Summer Low Carb mini-Bootcamp preparation thread

[StuntNun]

Preparation for Bootcamp

Our mini-Bootcamp starts on Monday 2nd August and runs for six weeks. If you are new to eating low carb then I suggest you start with two weeks of strict Bootcamp followed by four weeks of Bootcamp Light. If you are already eating low carb then you either start with two weeks of strict Bootcamp or stick with Bootcamp Light for the whole six weeks.

To get ready for next week I suggest you get rid of any sugary treats you have around the house. Eat them / get your friends and family to eat them / donate them to the food bank, whatever it takes but try and get them out of the house so you won’t be tempted. If you have to keep some sugary foods in the house for family members or housemates then put them out of sight if possible so there’s less temptation. Or if you’re the main food shopper for the house then buy your least favourite foods, for example I will not ever eat a custard cream biscuit no matter how much I’m craving carbs whereas I might not be safe around chocolate digestives!

The other way you can prepare is by meal planning for next week. Plan out your meals and don’t forget to plan for snacks if you’re new to low carbing. There will be more advice in the following posts on this thread and there’s lots of information on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness.

@Carrott21 I had a good planning session when I first started and pinned a list to the fridge door of all the stuff we could eat. It was surprisingly easy once I got into the swing of it and these threads were invaluable for inspiration and questions.

I also wrote a huge list of the most easy to adapt family meals and how I could substitute/ change to suit so I wasn't making seventeen different dishes every time.

Thanks. I need to do this! It's going to be a real struggle

Can somebody please add my name to the spreadsheet? I'm not really sure how this works yet! I'm checking out all the resources- very impressive.

Please don't think me lazy, but can somebody please give me an example of breakfast, lunch, dinner for a veggie who's not that keen on eggs? I'll then plan around that. I'm normally a sandwich for lunch person, carby dinner and lots of snacks and fizzy drinks.

I’m just looking at some foods,
Is 1.8g of carbs ok? That’s for a tin of sardines in tom sauce

Also wrt to canned tomatoes in juice - I know the Sainsbury’s basic is recommend on the spreadsheet if you do use them, I have Morrison’s Italian plum in juice and they are only 5.5G per 1/2 can vs 6.2g for the Sainsbury’s ones (for Carbs)

Also also (sorry for the questions just trying to prepare) do you count the carbs of the ‘allowed’ veg,
I just looked at a cup measurement of cauli and that’s 6g so seems a lot

Carrott21 it's always tricky making a big change to your diet but it will be worth it, I promise. I'm eight years in and it's been awesome!

Nobloat21 check out the vegetarian recipe threads for inspiration. The easiest way to get started is to eat the same thing every at first. So you could have Greek yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch and choose a dinner from the recipe thread each day. Once you're used to eating low carb then you can start to experiment with other meals, for example you aren't keen on eggs but would breakfast muffins work instead?

Kerplunkk as a rule of thumb look for foods below 5g carbs per 100g and preferable below 3g if possible. But you need to use your common sense, for example mustard might be "too carby" but realistically you're only going to use a tiny amount whereas something like carrots the carbs in a portion can really add up. With tinned tomatoes look at the portion size, for example a tin of tomatoes in a meal that's going to be split between four people is fine but a whole tin of tomatoes to one person will be too carby. We don't count carbs in general though so if a food, such as cauliflower, is on the green list then you can eat as much as you want. The idea behind Bootcamp is to simplify eating so you aren't having to weigh portions or count calories. But you do have to keep your sense about what you're eating. For example strawberries are a good low carb food for Bootcamp Light but you shouldn't be eating a punnet at one sitting. We're trying to balance a simple approach to eating with an effective weight loss strategy.

Thank you stuntnun for explaining, definitely makes sense

Hello, just place marking for next week. I’ve been doing this for two weeks now abs have noticed the difference already. Have lost half a stone of water and bloating already! Expecting not to lose anything the next couple of weeks in Tyne dreaded week 3 and 4.

I recently discovered you can roast lettuce (I’m probably late to this!) so have been eating lots of roasted baby gem lettuce with courgettes or asparagus in olive oil, served with a poached egg, a little bit of crumbled feta cheese and a lemon oil dressing. It’s delicious! More filling that lettuce/salad on its own. You don’t have to have the egg, have also had it with halloumi or roasted chicken thighs/steak strips etc. They roast very quickly in about 15-20 mins. Just an idea for a lunch or light dinner.

That looks delicious Onelittlepiglet
Will definitely give that recipe a try, I imagine it would work well with Bok Choi or spinach too

Kerplunkk. Good idea - I haven’t tried it with either of those, but I do have some spinach in the fridge I need to use up so might try that today! Bok Choi would be delicious too.

Hello hello! Got back on it this week and shed three pounds since Sunday!

Just placemarking, I've been intermittently really strict and rubbish in equal portions, I think a little bit amp should sort me out nicely, I'm actually off work next week so I'm a good place to start.

Thanks all! Looking forward too starting Monday. Think I'm going to do the light version and see how I go

Thanks StuntNun! I feel READY

So I can just put the allowed veg into a wok with soy sauce and that would be an allowed dinner? I can't cook.

Are things like kidney beans and chickpeas ok?

Nobloat21 put some oil in the wok first! Then add a protein source and veggies. Put the soy sauce in towards the end.

TheBuriedGiant kidney beans and chickpeas are carby so only suitable for vegetarians in small quantities to get protein. But it would be better to look for the lowest carb options for legumes and I'm not sure which these are.

So, I started a couple of days ago as was mentally ready with a fully stocked fridge when I found the thread.
Just had the most simple but delicious lunch of salad leaves, tuna Mayo, olives, feta and avocado. Forgotten how good and satisfying this woe can be. Can’t wait to see how we all get on.
This would be a good one for you without the tuna @Nobloat21 No cooking required 😁

Thanks @StuntNun. I feel prepared to get my snout out of the bread bin and back into the salad bar on Monday. I did one and a half bootcamp before moving country in spring. Feeling so much more sluggish and old eating all the carbs. I need to try making my own Greek yogurt though, the fage I used to love costs a tenner a pot in my local supermarket

Can we eat Fage? It's my fave.

Can I join the spreadsheet please, I need to do this.

Is Sparkling Water ok, i really cant face litres of London tap water

Does anyone have a few days planned out already that they would be willing to share? Thank you if so! I am terrible at meal planning and just need a kick up the arse and some inspiration! I am pescatarian so I suspect this takes a bit more planning than if I ate meat. Also got the DCs to work around!

Just noticed this is the wrong thread for joining ffs