2020 Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp. The first week!

[BIWI]

Welcome all.

Well what a strange year this has been! If you're anything like me, food, meals and eating have been all over the place. And that's before we think about the booze.

I found lockdown an odd mix of feeling like I was on holiday but it was also the end of the world. So what was the point of worrying about my diet?

I am lucky, relatively, in that we don't have small children to worry about educating. We also have a nice house and garden, and as me and DH have recently retired, don't have to worry about work. So we were very much advantaged over many people.

But still, the diet/drinking was all to pot. And with the inevitable result.

So we're now in the run up to Christmas - traditionally a time when diets go out of the window, and we start to indulge ourselves. Who knows what's going to happen this year though?!

So with that in mind, it's a good time to try and be focused and aim to have a bit of discipline! This Bootcamp, as with most others, will last for 10 weeks, which will take us right up to Christmas week.

(I truly hope that we'll all be able to spend Christmas with our loved ones, but who knows?)

With grateful thanks to @AthelstaneTheUnready, here is the Spreadsheet of Exceptional Fabulousness .

You should find that you're on the spreadsheet. A couple of things:

• if you don't want to record your weight every week, that's absolutely fine. Just don't do it!
• if you're not on it, just add your name to the bottom - don't try and re-alphabatize it - we'll sort it out later

The spreadsheet isn't just a place to record your weight though - have a good look at it, and the tabs - there's loads of information on there, including a veg carb counter and lots of stuff about low carbing in general. You'll also find Bootcamp rules there.

Hi all hope the first week is starting well. For me, I thought all was good until i realised that the 'day 2' celery gratin -which I made on Sunday night -had almond flakes on. With that last mouthful I suddenly remembered ... No Nuttttts.....! felt the big stick. Anway KOKO. I have coasted since the last bootcamp but have lost a few pounds, still many more to go. This is the point where I usually start going up so I'm determined to keep shedding the pounds. Never in 15 years (after first pregnancy) have I got past this point in weight. Love reading all the new food ideas. Littleowl I remember your photos from the May19 bootcamp very inspirational. Today's food will be Greek Yoghurt, smoked salmon and egg, and lamb mousaka from the recipe thread. Have a great day all :)

Just as well! Although it's a shame. I must admit I didn't realise how carby they were either, although it does make sense, given that tomatoes are actually a fruit. And any dried fruit becomes much more intensely sugary.

Oops I too have been adding sun-dried tomatoes to salads

I discovered two things on the first bootcamp that really helps me: Twinings buttermint tea and beanies flavoured coffees. I only have coffee 2/3 times a week but it helped with any ‘I deserve a treat’ nonsensical self-talk and the coffees come in lots of lovely flavours, zero carb or sweeteners (I emailed the company to check).

@ilovecherries I thought Buttermint tea had been discontinued. Is it back?

@20bloodypounds Thanks for the recommendation! I have just ordered a variety pack from Amazon 👍

Something I found useful last time, was to limit my eating window to between 8am and 8pm, I tell myself that the kitchen is closed 😀 so no late night snacks etc.....

Many on the thread started this way and then moved breakfast a little later and dinner a little earlier.

Yes I also find intermittent fasting with LC is my weight-loss holy grail. Once I’ve settled into this a bit more I’ll do 12-8pm window.

On the snack note: M&S do Serrano ham crisps and they are ridiculously good for when you are craving a salty crunch that only crisps seem to satisfy. Basically zero carbs. They are £1.50 a pack though, but seeing as they’re processed it’s not too bad to have 1/2 a week. They are delicious!

Hi @Choccorocco - you're already on the sheet - do you mean you want your weight added? 62.1lbs can't be right?!

@Jdhshekr

Lady with IBS - I also suffer plus am actually allergic to a few fairly low carb veggies so it makes it tricky, but I find that kale doesn’t set anything off at all and can be shoved into anything. I steam it and have it on the side with steaks or chicken breast, I bake it with olive oil for a crunchy snack (which my child robs most of) and I wang a handful into omelettes. It keeps my veg count up and doesn’t hurt my tummy or cause any bowel issues.

Thank you for suggestions. Sometimes I do forget that there are so many more veg out there than the usual. My go to is normally carrots and sweetcorn.

I promise to be more adventurous!

This WOE completely cured my IBS. I have minor arthritic symptoms compared to huge flare ups and i no longer wake up nauseas every morning. You may find once well into the WOE you can play around with the foods that used to upset you.

Here's a new post, with some commonly asked questions

Many thanks to input from you all about these, but especially @StuntNun, whose help and advice is/has been invaluable.

I'll add to this post as other FAQs occur to me, but if there are any you think I should write about, just send me a PM.

@TeddyIsaHe they’re amazing aren’t they?! I had them for the first time last week. So so good.
Flipping tesco is out of cauliflower rice so I’m on the hunt again. Any ideas? Is it easy to find on other stores?

Please add me to this Bootcamp. I tired yesterday but failed... added some sort of comment thing. Starting 184. Suffer from pcos and apple shaped so need to low carb.

I’ve tried those too teddisahe and margaritawithlime, they are so good. M&S deli bits are good for a lunch on the go. I love their rollitos too

[quote Margaritawithlime]@TeddyIsaHe they’re amazing aren’t they?! I had them for the first time last week. So so good.
Flipping tesco is out of cauliflower rice so I’m on the hunt again. Any ideas? Is it easy to find on other stores?[/quote]
I got mine in Aldi

Morning everyone (just!). DH is working on site today so I get a bit of peace and quiet Lunch is going to be a 3-egg veggie omelette with a bit of cheese in it. No idea about supper, I'm not cooking it. 2 pints down so far today, about to have the third.

And for those of us who are a bit vegetable-averse, look how happy a bit of cabbage is making this beaver. #LowCarbGoals

Morning (just).

All we here except a few children down with D&V. Not my cooking, I hasten to add.

I dropped an empty marmite jar yesterday and cut my thumb picking up the pieces so have a plaster on it and finding it really hard to type on phone!!!

Food wise things were easy yesterday but today I’m so busy with work I’ve already started to panic (I’m exaggerating) about my lack of preparation.

Luckily I normally keep loads of low carb options around, such as the three celeriacs in my fridge. Smug face.

A wave to Summery1 and I think we should start a pool for when prettybird will make her first batch tablet this Bootcamp.

For those who are new, welcome and thanks for breathing enthusiasm into me and others who might be a bit blasé about this way of eating sometimes. Please don’t be put off by the inside jokes. I’ll try to avoid them but will also get to know your quirks soon enough.

You're on, @BasicMadeira!

ooooooo, a thumb twin!

I poured boiling water over mine earlier, trying to fill a hotwater bottle for THIS WRETCHED CRAMP.

Soothed with cold water (outside) and chunk of brie (inside).

This is BIWI's new post: Low Carb Bootcamp FAQss*

ShagMeRiggins - fortunately or not I currently have some tablet ready to go into any boxes of wine that we sell (leftover from a batch made last week for a care package we were sending to ds, along with the complete set of West Wing DVDs, a loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread, some damson jam made by my dad and a Quality Street tin full of chic chip cookies - he had an emergency appendectomy the week before) What I do need to do is to bag it up so that it is not loose and tempting in a tin

Thank you @ShagMeRiggins

[quote Hopeislost]@ilovecherries I thought Buttermint tea had been discontinued. Is it back? [/quote]
It was cancelled about three years ago then restarted after loads of complaints, but I don’t actually know if it’s stopped again. I bought a tray of it pre-lockdown, so have had no need to look recently.