Happy Christmas Bootcampers!

[BIWI]

Morning all.

We've completed our ten weeks - and I can see from the Spreadsheet just how well it's gone!

But just because the ten weeks are up, doesn't mean we have to stop. So here's a bright, shiny new chat thread for us to keep chatting and supporting each other.

Its may bring BIWIs big stick down on me ..

I've just signed up to the next bootcamp too. Never really got back into it after DP lost his BF then christmas got closer. Im going to bed every night with stomach ache, my back ache has returned and I'm constantly tired. Carbs just aren't worth it! I'm even heavier than I was when I started out last time but thought I'd use that as an opportunity to take a starting out photo as well as a photo log of my progress trying to fit into clothes that are too tight. Seeing everyone elses achievement last bootcamp was so encouraging

Wow, I just went and had a look at the sign-up thread. So many takers!

Can anyone help me with working out how to make a thicker cheese sauce? I used an online recipe of 1Tbsp butter, 1/4cup cream, 1/4 cup almond or soya milk, 1 cup grated cheese - it tasted amazing but it was very runny even after cooling, Am I doing something wrong?

Welcome back Buffy

Mrs omlette i just do 300g dcream & as much cheese as i think and my cauli cheese is always perf!

All the curry talk led me to this for lunch

@MrsOmelette

Can anyone help me with working out how to make a thicker cheese sauce? I used an online recipe of 1Tbsp butter, 1/4cup cream, 1/4 cup almond or soya milk, 1 cup grated cheese - it tasted amazing but it was very runny even after cooling, Am I doing something wrong?

No need to use milk - that will make it very runny.

Basic recipe I use is 300ml double cream to as much grated mature cheddar as you want (probably half a block).

If you're making a meal for 4+, use 600ml double cream and double the amount of cheese.

• bring cream to the boil in a saucepan
• add grated cheese and stir till it melt
• season with freshly ground black pepper
• add the juice of half a lemon

Stir till all combined and melted.

It will never be as thick as if you're using flour, but will give you a really good tasting sauce.

@BurningGubbins

Wow, I just went and had a look at the sign-up thread. So many takers!

It's always the case!

However ...

• many of them won't even start in the end
• a lot drop out in the first week because they can't cope with carb flu
• a lot drop out in the first fortnight because they haven't prepared for it/find it too difficult
• many drop out later on because they lose interest/can't sustain it/fall off the wagon

... and some drop out because they don't like being ticked off by me

Takingontheflab I wanted to say your meals always look lovely and I appreciate your posting them.

MrsOmelette yes to what others have said but got me wondering if anyone has done a cauliflower cheese using the IPD (Idiot Proof Diet) recipe for bleu cheese dressing.

Basically a cup of sour cream, a cup of mayonnaise, and a “few crumbles” of bleu cheese. (I use the whole wedge.)

I first encountered this when doing it with halved gem lettuce and bacon, it’s delicious, and also great as a sauce for steaks.

I’m thinking the mayonnaise might droop in the oven if it’s for cauliflower cheese.

MrsOmelette I second BIWI's cheese sauce recipe. It's the bomb!

On the other hand BIWI a lot of those signing up won't really be in the right headspace to commit. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get into the swing of low carbing. Having said that it's a lot easier than it used to be. As the keto craze picks up pace it might get easier still. I want to be able to go to a cafe or restaurant with a low carb menu!

More and more restaurants are doing low carb stuff though @StuntNun - especially more 'fine dining'. In the days when we were allowed to go out - remember those?! - I did notice that a lot more places were using celeriac or cauliflower in some form, in place of potatoes.

... but that obviously needs to trickle down into high street restaurants and pubs

Thank you shagme! No gormet cooking here but its helpful to me to share!

I finally made nandos chicken the other day and it was very upsetting 🤣 remembered i hate spice as soon as i bit into it 🤣

I use cream cheese for sauce , so cheddar. parmesan tub of cream cheese ,( Philly size tub) it makes it definitely thicker .

If I am doing leeks and want white sauce I cook them slowly in butter and add to the sauce dab of mustard sometimes I just use parsley instead

If anyone is looking for any more recipe inspiration, the latest Fast800 recipe book is out. They're calorie counted recipes, but not especially low calorie - but importantly they all have carb counts too. Some of them are a bit high, given that the Fast800 allows pulses/legumes, but there are some lovely low carb ones too.

Thanks all - I will do 300ml from now on. I’ve still to get used to having cream, I used to Dukan low carb and it was a no-no.
My husband said the chilli-burgers I made tonight were the best burgers he’s ever had...that’s a big compliment.
Tomorrow’s food:
B - green pepper omelette
L - tuna salad
D - salmon, cauli mash, Brussels.

*However ...

• many of them won't even start in the end
• a lot drop out in the first week because they can't cope with carb flu
• a lot drop out in the first fortnight because they haven't prepared for it/find it too difficult
• many drop out later on because they lose interest/can't sustain it/fall off the wagon

... and some drop out because they don't like being ticked off by me blush grin*

HOWEVER... many, many more carry on. They drop in and out and they might struggle, or they might miraculously lose more than they imagined. But overwhelmingly they become part of a supportive community, one which helps them in the long term as well as in a 10 week bootcamp. Thank you @BIWI

My go-to cheese sauce is grated mozzarella, grated parmesan, and full fat cottage cheese, all mixed with an egg.

In my rollercoaster post-Christmas ride, today was a good day, however I’m yet to have two in a row.

I did snack on chicken instead of dairy so hopefully that’s a push in the right direction.

Breakfast: creamy coffee and raspberries
Lunch: slow cooked spicy sausage soup
Snack: chicken
Dinner: lamb and olive ragu with two full courgettes, an aubergine and tomatoes

Yes yes yes Venus! I started back in 2013. Lord only knows what weight I would be now if I hadn't found BIWI's Bootcamp. Instead I'm the same weight in my mid-40s as I was in my mid-20s. Even better, my DCs are growing up with a clear idea of how they need to eat in order to stay metabolically healthy - essential with heart disease and diabetes in the family history.

That's very kind @venusandmars!

When I first started low carbing, and in the early days of Bootcamp, I was so evangelical about it, it used to really pain me that so many people dropped out! But you're absolutely right - for those who commit (even if that's not immediately), it's really beneficial, and not just from a weight loss point of view.

Well I'm a week in - 3.5 down. Bit disappointed in that because A. I've a lot to loose B I've drank all the water in the world and C I've stuck to it like glue.

I think I'll reduce portion sizes and cut out dairy apart from butter.

@ChristMyArse Hang on - you've lost a quarter of a stone in a week and you're disappointed?!!!

Don't change anything yet, as this is a new WOE for you and your body needs to adjust to it.

You're doing really well so far. You've upped your veg, you've kept your fat levels high (even though it feels strange!) and you're drinking all the water.

No need to change anything yet.

We all lose weight at different rates, and there really is not 'one size fits all' when it comes to low carbing.

There certainly isn't any need to cut your portion sizes, unless you have been massively over-eating. This is not a way of eating that's about deprivation!

You eat till you're satiated, rather than leaving yourself hungry.

Don't panic about this. This is a marathon not a sprint, as we often say, and you've got off to a really good start.

ChristMyArse that’s loads! You should be really pleased with yourself. I know some people get a whoosh in the first week but that will mostly be water weight.

It’s really difficult to lose more than 2lbs a week as a woman unless you’re very, very overweight. As they all say, you didn’t put in on in a week so it won’t go in a week.

Yes, a massive thank you BIWI. I got so many compliments this Christmas for my glowing skin. I’m eating (if one portion = 80g (I’m never sure if it quite does because I roast my vegetables so I think I lose nutrients...)) about ten portions of vegetables a day and have bizarrely become a runner, which I never expected. I always felt good AFTER exercise but now I actively look forward to it. It’s an insane change and I don’t think it would have happened without this Bootcamp.

BIWI on the Fast800 recipes when you say some of them are a bit high in carbs, what do you mean, numerically? Because I haven’t ever counted anything I don’t actually know how to spot a recipe that comes out a bit high.

Lyrata I’ve now managed 3 good days in a row (bootcamp-compliant snacking more than I would have before Christmas mind you) and have woken up feeling more like myself. The scales are responding too, though I haven’t yet logged my weight on my Renpho app as I don’t want to see that spike on the graph yet, so I am glad we’re not weighing on Monday!

Morning and hi BuffyTheBuffetSlayer it’s good to have you back , don’t worry about the gain, it will come off, just take it a day at a time and be kind to yourself and your husband as you grieve for his precious bf. Sadly I have also had a tragic bereavement and so I can emphasise, I have found that getting out for a walk or doing some exercise every day and eating 3 meals a day is essential to my wellbeing, it keeps me far more stable. Interestingly I think that this WOE is also good as you have a more stable blood sugar level without the sugar highs and lows that come with some carbs and alcohol, which is also good for your wellbeing.

In terms of loads of people joining up, but then leaving, I hope that anyone joining bootcamp will learn some new stuff and even if that is just that they reconsider how much processed food, alcohol and caffeine they are consuming and make some healthy changes, that has got to be a good thing. BIWI Stuntnun and everyone else, I am sure it makes a big difference.

ChristMyArse, I never loose more than a couple of pounds a week, but it’s amazing how quickly the pounds add up over the course of the weeks and I also don’t loose ever week. Take some photos, count the notches on a belt, find an outfit you can’t fit into but could if you lost a bit and use that to measure. Some weeks I have not lost weight but have dropped inches round my waist. There will also be NSVs (non scale victories) like better skin, better sleep and feeling more in control around food, all of which really start to add up to feeling a lot better about yourself.

Today’s food
B Greek Yogurt
L homemade soup and cold chicken
D Lamb Curry, roasted green beans and broccoli

Today I am planning to have a Long dog walk in the park, home schooling dd2 and a new jigsaw 🧩 the heady heights of distraction during lockdown, I will also be watching a lot of Tv as I am closely following what is happening in the USA at the moment. I will also have to fit in some other far more boring stuff 😀

2 coffees, 1 decaf coffee in the afternoon which helps stop 5pm cravings, Teapigs sweet ginger tea (my current favourite) I also like peppermint and liquorice, but you need to be careful about how much liquorice you have in teas, and as Shagmeriggins says water, water, water.....

@BurningGubbins

BIWI on the Fast800 recipes when you say some of them are a bit high in carbs, what do you mean, numerically? Because I haven’t ever counted anything I don’t actually know how to spot a recipe that comes out a bit high

Unfortunately there's no 'one size fits all' guideline for how many carbs you should consume for your diet to be 'low carb', because we all tolerate carbs differently. Some people can consumer a fair few each day without gaining weight, others have to seriously restrict theirs.

Dr John Briffa (who wrote, amongst others, 'Escape the Diet Trap') suggested that 100g carbs per day/no more than 30g carbs per meal would be low carb. IMO/IME I think that's probably too high for weight loss, and is more suitable for maintenance.

If you think about the Atkins diet Induction phase, the most strict part of that diet, they allow 20g carbs per day, which is very low (it's also the level that keto diets recommend, I think).

So with those two parameters in mind, that's how I look at those recipes. Anything that's more than 20g carbs I'd be cautious of. There are recipes well under that, e.g. salmon burgers, which are only 3g carbs per serving, or tarragon poached chicken, which is only 1g carbs, or pork with mustard and cider vinegar, at 1g carbs per portion (although all of these would need veg/salad accompaniments, clearly!)