2021 Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Welcome to the last Bootcamp of 2021!

This Bootcamp will last for 8 weeks, which will take us up to Monday 13 December.

It's slightly different from other Bootcamps - firstly because it only lasts for 8 weeks (rather than 10), but also because there are going to be different stages.

So ...

Weeks 1 and 2 will be, as ever, strict Bootcamp.

Weeks 3-6 will be strict Bootcamp during the week, but relaxing into Bootcamp Light at weekends

In weeks 7-8 you will have a choice - either back to strict Bootcamp or full-on Bootcamp Light for the last fortnight

@Allycott I too do a lot of exercise (walk or run 15-20k per week and cycle between 100 and 200 miles a week depending on season plus a bit of body weight training when I remember). I do it all low carb. The only time I struggle is long running events (I personally need carbs for a marathon and the 20+ mile training runs) or longish fast bike rides. But long slow bike rides are fine low carb (I did C2C2C in a day this summer and did that nearly all low carb …. I had a bottle of fizzy lucozade and a snickers about 30 miles from the end as it was the middle of the night and I still had about 2000 feet of climbing left and I was mentally a bit bashed up!). You might find your performance dips for a bit but it is perfectly doable to do a lot of exercise on this WoE :-)

My biggest triggers for falling off the wagon are hormones and hydration:

Carbs seem nigh on irresistible a couple of days before my period (but HRT seems to helping that so far, yay!).

If I have a day where I’m not hitting my water intake I’m fine…. but the following day I struggle. Massively. Water water water cannot be overemphasised enough, it is an absolutely integral part of this eating approach.

@Allycott - we're all different. That's why I mentioned Abstainers and Moderators (which is a concept which helps me).

As a Moderator, I can eat a one-off treat mindfully - something I know I can't easily have again (eg a patisserie in Paris when travelling was easy ) or is a once-a-year event (the Danish Christmas rice pudding: a sort of sweet risotto with whipped cream and chopped almonds folded through).

Abstainers find that even the slightest aberration means falling off the wagon, usually because a bad case of the "Fuck-Its"

But even Moderators can't cope with a prolonged period of carb eating. This is because carbs are addictive - both physiologically and psychologically.

It also helps to think of the other benefits of this WoE: better sleep, better skin (because of all the water and fat you are having), better mood, increased energy, fewer energy dips, reduced visceral fat (that's why that waist measurement is important ).... what's not to like?

Thank you pretty bird. I am going back to first page now to read this thoroughly and look at the meal suggestions.

@Nutsaremynemesis

My biggest triggers for falling off the wagon are hormones and hydration:

Carbs seem nigh on irresistible a couple of days before my period (but HRT seems to helping that so far, yay!).

If I have a day where I’m not hitting my water intake I’m fine…. but the following day I struggle. Massively. Water water water cannot be overemphasised enough, it is an absolutely integral part of this eating approach.

This is me too. I really struggle with sugar cravings for a few days before my period, and I recognise the delayed effect that cutting my water intake has too. It's really worth it for me to keep on top of the water, it makes everything so much easier.

I aspire to be a moderator but think I will sadly always be tripped off the wagon by a small diversion

Does anyone have suggestions for how to get enough protein to fill you up when eating a veggie diet? I'm not vegetarian but am trying to cut down the amount of meat we eat. I live in a family of carnivores so that has its own challenges, but with low carb on top of that I find I'm hungry long before I should be. I've eaten a spinach and ricotta lasagne (no pasta) the last 3 days and it's delicious but doesn't keep my full. It had loads of cheese in it (from the full fat fairy ).

I've lots of yummy single portions in there, but they are MINE!!! hands off my chicken alfredo

Say no more, venusandmars, say no more ... I’m with ya.

I’m so excited @BIWI to be trying the rolled pork recipe. Have it prepped already stuffed with buttered mushrooms, parsley and boursain and the spicy celeriac chips are in the oven. Will report back later.

ouchmyfeet all I can think of is eggs. But they are incredibly versatile, they don’t have to be the main attraction.

BIWI’s recipe for low carb egg fried cauliflower “rice,” for example.

Plopping a softly fried egg at the bottom of a Caesar salad (which was the norm when I worked in Australia) can warm up the salad and give added protein. Plus it tastes really nice.

Making a vegetarian version of a carbonara, where the sauce is basically eggs and cheese and the spaghetti can be a spiralised (or simply peeled) vegetable like courgette.

Just some thoughts.

A quick food post. BTW I nearly peed my pants today. Out and about with All The Water! Shag would be proud.

B. Mushroom& cheese omelette with salad.
L. Greek yogurt
D. Grilled sardines followed by tuna steak with veg.

I had 3 coffees today with milk though, so we'll see...

I am posting on a Fire tablet. Predictive text is brutal. It changed 'tuna' to 'Tina' and this time wanted it to be Tim's. Really odd.

I need to try the pork fillet recipes suggested as we are in a bit of a rut with how we eat it.

It’s really interesting to hear about the different ways people approach low carbing. I’m a moderator normally, as it does mean I can eat something someone’s specially prepared. I do try to be mindful when eating it, but definitely don’t always succeed!

And on to today...lunch was veg soup again and dinner was goulash on steamed broccoli topped with sour cream and coriander. I have failed miserably with water today and definitely don’t have the capacity to drink the outstanding amount by the end of the day. Will try to do better tomorrow

Food (weekdays is pretty repetitive for breakfast and lunch):
B: two boiled eggs
L: mackerel in oil, drained but in a quick "sauce" of a dollop of creme fraiche and some wholegrain mustard. Salad with oil- spinach tomato cucumber & black olives. Greek yogurt.
D: ratatouille (home made and previously frozen, probably a bit carby on the veg front) with a sprinkle of Parmesan plus 2 Toulouse sausages. Both Sainsbury's and M&S do lovely ones which are low carb.

All the water. I actually got as far as touching a cake brownie thing in my office (shh) but resisted. Bastard cake bringers.

@ShagMeRiggins you will be pleased to know I have just hauled my butt off the sofa to get another pint of water

Quick run down of my food today…
Breakfast was just a few spoonfuls of Sainsburys TTD greek yog as I was rushing out of the door, plus coffee with cream.
Lunch was a chicken and cheese salad with a glug of olive oil as a dressing and some homemade coleslaw.
Tea was a chicken curry with sprouts with lots of butter.

Had a nagging headache all day. Not sure if it’s due to my period, or a slight touch of the CF.
Has anyone any experience of BC or low carbing when it’s time of the month?
Haven’t risked a peek on the scales yet. I’m planning on doing my measurements when I feel less blah, so I have another point of reference.

@FusionChefGeoff , the hollandaise sauce was delicious , will possibly make muffin less eggs benedict on Sunday for breakfast
Disclaimer .. I used to cook for a living and have made A LOT of hollandaise and find it easy to make

B scrambled eggs
L ( met my sister for shopping and lunch ) and had a delicious chicken salad ( but the salad included tomatoes , pomegranate , pepper and fig in it ) as well as tons of salad greens and a lovely oily dressing
D pork chop with broccoli , spinach , mushrooms and a creamy sauce ( and a jacket potato for DH ) and then the git had a Mars bar ice cream and a small dairy milk
Tons of water ( no wine , and Thursday nights usually involve a glass of Chardonnay)
So , not a perfect day , but , I have just had a blinding flash of what should be obvious
If anyone else has a daft house where the sitting room is the other end of the house and up a flight of stairs from the kitchen
Take a carafe of water , not a glass of water with you when you sit to relax in the evening 💡

My dinner tonight was cheeseburger pie with shoogled sprouts. Lovely it was too

I make a double batch but dh likes it so much that I only ever get 6 portions out of it We also had it last night when I got in from rugby training and I've only got enough left to freeze two portions.

What is shoogled sprouts
Very intriguing
Went to a friends for tea , told her prior I didn’t want a dessert , so steak , salad and feta , coleslaw with tonic water ( better than wine
Lunch was cheeseburger pie from yesterday with broccoli
Had terrible headache this afternoon so upped the water and feel ok now

Can we give celeriac mash approval? I was in a restaurant last week and I had the fish on a bed of celeriac mash. There was obviously lots of butter in it and it was delicious. Hoping to make it myself soon. I googled and it's quite a low carb vegetable.

My daughter made fajitas earlier and I had mine in a bowl, no wrap. Just as nice

You've given me the excuse a reason to post the "recipe" for shoogled sprouts

Prepare plenty of sprouts (they're nice cold too so do more than you need ) and put in a bowl. Put a slab slice of butter on top. Cover with a plate. Microwave for 2 minutes*.

Shoogle (Scottish word for "shake" )

Microwave for another 2 minutes*.

Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

*Times are dependent on microwave strength. You might need to do it for longer/a third time.

@prettybird
Thank you 🙏
Will try these at the weekend

Btw love your rugby tales
You’re a brave woman

@QueenDanu

Can we give celeriac mash approval? I was in a restaurant last week and I had the fish on a bed of celeriac mash. There was obviously lots of butter in it and it was delicious. Hoping to make it myself soon. I googled and it's quite a low carb vegetable.

My daughter made fajitas earlier and I had mine in a bowl, no wrap. Just as nice

Absolutely! It's a firm favourite here. Don't forget to add leeks.

I use BIWI's recipe @QueenDanu. Here it is to save you sifting through the recipe threads!

I tried moderating - it did not go well at all . After a few months I've now realised that a consistent BC light for life will be the most sustainable and healthy way for me - physically and mentally.

I'd love to introduce the occasional 'day off' but at the moment I don't trust myself. This is just me though as I have very disordered eating so need to be very careful.

I am also a mid distance runner so firstly @Allycott don't worry about exercise.. it took me a while to properly adapt so the first few weeks I felt very very slow and it was tough - but once I was burning fat it was amazing.. no wall once I'd 'run out' of energy, no need to fuel up etc and I can comfortably run a half marathon fasted!! I even managed a 2nd fastest time a couple of months ago.

Weighed for the first time this BC and I am back to pre-Rome weight which is perfect so I am very happy.

Disaster last night though - discovered the freezer in the utility room (back up so not used daily) had died!!!!! Got a LOT of cooking today to try to save the following - any really quick / easy ideas as I have NO time in which to do this - will have to cook whilst I'm on conference calls!!

Beef mince (bloody kids don't like cheeseburger pie!)
Chicken breast
Half side of salmon

Was going to do the chicken in jar of BBQ sauce for kids - or is there a LC version I could enjoy too??

@FusionChefGeoff
Beef mince: meatballs. I often serve this with pasta and tomato sauce for others and substitute the pasta for buttery veg for myself (leeks, courgettes, mushrooms or any mix of those work well)

My favourite thing to do with mince is fry it up with spices and peppers and make tacos. I use a spice mix I make up myself as the pre made ones tend to have sugar. Have little gem leaves as your taco cups and pile high with sour cream, guacamole, grated cheese and a homemade tomato salsa (cherry toms, lime juice, salt, red onion, oil)

I have no exciting ideas for chicken or salmon I'm afraid. I'd be putting the chicken in a curry (probably a creamy one) and the salmon I would just have fried till the skin is crispy and serve with veg. Boring but tasty!

Food yesterday for me was a bit on the hoof. Had final bit of leftover spinach and ricotta lasagne for lunch then the chicken I was going to use for tea had gone off so gave the others breaded stuff from the freezer and I had a couple of fried mackerel fillets with creamed spinach and a random sauce of Dijon mustard mixed with sour cream, with chopped cornichons in it. Was gorgeous but my house still smells like fried fish this morning 

I may finally try shoogled sprouts this weekend, have some coming in the shopping today. Bought them to try a gorgeous looking halloumi recipe in preparation for next weeks recipe challenge but there will be plenty left. Not sure I actually knew how to shoogle them until now despite having done a few bootcamps alreayd so thank you for the explanation @prettybird

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE. Feel like I've crawled to the end of the week on my knees but have made it . If only I was allowed a glass of wine tonight

allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/41234/homemade-taco-seasoning-mix.aspx

This is good for fajitas or tacos. I make up a batch and use it over a couple of months

Nightmare @FusionChefGeoff!
How about meatballs with the mince? Spag for them; courgetti for you.

No idea on salmon.

Sorry @ouchmyfeet. I'm slow of typing this morning