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 do strict for the whole time with 5e exception of low carb bread. But if I'm going out for a meal or something I have that one meal off completely, I then have to brace myself for the hunger the next day. Afterwards I stick mainly to boot camp light with maybe a day off a week, I weigh daily and if I see I'm regaining anything I get back on strict for a couple of days. I haven't regained anything and have stayed in my allowed range. I don't think I count as long term yet, I've been doing this since New Year's Eve last year so haven't faced Christmas yet.
Very proud last night, I didn't manage any water at work on Wednesday night, chucked 2 coffees down in an attempt to stay awake. I woke up yesterday and the first thing I did as I read this thread was drank 2 large glasses of water, then I had 2 litres of herbal tea before I went to bed so I think I just about evened up. I have a week off now so will be focusing on all the water, lots of asking and very long walks.
@prettybird thanks for the sprouts, I will definitely be having them with my pork belly later.
@FusionChefGeoff we all coming round yours for dinner this weekend then? You know just to help you out.

@FusionChefGeoff I love salmon with a parmesan and herb crust, basically the attached recipe but double the cheese and take out the breadcrumbs. I also like it bakes with a mix of tumeric, cumin and paprika sprinkled on then served with a dollop of crème fresh. Its pretty good with taco spices and sour cream too.

I find all the sciency bits backed up by you experienced low carbers really interesting and motivating, thanks for sharing what works for you.

This morning I did another sneaky weigh in and I am 2.8lb down. In my head my i was happy with the idea of 2lb this week so I am incredibly pleased. I am less bloated and almost no ibs symptoms this week (i usually chug Rennie's like there is no tomorrow!)

I was talking to a friend who does slimming world yesterday and she was telling me about her dinner of pasta with low fat Bolognese and no cheese followed by a muller lite and how she had some recipe with low fat this and granulated sweetener and quark and margarine and ryvita whizzed up and i just thought of all the chemicals and crap she was pouring in. She ate 3 portions of fruit and sneered at my few pork scratchings (not meanly but just a bit phobic almost of fat being there). I had my water and she chugged 2 cans of diet coke. It struck me how much healthier i feel compared to her. This week she put on a lb and was really sad because she followed her diet to the letter and stuck to free foods. I ate real food and loved every mouthful, felt really satisfied with my meals and feel full of energy. I tried to talk about hormones affecting her loss / gain but she was having none of it. It makes me sad that there are companies profiteering off (mostly women's) desire to lose weight without giving them the knowledge and tools to do it properly. They really are snake oil salesmen. Oh and please dont think i was unkind, I was very nice and supportive because I lovey friends!!!

Today is my day off so i am walking to the shops and doing food prep for the weekend. I have lots of mince in so tonight I am having cheeseburger pie for tea. Making a double batch for the freezer.

B - Scrambled egg with buttered mushrooms
L - quiche and salad
D - cheeseburger pie

Have a lovely Friday!

didn't attach the picture

Morning all, best laid plans… lunch out and later drinks was a lovely experience but I am going to draw a line under it and say it may have set me back a bit. However, that’s life sometimes, it was such a treat to be out that I made the decision to go with it and really enjoy it. But, I am really pleased to say that I came home, a little late, as lunch became cocktails in a fab bar (I only had one 🤭😀🍸) and today I am straight back on plan.

Morning all!

I weighed in this morning for my first day of bootcamp, having missed the actual start date on Monday, and am shocked to find that I'm starting this bootcamp 2lb lighter than I finished the last one!! I'm also the lightest I've been since January 2018 .

Onwards and downwards!

Eek at the freezer @FusionChefGeoff !

I'd just cook the lot as is, then refreeze. Because that's the easiest option, and I'm lazy.

If I was feeling extra-motivated, I'd shape the mince into burger patties with a bit of salt first. Good luck 💪

See, I thought you had to roast shoogled sprouts. I now see I was wrong. . They are bloomin' delicious roasted, though.

I seem to have lost four pounds since Monday, and am teetering on the brink of my next stone bracket. Woo-hoo!

My first boot camp was in January, and I've lost about a stone and a half, which makes me soooo happy.

Also, according to my Renpho scales, I'm getting younger . (Metabolic age, that is).

Big whoop again for @BIWI & her elves.

I've time to read everything slowly! In bed here, waiting for the family to wake. Such are holidays.
I am missing cream in my coffee. I'll try again today to buy some.

Could I ask you about low carb exercise @FusionChefGeoff? I exercise regularly, walk, swim, yoga. Most take about an hour & fasting is fine, my default really. Cycling is my problem. It is usually 2-3 hrs, and occasionally in Summer longer. I can't imagine cycling after my usual breakfast of 3 egg veg omlette. I usually have this late morning after creamy coffee earlier. What I had been doing was having a protein bar with coffee after 90 mins, then cycle home 60 mins ( roughly). this is fine too, though not strictly low carb.

On the long cycles, there's food on offer . I stay away, mostly, from junk - confectionery, sweets - but I do eat sandwiches and tea. And more carbs after. My body actually feels weak, low carb. I feel the need to lie down I'm so weak.

I'm happy enough to abandon low carb for a day, but wonder how I'd manage with my proper breakfast - I'm just musing, and I wonder what is your experience?

Edit: I wrote this last night before a lot of other posts, but forgot to post it!

I'm sure other PP have already answered, but here's my two pennyworth:

@Allycott

Previous Bootcamps have (mostly) lasted for 10 weeks. We always see the same pattern though:

• lots of people sign up with huge enthusiasm
• ... but only a proportion of those actually start!
• some people drop out in the first week or two, because they find it too difficult and/or they aren't prepared to go through low carb flu (even if this only lasts for 2-3 days)
• some drop out over the next few weeks; I assume because they find it too hard to give up things like bread/pasta
• then we end up with those who are really committed, which will be a fairly small proportion of those who have signed up (I do know, however, that we always have lots of people who lurk without signing up)

What happens when Bootcamp finishes?

As you can see from PP, many people continue with Bootcamp - or at least low carbing in some form. I always keep a chat thread going between Bootcamps, so people can continue to post questions and generally provide support to other Bootcampers.

If, though, they just revert back to a high carbohydrate way of eating after Bootcamp, then all that will happen is that they will put the weight back on. Just like any other diet!

Given that it's the carbs that have made you gain weight in the first place, it's obvious that if you just start eating a high carb diet again, then the weight will go back on. The key, then, is to find out how much carbohydrate you can include in your diet, without the weight going back on. And unfortunately, there's no magic number here as everyone has a different level of tolerance, so it's very much a 'suck it and see' approach, whereby you have to experiment with firstly different amounts of carbs and second different types of carbs. Ideally you'd start by adding back higher carb types of veg, some pulses/legumes and a bit more fruit - see what happens with those before you think about bread/rice/potatoes/pasta etc.

@0DAAT

This is the book referred to up thread

The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate, by Drs Phinny & Volek details a lot of their own research into low carbing, particularly how it impacts on athletes.

Basically, once you're fat-adapted you will no longer need to eat carbs to sustain you for exercise as you will be burning your own body fat for fuel. And even elite athletes have enough body fat for this.

For now, you may find it difficult, but in a week or so you should be fine.

I seriously recommend you get hold of a copy of that book though.

Sorry - The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance

Excited to be trialling my vegetarian recipe today in the hope I can recommend it next week!

I'm trying a green shakshuka with avocado and feta garnish.
Looks very straightforward, albeit a fair bit of grating/shaving of green veg.

If anyone's already tried that, do let me know if it's gash and I shouldn't bother

@FusionChefGeoff check out the recipe threads - you're bound to find something there to inspire you.

Should have linked in case you haven't heard of shakshuka (which I hadn't until I started lurking on these threads many moons ago)

shakshuka

@QueenDanu

Celeriac is a bit of a star in the low carb world! There are some lovely celeriac recipes on the vegetarian recipe thread, so go and check those out.

My favourites are daupinoise and tartiflette.

I've found that when you make mash with it, if you add leeks (as per the recipe up thread) it changes the texture and makes it much more like the texture of mashed potato.

More recently, instead of boiling the leeks along with the celeriac, I pan-fry them gently in lots of butter and then add to the cooked celeriac to mash them together.

Couldn’t agree more with Glenthebattleostrich re eating proper food on this woe, I hate to see women buying the lite rubbish and scared to eat a piece of feta or pork belly.

Friday night is steak night in our house, we cook them on a green egg bbq, sirloin for me with lots of green veg (about to go shopping). Poor DS is in the exam hall sitting an AS paper, he wishes he had worked harder last year! He’s a great kid but very laid back. Fingers crossed.

Have a good day everyone and thanks for the thread BIWI and gang.

I know you're a fan of labelling @BIWI

Have you seen this little gem? www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&productId=1253816&

Just 2.4g "impact carbs"

Was reading the post by Allycott asking about a return to 'normal' eating and I realised that after a few years of this kind of food my internal register is that this woe is NORMAL and that a diet full of sugar, refined carbs, processed and ultra-processed food (including the vegan 'meat' dishes) is disordered. Not if they're consumed occasionally, but if they're the staple diet. Also on this woe I don't feel the need to snack between meals or to eat in the evening. Have dinner, then the kitchen is closed (well apart from the WATER, WATER, WATER ) and I notice how much snacking is part of our culture (in addition to regular meals).

I'm not a paragon of virtue, but my internal 'normal' has undergone a paradigm shift. Situation where there will be excess sugar is no-longer a 'treat' but something to be navigated carefully (and I will eat some of dgd's birthday cake this afternoon, however it will be a small piece, not because I'm 'good' but because I don't really enjoy sweet foods anymore.

However... I forgot we were in the first 2 weeks of boot camp (no nuts) and this morning I've had a cheese and almond muffin, with butter, and peanut butter. Oops

Avocado salad for lunch, then birthday tea (minimal amounts).

@nowlook what on earth is an 'impact carb' ??? The proper nutritional information shows 37g carb per 100g, and 24g per bar

Maybe it's the bulking agent - crytalline cellulose - so basically grass

It amazing, isn't it @venusandmars?

Imagine the Scrabble score of that ingredient list!

Thanks @ShagMeRiggins , eggs were all I could come up with too

Thanks to whoever reminded me about shakshuka, that's a family favourite that we haven't had for ages so I'm making that soon

So if something says 37 g carbs of which 2.1 g is sugar do we count the 37g or the 2.1?

Depends which you feel is more impactful *BestIsWest"

Ha! Nowlook.

@BestIsWest

So if something says 37 g carbs of which 2.1 g is sugar do we count the 37g or the 2.1?

You count the 37g because the rest of the carbs break down into sugar anyway.

Unless it's erythritol (and inulin?) as it's a sugar alcohol and you just pee it out

https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-erythritol

What it doesn't do is re-educate your palate away from being gratified by seeet stuff.