Leaving Lockdown Low Carb Bootcamp - the prep thread

[BIWI]

There's a week to go before we start our 5-week Low Carb Bootcamp.

So it's time to get ready and prepare ourselves - planning is critical to the success of Bootcamp - and hopefully this thread should give you all the info that you'll need.

First, a reminder of the programme.

There are 5 weeks

Week 1 is a super-strict week, where we count our calories as well as our carbs (not a usual approach for Bootcamp)

Weeks 2-3 are the normal first part of Bootcamp

Weeks 4-5 are Bootcamp Light, which is slightly more relaxed.

Bootcamp was devised initially as an easy-to-do programme (mainly because I'm a lazy arse and can't be faffed with counting carbs or calories).

But the times we're in now are exceptional, and I know that lots of us have found it really difficult to keep a focus on our weight and what we're eating, hence the idea of having a super-strict first week. The idea is that the first week will really help us to get our heads back into the right space and, ideally, trigger a satisfying amount of weight loss.

VEG ON THE AMBER LIST
Green beans 3.1
Cabbage 3.1
Tomato 3.1
Mangetout 3.3
Shallots 3.3
Brussels sprouts 3.5
Kalettes 3.9

VEG ON THE RED LIST

French beans 4.7
Peas (sugar snap) 4.8
Yellow pepper 5.3
Carrots 6
Orange/red pepper 6.4
Ginger (peeled) 7.2
Butternut squash 7.5
Onions 7.9
Peas (garden) 9
Parsnips 12.5
Baby Potato 16.1
Potato 19.6
Sweetcorn (on the cob) 19.6
Beetroot 20
Sweetcorn (tinned) 20.1
Sweet Potato 21.3

Thank you . And thank you for the list Wild - my DP is a spreadsheet freak so I was hoping to send him the link. He bloody loves a spreadsheet almost as much as he loves chicken wings, so a low carb spreadsheet is like his wet dream.

It's worth explaining that just because something is on the red list, it doesn't mean you can't use it (although I'd certainly say that you shouldn't be using anything over 10g carbs per 100g), just be careful with how much/how often you eat them.

Im a veg lover so this really is taking some getting used too.

I sneaky weighed today, day 5 . 6.8lbs down

Well it's worth getting used to it then, isn't it?! Well done!

(And actually this WOE is perfect for veg lovers, as that's where the carbs should be coming from)

Still doing Bootcamp gentle in prep for Monday ( have suffered terribly from low carb flu previously, and want to avoid having that again! )
Had sausage and mash , without the mash , but with a shed load of stir fried Green veg ( spring cabbage , leek , courgette , mushrooms, broccoli.... and sugar snaps and red pepper )
Not perfect , I know
No wine either ( faints )

I’m doing a lite version too - keeping it under 60g of carbs but including some cream, the odd sprinkle of cheese and some strawberries to ease me in!! I’ve been doing the 16:8 though and finding it’s not as hard as I thought it would be!

Hi BIWI
I posted the protein powder info yesterday for you to look at, hopefully it's one I can use as I have 5kg of it

@etherealbeauty the thing that worries more about that (apart from the fact that really we should be eating 'proper' food!) is that it's low fat, whereas our WOE is a high fat way of eating.

However, if you're using these in extremis, I suppose it's OK. But make sure that the rest of the meals you're eating are high in fat.

I do understand, though, that if you have 5kg of the stuff you don't want me to tell you not to use it!

@MarkRuffaloCrumble it's actually surprising how quickly you can incorporate IF.

Good idea to ease yourself in, I think!

Thankyou BIWI I will just use it till it's gone and try to add some fats to it when I have it.

My dinners etc will be very fat lots of oil and cream etc can't bloody wait ....mmmmmm creamy oily garlic mushrooms with steak anyone lol

We’ve (both DP and I) started here too, going the opposite direction to those of you doing boot camp lite and we’re going for a short sharp shock - with a few days egg fast. Hoping that even a calorie restricted boot camp will be positively indulgent in comparison

(Sneaks in and sits at the back)

Forgive me @BIWI for I have sinned. I need a giant kick up the arse.

The help and encouragement on previous thread worked wonders. I’m definitely in!

The Big Stick is still in the cupboard, @OnceUponAMidnightBeery! So you're OK. For now ...

Thanks @Biwi for the shit tonne of work that you're doing.

Do you have any links to the sweetener issue? I'm a Diet Coke and sugar free squash fan. Hard to imagine going without unless it really makes a difference.

I've been low carbing since mid Feb and losing about 1lb a week. I think low carb helps me feel fuller and more energetic. It also stops me snacking and slipping. But I've used Keto sticks and even at my most hardcore I was just 'light' ketosis. So not sure I've been doing it right.

I'm 44 though so maybe 1lb a week is the best I can hope for and as a veggie I eat more dairy than is ideal.

If it is sweetener holding me back I'll cut it out but I can't be arsed unless it really is that.

Thanks.

Hi @ThinkAboutItTomorrow, and thank you!

I think the jury still remains out re artificial sweeteners, but I have to say that over the last 8 years since I've been doing Bootcamp, more and more people seem to be advising against them.

Here's a piece from Dr Michael Mosley

Two key things: first, on Bootcamp we're trying to break the hold that sugar has over us, therefore we need to exclude anything that's sweet from out diet - which obviously includes artificially sweetened stuff.

And second, we're aiming to avoid anything overly processed - which also rules out stuff like Diet Coke and squash.

So I'm sorry, but if you really want to get that weight loss going - at least try giving them up and see what a difference it makes.

Re the ketostix - if you're drinking the amount of water that you should be on Bootcamp (check rule 6!) then you really won't need them - they won't show up the ketones anyway, as the water is flushing them out.

Thanks for the links to recipes. Some of them look really yummy. Im going to try the shepherds pie for sure. My dd won’t eat anything with potato in it; I’m thinking maybe she’ll go for that.

I am also continuing with 16:8 but not as low carb as needed in preparation for the time ahead. Some days I’ve not achieved 8 hours, it’s gone over a bit and one day I was starving so had a light snack. I need to be kind to myself as I’m not a well woman and I’m hoping having done this, I will be able to be more rigid from tomorrow.

I’m not doing the calorie counting btw. I have done it before and know with the current energy levels that I have to work with, I wouldn’t be able to function on such a radical change.

Sorry, name change fail above

Mummyoflittledragon. I love the diet fizz and sugar free squash also. I gave up diet pepsi in favour of diet lemonade 2 months ago on the advice of the physio and nurse who said it was playing havoc with my postbaby bladder (and its true, no more panic wees) but the sweetness really helps.

I gave up the squash cold turkey by buying a bottle with a straw end, and making sure my water wasn't cold. I just can't drink water from a glass. Im easily chugging the 3.5lts recommended now. I am having one very small cup of diet lemonade a day, honestly I'm not using it for the sweet hit as i thought I would, but to stop the nausea.

The nausea is because we were almost completely veggie so reintroducing so much meat is hard. And... although i am not remotely hungry or craving anything which is an actual revelation to my life (starting to wonder if i have an unhealthy relationship with food or whether all this time i had blood sugar issues?) I feel indifferent to food now and it's almost swung the other way, I'm not massively enjoying food and I'm struggling to finish my meals. This means I'm struggling to hit my macros so i need to start compiling family friendly recipes to help me make this long term achievable but also some snack things that i can eat to help me eat enough without feeling like I'm force feeding myself.

I weighed on the morning of day 5 and had lost 6.8lbs. However..... my period has arrived early, i don't usually have them due to contraception so I'm unsure if this is linked? So i won't weigh until it ends again. But hoping to get into the next stone bracket by end of month/early next.

Good luck.

BIWI I've been trawling all the old threads too, thank you for all the information you give. Its so helpful! Id found this thread when I'd already started so I'm a tiny bit ahead but it's nice to have somewhere. Xx

Thanks BeyondDreams for the egg fast idea. I need something simple to kick start and I think I can commit to doing this for 3-days. I'm easing my way back in - managed 16:8 this week and had my farewell bowl of rice yesterday! Last chocolate chip cookie (freshly baked yesterday) also consumed. Only remaining dilemma is the last family packet of salt and vinegar crisps....

I decided not to use up the last cookie/bar of chocolate/crisps/potato/etc, or I'd be starting some time in December!

Lock, I used to do BC before when I had a mirena, and it often brought on random periods when I wasn't getting them. It's a common thing cause of the oestrogen stored in fat, basically iirc when you lose the fat the extra hormones are whooshing around in your blood, making periods go a bit doolally

Well, I tried to start yesterday and I can tell I am going to find this HARD. Failed on every count - except water and exercise. May have to choose between getting the body I want and getting the allotment I want 🤔

According to my scales I am a pound lighter this morning than yesterday morning though (once I’d got up 3 times to wee in the night!) Small victories 😁

I’m 3.4pbs up on the lightest I was aabout a week ago, boot camp should stop me carrying on I that direction.

I have downloaded MyFitnessPal and have a fridge full of low carb foods - am ready to go!

Bloody shopping just delivered NO EGGS and lower fat philly

Egg fast will have to end a meal early as we're completely out of eggs now 🙄