April Leaving Lockdown Low Carb Bootcamp - week 1

[BIWI]

Welcome everyone!

Here, as ever, is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness created and lovingly managed by the wonderful @AthelstaneTheUnready

Hopefully you should find that you're already on the spreadsheet - but if not, just add your name to the bottom of the list. Don't try to insert it in the right alphabetical place - Athelstane will do that for you. And don't touch the blue cells or try to enter any other data or comments!

For those that are new, each week I'll start a new chat thread, on Monday, and we'll start off with recording our weight.

However

You don't have to use your weight to measure your progress - and you don't have to be on the spreadsheet if you don't want to be. Instead, take your measurements each week (bust/upper arms/waist/hips/thighs), or find an item of clothing that's just too tight/small right now, and keep trying it on each week.

The rules of Bootcamp are on the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet - but here's a quick summary of the rules for the first two weeks:

1. Eat three meals a day
2. Avoid processed foods
3. Eat lots of fat
4. Make sure you're eating vegetables and salad with your food
5. Be careful about dairy, apart from butter which is unlimited
6. You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water a day
7. No alcohol
8. No fruit
9. No nuts/seeds

10. No sugar/artificial sweeteners

Make sure you have a really good read of the spreadsheet for the full detail of the rules. Also, check out the tabs at the bottom - there's a huge amount of information that will really help you, especially if you're new to low carbing/Bootcamp.

There's also a thread here of FAQs which should be helpful.

Some thread etiquette

The thread will move really quickly - especially at the beginning.

But please take the time to read everyone's posts, rather than just plopping on with your own comments/thoughts/questions. It's very frustrating when someone comes on to the thread to ask a question that's been posed and answered already!

Don't lurk!

I know that not everyone is confident about posting - and also that there are a lot of posters who are regular Bootcampers, and who know other Bootcampers. Please don't think this is a cliquey thread. It couldn't be further from the truth!

Everyone's views and experiences are welcome and valid, so jump in and post.

Any questions, please just post. Or PM me. There's always someone here who can help - and if I or they can't, then we can always find someone who can!

Above all, very good luck to everyone.

I very much hope that by the time we come to the end of these ten weeks, that we really are (as a country) completely ready to leave Lockdown well behind.

Wishing everyone all the luck

Midday on the dot @TheHoover

Also booked in for Friday night and Sunday lunch. The only other thing to do round here (Peak District) is Another Fucking Walk (tm) and even in the depths of lockdown that's been very busy because of all the tourists with their filthy litter and thick as mince parking

All new requests now on the spreadsheet.

I WILL SAY IT AGAIN

IN BIG LETTERS

THERE IS A NEW LINK TO THE SPREADSHEET HERE

NEW LINK

As the one in the first post has been disabled.

And now the sun's shining, I'll have all the wannabe Bradley Wigginses to contend with on a daily basis. Waste of a good wing mirror.

(as you can tell, I'm best off in the pub )

We have another 2 weeks to go in most of Scotland before non-essential shops, gyms and hospitality can open (outside only for alcohol, up to 10pm, inside without alcohol up to 8pm).

@AthelstaneTheUnready I have a question... is there a new spreadsheet?

Ah, we've to be outside until 17th May prettybird, but the hours are more flexible. And we've got a few of those fancy little pods with heaters and wifi in the pub garden.

And another two weeks until we can leave Scotland to go and drop empty crisp packets in nowlooks garden.

B: a billion coffees
L: boiled eggs mashed in butter with salt, pepper, and every spring onion I possess minus one
D: baked salmon with courgettes, plum tomatoes, the last spring onion - all baked in butter with some lemon juice

[quote venusandmars]@AthelstaneTheUnready I have a question... is there a new spreadsheet? [/quote]
I was just going to ask the same venus.

Also, are chips OK? (they're oven ones).

@AthelstaneTheUnready

And another two weeks until we can leave Scotland to go and drop empty crisp packets in nowlooks garden.

B: a billion coffees
L: boiled eggs mashed in butter with salt, pepper, and every spring onion I possess minus one
D: baked salmon with courgettes, plum tomatoes, the last spring onion - all baked in butter with some lemon juice

Don't you fecking start Athelstane. The only respite has been when people made the longer journey up to you lot

Ah yes, nowlook, the citizens of Callander are not incandescent at all. Oh no.

You and Venus may eat as many chips as you wish.

Just had a lovely lunch with the family before taking ds back to school - sat outside a beautiful little tearoom which I knew he’d love because he’s a quiet and sensitive soul who is an atypical teen and a vegan to boot (his sister was devastated there were no burgers).

Anyway, had a chicken Caesar salad as the best healthy option on a menu full of ploughman’s and sausage rolls etc, and then came home for some Greek yoghurt whilst they all feasted on huge slices of cake.

Oh and I went to the gym beforehand.

Feeling very virtuous.

Nice to see you back @BIWI, did you tunnel out?

So here goes - long post to answer everyone:

@Nevertoomanyfluffies

I've tried to add my name to the bottom of the spreadsheet but maybe because I'm on my phone I can't

Hopefully someone has already added you. But have you downloaded the Google sheets app onto your phone? That should allow you to post.

Same advice to you as well @Hotgotthetrots!

If despite having the app you really can't access the spreadsheet, just post your weight and someone else on the thread will post it for you.

@colouringindoors I don't know how much you weigh, but it's perfectly possible to lose as much as two stones on Bootcamp! Last time we had one poster who lost over 29lbs, and many more who lost over a stone. That said, the more you weigh/have to lose, the more you're likely to lose in the ten weeks - but certainly you should be able to lose a good chunk of that.

@Smorgs

However I'm in France where the daily boulangerie visit for DH and DS is a big test on my resolve I feel your pain! Just keep reminding yourself that baguettes and croissants are, as far as your body is concerned, just sugar. And therefore 'the enemy'!!!

@CrispyChickenThighs hopefully this WOE (way of eating) will help you with those migraines

@Sunseed - good plan to get your DH involved. However, just prepare yourself for the fact that he will lose more, more quickly and despite eating more carbs - no idea why, but it seems to be easier for men. Bastards

@debka wow! 7 stones is amazing! I'm sure you'll get that extra one off again soon

Goodness @oscarandelliesdad - what a life change. Can understand that there must be lots of mixed feelings about that. Where are you going? (If you don't mind sharing, of course!)

@JimmyJabs the only way is down I'm sorry that CathyTwat visited you last night - but at least now the chocolates have gone.

@Timetobuckup no need to forego your coffee - it's the milk that's the issue. So drink it black or, if you can't, then with a little bit of double cream instead of the milk.

@MrsOmelette you will get there! Great progress so far as well. Poster girl

Welcome @TeddingtonTrashbag. You're in exactly the right place. Hopefully your query about tomatoes has been answered now? Please don't worry about asking any questions, even if you think they're silly - ask away. Someone else is probably also wondering about that, or might have in the past. And it's exactly what these threads are for.

@VeryLittleOwl I'm exhausted just reading your post. 800 sheep ! Just think about the next pair of shorts ... . (Actually you should post those photos again, to inspire all those just joining)

@Pleaseandthankyou 7lbs should be doable - as long as you follow the rules of course! Auntie Fat

@Xiaohei are you 小黑? Or does your name mean something else? Welcome. Or, should I say, 欢迎?!

@Keeva2017 there are many benefits to low carbing beyond just weight loss; to be honest, it's what has kept me (mostly) on track over the last ten years or so.

Welcome @surprisedbyjoy and thank you for coming out of lurkdom! My story is similar to yours - I'm great at maintaining. Just not at the weight I want/need to be! Sorry to hear about your redundancy. I think lockdown/Covid was bad enough without that on top

@Ifeelmuchlessfat and anyone else suffering from constipation. First, just to say, reduced frequency isn't constipation. Only if it's painful or you're suffering when you go can you really call it that. Extra water, FLVG (especially more fibrous ones), increased fat and also exercise should really help you. Other things to consider are strong coffee and extra strength vitamin C. Flax seed and chia seed I know others have used in the past, but if you can try to avoid relying on laxatives.

@Chunkymonkey123 very envious of you being away! Re the takeaways, if they're online then post a link here on the thread and we can help you to make the best choices.

Re the bloating, which you and @Timetobuck up mention, hopefully just be cutting bread out that should go - but if not, then drink even more water and that should help.

@Jellycatspyjamas as far as I know, SLC bread/rolls don't appear to impact on weight - so far I haven't seen anyone here claim that. See how you go. If the scales aren't moving/the tape measure isn't measuring less, then knock it on the head for a while.

@Ninkanink

We hardly saw the big stick last BC! Maybe we’re due a LOT of wielding in this one...............

Actually I genuinely didn't need to wield it last time. Although I also did feel that given everything else that was going on with lockdown/Covid I should be generally more forgiving. Not quite sure what's going to happen this time around

@TheHoover - welcome! And don't worry - we all make mistakes at the beginning! And as @Bestbees said, it's certainly better than a bowl of cereal and a couple of slices of toast

@prettybird you know that's just a temporary re-fill of your glycogen stores. You'll be fine once back into the swing of things

@LittleDoritt one of the oft reported side effects of low carbing is increased energy/removal of brain fog, so hopefully that will happen to you too

Welcome @Orcagirl. The sweetener issue is a difficult one, I know, but it's really important to wean yourself off them. Partly because they're artificial, partly because we're trying to train our tastebuds away from wanting sweet things but also because there's some suggestion that they can mess up your gut biome and also spike your insulin like sugar would do.

@pinkstinks no need to cry now you've found us! As I said upthread, the only way is down now.

@Linnet very envious of your hairdresser appointment! I have another 11 days to wait before mine. I've had to ask them to stop bringing me treats when they bring me a cup of coffee. They have those lovely little Lotus biscuits, which are so easy to inhale. Worse, they sometimes have those Lindor chocolates which are to die for.

@NotRightNowPlease welcome! I'd love to promise that you could lose 39lbs during Bootcamp, but sadly that's not going to be the case. But realistically you should be able to lose around a stone in the ten weeks, which will see you well on your way.

@M0rT welcome! We can always check out a recipe if you need us to!

Right - I'm sure there have been loads of posts since I started this one, but will press 'post' for now.

Hi Everyone,

Could I join? Never bootcamped before but went to the gym today (hoorah!) where I weighed myself for the first time in about a year. Shocked to discover I weigh 70 kilos (11 stone) which is a good half a stone more than my worst weigh-ins pre-pandemic.

Usually (pre-pandemic)I am about 10.5 stone and struggling to get down to about 9.5 stone. Realistically, I guess I should be aiming at 10 stone now, so that will be my goal.

I've recently been exprimenting with high fat and low carb and I can really REALLY tell that it has huge potential for me. It has been easy and delicious to transition to the appropriate kinds of food. But, but, but ... I am struggling to control the amount I eat. Having previoisly forbidden delights in the house like mascarpone and greek yoghurt has made me a GREEDY PIG. I have to control myself and perhaps this thread will help.

I have a couple of questions if anyone has a moment to answer. I've sped read through the thread so I do hope that my questions don't duplicate some that have already been asked here. If they do, just ignore me or fling a biscuit emoticon at me.

1. I can see the very sensible advice in the OP to avoid processed food, and in general I eat very little of that. But in a fit of the horrors this morning I bought a crummy looking Keto shake meal replacement thingy to kickstart my new regime. Would it be very bad to spend a few initial days using meal replacements and then get stuck in with proper food?

1. I also see that nuts are regarded as a no-no. I'm quite big on nuts, especially almonds which I think are particularly low carb?? Would it be reasonable to bend the no-nut rule? What is the downside of nuts?

Sorry for the long post. A little wave at @BIWI -- we used to be on a lot of the same threads 1000 years ago. I had a wormy unsername at the time.

@prettybird

We have another 2 weeks to go in most of Scotland before non-essential shops, gyms and hospitality can open (outside only for alcohol, up to 10pm, inside without alcohol up to 8pm).

I am in denial that it's only two weeks - I've got so much to do to get the holiday lets ready! I did get round to dropping off the curtains at the laundrette for dry cleaning today and thank goodness I did because they cheerfully said they didn't know when they'd be back as they were only sending loads off when they had enough to go! Apparently there will almost certainly be a load off and back between now and then and they've written a big note on the ticket to say that if they're not going to be back before the 23rd, don't send them and call me to collect them. As there's a big coffee stain on the lining of one of the cream kitchen ones, I'm hoping they get it done. Other than that, I just have leather sofas to treat, an entire wooden ground floor to re-wax and six doors and a load of skirting board to oil. On top of lambing. I'll be fine...

Your wish is my command, @BIWI

These are photos I took during the October 2020 boot camp - 14lbs lost and nearly all of it came off my middle.

Meant to say also - there were weeks when the scales didn't move or barely moved, but the photos showed me I was still vanishing. So please, please take photos, even if you don't post them here, they're a fantastic record to cheer you up when you're thinking you've not made any progress.

Hello @Random789

Someone will be along with a proper answer in a moment, but in the meantime:

1. Yes, meal replacement shakes would be a bad, bad thing.
2. It's only no nuts for the first two weeks. Fine in moderation thereafter, especially if part of cooking. Snacking should be avoided (which is what nuts are for chez moi) as it is hard to keep a handle on it.

Watch BIWI say she's down with the shakes now

@VeryLittleOwl

Your wish is my command, *@BIWI*

These are photos I took during the October 2020 boot camp - 14lbs lost and nearly all of it came off my middle.

You can SO see it coming off your chin and jaw as well though!

Watch BIWI say she's down with the shakes now

If that happens we can be 100% sure that @BIWI has been bundled away and replaced with an imposter.

Thank you Athlestane for new link. I've updated my new shameful weight but am happy that I've still lost 7lbs from my start. Not quite fridge rady today but will be back on it 100% from tomorrow. The thought of the big stick is what kept me on track during last bootcamp. Sadly went off plan after the end of the last one.

Thank you again.

@nowlook very, very envious of your trip to the pub! I have two 'outings' planned, but not till 21st (with two girlfriends, for lunch) and 25th, with both DC.

Hopefully it will be a bit warmer by then as well!

Welcome @addler! Congrats on the new baby

Hi all, please can I join . I was here 4 years ago and was successful. Since then I have successfully managed many challenges in my home life and now have 3 and 1/2stone to lose. But I feel motivated and up for the challenge!

Hello @Random789

1. I can see the very sensible advice in the OP to avoid processed food, and in general I eat very little of that. But in a fit of the horrors this morning I bought a crummy looking Keto shake meal replacement thingy to kickstart my new regime. Would it be very bad to spend a few initial days using meal replacements and then get stuck in with proper food?

Well, yes! Because that breaks Bootcamp rules, and we really do believe that we should be eating fresh, unprocessed foods as much as possible. However, as you've already splashed out no doubt a lot of dosh, I'd say use them but only occasionally. So not every day and not more than one meal a day.

2. I also see that nuts are regarded as a no-no. I'm quite big on nuts, especially almonds which I think are particularly low carb?? Would it be reasonable to bend the no-nut rule? What is the downside of nuts?

The downside is that although they are very good for you, they can quickly get very carby. The reason they're restricted for the first two weeks, along with fruit, is that we're aiming for a really good, strict start by keeping our carbs as low as we can (while still eating well).

Thank you very much,@nowlook. That is very helpful. I can certainly understand the hazards of nuts as a snack -- too easy to inhale a million calories without thinking! And I hadn't realised that no-nuts was just for the first two weeks. That makes sense.

Thank you so much, @AthelstaneTheUnready for adding me to the spreadsheet. I've put my weight in, with my heart in my mouth in case I did the Magic Bad Commenting Thing that ruined the spreadsheet. I hope I haven't. Ihave an unhappy relationship with spreadsheets. Usually I think they exist solely to intimidate me.