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.

So far so good although drinking all the water is taking some getting used to. Thanks for the tip about the water infuser bags @stuntnun - I have the rose lemonade ones which is making drinking lots much easier.

So far:
B: coffee with double cream x 2, black coffee, celery with pate

Lunch will be leftover braised lamb shank with cabbage

I have a pot of egg mayonnaise in the fridge in case I need to snack.

I know I should scan the recipe threads, but as a quick question - any suggestions about nice things to do with celeriac? Steam and mash with butter and garlic?

I like celeriac cut into chips and baked in the oven with olive oil and some seasoning. Paprika is pretty good. Yes, it’s also good as a mash, and also good fried in butter, but then, without exception, all vegetables are good fried in butter.

biblio Could you cut into long strips and oven roast with butter and a nut oil i.e. walnut/hazelnut? Sprinkle with a sea salt and dried herb mix.

P.s. Par-boil first.

Did NOT want breakfast today but have forced myself to have have an avocado, two soft boiled eggs, two pickled garlic cloves with a pinch of grey salt, teaspoon of goat's butter, teaspoon of walnut oil and pinch of smoked paprika.

Started on the boring plain water and will switch to camomile tea around 1pm.

I like celeriac grated and made in a Rodri type of thing and shallow fried.

Rosti I mean!

for those BC'ers going through such tough times!

@Teapotdespot great news that although your new habits were tested you didn't carb it out after that shit day.

I'm starting to feel a little giddy with ..... joy & happiness?

After a break from swimming 2 months end of last year (shoulder injury) I've been back in the pool a few days now and I really felt my form & power coming back today - had a great 30min swim.

Energy levels are up - not that I would have described them as low before but they are definitely different today.

Popped into Morrisons for cream, milk and green beans & remembered to get some cracking (thanks to who ever mentioned that upthread) only to find so many fatty meats reduced to half priced. Now I have always loved meat fat but there has always been a sense of shame about eating it as a larger person. My worst nightmare would be eating out with those people who cut all the fat off their chops or steak. Now I have permission its full steam ahead - I still feel a bit like "this can't be right" but I watched The Magic Pill last night & I am 100% ALL IN!!!

So thanks to Morrions my freezer is now stocked to bursting with £2 rib eye steaks, pork chops, lamb chops, a rack of lamb (£3!!!!), and haddock (for the DC - I'm not madly keen on fish though I love scallops & oysters & don't mind fish if someone else cooks it).

I have some crackling salted and laid out to dry up a bit & will be dining on marked down scallops - LUSH - and asparagus at lunchtime.

So I am feeling like the Queen today (well the Queen on a good day).

On the downside my teeth are very furry feeling.

Water & Cream coffee on rising.
B - Mushrooms, spinach with sprinkle of garlic granules & 2 butter fried eggs for breakfast.
L - scallops & asparagus
D - probably spag bol with corgette spagetti

@CheddarGorgeous I am also premenstrual and I am not going anywhere near the scales. The numbers game, whether they high or low, under or over, is always a bit of a head fuck to me - bit like I HATE people noticing if I have lost weight. So I am going to have to find a way to deal with that. For now my focus is stick to the plan, stick to the plan.

Thanks for the celeriac tips - some intriguing ideas!

bibliomania also celeriac dauphinoise is incredible!

Or I make celeriac remoulade (sort of like coleslaw but with a bit of horseradish and some capers).

I had French deli supermarket celearic remoulade last year (after a tip from MN'er) and it was delicious.

Can't wait to get come celeriac and try some of these dishes out.

Celeriac dauphinoise is lush (made with cream plus some garlic). Celeriac rösti and celeriac fondant (rounds of celeriac poached in butter and chicken stock) also worked well.

I'm pissed off that my local Lidl is not currently stocking celeriac and I have to make a special trip to Sainsbury's or Tesco.

Wonderful celeriac ideas. I got mine in Aldi, prettybird, but I don't know if it was a once-off.

Just popping in to log todays meals (for accountability )

B: greek yoghurt (plain), 2 mature cheese sticks and 1 pepperami and a coffee with double cream

Lunch: chargrilled chicken caesar salad.

Dinner may be lamb burgers and some combination of vegetables

I’m so sorry to read your stories Teapot and Vera
I heard on the news today of a study that says that 1 in 6 women who suffer early miscarriage (before 12 weeks), go on to experience PTSD. It would be wonderful if there was more understanding of the pain that it causes.
In a conversation before Christmas, someone criticised their MIL for having particular tree decorations in memory of dead people, and I defended her, commenting that I had seven fairies on my tree, for my wee seven that didn’t make it. I immediately welled up, and dropped it. My mother, who was there, told me afterwards that she thought I was being dramatic, and that I had embarrassed everyone. They weren’t real babies, you see, and some were only ivf embryos, and it’s wasn’t like I’d had still births etc. No wonder women weep. It’s hard to shake off the grief, even when you go on, like I have, to have successful pregnancies, and are blessed with lovely babies.

Loving this WOE- I feel so excited, and positive- peeing like a horse, mind you!

Celeriac boulangere is also great. Slice it fine with a shallot, stick in an oven dish, add stock and stick in the oven, add grated cheese , (gruyere or cheddar) for the last bit. Recipe in the veggie section, a few pages in. Very nice with a fried egg on top.

@Sheepysheep I can so relate to this:

'I found myself munching through beige crap - not really enjoying it but simultaneously plotting what I would eat next.'

I used to feel like this all the time and thought that future life would always be a battle with will-power or a steady weight gain.

What is amazing about LCHF is that it seems to turn a switch in my head. I am no longer eating and simultaneously plotting my next snack/meal at the same time . I love food and really enjoy meals now, but am not obsessed by it all the time.

THE NEW NORMAL
There are many gaps in time where I'm not hungry and not thinking about food (or trying not to eat it).

What should I do with all this new headspace :)

Hi all, I hope you're all doing ok?
I wasn't very hungry yesterday, and ended up just having breakfast and the soup and salmon. I had all my water though.

Today...
B. Tea, ham & cheese
Meatster stick & bulletproof coffee
D. Buttery chicken and spinach
T. Pork belly, mushrooms and courgettes

I took my weekly photo today, and I'm content with not looking/weighing much different from before Christmas. I suppose hmph

Celeriac Boulangere is on p2 of the veggie thread.

Or there is this soup

www.rivercottage.net/recipes/celeriac-soup

Omit the potato, obvs, and I have never some the pesto thing. It is delicious.

TeapotDesport

MrsBibby I think the tea not counting as water is due to the caffeine, it's a diuretic. I have a rule I think I got from here a couple of years ago that I can count two mugs of tea/coffee but not more as water. I'd say two caffeinated drinks is a good number anyway and drink chamomile at work as it does count alongside my plain water, and because I like my tea strong but milky and I can't be bothered to train anyone to make a decent cup

Ta Bert

B : gouda and tea
L : scrambled egg and cambozola and tea
D : probably finish the celeriac soup I made.

Thanks Rayna.

Is rooibos a diuretic?