Week 2 - Jan 22 Low Carb Bootcamp Thread

[BIWI]

As I'm doing more and more often, I'm starting the next week's thread on a Sunday evening.

This is because, since I've retired, I am no longer controlled by the tyranny of my alarm clock, and so will often sleep too late on a Monday morning for all the keen Bootcampers!

I love the first post of week 2, because for all those who are new and/or are sceptics about low carbing, this is the point at which they may realise just how effective a low carb WOE can be.

Anyway, here is the spreadsheet, and I really look forward to seeing everyone's progress

for us all

[quote BIWI]@UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea if you're bloated, you need to drink more water.

But also, looking at the spreadsheet, you only weigh 9 stone 2, so you surely can't have much weight to lose - which does mean that the rate of loss will be slow at this point.[/quote]

Thanks again @BIWI. I'm tracking my water and only missed my 2l on Wednesday. I'm only tracking pure water intake, not water from tea, coffee etc.

I think I have an unhappy digestive system at the moment, I didn't eat much yesterday because of the bloated/uncomfortable feeling and am 1lb up today, still not feeling good. I will get out for a swim and a good walk today in the hope that movement will sort everything out.

I don't have much to lose, I'm short so even at this weight am a good 1/2 stone away from a comfortable size. It gives me very few calories to play with though!

@Baystard I want to do some weight/resistance but have always been out off because I don't know where to start, might get a kettle bell, is it really worth doing a couple of sets every now and again? I used to do stuff in the commercial breaks of an evening but I got out of the habit.

@ditavonteesed if you can, I'd always recommend starting weights with a PT or a really good gym class. You will progress so much faster and avoid injury.

I weight train and I'm evangelical about its overall benefits. I don't know its efficacy specifically around weight in comparison to other forms of exercise but it's got so many other benefits.

@pinknsparkly I found this in Lidl yesterday and will serve with broccoli (can be microwaved!) but quick cook anyway.

The other night I had a salmon fillet in a frying pan, cooked that until almost done and then threw in large knob of butter, a huge amount of spring greens (Lidl do a big ready cut and washed bag) and a huge amount of ready washed spinach. When this was cooked after a couple of mins I squeezed over some lemon juice, salt & pepper. All done in one pan!

Yesterday I cooked cauliflower and broccoli, made a super quick sauce of double cream and cheese, poured over the top, added some crispy bacon and grilled for 10 mins.

I went to Cook the other day to see if they had any ready meals and was rather disappointed. Ended up with a delicious lamb shank meal but again had to add veg.

Frozen bags of veg may be helpful here.

@ditavonteesed it's now and then on most days, rather than just now and then, but I'm pretty sure that giving muscles the message that they're needed sparks them into growth. I started with a couple of 2kg hand barbells (mine were from Tesco many moons ago) and built the habit, then got a kettlebell. Good idea from @UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea as many of the sets I do are ones I learnt from bodypump or kettlebell class and I've stuck with them at home.

Morning losers.

I've been reading along all week, and been busily copying lots of the lovely recipes into my notes app.

I would go to a pirates class. Arrrrrrrr.

@Luckydog7

Both shows have been completed castrated by not being allowed to give their participants fat, its all 'good fats' salmon avocado etc but i just face palmed when Claire removed the fat from a piece of pork. i feel like a really key piece of information is being kept from the public but the BBC have to toe the line or be accused of being irresponsible

To be fair, it's not the BBC that will have done this - although the Fast800 does advocate the use of what they term 'healthy' fats, they don't espouse a high fat diet. So trimming the fat off a joint of pork will be recommended in their books too. And they'd have to, because there's no way you could achieve 800 calories a day with a high fat diet

@pinknsparkly

That should have said that I'm looking for main dishes that I can literally just boil, fry or stick in the oven!

@pinknsparkly does the local Tesco have a rotisserie? If so, have a rotisserie chicken one night, with a bag of salad.

...or a chicken in a bag that you can roast just by putting it in the oven

I know M&S used to do trays of ready prepared veg for roasting as a traybake. See if Tesco does something similar and you can just pick out the potatoes if they include them.

I've had a look at Tesco's website, and there's a woefully small selection of ready meals that would be suitable. And worse, some of the dishes don't have any detailed nutritional information - where that's the case, if the 'traffic light' for sugar on the FOP (front of pack) is green, and the percentage of sugar is low, I've included the meal - but go easy with those. I've picked things that are less than 25g carbs per meal, as otherwise they're really not low carb. Anyway here's a selection:

Chinese duck with pancakes

chicken and mushroom sauce with baby potatoes - not too carby, but try and avoid/not eat all the potatoes!

cauliflower cheese (no detailed nutritional info)

bbq ribs (no nutritional info)

chicken in mushroom and bacon sauce (no nutritional info)

peas, leeks and pancetta (no nutritional info)

Given the paucity of things, I think you'd be better off buying stuff like cooked meats/fish and bags of salad!

@pinknsparkly I like some of Tesco's slow cook range hope this link works Black garlic half chicken is 2.5g / 100g; Harisa spiced lamb shoulder is 3.6g / 100g; there's Piri piri half chicken; Duck legs in cherry sauce; Pork and apple casserole (this one is 5.7g carb / 100g but you can avoid adding the sweetened apple sauce to your portion). Some of the others in the range (sweet bbq pork) are much carbier...

In my local Tesco they are in the meat section, they're in carboard boxes so once you find the right place there's lots of choice.

B - bacon and eggs
L - avocado, mozzarella, tomato
D - slow cooked lamb shanks, green beans, buttered cabbage

Thanks @Baystard @Benvolio @UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea - looks like I'm need to start weight training. Since I can't even do a push-up on my knees, it's going to be interesting...

Reporting a 700g (roughly 1.5lbs) weight loss this week. I won't be able to weigh for a few days as I'm travelling to France for work - food is going to be a mixed bag.
I'll pack a few packs of Serrano crisps and olives and see how I go.

 @Mimosa1 when I started I couldn't even do one single body weight squat. My pb got up to 70kg so everyone starts somewhere!

@BIWI Thanks for the clarification about the pumpkin seeds - waiting till week 3.

@APerfectlyGoodName Thanks for passing on that recipe. It looks easy and really lovely.

Hope you slept better @Luckydog7. Also, I appreciated your exchange with BIWI upthread, on trains blocked in tunnels . Both the light sleeping and the blocked trains have happened to me too. Because my body was feeling fuller and fuller due to the blocking of carriages, I didn't feel particularly hungry any more and decided to have a day of fasting yesterday. I drank a lot more because I was genuinely thirsty. It seems to to have done the trick. Carriage way buildup was unblocked. And I slept like a log last night.

@pinknsparkly

You could always order some low carb meals online?

Have a look at this company

Thinking of making the curried cauliflower soup today but don’t have a lot of fridge space…..has anyone had any success with freezing it?

@pinknsparkly - easy, quite quick and easy - tinned Sauerkraut and add pork chops done in the oven or done with the crisp function of the microwave.

@AThroneOfLies

Thinking of making the curried cauliflower soup today but don’t have a lot of fridge space…..has anyone had any success with freezing it?

I nearly always freeze my homemade soups. I make a large quantity of one type. Then I take out approximately a pint and put it in a jar that goes in the freezer ( making sure the container isn't filled to the brim because the soup expands when it freezes.) Then, for a quick lunch, I take the container out of the freezer and warm the soup in its jar, first in a bain marie to unfreeze the soup a bit and then I tip it into a little sauce pan so that it heats up faster.

Doing that means I don't have to be eating the same soup day in day out. I can choose the one I fancy that day.

There's too many of you to tag in this response but thank you so much for all your suggestions for lazy holiday meals! I'll go through the suggestions this evening and make a meal plan.

Frozen soup is very handy. I've frozen broccoli and stilton very successfully @AThroneOfLies but never tried cauliflower though I imagine it would be ok depending on how much cream it has (might it split?). I'd definitely try it though.

I'm making chicken and leek soup today from the remains of yesterday's chicken. I say 'remains' but even after feeding 3 of us yesterday I've got enough chicken off the carcass for an entire meal (I know it's mumsnet chicken but still surprised at how meaty is was!) I've set aside the meat and am slowly simmering the rest, including the lovely jelly from the bottom of the pan. After a couple of hours I'll strain off the stock and I'll probably chop and add back most of the cold chicken and a couple of leeks, I expect it will make about 4 large portions for the freezer.

I'm motivated partly by economy, partly by using up a couple of leeks that are long term lurkers in the fridge, and partly by wanting to benefit from the good stuff you get from a real chicken stock including minerals and collagen.

Your chicken and leek sounds lovely Baystard. Cooking and saving money at the same time always gives me extra pleasure !

I've frozen cauliflower soup. I make it very thick and add water and cream when I cook it for dinner so it takes up less room in the freezer.

DH grows veg so we usually have a glut of something that ends up in frozen soups or sauces.

I keep the yoghurt cartons, which are 500g size, and use those to freeze soup in. It makes a generous portion for one person so is very convenient.

@pinknsparkly I find some ready meal vegetable sides are quite keto friendly - either as a main or to supplement some meat. My favourites are saag paneer and creamed spinach (with cheese added!). Can you tell I like spinach?!