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.

Also, if I'm using My Fitness Pal to log food, what should my grams and percentage aims for fat, carbs and protein be? Can anybody please advise?

@Nobloat21

Also, if I'm using My Fitness Pal to log food, what should my grams and percentage aims for fat, carbs and protein be? Can anybody please advise?

I'd like to know this too! I've been low carbing on and off recently and I don't find it that hard to keep low-ish but I'm never quite sure what I should be aiming for with protein and fat so I have no idea if I'm doing it effectively!

I have my macros set to 15% carbs, 65% fat, 20% protein.

However beware, many of the food items in mfp count carbs according to the US method which has total carbs and net carbs. This is not the UK approach to food labelling and it can be very confusing.

Also, one of the GREAT things about this way of eating is that it is designed so that you don't need to count calories or carbs or obsess about macros. For some people that leads them down a track of disordered thinking / eating. All you need to do on bootcamp is follow the rules about what to eat and what to avoid. Get inspired by the recipe threads, and get good ideas from reading other people's food / menu choices.

So, for example, today my food is:

B - 2 boiled eggs mashed with butter
L - pile of salad leaves with celery and cucmber, avocado salsa (avocado mashed with chopped tomato, coriander, tabasco) cold ham.
D - moussaka (the idiot-proof diet recipe from the recipe thread) with oven roasted broccoli, creamed spinach

That come in at 14% carbs, 67% fat, 19% protein - or thereabout...
Don't try to follow the macros or adhere to them, but learn how to put meals / menus together that reflect the low carb / medium protein / high fat approach.

I understand the desire to menu plan, but also you will find that over the first couple of weeks you will learn so much from other posters. And you will learn what suits your tastes and eating habit, and how your body responds.

Thanks venusandmars that’s useful info.
I don’t know what they’re like for tracking the different macros but I find nutracheck better British foods.

I’ve started today, just took all my measurements down.
Had scrambled egg cooked W/butter & smoked salmon for breakfast.
So far not feeling hungry or like I need to graze.

That's a great start @Kerplunkk it is one of the benefits of this way of eating that the protein and fats help to keep you feeling satiated. That makes it easier to break the habit of snacking, of automatically reaching for a biscuit every time you have a cup of tea, or ordering cake if you go out for coffee. It is good to notice whether you are reaching for food because you are hungry, or because you are bored or stressed or emotional.

Taking measurements is also good - there may be times when you don't seem to be losing weight on the scales, but you still notice that your waist is smaller or your chin is less wobbly. If you can't face measuring then choose an item of clothing and try it on every week (maybe even take photos) and notice how much better it fits / closer it is to doing up / becomes too loose.

Another thing you can do now to get ready for Monday is to work out how much water you need to drink each day (there's a table on the spreadsheet that will tell you) and plan how you are going to make that work for you. In the summer I sometimes make a concentrated herbal tea - something like peppermint or lemon and ginger - and once it's cool top it up with sparkling water, ice and a sprig of fresh mint. Some people start the day with their water already measured out to make sure they get through it. It can take a while to get used to the volume - and initially you may feel you're peeing like a horse. However, it is really important, the biochemical process of using fat for fuel (rather than carbs) requires water molecules as part of the chemical reaction. You don't need to understand the science, you just need to know it works. Sometimes when weight loss stalls, all it takes is an increase in water and an increase in fat in your diet. It sounds counter-intuitive, but stick with it. And the incessant peeing reduces after a couple of weeks

Thanks you venusandmars
I’ve struggled with my weight for years and never been able to stick to any other type of diet, hoping this will work and I’ll be able to stick with it long term to maintain.

Quick question re water, I struggle with tap water but can drink weak squash all day long, my water target is 3L which I can manage but am I ok to do that with squash (or maybe 2L squash and 1L tap water/herbal tea)

Thanks for setting all this up StuntNun.

I am determined to stick with it to the end this time. Even I should be able to manage 6 weeks!

ok well I'm going to have to start out the first week with bootcamp light as I'm staying with a friend for 4 days and cannot ask her to cook totally differently.... rest of time I should be ok.

Squash isn't great @Kerplunkk as we're trying to break our taste for sweet things. Did you know that even thinking about sweet foods causes your insulin levels to rise?! I sometimes put a fruit teabag in a two litre bottle of water to flavour it without adding sugar. My favourite is Taylor's Sour Cherry although their Rose Lemonade is also lovely.

@Nobloat21 and @TidyDancer your macros on MFP should be something like 5-10% carbs, 20-25% protein and the rest fat. If you're within half a stone of your ideal weight. Bear in mind that it won't be accurate as you will also be burning body fat which counts towards your overall fat macro.

@StuntNun I find that less that 10% carbs is hard to sustain and for me also to feel that I'm eating healthily, with lots of veg and lots of salads. That's partly why, although I periodically log my food diary on mfp, I don't do it all the time. I might have the occasional day where my carbs would be 5%, but that would be mostly eggs / tuna salad / steak and salad. I'd rather lose weight slightly more slowly but know that I had a full range of veg / colours / nutrients (at least that's what I'd do over the period of a week). And to enjoy a delicious vegetable curry with cauliflower rice

If that works for weight loss Venusandmars for you that's great and keep doing it. For me, 15% carbs at 75g per day would be likely to cause weight gain as I'm still insulin resistant and need to be wary of carb creep. 5-10% carbs puts me in the 25-50g range I need to be in to maintain my weight. For weight loss, since my BMI is 23, now I would need to aim for a maximum of 5% carbs.

Of course the ideal of Bootcamp is that we don't count carbs or calories so unless people are desperate to use My Fitness Pal you don't need to be aware of your macros at all.

Stuntnun I didn’t know that will try to up the plain water intake!

Just popping in here to say hi. I am going to stick to boot camp light here I think.
Rather than weight I am focusing on:
Stopping the bingy cycle carbs and sweet things create for me
Improving gut health by focusing on lower/non processed food
Reduction in bloating.

Will ease in today with a fry up brunch (no toast etc). Dinner will be chicken caeser salad. Water!

Anybody know if 5% or any Fage is ok?

Nobloat Full fat Greek yogurt of any brand is a bootcamp staple, absolutely. The 10% Fage used to do was better and there are several own brand varieties that are higher fat which might be better. The main thing is to check the carbs per 100g- below 4g would be my target for yogurt. NEVER the fat free ones though!

Thank you, I just like the consistency of Fage!

So it's basically anything you consume has to be below 4g.

Just realised I bought the 0% fage instead of the 5% one! I have a lot to learn

@Nobloat21 I aim for most things to be below 5g, but it's not super simple as portions can make a big difference too. I find better to stick to principles of least processed and meat/fish/eggs/dairy/fats+ non starchy I. E. Above ground veg. I try to avoid too much counting! Fwiw I think lidl/aldi buckets of Greek style yoghurt have sensible carb counts and I would measure a 100g portion once or twice so you get a sense of what is a portion. I hope that helps, I am not an expert!

That's a great help, thank you!!

Thanks for all the info in here stuntnun.

I'm doing a big shop today to make sure I've got all the right things in the house. Unfortunately, there will still be all the wrong things in the house too, as I've got 2 very fussy dds, who won't be participating in the low carb woe, and DH will have the same meals as me but isn't giving up his crisp habit. I'll have to be strong!!

I'm also going to Holland and Barrett to get some of the electrolyte things because I remember them helping a lot with the headache last time.

Thank you for all your help @StuntNun

@Kerplunkk you can add some double cream to you fat-free yogurt. It's not ideal but it will do until it's used up.