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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.

Low Carb Week 7 - Our final weeks

623 replies

BIWI · 01/03/2021 00:34

Forgive me friends, for I have sinned ...

DS1's birthday today so I've been very absent from the thread.

Here is the spreadsheet for you to confess all

Will confess all tomorrow

Good luck to you all Flowers

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Thread gallery
57
ChristMyArse · 03/03/2021 22:07

@Dailyhandtowelwash you lucky bugger!!!

Not a great day here, managed 2 meals and then had quite a bit of cream with teas instead of eating. I've done too much and from the boobs down I'm in pain.

@BIWI I've had to up my meds this week, do you think upping the dosage may effect things when they are not new drugs for me? I'm also on antibiotics so don't think that will help?

Knackered now, sleep well all!

RagzReturnsRebooted · 03/03/2021 22:17

@Howdidthathappen1 I find not eating breakfast helps! I just have a creamy coffee and don't eat until lunch. If I have breakfast I get hungry more. But I do find fasting easy.

venusandmars · 03/03/2021 22:41

@FusionChefGeoff I think that on this woe keto strips are not recommended - firstly because we are focusing on a good, healthy, sustainable way of eating (rather than trying to hit a keto target), and secondly because if you are drinking ALL THE WATER then ketones in your wee will be quite dilute.

However, when I first started low carb I found keto strips really useful as part of understanding how my body worked and responded. For example, I can tolerate low amounts of beetroot, I can tolerate low amounts of alcohol, but the combination... NO NO NO

And (and please don't tell BIWI this) I still use keto strips sometimes to help keep me on the straight and narrow. I'm never going to get a deep dark purple reading (unless I'm seriously dehydrated) but if there is seriously nothing showing for several days, then I'm probably in a carb creep...

@nowlook I first came across Ishga products when dh brought home a candle as a freebie. We loved the smell, but oh how we mocked at the 'natural herbs of the machair' (including patchouli). But then at another event, the freebies included the face cream, and I was wowed!. The smell, the light feel, everything. I just loved it.

dh gave away most of the Ishga freebies. Then when I asked for some for my birthday, he realised how much it cost and regretted his generosity Grin

@cheeseisthebest this is my favourite duck confit recipe. I never bother with the pre-salting stuff, just a couple of duck legs in a pan with wine and herbs, on a low heat for a couple of hours.

Then roast in the oven. Oh so delicious.

1stMrsF · 03/03/2021 22:53

The porcini cream made a great sauce. Brilliant store cupboard standby.

MarmaladeTeepee · 04/03/2021 05:16

Just catching up with the thread. @ChristMyArse I'm so pleased your standoff is over, hopefully they've both learned some lessons for next time.

@ZiggZagg what a week you've had Flowers

@FusionChefGeoff I like the idea of keto strips when I'm in maintenance just so I can track which carbs I can tolerate and which I can't. But that's quite a way off and while I'm still losing weight I can't see the point.

Anyone else doing the yoga challenge finding Adriene a tad annoying? If I knew what I was doing, I'd definitely mute her Blush. Although it might be the fact that it's brought it home to me how inflexible and overweight I am, so I'm really just annoyed with myself and projecting! At least it's given me some tangible fitness goals.

ouchmyfeet · 04/03/2021 05:59

I have tried Yoga with Adrienne in the past @MarmaladeTeepee and I can't stick her! She really irritated me, but I have tried yoga a few times and never enjoyed it so I think the problem is more me than Adrienne Wink

MarmaladeTeepee · 04/03/2021 06:58

@ouchmyfeet glad it's not just me Grin

ListenLinda · 04/03/2021 07:01

Just caught back up on the thread, spent most of yesterday laid up with the mother of all periods. Havent been this heavy or painful for a while so thought they had finally settled down but nope.
Food was great yesterday, water was okay but could of been better. It’s back to freezing here in W Yorks which makes me not want to drink the water, maybe I should try having it warm.
All watch rings closed yesterday, today maybe be a challenge as wfh and the kids dont go to nursery or anything, so will have to force myself to go for a walk at lunch!

FusionChefGeoff · 04/03/2021 07:38

Thanks for the thoughts on the strips. I had a sneaky suspicion they went against the basic idea of this approach but as you both say - I'm fascinated to see what my body's doing!!

I'm planning on a tomatoey / Spanish chicken thing in the slow cooker but I've only got chicken breasts.

What can I do to increase fat??

I'm thinking add streaky bacon, chorizo, fry off shallots and celery in EVOO. Maybe top with grated cheese on serving?? Not sure I fancy /
Kids will go for adding cream to the sauce.

Jollyholibobs · 04/03/2021 07:43

Loving the earring show!

Day 4 of wear it or bin it challenge. Yesterday a pair of work trousers which don’t fit have joined the donation pile. Today I am wearing a Boden dress which I plan to bin but DH has given it the thumbs up thinks it’s quite nice. If I wear it all day and still don’t like it it will go in the pile.

Today’s food
B 16:8 so black coffee
L avacado Brie and salad
D spiced paneer with spinach. DH will have rice.

I’ve run out if Greek yoghurt. May need to go to shop. Not sure I can manage a day without it!!

Pleaseandthankyou · 04/03/2021 08:32

@ZiggZagg I hope you are ok. Not being able to go to the hospital with an elderly very ill relative is one of the worst parts of this epidemic. I have had to work late every night this week so the shred and yoga will have to weight. The scales are teasing me with a glimpse of the next stone. Yesterday’s food was awful.. Had to grab something quickly. Breakfast 2 duck eggs with butter, lunch packet of Parma ham and cheddar slices, dinner packet of turkey slices and more cheese . Resisted the high carb carry out alternatives. This definitely easier when you have time to shop and prepare. My low carb break has be shipped so that will help.

JengaCupboard · 04/03/2021 08:53

[quote LittleMy77]@JengaCupboard my Morrison’s has the bare noodles and other random stuff. I bulk buy serious pig cheese crackers direct from serious pig, they’re really addictive![/quote]
I've just looked on their site... I will be ordering some of those rosemary ones to try... i'm trying to avoid snacking as such but I also noted the bacon flavour crackling... might be a friday night treat or maybe a few crackers with soup or something... thanks!!

Oneborneverydecade · 04/03/2021 09:07

@Jollyholibobs I'd like daily photos please Wink

Oneborneverydecade · 04/03/2021 09:14

@ListenLinda sorry to hear you're suffering

@Pleaseandthankyou you must have been starving! We grabbed lunch from a co-op Sunday, I bought fridge raiders and a stick of cheese, I felt so insubstantial that I ended up eating again when I got home.

I'm down 3lb so far this week, not terribly optimistic it'll still be 3 by Monday though

MilesJuppIsMyBitch · 04/03/2021 09:50

@venusandmars no beetroot cocktails for YOU then! 

@ListenLinda you have my sympathies Thanks

@ZiggZagg are you able to speak to your dad at the hospital? Hope he's still improving Thanks

Still KOKO here. Finding that I'm having a couple of squares of dark choc every night, so might have to ask DH to hide it for me. I've started buying 90% cocoa, as it's so strong and bitter I don't want more than two squares.

Also, I'm eating a bit more as the antibiotics are making my stomach growl.

Off to fill up my litre water bottle, to keep me on track.

Doilooklikeatourist · 04/03/2021 10:04

Day 4 plank challenge ✅
First litre of water drink
Took one of the almond muffins out of the freezer earlier and toasted it .
Oh my goodness it was delicious ! With lashings of Welsh salted butter on top , I was going to top it with cheese , but the butter was enough
Good start to the day 😀

@Jollyholibobs , I decluttered my wardrobe and chest of drawers in long lockdown , and I have completely got into the rut of wearing the same clothes all the time , I almost want to chuck the grey skinny jeans away I’m so bored of them

I have nice black new ( cheap M & S ) trousers today , I bought them before Christmas and couldn’t do them up , but I can now !

Can’t wait for the shops to be open again , though living in Wales , we’re a bit clueless as to when that will be ( DH thinks it will be 15th March , I’m not convinced )

@FusionChefGeoff there’s a really nice recipe for chicken on Diet Dr , not sure if it’s slow cooker style ,
Was known as chicken Freddie , as it’s delicious and was a success on a previous Bootcamp
www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/cauliflower-chicken-alfredo

BIWI · 04/03/2021 10:21

Sorry have been rather absent recently - long post to reply to questions/issues from yesterday. Apologies, as ever, for duplication!

@JengaCupboard

Also I have been researching stuff like the bare naked noodles and low carb bread you guys talk about, and can only find them on Ocado which have no delivery slots for basically forever... any good product recommendations on this front, and where you buy? Thanks everyone

Sainsbury's sell Bare Naked noodles - and rice - but probably only in their big stores. However, if you have an Asian supermarket anywhere near you, you may be able to buy them - not the brand, which is a UK brand, but look for shirataki noodles or konjac . These noodles are made with flour from the Japanese yam (completely different from the veg we know as a yam!).

You can buy the low carb bread and/or rolls from this site .

@FusionChefGeoff

I've also ordered some keto strips as I am curious to see short term impact of food choices - I don't want to start weighing daily but am still too new / nervous to be completely chilled in between sessions!

Don't waste your money! If you're drinking the amount of water you should be, you'll not see much change on those strips. Equally, there's no need to weigh daily. Trust us that this will work - if you follow the rules!

'm planning on a tomatoey / Spanish chicken thing in the slow cooker but I've only got chicken breasts
What can I do to increase fat?? I'm thinking add streaky bacon, chorizo, fry off shallots and celery in EVOO. Maybe top with grated cheese on serving?? Not sure I fancy /Kids will go for adding cream to the sauce

Fry your chicken and bacon/chorizo in butter and olive oil first. You could also add in some olives, which are high in fat. (Kids can fish them out if they don't like them!). When you serve it, if you don't want cream in the sauce, how about a dollop of sour cream or yoghurt on the top, along with grated cheese?

@ChristMyArse

Be careful with cottage cheese. Yes, you can have it, but be aware that it's around 4g carbs per 100g (seems to depend on the brand). It can also be difficult to find full fat stuff - don't go anywhere near the fat-free cottage cheese as that is almost twice the amount of carbs. I love cottage cheese (I know, weirdo!) so do have it occasionally.

I've had to up my meds this week, do you think upping the dosage may effect things when they are not new drugs for me? I'm also on antibiotics so don't think that will help?

Sorry - this is beyond (way, way!) my level of expertise. You could ask your GP - but otherwise you'll just have to suck it and see. To be honest, if you need medication then it's more important that your issue is treated rather than worrying about weight loss, surely? Hopefully the antibiotics will only be a short term thing, so I wouldn't worry too much about those - although I would try to get hold of a good probiotic to take at the same time.
@Howdidthathappen1

B 3 eggs omelette with mushrooms and cheddar about 8am

This sounds fine - hopefully you used a lot of butter to fry your omelette?

L aubergine into 2, drizzled with oil and harrissa paste baked with lettuce with ceaser dressing on (a lot of) about 1pm

Firstly, why 'drizzled'? This implies not much oil - aubergines love oil, and so it's a great opportunity to really increase the amount of fat you're eating.

Secondly, how much harissa? And did you check the carb count? They do vary, but one brand that I checked (Belazu Rose) is 15.3g carbs per 100g.

Third, the caesar dressing - carb counts vary hugely, but can be as much as 10g carbs per 100ml depending on the brand. Again, did you check?

Overall, your lunch could have been too low in fat (certainly low in protein too) but also high in carbs.

Snack - lump of cheddar about 3.30 then greek yogurt and 6 walnuts as still hungry!

Strong indication that you haven't been eating enough fat and protein at lunch.

D chicken, chorizo, fried with asparagus cherry tomatoes and spinach with feta stirred through at 6pm

Sounds fine - but hopefully you used plenty of oil/butter to fry in? Did you use chicken thighs rather than chicken breast, to keep the fat up?

as I've lost 2/3lbs since the start I can only think I need to cut down on the amount of food

No - but you need to cut out the snacking and make sure that you're keeping your carbs low at meal times and really upping the fat. You might also cut down/out the dairy, as you've had that at every meal. It can make a difference.

@ouchmyfeet

Evening all, those chocolate cakes look awesome. I'm tempted to make some cupcakes as suggested and freeze them. My birthday is coming up and would love to have a slice of cake with the kids in celebration.

Birthday's don't need cake! However, if you make that recipe, just remember that the amount is to serve 12 people, so use it to make 12 individual cakes.

Again, remember we're trying to train our tastebuds out of wanting sweet things!. This:

Rubbish day here today. Had a headache all day that I can't shift, and massively craving sweet things. I think it's just PMT, never really sure as I don't have periods but do get the monthly hormone cycle. I've had a couple of squares of dark choc which didn't really hit the spot (a few hundred grams of milky chocolate would have been perfect) so I am at least glad that I stopped there and didn't fall into a carb pit

... would suggest that you really do need to cut out any sweet stuff at least for now.

And:

still a bit alarmed at the amount of butter I'm eating, but weightloss has picked up since I cut back on cheese and stopped holding back on the butter. It's so bloody delicious

Why are you worried about the amount of butter? You really do need to accept that this is a high fat WOE! And as you quite rightly say, butter is bloody delicious Grin

@cheeseisthebest

Still really plateaued here and keep eating dark chocolate each evening. Possibly a correlation?!!

First, you haven't plateaued - on 26/2 you reported a loss of around 2lbs. A plateau is when you haven't lost pounds or inches for at least 3 weeks.

Second, you have been cheating! You ate pasta.

And third, you're eating chocolate every day.

What do you expect?

Please - if you really want to lose weight, follow Bootcamp rules properly.

@Oneborneverydecade

I'm down 3lb so far this week, not terribly optimistic it'll still be 3 by Monday though

How come? What are you anticipating doing/eating that would sabotage that loss?!

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MrsOmelette · 04/03/2021 10:37

Well, I now know I can’t have granola in the house as I binge eat it. Oops. Today’s food: L - bacon, eggs & fried tomato D - corned beef salad with mayonnaise.

BIWI · 04/03/2021 10:39

@MrsOmelette there's a recipe for low carb granola on the vegetarian recipe thread. It's a Rose Elliott recipe and it's lovely.

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ouchmyfeet · 04/03/2021 10:44

Thanks @BIWI , I really do think it's PMT. I have been amazed at how little I have craved sweet things since I started bootcamp. To only feel like that on one day is massive progress for me, I used to have 3-4 days each month where I'd eat chocolate, crisp butties, crackers loaded in butter, all on top of 3 meals a day. I'm just having a single hungry day now and I'm not eating chocolate every day at all. The two squares yesterday were the first sweet thing since feb 20th.

But thank you for your advice and concern, it really is appreciated. I'm keeping my eye on the sugar.

BIWI · 04/03/2021 10:47

Just remember that sugar is hugely addictive! I have seen claims that it's like class A drugs in that regard.

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MrsOmelette · 04/03/2021 11:06

@BIWI thanks, I’ll try it when my head is in a better place. It’s hard curbing overeating at times, easier to lose weight as an overeater, by far, with Low Carb than any other way as you can eat plenty but I do occasionally binge low carb things which isn’t healthy.

NotwatchingSpooks · 04/03/2021 11:14

Morning
I’ve stuck with the challenge and also had no mindless snacking. I seem to have turned a corner today, in that I feel determined to get below the 10 stone mark, where I have been bobbing about for the whole boot camp.

To those who are finding they are hungry, in addition to BIWIs wise words, are you having enough water and try adding some more veg with an oily dressing to your meals, for example make up a slaw to keep in the fridge and add a bit to every meal. I also liked the tip about having hard boiled eggs if your hungry, interestingly I find if I am after a snack and I don’t fancy an egg, I am actually not hungry 😀

Today
Greek yogurt
L 2 eggs with homemade slaw
D chicken breast, lardons and Parmesan oven roasted with buttered spinach and Celaric and swede mash

3 litres of water, as shag says it is so important

prettybird · 04/03/2021 11:43

Spooks - I thought of you and the No Snacks challenge as I opened the fridge door last night .... and closed it again Halo

Mixing it up today with the earrings: probably got these over 20 years ago as I think it was one of my earlier trips to SA in the mid 90s (plus we've not been for 12 years Sad)

Low Carb Week 7 - Our final weeks
BIWI · 04/03/2021 11:48

3 days of the 30 day challenge completed - today is a rest day.

I was supposed to do day 2 of week 1 C25K yesterday, but for some reason my app thought I'd run all three runs, so I had to start week 2@. Not a problem though and I managed the 1.5 minute runs easily.

Also a rest day from C25K today though, so a sofa-slobbing day it is Grin

DS2's birthday tomorrow; as we can't see him in person, I'm off to M&S to buy him something lovely to eat, which we'll drop off at his flat later.

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