General Low Carb Bootcamp Chat

[BIWI]

Although I generally keep a chat thread going at the end of each Bootcamp, I think it would be better to have an ongoing chat thread that isn't linked to a specific Bootcamp.

So here it is. A sparkly new thread, for all things low carb and Bootcamp chat. As well as anything else you'd like to chat about!

Feel free to chat about anything you like here.

Looking after my dgc today. Creamy coffee mid morning, sausages for lunch (mine with green veg, theirs with pea, sweetcorn and potatoes). And I'll give the apple pie and custard a swerve. But actually, not at all tempted.
When they've gone I'll have a wee sit down with a gin and soda!
Chicken and leek soup for dinner, with cheese and celery to follow if I need it.

Those lamb meatballs sound really good onelittlepig !

I visualise little carb-munching gremlins in my gut. Judging by the sharp reduction in carb cravings i think I'm successfully starving them out!

I didn’t eat any potatoes or bread yesterday which is a big thing for me in recent years. I have ordered some lactose free milk, which I think is lower carb (someone tell me if I am wrong), as I would like to be able to have my tea and coffee on boot camp. I weighed myself yesterday 😱 - I really need to make this work

Having a soft bootcamp light start. One pound gone. @Onelittlepiglet the ribs sound lovely. I must get some today and try that. DH loves them but I have never cooked them in tomatoes.

The recipe for the lamb meatballs/burger is from Persiana but this I have found it online - I just omit things you can’t have (like currants and pine nuts) and use wherever herbs etc I have at hand.
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spiced_lamb_kefta_94133

Also we serve it with the sauce from this recipe from the same book (and don’t add the sugar!).
fullasanegg.org/lamb-sour-cherry-meatballs/

I usually have mine with cauliflower rice. Hope these links are useful!

Thanks @Onelittlepiglet I've printed it off

Morning all! This will be my third bootcamp, and in preparation I've (re)started intermittent fasting as my main concern is to ensure I don't develop Type 2 diabetes (after being pre-diabetic, then having gestational diabetes and then being pre-diabetic again afterwards, which I managed to reverse in the last bootcamp!). As StuntNun has already mentioned in this chat, fasting has been shown to be really powerful in the fight against diabetes. I'm aiming for a minimum of 16 hours fasting (the 16:8 protocol) and managed 12 and 14 hours on Jan 1st and 2nd, then 16 and 19 hours on 3rd and 4th so hopefully I'll be totally into the swing of it by the time bootcamp starts! Next step is to train myself to like black coffee.... Then I'll start on the low carbing in the bootcamp as I know if I try doing it all at once then I'll just fall off the wagon and feel like a failure!

That said, I know the intention of bootcamp is weightloss and I'm also overweight so any weightloss will also be a very welcome side effect....!

Morning everyone, I've bootcamped in the past and have always found it a great way of eating but for some reason never manage to stick with it, even though I always feel so much better. After a horrendous 2021, where all manner of things went wrong, I'm now heavier than when I was 9.5 months pregnant and miserable. I've not been on the scales but reckon in need to lose about 4 stone. I've got various health conditions that make losing weight tricky but I know I feel better in myself on LC so am going to make 2022 the year I stick with this for all the benefits outside of how I look and how my clothes look. Obviously, I am also hoping for a bit of a drop in weight too.

Currently following the Diet Doctor two week reset food plans and so far am finding it easy. The food has been amazing, so tasty and way better than the beige carbs I've been living on recently. It also encourages you to cook double and have leftovers for lunch which is helpful.

Today's plan:
B: tend to skip this so just coffee
L: basa fillet topped with pesto, mozzarella, sliced tomato, pine nuts and basil (bloody lovely), salad with oily dressing
D: beef curry, cauli rice

Following on from the slow cooker/pressure cooker convos, I have an Instant Pot that also have a sous vide function. I use it as a pressure cooker quite a bit (great for really smooth swede/celeriac mash) but have never used it as a sous vide. Any tips would be much appreciated as that steak looks amazing!!

Hi all, can anyone advise? Is it normal to have a constant low level headache when going cold turkey on carbs? From mid December to Sunday night (so about 18 days) I was eating a lot more carbs than normal (a lot of crisps and regular bread and potatoes) and now I've cut them out I can't shake this headache. Will up the water but just wanted to see if others experience this? Or whether it could be omicron....

Sorry about the essay - clearly have a lot to get off my chest

@byebyecarbs it's quite common I think. Try adding a tiny bit salt to your coffee (nicer than it sounds) as well as drinking plenty.

Hello all
I am toying with joining you all
I have had a shitty few years and am biggest I have ever been
I am seeing an acupuncturist who thinks I need to avoid dairy, (weirdly not butter but milk and cheese)
I can deaL with almond milk in my decaf
But hard to do low carb without cheese isn't it?

@byebyecarbs

Hi all, can anyone advise? Is it normal to have a constant low level headache when going cold turkey on carbs? From mid December to Sunday night (so about 18 days) I was eating a lot more carbs than normal (a lot of crisps and regular bread and potatoes) and now I've cut them out I can't shake this headache. Will up the water but just wanted to see if others experience this? Or whether it could be omicron....

@byebyecarbs it sounds like carb flu, but obviously you should take a test to rule out Omicron.

One (quick) way to find out if it's carb flu is to up your carbs - have a piece of toast and/or a piece of fruit.

Generally speaking though, carb flu is pretty common, especially if your diet was very high in carbs, routinely, before you started low carbing.

It's about an imbalance/depletion of key electrolytes - especially sodium. If you don't already, start to cook with salt and add it to your food. In the immediate term, try a hot drink made with an Oxo cube or Bovril or Marmite.

The other electrolytes you need are potassium and magnesium. You can also try Lo-Salt for the potassium, but good food sources are salmon, full fat natural yoghurt (Greek for preference - not Greek-style), spinach and avocado.

It may also be worth buying a supplement; Zero, by High5, is usualy the one I recommend

@batmanladybird

Hello all I am toying with joining you all I have had a shitty few years and am biggest I have ever been I am seeing an acupuncturist who thinks I need to avoid dairy, (weirdly not butter but milk and cheese) I can deaL with almond milk in my decaf But hard to do low carb without cheese isn't it?

@batmanladybird

Unfortunately lots of people find, when they start doing low carb, that dairy is a problem for them.

I love cheese, and would hate to have to give it up, but it's certainly not essential on a low carb WOE, so it should be perfectly possible. Go and check out the recipe threads, which are all stickied at the top of the Low Carb Bootcamp thread, as there will be plenty there that are dairy-free.

Why not give it a go and see what happens? What does your acupuncturist say is the issue with dairy?

@ShagMeRiggins thank you that's really helpful! Mine is a manual one, I didn't even know electric ones were a thing and now I feel like I need one

StuntNun I am salivating over that steak photo. It is majestic.

[quote Mylee]@ShagMeRiggins thank you that's really helpful! Mine is a manual one, I didn't even know electric ones were a thing and now I feel like I need one[/quote]
Any time I see a tool or gadget, I check if there’s an electric version.

I tell myself this is because I am tired of cooking after so many years of catering for this family (though I do take pleasure in making great food).

I also tell myself it has absolutely nothing to do with my getting older or weaker.

My new year’s motto is simple: strength.

Well, strength and fabulousness, actually.

@Runninghorse

I didn’t eat any potatoes or bread yesterday which is a big thing for me in recent years. I have ordered some lactose free milk, which I think is lower carb (someone tell me if I am wrong), as I would like to be able to have my tea and coffee on boot camp. I weighed myself yesterday 😱 - I really need to make this work

I think you’re wrong about the soya.

It might be dependent on brand, but I ran a quick check and am getting:

Soy milk - 6g per 100ml
Milk - 5g per 100ml
Cream single - 4.2g
Cream double - 1.5g

Runninghorse you’ll see a lot of talk about “creamy coffee” on the daily menus people post when Bootcamp starts.

@BIWI thanks for that helpful response re headaches - really appreciate it.

@ShagMeRiggins -it is not soya, nut or oat milk, it is lactose free milk. Carbohydrates = 2.6g/100 ml

Interesting about the double cream though

@batmanladybird - Boot Camp would be fine then as butter is specifically excluded from being "dairy" anyway - so those who think that dairy (cheese, milk, cream) is stalling their progress don't have to cut back on their butter

On the milk front, the no sugar almond milk is zero carbs and is ok in tea. Can’t get used to it in coffee but a tsp of double cream is enough. I do think double cream varies from shop to shop - Asda’s is very thin.