Bootcamp - your one best tip!

[Covid10lbs]

I've done BC before, very successfully for me, I lost 10lbs and it stayed off! And then Covid.
I recognised a horrible level of stress & anxiety within myself, so I consciously allowed myself tv & sugar, & gained a stone. Whilst I absolutely forgive myself for that, I want to move on. That includes fitting into ALL of my Summer clothes.
So we're starting BC Monday, which I'm really looking forward to.
Thank you so much to all the BC leaders & regulars, you have all been so wonderful.

My problem is; Apart from my 1 successful attempt, I've never been able to stick to BC since! I tried again after Christmas but failed again.
I do think there's a mental place I need to be in, and I'm there today. But how do you keep going?

So I'm asking fellow bootcampers, what ONE tip would you recommend?

If you have more than one, could you put it in separate posts pls, I want to collate ideas & see which tips get repeated most.

TIA.

In the initially stages eat as much as you like, of permitted food. That way you force out cravings for other things. So if you want to eat lots of cheese, deli meats etc in an evening go for it! That way it feels nothing like a diet and is therefore more sustainable.

I am no expert and partly placemarking, but my tip would be lots of eggs. I’m going to boil some now to have in the fridge. I find them very filling and quite pleasant with a blob of Mayo.

Can I ask also, if your tip is water, could you say how you're managing it?
I struggle with cold water in cold weather, but teas make we want snacks! Do you fill a jug & work from that?
Can you identify how you've had a 'good' low carb day versus where things went wrong?

Maybe one step would be to have a clear plan for stress and anxiety that doesn't include food? You need a plan. Front load if possible - so early morning exercise, yoga and meditation, journaling sleep, enjoyable social/ lone activities on a daily basis.

Ha! I was going to say water Covid10. I've had a really good bootcamp this time round and I think it's down to the amount of water that I've been drinking. My system is:

Fill 5x500ml bottles (usually with own-brand sparkling water) every morning.
I make sure that I drink the first three by 2pm and the remaining two by 5pm. Then my bottles go back into the kitchen for washing ready for the next day.

I've found this the only way that works for me. I'm too forgetful otherwise.

My favourite bottles are the Highland Spring ones. They're much more management than a pint glass for my toddler-sized hands the Highland Spring. If I run out of sparkling, I just fill them out the tap.

This is the first bootcamp where I have not faltered on water at all. Not even one day. I typically have quite a few days where I feel normal and then, all of a sudden, peeing like a racehorse. That tells me I'm having a whoosh. And so the cycle continues!

Excuse the typos there!

No expert because I've only been doing this since February but weeks where I've felt I'm doing well I've eaten good meals for lunch and dinner with FLGV at both. So my top tip is plan for good meals but, and this is the important bit, ones you can throw together quickly. I just won't bother making something proper if I'm really hungry or tired, so it's essential I have things I can eat that's as quick as making a sandwich but isn't just eating cheese/yoghurt/meat. Green salad bags and coleslaw have been great (found a 2% carb coleslaw in my local supermarket though it does have cheese in it), and I make my own coleslaw too. Soup if the weather is cold. I really don't feel as well if I leave all my veg to eat at dinner, and I struggle to eat as much.

That's a great tip ballyhoo. I can definitely recommend the "fast food" that venusandmars shared recently:

"melt a big load of butter in a frying pan; add half a bag of baby spinach and wilt; add Worcestershire sauce, a few drops of tabasco, then 2 handfuls of grated mature cheddar, and a big glug of cream. Mix till the cheese is melty. OMG delicious, fast, and million times better than the biscuit that was my alternative."

Always have the ingredients for that in now

Ha, I didn't see that one, nowlook, but I've been making sure I have the frozen spinach ball things in. Melt those, grate in some nutmeg and cheese, pour on double cream, eat! They do take longer to melt than fresh spinach though!

Good tips.
Water
Eat plenty
Have low carb snacks ready.
Eggs
Plan for stress that doesn't include food

The last is my personal bogie. I can be good pretty much all day, but in the evening, I reward myself with carbs. I'll do a plan between now & Monday!!

I agree with water.

I have an empty large Fentimans bottle (750ml) and I have 4 hair bobbles around the neck and a small glass permanently next to the bottle.

Every time I see the bottle I fill and down a glass. When I empty the bottle, I put the bobble around my wrist until they're all gone.

Bottle comes with me to my home office or is in the kitchen.

I also have a huge selection of herbal teas which doesn't trigger the biscuit craving that normal tea does. I can have 5/6 of those a day easily which also bumps up the water intake.

I just did this as well if anyone wants to have a look.

joinclubsoda.com/woop-behaviour-change-goal-planning-tool/

Excellent tips thanks @Covid10lbs for asking! I've just had a look at that woop website and had a mini revelation. I drink occasionally but I'm not that fussed on it and can easily take it or leave it. I've just read through the obstacles, which are obviously all alcohol related, and realised they can be applied to food too. I wouldn't think twice about turning down alcohol but I would feel guilty for refusing sugary/high carb food, which is ridiculous, so I just need to think of these unhealthy foods the same way I think of alcohol. Mind blown!

My best tip is to get your household onside. Having a supportive family and only cooking one dinner for everyone makes it much easier to stick to BC. My DH now requests celeriac roasties! I sometimes add carbs to DH and DD dinners but often they just eat the same food as me.

Another vote for herbal teas! I often have one in the evening when the sweet cravings come. My favourite is Teapigs chocolate and mint!

On similar lines to ballyhoo - I'd say always keep a few really fancy options in the fridge that make you go 'ooooo....'.

For me, that's: tub of prawns, wince-makingly expensive saucisson from Booths, ditto fancy blue cheese costing £1gazillion per 100g, pickled herring, whatever I would normally consider to be too expensive for regular shopping trips. BUT, on bootcamp, will get them all in because this WOE has to feel good, not just virtuous.

I keep a big glass on the draining board in the kitchen. Every time I do something at the sink, throughout the day, I have a glass of water. You'll pee constantly at first, but the trips to the loo become less frequent after a few days.

Athelstane you're so right - it's so important not only not to feel deprived, but to feel this thing I'm eating is a lovely treat. I think especially during the first two weeks of stricter bootcamp. I also found my appetite decreased at times and I needed to be tempted to eat, so that's another reason to have some very appealing food ready!

For water, I am supposed to have a large glass of water / large hot drink, every odd hour. So 7am is my coffee, 9 is water, 11 is water, 1 is fruit tea etc.

I make myself drink a glass of water every time I go to the loo, so this is a self-fulfilling prophesy action

This in addition to the pint glass of water that I keep on the kitchen counter, every 2nd of which I make an electrolyte one (shake of Lo-Salt and a squoosh of lemon juice) which helps me to keep a mental count.

Yummy chicken, prawns and oily veg from m&s deli section.

Makes lunches Much easier and tastier

I'm a week in to BC. The summary seems to be;
Water
Tasty LCHF food to hand.

Pretty straightforward.

Mine would be take photos and/or measurements. There will be weeks when the scales don't move but you'll still be shrinking and seeing the picture change or the tape measure move keeps you motivated through stuck scales.

Whilst new to BC, my one top top top tip is to brush your teeth at about 9ish (I coincide with when the kids have gone to bed). For me, this completely dispels any after dinner and mindless snacking as I am plainly lazy and don’t want to have to brush my teeth again. And I am not actually hungry as have spent the day eating well with foods that are satiating, so no excuse for any danger snacking.

The thing that helps me is keeping SLC bread in the freezer, that way if I feel snacky in the evening I can have a slice of toast with lots of butter, or cheese on toast which feels more of a “normal” snack than a bit of cheese or yoghurt. Ironically enough, knowing it’s there if I want it tends to mean I don’t want it.