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Low-carb bootcamp

Join discussions about low-carb bootcamp plans, meals and progress. Consider speaking to a medical professional before starting any diet.

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

906 replies

BIWI · 11/10/2020 22:17

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.

OP posts:
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1stMrsF · 13/10/2020 22:30

Gosh it's taken me a while to RTFT!

My progress is mixed. I am drinking all the water, and doing my best with school lunch, but my evenings are not on track yet... I remember this from last time - it took me a few days to kick my bad habits. I'm finding inspiration from your posts and ideas though, and it's half term next week so will be able to control food better.
L - beef keema (with sweet corn, only vegetable in sight. Need to bring veg sides to work)
D - roast chicken and veg bake made with aubergine, courgette, pepper and passata/mozzarella. It wasn't as good IRL as in my head when I created it...

I must take pics in jeans tomorrow. I hope it will be motivation as well as measurement.

Just booked to go camping for one night next week. The others will eat Carbonara - any ideas for warm comforting food that I can easily cook on a gas ring or make ahead and reheat?

prettybird · 13/10/2020 22:38

You can do a sort of carbonara with thinly sliced courgette (I use a cheese slice, working my way round the courgette and discarding the seed/watery middle). Make the bacon, egg, garlic (etc) base however you make it, and then split it, to add some to the pasta and the rest to the courgette that you've fried off in butter. Tasty and gets the veg count up! Halo

20bloodypounds · 13/10/2020 23:02

I don't have a sweet tooth anymore so watching Bake Off is fine, but this week everything was so, so sweet and sickly - even the contestants and judges were saying so!

NigellaAwesome · 13/10/2020 23:06

@ilovecherries sadly they have discontinued buttermint again. I contacted Twinings and they said there wasn't sufficient demand.

@VeryLittleOwl that beaver eating cabbage is what it is like eating beside my DH Every Single Meal.

Today:
B: fast, 2 coffees
L: chicken salad bowl
D shepherds pie

Walk at dinner, and about to down another glass of water.

prettybird · 13/10/2020 23:10

Bugger about the Buttermint. I'm currently working way through my box - I'll need to ration it for special occasions Wink

Titsywoo · 13/10/2020 23:31

Had my rainbow trout for dinner (with cauli mash and veg) but have been feeling vaguely unsatisfied all evening. This is usually my issue with low-carbing - I don't feel hungry just like I need something else! I ended up having a piece of chicken so no harm done but I need to make sure my evening meals are as satisfying as possible.

ilovecherries · 13/10/2020 23:43

I’m a little bit traumatised. Neither of my local greengrocers who delivery have celeriac or cauliflower. How can this be? I was going to make celeriac stovies so I’m a little pissed off.

Otherwise, a successful day 2. Lunch was a salmon fillet and green salad, dinner was flat iron steak with a blue cheese sauce, with salad. I’ve also cooked three slow cooker dinners, so there are minimal food decisions or prep till the weekend.

fizzfridays · 13/10/2020 23:48

Wow so much to read today! I'm loving reading everyone's food ideas and have found the pictures very motivating. I've got some beautiful clothes I WILL get back into!

Good day food-wise today:
L: tuna fishcakes bound with mayo and Parmesan with a big salad dressed in oil
D: roast chicken (inc skin) with Diane sauce and buttered broc and green beans.
Snack: salami stick while watching bake off
Loads of water.

Well done on day 2 everyone and to those struggling with carb flu keep up with water and electrolytes and it will get better soon!

BuffyTheBuffetSlayer · 14/10/2020 00:06

(!)
|| ||

^^Beat me BIWI I deserve the big stick, at least 10 lashes!! 🙈

B. Coffee with double cream and coconut oil..... aaaaand this is where it falls apart 😬
L. 2 fried eggs on low carb bread (4 slices)
Snack. 3 celery sticks scooped dipped in pate
D. 2 processed burgers (tbf nearly carb free) with cheese, onion, tomatoes, lettuce on low carb bread (another 4 slices)

The only thing I stuck to today was my water, managed just under 3L.

I've been doing low carb for weeks now and this is the first time I've felt hungry. Central to my downfall?? DP!!! I've changed my mind, it isn't easier dragging him along for the ride 😂
Back to proper bootcamp tomorrow!

IvorHughJarrs · 14/10/2020 00:20

I've managed the 2 days and my only transgressions (I think!) have been having some processed bits.

M&S make some air dried Serrano ham crisps and Chorizo crisps. I had a pack this afternoon as I was hungry to the point I was starting to prowl round the kitchen

Whogivesatossedpancake · 14/10/2020 06:37

Morning all, im planning a Chicken Curry tonight, can I use Essential Waitrose Coconut Cream which has 2.3g of carbs per 100g, im wondering if it's too much 'nut' and not enough 'cream' for bootcamp?

Takingontheworld · 14/10/2020 06:52

That sounds fine!

I usually fry in coconut oil, use pataks paste pot (5.5g per pot but does 2-3 portions and then use double cream.

Alaphilippe · 14/10/2020 07:41

Morning everyone

Thanks for all the meal inspiration and the quite frankly genius idea to take a photo in clothes that you want to get into. It had never crossed my mind to do that!
Successful day for me yesterday
B - Greek yoghurt
L- Greek salad
D - Chicken in tarragon cream sauce with cauli rice

And obvs lots of water!

Greek salad again for lunch today and then creamy tomato soup for dinner.

Rshard · 14/10/2020 07:59

Morning all,

Your chicken curry sounds lovely whogivesatossedpancake, making me feel hungry!

Doilooklikeatourist · 14/10/2020 08:16

Chicken curry sounds like a plan for me tonight too
I use those little patak pots too , they're handy to keep in the pantry ,
Sadly , DH doesn't like coconut ( and is a low fat fiend ) and DD is vegetarian , which makes menu planning a joy 😫

CowGurl · 14/10/2020 08:19

Morning :-)

Day 1 went pretty well, though I discovered there were peanuts in the curry sauce I used for supper (homemade by hubby and found in the bottom of the freezer).

Day 2 fine but had carrots and they're a bit high in carbs but other than that all on track, which is amazing for me! Have reminded myself of relative carbiness of veg by checking the spreadsheet.

Don't think I'm drinking enough water though. Had a slight headache yesterday afternoon so had stock cube in hot water, which tasted quite nice, surprisingly, and headache disappeared.

I tend to skip breakfast anyway so did the same Mon and Tues. Starving this morning so think I might have some bacon and halloumi.

The REAL news is that I have lost 1.2 kg already! I have been bouncing around 92kg for what feels like years now. If I could just get to 87-88 I would be so so happy to bounce around there for a while!

Loving the chat and the recipe ideas!

TeddyIsaHe · 14/10/2020 08:25

@CowGurl ooh well done!! I am so tempted to get on the scales, but holding out for my once a week weigh in Smile

Feeling great this morning, woke up at 5am actually feeling like I’d slept which hasn’t happened for a long time.

Here’s to another good day Grin

52andblue · 14/10/2020 08:30

yesterday was my first proper day as I found you late & unprepared
I did okay. 2 boiled eggs on sliver of soughdour for brunch.
a homemade granola bar midafternoon. Cauli cheese with peas for dinner. 5 brazil nuts before bed (forgot not supposed to eat them).
I know that this is not 'bootcamp' eating - yet. I have tried before and failed but this time as I am going through huge stress atm I am simply going to do my best, I have decided.
What I didn't do is eat any cake, crisps, 'normal' carbs etc: hurrah!
So, a good start for me.
And I also drank 2l water :)
I am going to be more careful today :)

52andblue · 14/10/2020 08:35

like, actually follow the rules :)

Rayna37 · 14/10/2020 09:09

For those mourning the loss of Buttermint tea, I eventually found regular peppermint wasn't as bad as I thought, and the posh pyramid style bags of it (even Aldi do a version of these) are really very nice and feel a bit treaty.

BIWI · 14/10/2020 09:13

@Whogivesatossedpancake

Morning all, im planning a Chicken Curry tonight, can I use Essential Waitrose Coconut Cream which has 2.3g of carbs per 100g, im wondering if it's too much 'nut' and not enough 'cream' for bootcamp?
That's fine. And sounds lovely!
OP posts:
BIWI · 14/10/2020 09:15

@52andblue

like, actually follow the rules :)
Hmm. Well done on averting The Big Stick! Wink

Anything we can help you with, re the stress? Support here isn't confined to low carbing, and a problem shared and all that. Flowers

OP posts:
Notwatchingtvtoday · 14/10/2020 09:15

Morning, so good to hear what everyone is eating. Good day for me yesterday , but my instant pot lamb curry was too watery, reminded me why it’s better to follow a recipe rather than just throw it in.

Today
B Greek yogurt
L left over curry as a soup
D beef stew with swede and broccoli in lots of butter

BIWI · 14/10/2020 09:16

Well done @CowGurl!

OP posts:
prettybird · 14/10/2020 09:22

Re the lack of Buttermint tea, while I do have (and like) Peppermint & Liquorice tea (Lidl does the pyramid bags too) and plain Peppermint tea, they're not the same Sad

Grumble, grumble, grumble Wink

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