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.

RobinHobb I think the avoidance of artificial sweeteners is partly about resetting our tastebuds. I know that the less sugar I eat the less I like it, and I spat out some chocolate over Christmas because it just tasted sickly and horrid. There are also some studies which suggest that even artificial sweeteners can cause a rise in insulin. you might find these articles interesting But I'm sure if it's one cup of tea a day it'll be OK.

@pinboard , I made the same mistakes my first time going LC
Who knew satsumas had so many carbs in them 😀not me

Hi RobinHobb have you read the third Fitz trilogy? I cried like a baby in book one. To answer your question, cardiovascular exercise may well be more difficult at first until you are fat-adapted as your muscles take time to switch from using glucose as a fuel source to using free fatty acids. In terms of sweeteners it's about reducing our taste for sweet foods, the potential hyperinsulinogenic effect, and moving away from processed foods. I'm afraid to tell you this but you don't need that sweetened tea - plenty of people are able to give up sugar/sweetener in tea to the point that they are disgusted when they accidentally get sweetened tea. My advice would be to plan to get rid of it in the future even if you don't feel you can manage it now. But the most important thing is understanding the reasoning behind the rule so you know exactly what you're doing if you choose to break it. For your plan to have wine on your birthday, please be careful that the wine doesn't lead to eating something carby while you're less inhibited. I find it much harder to stay on track when I've had an alcoholic drink. Not necessarily a problem so long as you're aware that it might happen.

^2 boiled eggs on a slice of sourdough (fail)
soup with leftover carrots and sprouts in (fail)
tonight's veggie curry (with peppers etc) and prawns (fail)

I need to start again (the sourdough should have been obvious!)^

Pinboard sourdough is off limits but the carrots and peppers probably won't have derailed you too much. I'm sure you're still much lower carb than you were before Bootcamp so you're not really starting again, just correcting a minor error.

Well having watched 'the magic pill' I am even MORE motivated to do this and keep it going. At first I was shocked but then kept thinking, it's all about natural balance isn't it?! Coming back to what we know is actually the right thing for our bodies. Bloody capitalism screwing us again.

Anyway, not to derail the thread, does anybody do LCHF for the entire family?

I have a toddler and baby and thinking I can easily feed them most of what I'm eating (plus dairy). Do young children NEED carbs though? Particularly fruit? Or am I going back to the old way of thinking again?

Despite being on holiday, had a client meeting today over lunch. It wasn’t ideal, but it was ok from the choices available - lots of salad greens with roasted peppers, olives and a pesto dressing. I thought I had communicated an olive oil dressing instead the pesto, but the olive oil came the side and the salad was already dressed with the pesto. Oh well, had eggs and spinach for breakfast and having steak, broccoli and creamed spinach for dinner.

@RobinHobb I think the science is that VERY low carb/ketogenic is not good for endurance athletes. I'm in a Triathlon club, and they post articles regularly.
I think an hour of cardio daily is fine low carb. I'm comfortable with this. But once I go above this I'm wary. I once suffered a sugar low after 2X 2.5 cycles within one 20hr period. (A total of 5 hours of cardio) It was awful. I felt so weak. But I really didn't prepare food wise.
I had a 40min jog before breakfast, no problem. I swam last night for 1 hour - also quite comfortable. I'd only be careful above an hour.

I've done exceptionally well since I started on 6th January, with an incredible loss of 7lbs! As I said up thread, I can only assume some of that is the return to work and being active after 2 weeks of eating, drinking and sitting over Christmas! I've followed things to the letter. No slip ups to my knowledge and done 3 runs.

All the things on the 'green' list are pretty much my staple, so it's not really been much of a struggle. Favourite breakfast ever is scrambled egg and mushrooms and now I can justify a dollop of mayo, I'm happy!

I do live alone, so unlike many of you, I don't have any temptations in my way, as I just don't buy them.

The next few weeks are going to be trying though, as I'm moving on Friday and my new property isn't ready until 1st Feb, so I'm moving in with my mother for 2 weeks. Added to that, it's my birthday on Monday!

I've already checked the menu at the restaurant I'm going to though and I think I might just get away with it!

I think the science is that VERY low carb/ketogenic is not good for endurance athletes.
Not true Summery - Volek and Phinney did extensive research in endurance cyclists and published books and numerous scientific papers. Clubs and peers will tell you that you can't combine low carb and endurance exercise but it's basically the same as someone telling you just to "eat less and move more" if you want to lose weight. They're just repeating what they've been told to to believe. BUT and it's a big but, in the first weeks of going low carb most people find that there energy levels and endurance are lower. Full adaption to a low carb diet can take weeks to months. For example the first thing that happens on a low carb diet is that the glycogen in the liver is completely exhausted. But in long-term low carbers, i.e. six months or more, those stores are partially replaced giving a ready source of energy for e.g. sprinting. The exception to the rule is power lifting where a standard low carb diet for weight loss probably isn't going to work. Power lifters usually include carb cycling or carb refeeds in their diet to compensate for an overall low carb diet.

If anyone has any specific questions on exercise then please do ask. We've had runners, weight lifters, cyclists all sorts on previous Bootcamp threads and there are ways to make exercise more manageable if you're feeling temporarily underpowered or fatigued.

B: scrambled eggs with a lick of cream and butter fried mushrooms, delish. L: Greek yoghurt with chia seeds and almonds, boring!! D: ham and artichoke salad (really just a variation on yesterday's to use up the rest of the salad!!

Feeling like I need to mix it up a bit... Dinner tomorrow is Heck sausages, celeriac dauphin-whatsit and broccoli, am really looking forward to it already!!

@waspfig it struck Me after watching The Magic Pill that it's no coincidence that all these carbohydrates are long life shelf friendly manufactured products. Products with so much added value. It's all about capitalism. It's shocking to think that our entire western world is almost enslaved to food capitalists At the expense of our health.

I think Dont fo too bad a job keeping my family eating fairly healthy (& it's a bloody battle with kids and sugar) and I've gone and had a look through my cupboards and even though a lot of it is whole-grain's and a lot of it sort of more alternatives to white rice & white pasta, for example, we are very well stocked with long life refined carbohydrates. I could just chuck all the food in the house out that I've got in the cupboards apart from the stuff I've bought that I eating now.

And here I was thinking we were eating a fairly healthy diet. Actually having said that I know my kids eat a lot less refined carbohydrates and processed foods then their friends, but they still eat a shockingly high amount of them.

Hi all checking in
3L water + more

B: Leerdamer cheese, cream coffee
L: butter roast kale with salami, cheese
Cream coffee
D: roasted cauliflower cheese, sausages, broccoli.
Feel a bit pre- menstrual and Bloated today. Can’t wait for AF to come so I can get on with it feeling less puffy!

we can eat chia seeds?

Thank you very much for all the breakfast ideas :) i will try them out soon

I have having some pretty heavy carb cravings at the moment. I have eaten plenty but I am still daydreaming about honey rum, and the maltesers my daughter brought home with her

Must. Resist. Temptation.

Also my mouth tastes like coins for some reason

Yes @TheClitterati I thought we as a family were doing quite well too. But when I think about the last week of meals, and particularly snacks, that I've fed my kids they are definitely carb heavy. I tend to stick some carbs on their portion even if I'm not eating them myself. Also I usually offer fruit or Greek yoghurt sweetened with fruit/purée for pudding. I thought I was doing well not to give yoghurts with added sugar but I suppose the fruit is encouraging a sweet tooth just as much?

Is there any research on this type of diet for children out there?

B 2 egg omelette
L egg mayo with veggie dipper, plain yogurt
S celeriac gratin

A few creamy coffees and lots of water. Need more before I head to bed though. Think I'll need to get a large water bottle so I can just going from it rather than filling up large glasses.

I skipped breakfast this morning
Snack: babybel
Lunch: chicken soup
Snack: corned beef slices ( I love corned beef but I've always thought it's too fatty to eat much as you only get such small portions on SW or ww)
Dinner: 3egg omelette with mushrooms and ham, served with a large green salad

I'm feeling a bit full now actually. Headache is feeling better now, but I need an early night as I was up late last night.

Slept really well last night.
Funny eating day due to a PE kit crisis this morning.

B: Coronation chicken on slices of cucumber (CC a bit too carby at 10g per 100g so I fished out the sultanas and bits of dried apricot! There was about 50g in the tub I reckon)
L: Salad leaves, mayo, a couple of cherry tomatoes with olive oil, basil & garlic, eggs, mayo, celery and the leftover blue cheese dip from last nights dinner - in fact lunch was mostly a fridge-raid of leftovers from last night.
D: Broccoli, cauli, stilton soup. Slice of Emmental.
Plenty of water and decaf weak black coffee.
Forgot my vitamins (doh)

Achievement of the day - Going to the cinema and not eating snacks!

B - scrambled eggs salmon avo
L - hm coleslaw, Greek salad, chicken mayo
D steak and salad

2.5l water and two black coffees

@TheClitterati I don't think they are on plan, but my GP advised me to eat a small amount per day, so I am continuing to do that... Although they aren't low carb, I have such a small amount of carbs via them that I don't think it makes a massive difference. I'd have more carbs if I drank a tea with milk!

You've reminded me: I'm going out to dinner (pre-theatre) tomorrow night It's the same place I went to for my Pilates class Christmas lunch and I managed to choose low carb options then and to resist the rolls.

We're off to see Scottish Ballet's "The Snow Queen" - Christmas present from dh.

B: 2 eggs, hollandaise, spinach, mushrooms.
L: fried cabbage with turkey and coleslaw.
D: soup - asparagus, green beans, stock, cream & mozzarella

Snack: Brazil nuts.

Chia seeds are fine in moderation after the first two weeks, they're not particularly carby, they fall in the nuts and seeds category. I use them in a low carb "porridge" or in yogurt.

There's a good low carb book aimed at Children/families called "Raising Superheroes"; a spin off of the Real Meal Revolution. We're low carb for the whole family, DS (2) less so but he has plain yogurt etc though does have fruit too. Most of his meals are at nursery though where he's "no sugar" but not low carb. At home, it's mostly meat/fish and veg with us, but occasionally a bit of pasta or rice. So lower carb but not low carb.

DH has done loads of endurance exercise low carb, he was getting into it when he did his last Ironman and has run several marathons including a PB in his 40's low carb.

Swam first thing so had 2 hard boiled eggs and a babybel for breakfast at work.
Lunch was mozzarella on spinach, tomato and cucumber with oil and basil. I ate the whole ball, felt a bit extravagant but I don't think excessive as a lunch? I'd normally eat 1/3 pack of feta but that's denser.
Dinner was the best #Organuary hit so far: calves liver, mushrooms, bacon, shallots with thyme and sage, with kale and cauliflower mash. Didn't really need the mash but I'd originally planned a more 'saucy' kidney dish and so had bought one to go with that.

Hi everyone, wishing you all a great boot camp! I started properly this time last year and by April I was a healthy weight for the first time in 3-4 years! I'm still a healthy weight but never quite lost that last half stone... then December happened! I decided I would get back on it but now have flu (only now have the energy to actually type and can't figure out the spreadsheet to add myself, but I'm here to give and receive support).

Due to flu I have zero appetite and only had a slice of cheese and cucumber sticks dipped in creamy dressing. Fluid wise I drank lots so that's a plus. I will eat properly once I have the energy to eat/walk to the kitchen.

Evening all. Checking in after an obscenely long day at work.
B: ff natural yoghurt with cinnamon
L: chicken, egg, avocado salad with mayo
Snack: pepperami
D: 2xsausage, egg, mushroom, rocket in garlic oil, more yoghurt
Oh dear, too reliant on sausages so far and I don’t normally eat red meat...
Birthday on Monday and going out for three (spoilt) meals over the next week so trying to build up my willpower to make good choices. One Japanese meal, one Indian, one very pubby pub. Any recommendations? Thinking chicken shashlick for the Indian meal but sides are tricky.