Summer Low Carb mini-Bootcamp - week 1

[StuntNun]

Welcome to the 2021 Summer Low Carb mini-Bootcamp lasting for the next six weeks and run by myself and @Oneborneverydecade. If you're an old hand at eating low carb then please do chip in with your experiences to help motivate our newbies. Every Monday is weigh-in day and you can log your weight on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness to keep track of your progress. If you can't add your weight for any reason then please post it on here and someone will add you to the spreadsheet.

Make sure you've read the ten Low Carb Bootcamp rules on the preparation thread either for strict Bootcamp or Bootcamp Light depending on which one you choose. There are also some meal ideas and shopping suggestions on the preparation thread if you need some tips. As always, if you have any questions or concerns then please do ask. We have lots of experience between us.

A quick reminder of the rules for strict Bootcamp (first two weeks):

1. Eat three meals a day (plus snacks if hungry)
2. Avoid processed foods
3. Eat lots of fat
4. Eat plenty of vegetables and salad
5. Be careful about dairy (apart from butter which is unlimited)
6. Drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day
7. No alcohol
8. No fruit
9. No nut/seeds

10. No sugar or artificial sweeteners

And for Bootcamp Light:

1. Eat when you are hungry
2. Avoid processed foods
3. Eat lots of fat
4. Eat plenty of vegetables and salad
5. Be careful about dairy (apart from butter which is unlimited)
6. Drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day
7. Alcohol is allowed occasionally
8. Up to one portion of (low carb) fruit per day
9. Nut and seeds in small quantities

10. No sugar except dark chocolate, and limit artificial sweeteners

Good morning, ready to start!

Here we go!

Are portion sizes unlimited apart from cheese? I'm a veggie.

Just back from holiday and my clothes are tight! I was hoping a bootcamp would be starting - thank you! We’re quarantining though (or rather the kids are, not in the U.K. so different rules) so I’ll have to do the best I can until DH comes home from work

@Nobloat21 if you're new to eating low carb then eat when you're hungry and eat to satiety. It takes a week or two for your metabolism to switch over from carb-burning to fat-burning. This can make you feel hungry as your body is looking for its accustomed glucose for energy. That's why we recommend eating three meals a day at first, it speeds the adaption to fat-burning. It's a good idea to have low carb snacks on hand as well. This is not a calorie-controlled diet where you have to limit your food intake and feel hungry. Once you're fat adapted then your hunger levels will naturally decrease and you should find you don't need to snack any more, and might even find yourself spontaneously missing meals because you aren't hungry.

1st weigh in done, along with measurements. Off to the gym shortly.

Here we go

Good morning. I'm here, ready to go. I've already drunk one pint of water so I'm off to a flying start 😊

I'm ready! Day out with DS today so taking plenty of boiled eggs!

All logged and ready to go.

Thank you @StuntNun
We were camping this weekend and I went completely off plan so this BC couldn't come at a better time. I'm a bit scared to weight myself tbh.
I'm hoping to lose 2lb per week and get safely below 11st.
Good luck everyone.

Don't weigh yourself then Oneborneverydecade, give yourself a few days to get back on track first.

Just weighed myself - not quite the worst I’ve been but within a pound of it. Ok - here we go! Off to boil some eggs

I'm ready to go! I've added my weight to the spreadsheet in kg for now - I will convert to lbs later and update it. I definitely don't weigh 77.5lb . Lunch is all packed and I'm good to go. I'll have to do measurements and photos this evening, but I can't imagine I'm going to have a dramatic size change in the next 12 hours! Good luck everyone!!

Also, is there a recommended time of day to drink the electrolyte drinks? Or can I just chug it with a pint of water first thing in the morning?

After a week of birthday celebrations and excesses this bootcamp is well timed.

I've got lunch out today, but I've had a good look at the menu and I'll be having a roast chicken dish with a side of cauliflower.

B - boiled egg
L - chicken and cauliflower
D - green veg soup, ham and salad

Pinknsparkly morning is as good a time as any as that's when you're most likely to feel the effects of carb flu - tired and headachey. Not everyone gets carb flu but taking electrolytes can stave it off. I've been eating low carb for years and I still take electrolytes. I put a sprinkle of https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SP31TCW?ref=ppxpoppmobappshare electrolyte powder in most of the water I drink. I find it absorbs better so I don't need to pee all the time.

Morning all!

Today will be:
B - Greek yoghurt, teaspoon of double cream.
L - a huge pile of roasted spinach, couple of tomatoes and feta cheese with a baked egg.
D - beef Bolognese with courgetti cooked in olive oil.

Normally would not have so much tomato based stuff in one day, but I’d promised the kids Bolognese and I’ll not have much Bolognese sauce and will have a huge pile of courgetti and maybe also some other veg.

Good luck everyone!

Morning all! Checking in.

I've got three teens at home so finding evening meals the hardest - I've got round that by eating my "main meal" at lunchtime then having a very low carb version of whatever I make for everyone in the evening. A couple of times a week we have meat veg and a carb (missed out by me) so we can all eat together.

It's been a bit tough but I'm loving the weight loss. Next goal is 12 stone (6lbs from now). I have a trip away with dh in a fortnight and he's booked some very nice restaurants so I'll do my best to stay on plan as much as possible.

Morning everyone!

Ready to go and determined to get to the end of this mini boot camp, have failed miserably on previous bootcamps.

Good luck to all and thanks again to stuntnun and oneborneverydecade

I'm also here and feeling motivated! I've lost quite a bit of weight over the past couple of years, but would really love to lose the last stone.
After running, I've started putting a teaspoon of maldon seasalt in water instead of electrolyte tabs. So, I think I'm going to do the same to try and ward off the carb flu.

@StuntNun Thanks, I'll get myself some of that for when I've finished the tube of hi5 tablets I found in the cupboard!

TheHoundsofLove add a squirt of lemon juice (Jif or bottled lemon juice is fine) as well as salt to your water to get potassium as well as sodium. Alternatively use low sodium salt such as Lo-Salt which contains potassium. It's the sodium and potassium that are the really important ones in staving off carb flu; you should be able to get enough calcium from vegetables, fish and dairy. Having said that, some people find it hard to get enough magnesium as it's depleted in the soil so modern vegetables don't contain enough. I take a magnesium glycinatee* supplement because otherwise I get pins and needles in my hands, leg muscle cramps, palpitations and disturbed sleep.

Can you add me please

Only just seen this. I’d like to join but I have no scales 😂shall try to get to boots or somewhere and measure my weight!

I think I’ll add my name and weight to the spreadsheet - I was a bit embarrassed but I think I should embrace this and go all in.

So far I’ve drunk 1l of water and eaten an omelette made with cheese, spinach, ham and a bit of onion for flavour. I have NOT eaten: the rest of Dd1’s Cheerios that she left, the delicious smelling pancakes that my husband made for himself or the IKEA biscuits that had been left on the side. I wish I could get extra credit for the not eating

Tha ks @StuntNun.

Good luck everyone for day one. Food plan for the day will be:
Breakfast eggs a d avo
Lunch fish and salad
Dinner turkey with lots of veg
Lots of water!