if they don’t want to share their actual weight. I also urge you to make a note of your waist measurement as sometimes we can lose inches without losing pounds on this way of eating. Some people like to have a goal pair of jeans or a dress that they can try on throughout Bootcamp so see how the fit improves over time. Others like to take ‘before’ photos that they can use for comparison later on.

If you have any questions or concerns then please do ask. Bootcamp has been running for nearly ten years so we have lots of expertise to share with you.

Posting for accountability

Yesterday -
B - 2 egg omelette, plain yogurt with vanilla and cream
L - caprese salad with olive oil and lemon juice
S - Leftover shakshuka without the egg, roasted broccoli, yogurt
3/4 creamy coffees
Lots of water

Today -
B - 3 egg omelette
L - caprese salad, plain yogurt with vanilla and cream
S - will be stir fry veg w/soy sauce and fried paneer
3/4 creamy coffees
Need a lot more water before bed

I'm vegetarian and struggling for ideas at the moment. I'm going to make some egg mayo for snacking and planning celeriac gratin for tomorrow night but need to look at the veg recipe board for ideas!

StuntBun what's with the broccoli stems - do you parboil them first or just chuck them in the oven for... 20 mins?

B - 2 fried eggs, mushrooms & spinach, creamy coffee
L - cold chickem, rocket, cherry toms (3), fennel, mayo
snck - baby bell & gerkin
D - head of broc with cream/bluecheese/spring onion

I'm hoping to make some spag bol sauce tonight which will last me a few meals (my DC doent eat mince cause its "yukky" - I love mince)

I always eat the broccoli stems too - sliced thinly.

I can't weigh myself as the scales have broken (not my doing, honestly) and not my scales so I won't replace them, I'll find a chemist shop instead.

So far so good BUT I am really struggling with no Pepsi Max or Slimline Tonic - why are they not allowed? I've not had chocolate or crisps since the end of December so feeling very, very good, but I do like a fizzy drink in the evening.

Yep Athelstane just slice broccoli stalks into pound coin thickness stars, toss in olive oil and salt, and chuck them in the oven for 20 minutes with whatever else you're cooking. You can roast the florets as well and there are more involved recipes for that involving lemon and/or Parmesan.

Even though they generally taste like wallpaper paste and unhappiness

I watched the Magic Pill last night as well. And I was struck by the food. Roast chicken, mayonnaise, vegetables fried in fat. So delicious. All those people lost was Goldfish crackers and sugary cereal. It's not even nice food. It really annoys me. And the First Nations people in Australia, had been robbed of their (free BTW) indigenous food traditions and given shite carbs instead. And diabetes and heart disease as a result.

Low fat has worked for my mum, I'm sure it works for others. But it doesn't work for me and many others.

The Magic Pill sounds like a good watch.

Drinking so much water is boring! I'm off to buy a replacement teapot.

B - 2 scrambled eggs (butter and cream) with crispy bacon bits

I had a meeting at lunch so had Greek yoghurt at 11

L - tuna mayo, iceberg, olives, cucumber

So far so good BUT I am really struggling with no Pepsi Max or Slimline Tonic - why are they not allowed?
Three reasons Notwiththeseknees

1. We're breaking the hold that sweet stuff has over us and retraining our taste buds to work properly. You won't believe the sweetness of some foods once your taste buds have adapted. I remember accusing my husband of putting honey in a salad dressing once... turns out he had used balsamic vinegar and that's what tasted incredibly sweet.
2. We're moving away from processed foods and eating whole natural foods. We don't want to go down the Slimming World approach of fake versions of foods described upthread. Making low carb bread out of physillum husks and low carb desserts from coconut flour and sweeteners are replacing one type of bad food with a different one.
3. Some people have a hyperinsulinogenic reaction to sweeteners, that is they react to them in the same way as to sugar. The purpose of eating low carb is to keep insulin levels low; insulin is the gatekeeper on fat cells that stops the fat getting out of them and being used up. Dairy can have a similar effect in some people which is why we caution against having dairy multiple times throughout the day - it can slow or stall weight loss.

Ultimately it's up to you whether you follow the rules or decide to bend or break some of them. That's why I think it's so important to understand the reasons behind them. For example if you were a builder used to drinking ten cups of sweetened tea a day it might be a reasonable approach to switch to sweeteners at first with a plan to cut down over time.

However if your weight loss stops for a couple of weeks and you're wondering why the first question I'll ask is, Have you been following all the rules? (Followed by, Are you drinking enough water? Are you eating enough fat? And, Can you list out a few days food for me?) BIWI has refined the rules over numerous Bootcamps and they are all there for a reason.

Would sparkling water help your desire for something fizzy notwiththeseknees?

I had to revise my diet and here it is!

Lunch:
German Isterband (sausage) with cucumber. lettuce, cherry tomatoes
and Hellmans Mayo
Dinner
I'm planning to have fresh Chicken, Mozzarella, Avocado, Cherry tomatoes and olive oil

I'm not sure about the Cherry tomatoes but I only take two at the time.

I was wondering if i could ask whether anyone has any good ideas for on-the-go breakfasts? I don't have time to cook in the morning

Yo Sushi went really well. I had spicy seafood ramen without the noodles, seared beef with coriander pesto, and spicy cauliflower. All pretty low carb as far as I can tell. Thanks to my foolish promises to my children last year that we could have Dominos "next year" we're having Dominos for dinner tonight. I'm having red hot chicken wings along with some salad I have in the fridge with homemade vinaigrette. I've made my kids promise that there will be no leftover pizza! It just goes to show that you can make this way of eating fit into your life if I can do a sushi and a pizza restaurant in one day and still stay low carb.

Just home from a full day out. I'm GLAD I had that massive breakfast! Now for lunch

@Hagbeth do you have a problem with veg? Serious question - as you're really not getting enough fibre or nutrition with what you're eating there!

Hi @Hagbeth
I'm not sure if you're on day 2, or further. Here's my read of your day.

You've missed a meal.
Try to go heavier on the veg - (FLGV - Fu*k load of Green Veg). Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, pepper (green especially), green beans. - Rule of thumb but once they grow above ground. I find scallions give the oniony flavour that I love. - GENEROUSLY dress or cook these in oil/butter/mayo.

I had to google Isterband sausage. It's second ingredient is barley, which is 75% carb. So this is probably not ideal as the core lunch ingredient .

To me it doesn't look like enough food - and with counted tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce - it feels 'diety' IYKWIM
Granted you can't have a doughnut with this WoE (Way of Eating) but enjoy the lush stuff you can.

It is a leap to trust it. It is so bizarre to have Full Fat everything - but honestly it worked for me. I hadn't bought cream in years. Now I LOVE cream in my coffee. I remember it being a treat in my childhood.

@StuntBun

Speckled I hard boil eggs in the evening to take to work in the mornings. I also sometimes buy a cooked ham joint from the butcher and I take slices to work with a pot of mayo to dig them in. I know many make the egg muffins in advance. You can add your own bits, such as bacon, peppers etc, or just take left overs from tea the evening before?

*dip

Seriously? I think I'm damaged somehow?
OK. I'm off to the kitchen to cook dinner. I'll try to implement your advice.
This has been a real revelation for me. I thought I knew this! lol

@SpeckledDot
Eggs!!
You can have boiled ones, with butter/mayo, in a cup - 10 seconds in a microwave to warm them, once you get to work.
Greek yogurt with cinnamon.
Coffee with cream.
People make this scrambled egg thing in muffin cups - chopped veg / meat / cheese in a muffin tin, top with egg mix and bake. I kinda find these tasteless, - I think the night in the fridge is too much - but needs must.

@Hagbeth remember to enjoy the chicken skin.

I did read some research into artificial sweeteners and it is inconclusive - but I would hate to be one of those people who releases insulin (or was it a kind of pre-insulin hormone) when they have a perceived to be sugary drink. I am going to avoid for now - I've just bought some very sparkling water (San Pelligrino) added some ice cubes and a BIG squeeze of lemon and it is rather refreshing (actually, it does taste nicer than a Pepsi Max or SL Tonic) so I will try and keep up with it - I am somewhat water phobic!!

Butter chicken with green veg for dinner tonight - my boyfriends -only- signature dish...

strikethrough fail :(