Week 3 - Jan '21 Low Carb Bootcamp - time for Light?

[BIWI]

Well thanks to all the chat, I've had to start this week's thread earlier than usual

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness for you to declare all

You now have a choice: you can move on to Bootcamp Light, which means you can re-introduce nuts and seeds, some fruit and alcohol - all in moderation.

However, also bear in mind that weeks 3 & 4 are notorious for little or not weight loss and this is nothing to do with moving on to Bootcamp Light. It's just something that seems to happen.

So it's up to you. You can stay on Bootcamp if you wish, or move on to Bootcamp Light, or a hybrid - so you do Bootcamp during the week but relax into Bootcamp Light at the weekend.

Whatever you decide - good luck! Here's to a good week ahead.

@DulcetMoans jumping in to recommend a nice recipe:

Ottolenghi Roasted Squash with yogurt

Obviously you’d need to adapt it slightly (butternut squash is already carby, so I would only add a small amount of pumpkin seeds).

I like to eat this with fried halloumi, Ottolenghi’s charred cherry tomatoes, and a salad.

It’s also lovely sprinkled with garam masala, drizzled with lots of oil and some lemon juice. Fresh herbs such as coriander or parsley to serve.

@DulcetMoans Butternut squash has 7.5g carb per 100g, so I only have a very little of it, and usually on a day when the rest of my carbs are lower. I like it chopped and roasted in oil with shallot, spices and chorizo. Served with lots of green veg (e.g. kale added to the roasting tray for the final 5 or 6 minutes). I can pick out a few chunks of squash for me, and the rest is for dh.

I make soup with butternut squash, cream and thyme. Doesn't have any added carbs, except onion.

Not sure how low carb it is, as I normally make it when I'm not dieting! It's butternut squash roasted with its skin still on, just descended and cut in chunks, with wedges of onion and garlic, with olive oil. When it's cooked, put all of that in a big pan with stock and thyme leaves. Heat it all through the blend and add double cream. It's really nice.

Hello everyone, just sneaking in at the back. I'm restarting low carb today as I lost about 50lbs on it many (OK about 5) years ago. BIWI may remember me by my previous username of Ragz, or Gammeldragz as it was changed to, one Bootcamp (in tribute to some foreign low carb sausage thing, I think). Despite a short and soul destroying stint with SW with my neighbour, it's the only WOE that works for me and the food actually makes me happy.
I know I'm rather late for this bootcamp, but I have been lurking on and off for a few weeks as I mentally prepared myself!

Breakfast - creamy coffee, Greek yogurt with cream and cinnamon.
Lunch - pepperoni stick things and a cheese stick.
Lots of black coffee (can in count it as water?!).

Need a nap before I plan dinner, I only had 5 hours sleep and I've been vaccinating all morning. But I did a top up shop and have lots of options.

As @venus said, do be very careful with it. I wouldn’t have more than 1/4, and I’d keep the rest of my carb intake for the day very low. Especially if you have it with pumpkin seeds and tomatoes as I suggested above!

Ohhhh @Ragz was it you I remembered from previous threads who had Danish husband/in-laws/some other connection to my beloved home land? And has posted before about the fantastic wedding parties?🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰

If so I was just talking about you the other day!

In any case, welcome back!

Thanks @BIWI ! I’ll try and add some more carbs in - I’ve been trying hard to keep them low because I plateaued so may have gone too far the other way.

I added some carrot to the Bolognese tonight which I had with a massive pile of broccoli and courgetti, and I will add some frozen raspberries to my green yoghurt tomorrow.

Have drunk less water, but still over 3 litres so I think that is ok.

Tomorrow’s dinner plan features slow cooked beef stew with lots of veg (so I’ll add onions and carrots for some more carbs) and buttery celeriac mash - I’m really looking forward to it!

@Onelittlepiglet

Thanks *@BIWI* ! I’ll try and add some more carbs in - I’ve been trying hard to keep them low because I plateaued so may have gone too far the other way.

I added some carrot to the Bolognese tonight which I had with a massive pile of broccoli and courgetti, and I will add some frozen raspberries to my green yoghurt tomorrow.

Have drunk less water, but still over 3 litres so I think that is ok.

Tomorrow’s dinner plan features slow cooked beef stew with lots of veg (so I’ll add onions and carrots for some more carbs) and buttery celeriac mash - I’m really looking forward to it!

You're only in week 5, so you can't possibly have plateaued! Did you find that you didn't see any loss in weeks 3 and 4? This is quite normal, if so.

If you're feeling poorly, you really need to add the carbs in now - so have a slice of toast. It's important that you identify if it's a carb issue or somethign else.

Welcome back @CatVsChristmasTree!

(And no, lots of black coffee doesn't count towards your water)

@Justcallmecaptainobvious

Interesting article. The thing I’ve been most surprised at is not missing Diet Coke. I’d normally get through 24 cans in a week at minimum, at the worst DH and I were having a 2L bottle each most days. I’ve tried to give it up before and failed. I think it’s cutting out sugar and sweeteners wholesale that’s making it possible - normally one leads to the other.

That was so me!!

Just trying to catch up and read all the messages. Have been busy with work and too tired by the end of the day.
Reading the messages about sleep I thought it might be the carb withdrawal that's been causing my insomnia. Love that my appetite and cravings are suppressed but the sleep is pants! Waking up 3-4am most days. Wide awake. Some nights only getting 4hrs sleep and broken at that. Hard when you have to get up and function for work. Hoping it will settle soon.

On the plus note I'm so grateful for this BC! Thanks to @BIWI and Team for running this.

I've decided to stay on for another 2 weeks. I can't believe I've been off sweetners for 2 weeks! And Cola! I had to have a glass every day! Will be doing diary free as well as a first time try. LC version of whole 30. Apart from butter. Margarine is Bleugh.

Tried celeriac chips first time which were nice. Got a sugar free ketchup but found the flavour a little artificial to be honest (as if real ketchup isint ) but more "artificially" will stick to Mayo.

Energy slightly better although runs still far slower than my pre bc and more of a slug.

For those who run/workout does it improve or is it worth having a small carby snack before exercise?

A bit disappointed with the -0.5lb loss this week as stuck to plan, no cheating but it's in the right direction and I feel lighter, less bloated so it's what counts!

Have a lovely day everyone!

@kilojules

Energy slightly better although runs still far slower than my pre bc and more of a slug

For those who run/workout does it improve or is it worth having a small carby snack before exercise?

Yes it does improve. Don't have a carby snack beforehand otherwise you'll just undo all the work you've done so far to switch your body into burning fat!

A bit disappointed with the -0.5lb loss this week as stuck to plan, no cheating but it's in the right direction and I feel lighter, less bloated so it's what counts

It's still a loss!

@kilojules - just to remind/reassure you: butter doesn't count as dairy when you're going "dairy free"

So absolutely no need to have margarine - in fact, you're not suppose to have it as you're actively being encouraged to eat "clean" and unprocessed - and margarine is the exact opposite of that (plus often the "wrong" type of fats but I can't remember the technical detail so not even going to start to explain why )

@CatVsChristmasTree - I remember you as Gammeldragz and also the Danish connection (my granny was Danish ). Welcome back

Checking in and caught up.
Lunch was my favourite go to.... romaine lettuce leaves, fried diced bacon in oil, spring onions, mayo & sprinkled with cheddar cheese and lots of salt. Bloody beautiful, still dont feel hungry now and I ate lunch before 12 (up through the night, v early start).
Tea is fish, with salad for me. Roasted new potatoes & peas for DH. Kids will have some toast for supper.
Had an extra coffee today as we woke up to Antarctica (exg I know haha) and it’s bloody freezing.
BUT! I’ve had my water allocation already

That's not much veg, @ListenLinda, if all you're eating is salad

@prettybird I can’t remember if I replied to your comment back to me about your granny being Danish...I hate it when I’ve potentially been rude without meaning to! I feel positively cosy whenever anyone I come across has a connection to home (although I have lived England longer than I actually lived in Denmark by now, so feel very at home here too!)

Haven’t had anything to eat yet today. A cup of coffee with cream this morning, and copious cups of tea. Need to drink more water before the end of the day.

Dinner is going to be on the carby side:

Pork chops baked with beetroot, apples, caraway and paprika. I won’t have any of the apples. I might eat it over some lettuce and broccoli stalks to get some more veg in.

@BIWI doing a shop tomorrow to stock up on green veggies, having to eat what is in. The plan was to call at sainsburys for some essential bits on the way from picking kids up from Nursery but the snow has put paid to that.

@Ninkanink - to make you feel even more at home, here is my granny's collection of Royal Copenhagen Christmas plates : a complete flight starting in 1934, when she went to South Africa and her father sent them out to her (she had to make up the gaps in the war years when she visited with my dad in 1948). My father has continued the tradition of getting them, now sending/taking them to his sister, whose wall it is you can see in the picture as she'd just moved house and had to put them all back up again

There are a few more on the wall now - but not this year's which my dad still has as he can't get out to SA . Dad also has a collection, but it was also only started in, I think, 1985.

@prettybird That's so lovely- makes me feel quite emotional really.

@Ninkanink was just about to post about beetroot. Came in my veg box and I am the only one that eats them. Thinking of roast g and freezing in small portions to add to Goats cheese and salad. Do you limit carbs the rest of the day if you eat them? The dark colour makes me certain they have lots of good vitamins!

I am not Danish on any level but love Denmark. Spent two weeks there last year. We really enjyed Aarhus.

I ate my eggs at 10 which is a 16 hour fast so Pleased with that. Lunch was yummy and delayed until 2.15. Dinner will be later than usual too so hoping delaying eating will be easier, especially as I intend to eat plenty of fat with it. I know I am still eating breakfast but surely less than I might be (2 boiled eggs with salt) rather than omlette/butter /mayo.

@Ninkanink

You can wrap asparagus in pancetta, Parma ham, prosciutto or streaky bacon, then fry or grill, and dip into soft boiled eggs.

For an incredibly easy way to eat asparagus, but a ton, drain, lay on a plate, then drown in homemade vinaigrette (NOT using balsamic vinegar, but the red wine stuff).

If you’re feeling fancy you can top it was shaved Parmesan or add some sliced tomato or salami or whatever the deck you want, but I’m a huge fan of tinned asparagus with vinaigrette as a meal.

Obviously deck = feck which equals = fuck.

Hi y’all. Have missed you but am 100% keeping up with the threads. Mwah!

Shag I was waiting for you to do the wk2 overspill thread! BIWI was quick off the mark this time though