2021 Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - the prep thread

[BIWI]

Morning all

Next week sees the start of our next Low Carb Bootcamp. This time around it will last for 8 weeks. The weeks are structured a bit differently from before, and will look like this:

Weeks 1 & 2 - strict Bootcamp
Weeks 3-6 - strict Bootcamp during the week, Bootcamp Light at weekends
Weeks 7-8 - either back to strict Bootcamp or full-on Bootcamp Light

The route you take in the last two weeks depends entirely on you - those last two weeks will be the last week of November and the first week of December, so you may want to be super strict in advance of Christmas activities - or you may feel that it's time to relax things, if you've lost enough weight.

The key to success on Bootcamp is preparation and planning ahead, so here's some stuff that might help you.

Some/many of you may have done Bootcamp before, but it's still worth reminding yourself about low carbing and the rules.

*Firstly - how do you do low carb?(

There are lots of different ways and plans! Each will have different levels of carbohydrate per day that is recommended. Keto and the first stage of Atkins (induction) are the strictest, with a maximum of 20g carbs per day.

However - on Bootcamp we don't count carbs. The idea is to make it as simple as possible to follow. So there are just ten rules which you need to follow, which should ensure that you see good weight loss, without needing to weigh or count your food.

(NB we also don’t count calories – this WOE (way of eating) is not about deprivation!)

Specifically on Bootcamp this is what we do:

First, you don't eat any:

• bread (of any kind – including pitta, naan, wraps, muffins, bagels etc, etc)
• pasta (brown or white) or noodles
• rice (ditto, brown or white)
• potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweetcorn (although baby sweetcorn is fine)
• flour/anything made with flour - so no cake, biscuits, pastry, pastries, thickened sauces, crumble toppings, batter)
• sugar (which includes honey, agave syrup, molasses)
• fruit juice
• full sugar squash/cordial and fizzy drinks
• sweets and chocolate (with the exception of the occasional piece of dark chocolate, which should be at least 70% cocoa, and only after the first two weeks of Bootcamp)
• pulses/legumes (including peas)
• artificial sweeteners
• balsamic vinegar (all other vinegars are fine - this one is sweetened, which rules it out)

For the first two weeks of Bootcamp you also don't eat any fruit, nuts or seeds, and don't drink any alcohol. If you're doing Bootcamp Light (after the first two weeks of strict Bootcamp), you can introduce some fruit - mainly berries - and some nuts/seeds, but in strict moderation. And you may have the occasional drink of alcohol (preferably restricted to clear spirits and dry wine - beer and cider, along with sweet spirits/liqueurs are to be avoided).

What can I eat, you may ask?!

• any meat or fish (but avoiding processed products as much as possible, e.g. ham, bacon, sausages, crab sticks, etc)
• most shellfish
• eggs, as many as you want
• plenty of good fats (this is a high fat diet), so butter, olive oil, coconut oil, lard
• cheese, full fat yoghurt and cream (although in moderation)
• plenty of veg and salads - this is where your carbs should mainly come from

Joining for accountability

I've got pretty much a whole outfit I'll be trying on weekly too. It's not often I actually don't fit my wardrobe but I've been consistently about 5lbs over the top of my general maintenance range for a couple of months now.

DS who has just turned 4 just helpfully reminded me to buy Brussels to go with our Sunday roast- a true bootcamp baby, I was so proud!

Meal plan ready for next week: a mushroom curry, recipe of the week cheeseburger pie, salmon and FLGV, sausages and ratatouille. Eggs for breakfast and salads for lunch.

I have a Q. Is unsweetened soya milk ok in the first 2 weeks? 1g of carbs per 100ml (nil sugars)

Also another Q. Can anyone explain the “of sugars” bit of carb content?

Thanks

Posting for accountability.

@KeyLimePies

I have a Q. Is unsweetened soya milk ok in the first 2 weeks? 1g of carbs per 100ml (nil sugars)

Also another Q. Can anyone explain the “of sugars” bit of carb content?

Thanks

@KeyLimePies from a carb point of view it's OK, as it's less than 0.5g carbs per 100ml. But it's not really an ideal food stuff as it's highly processed - these are the ingredients of Sainsbury's product:

INGREDIENTS:Water, Hulled Soya Bean (7%), Tri-calcium Phosphate, Maltodextrin, Flavouring, Stabiliser: Gellan Gum; Vitamin B12, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin (B2)

And this is Alpro's:

Ingredients

Soya Base (Water, Hulled Soya Beans (8.7%)), Acidity Regulators (Potassium Phosphates), Calcium (Calcium Carbonate), Flavourings, Sea Salt, Stabiliser (Gellan Gum), Vitamins (B2, B12, D2)

Personally I'd either stick with dairy milk, (whole, for the fat) but have less of it, or use double cream - because you don't need much of it. Or drink my tea/coffee black.

Oh, and the 'of sugars' bit - I'm not entirely clear what else would be included in the carb count. But you don't need to worry about it - it's the overall carb count that matters.

(As an aside, if you're looking at American foods or nutritional information you'll often see 'net carbs' - this is because they include fibre in their carb counts).

Found this from the nhs website:

What does it mean when it says carbohydrates of which sugars?
Sugars are often listed on nutrition labels as "carbohydrates (of which sugars)". This includes added sugars and naturally occurring sugars found in fruit and milk. Starchy carbohydrates are found in starchy foods, like potatoes, bread, rice, and pasta

Thanks @BIWI. I have bought double cream for coffee, but I also ‘need’ at least 2 cups of tea in the morning. I take it with milk, no sugar.

The soya milk is Morrison’s own organic one and it doesn’t have any nasties in it, just water and organic soybeans. But I’ll be happier with FF milk.

That's a much better ingredients list!

Thanks @BIWI... I'll check out bootcamp light. The baby is 12 weeks, so still quite little

Thanks for this timely reminder , meal wise I am ok , don’t really miss carbs , potato or pasta etc
I struggle with snacking so that will be my focus

@MercedesBenz presumably snacking is a habit? If it's not, and you're snacking between meals because you're hungry, then this would suggest you need to up your fat (and drink more water!)

Thanks @BIWI

Not really hungry , more mooching in the cupboard to see what’s ‘ nice’
But point taken , and I will pay attention to my hunger level
And if I’m not buying it I won’t be eating it

Time to get rid of anything 'nice' that might tempt you then!

I haven't done one of these before, bit I have been low carbing and IF (16:8) since September and it is going great. I haven't weighed myself as I have a lot I'd like to lose and the numbers make me feel ashamed and overwhelmed. I am at the point where people are starting to notice that my body shape is changing and are complimenting me - they mean well but all I hear is "OMG you were SO FAT". So this is a real danger zone for me to pack it in and run back to the comfort and safety of cake and crisps and my cosy warm fat suit. So, I am hoping by joining in, it will help me be accountable, to get motivation for others and to support others on their transition.

So I am pretty much prepped! For breakfasts at work I either bring eggs for scrambling in the microwave with a massive tuppaware of spinach (wilted with a bit of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice).

@MaudebeGonne just to let you know, if you're a seasoned low carber and already including fasting, then you don't need to follow rule 1 of Bootcamp, which is to eat three meals a day. You can continue with the fasting if you want to.

Very glad it's working for you!

@BIWI thank you. I dropped lunch very easily after a couple of weeks as I just wasn't hungry for it. A thought that would have been outrageous to me only a few months ago.

The benefits of this way of eating has been amazing for me - my skin and hair look gorgeous and my sleep is much improved. Looking forward to being part of the group!

Hello lovelies, v keen for this, but have two quick questions...

1. Off to Aldi tomorrow for The Big Shop - what should I be looking to pop in the trolley as essentials for this, and which veg are the superstars?

2. My partner has struggled with disordered eating in the past, so I'd like some dinners that are pretty "normal" that we can have together and don't look too diet-y (breakfast/lunch will likely be where I focus my eggs/fats). Any suggestions off the top of people's heads?

These are all the veg listed on the spreadsheet in the 'green zone' - i.e. they're under 5g carbs per 100g.

Olives, green
Seaweed, Irish moss
Seaweed, nori, dried
Watercress
Spinach, baby
Mushrooms, white
Endive
Sauerkraut
Cucumber
Celery
Radish
Cabbage, Chinese
Curly kale
Lettuce, average
Spinach, mature
Avocado, Hass
Fennel
Pak choi
Asparagus
Aubergine
Marrow
Pumpkin
Courgette
Celeriac
Broccoli, purple sprouting
Gherkins, pickled
Peppers, green
Artichoke, globe
Chicory
Chard, Swiss
Tomatoes
Okra
Spring onions
Beans, green
Spring greens
Beans, runner
Broccoli
Shallots
Tomatoes, cherry
Cabbage, red
Tomatoes, canned
Beansprouts
Leeks
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage, green
Peas, mange-tout
Pepper, red
Cauliflower
Sweetcorn, baby
Pepper, yellow
Squash, spaghetti
Turnip
Cabbage, white
Onions, pickled

Re meals - go to the Low Carb Bootcamp Topic and you'll find lots of recipes, sticked at the top of the topic. Should be plenty there that will fit the bill.

You could also try the cheeseburger pie recipe that I posted - no-one would ever accuse that of looking (or being) diet-y!

By the way @TakeItCheesy, when you say breakfast/lunch will likely be where I focus my eggs/fats) please don't make your evening meal a low fat one. It's important that you keep your fats up (in terms of a macronutrient balance) at all meals. This is not a low fat way of eating.

@takeitcheesy traybakes are pretty good - chicken thighs or lamb chops with skin on, some shallots, Brussels sprouts, celairiac or whatever veg you like, some garlic and cook in olive oil. You can do spuds or crusty bread on the side for them if you want. Salmon fillets grilled or fried- I have these with broccoli and slow roasted cherry tomatoes and then do baby potatoes on the side for anyone who wants them. You can do a nice mince beef/pork Bolognese and just don't serve yours with pasta.

[quote MaudebeGonne]@takeitcheesy traybakes are pretty good - chicken thighs or lamb chops with skin on, some shallots, Brussels sprouts, celairiac or whatever veg you like, some garlic and cook in olive oil. You can do spuds or crusty bread on the side for them if you want. Salmon fillets grilled or fried- I have these with broccoli and slow roasted cherry tomatoes and then do baby potatoes on the side for anyone who wants them. You can do a nice mince beef/pork Bolognese and just don't serve yours with pasta.[/quote]
Not the skin on the lamb chops! They'd be pretty chewy

This bootcamp has come along at the perfect time.
This time last year I was at GW but a combination of stress and several massive life upheavals mean I've since gained around 50lbs - I've never been this heavy in my life.
I signed up for the last bootcamp but things were still so chaotic I think I lasted a day.
Here's hoping I get considerably further this time! Off to meal plan and write a shopping list...

Hello everyone!

I'm not going to be joining you, because I'm happily maintaining, but I wanted to pop in and greet the newbies/returners and share my experience of this WOE.

My first Bootcamp was in May 2019, I was a stone overweight (12st 10lb at 5'7) and a size 14-16. I wanted to lose that stone, plus hopefully another half stone and get down to a size 12.

I had a huge whoosh my first two weeks, then gradually lost between 1-3lb per week (usual week 3&4 stall notwithstanding). I'd more than achieved my goal by the end of it - think I'd got down to about 11stone.

I then went on to do a second Bootcamp (though stayed largely Bootcamp Light in between the two - did have a Cornish holiday where cream teas, fudge and fish and chips were consumed, washed down with lots of wine!) and lost another stone.

I've maintained that ever since, staying mostly Bootcamp Light. It feels "normal" to me now - I don't really miss bread, rice or pasta, and in fact if I do eat them it gives me an upset stomach. I do occasionally have a potato or two though. My weight hovers around 10st, and I wear a size 8-10. This is me now - not meaning to show off, just hoping it might be motivating.

I'm so grateful to BIWI for getting me started on this journey, and to all the other lovely Bootcampers who've supported and motivated me along the way. So do post and chat on the Bootcamp threads - especially when you've gone off plan or not lost or even gained. They've been through it all before and are full of helpful advice and support.

Good luck!

That’s really inspirational @GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal - you look amazing!

I’m also a size 14-16 (nearer size 16 tbh) and 12st something (I’ll find out what the ‘something’ is when I do my first weigh in tomorrow). I’d be thrilled if could get to under 11st by the end of the year.

Thank you for sharing (and love the username - it reminds me of my VI form days)