Week 3 - Jan 22 Low Carb Bootcamp - Bootcamp Light or not?

[BIWI]

So now you have several choices:

• move on to Bootcamp Light for the next 6 weeks, which means allowing nuts/seeds, fruit and alcohol all in moderation!

• a hybrid, where you do Bootcamp during the week, but relax and follow Bootcamp Light at the weekend

• stay on Bootcamp, if it's suiting you

Bear in mind that weeks 3 and 4 (and sometimes 5) are infamous for seeing little or no weight loss - indeed sometimes you may see a gain.

Whatever you decide, here's the spreadsheet for you to declare all!

I hope very much that you will see good results from the last two weeks (or the last 3 or 4 weeks, depending on when you started!)

And now this week's challenge!

Like me I'm betting you all have several cookbooks that you rarely use. Go and find one that you haven't used for ages and choose a recipe that is or could be low carb and post it here.

You may have to change some of the ingredients, but that's fine! Let's all look for something that inspires us to cook something new/different.

Here's to a successful week 3

@moleeye - glad you de-lurked. We're all here to support each other  That's a great initial loss.

There's nothing wrong with weighing daily - many of us do (even @BIWI ) for exactly the reasons you say: it helps us stay focused.

It's only not advised if psychologically you can't cope with the unavoidable daily fluctuations . Personally I use the fluctuations as a reminder to drink more water as the upward moves are almost always after a day where I've not drunk enough water

@SweetPotatoDumpling I first came to this WOE almost a decade ago to cure chronic candida and horrible gut inflammation. I was living overseas and didn’t have access to these lovely BC resources, so basically cut out anything that had yeast or sugar for about 4 months. I cured myself and lost 2 stone in the process!

@moleeye there's absolutely nothing wrong with daily weighing, as @prettybird says - especially if it keeps you focused. It's only if you find you can't handle the inevitable gains (as your body weight does fluctuate naturally) that it's an issue.

Great news @SweetPotatoDumpling! We often find on Bootcamp that someone who has joined to lose weight, suddenly finds another condition that they suffer from has gone/been cured. For me, it was my IBS. (I always know if I've dropped too far off the wagon because it starts to rear its very ugly head again)

Morning!

I've been trying a few recipes. Made celeriac dauphinoise the other day - wasn't at all convinced when I was peeling and slicing the celeriac but it was actually very nice.

Made parmesan crackers yesterday for lunch (thank you to whoever posted that!) and they were delicious, warm from the oven with butter.

Shoogled sprouts and leeks yesterday with some leftover beef casserole from the freezer.

While my younger two are pretty fussy, DD1 has tried and enjoyed all of the above alongside me.

Today I'm going to try kale crisps.

Today's menu:
B - scrambled eggs with veg, made with butter
L - mozzarella, basil and tomato salad, kale crisps
D - piece of cod with garlic and bacon green beans and leeks

@biwi - IBS sufferer here too. It definitely helps.

Glad you're feeling a bit better now @DollyDingleberry.

Whoever posted about the rosewater, that's a good idea. I've been having Twinings Cold Infuse in the rose lemonade flavour and it's so nice to drink that I've been getting through loads of water easily. But the bags are expensive.

Urgh. Woke up feeling headachy and sick. I don't think it's carb flu. It's not covid. Long school day, including meetings with new parents and with my team and I also have to stage an A Level lesson in front of a photographer for the prospectus. Not sure what I want except to lie down, but I don't think it's coffee.

Sorry to hear that @Benvolio . Assuming you're in week 3, then I doubt that it's carb flu. Are you sure it's not covid? They are both symptoms, I think?

But hope you're feeling better soon, and that you manage to get through your day

Lovely walk with dh this morning frosty and cold but sunny, and bumped into a friend on the way, which is always nice - makes me feel part of a community when that happens.

Returned for lunch of bacon, scrambled eggs, fried tomato, fried mushrooms - felt like it was well deserved.

D - duck with cabbage, green beans, kale and butter

Yesterday I made masala spiced cauliflower cous cous with prawns, topped with a salmon fillet and accompanied with spinach. It was inspired by something from the menu when I was out on Wednesday. It was delicious, and I've already put it into next week's meal plan.

Recipe challenge

I came across this recipe, in my Abel & Cole book 'Veg Box Companion' - doesn't even need to be altered for Bootcamp!

Dial-a-Cabbage Wedges (no idea why it's called this!)
serves 4-6

1 head of green cabbage, like savoy
3 garlic cloves
500ml vegetable or chicken stock
A good splash of olive oil, or some butter
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
A few sage or bay leaves (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6

Cut your cabbage into quarters or about 6 chunky slices. Slice through the stem and keep it in, so the wedges stay intact

Crush the garlic cloves with the side of a knife, and remove the peel

Warm your stock in a saucepan

Sizzle the wedges in a large frying pan with butter or oil, garlic and a few sage or bay leaves if you fancy. Season. When the wedges are lightly golden on each cut side, nestle them in a roasting tin along with the garlic and herbs

Pour the stock over the wedges. Roast for about 20-25 minutes. The cabbage should be tender all the way through.

I'm struggling a bit at the moment; work, childcare, eating all seem like an incredible effort and I'm hoping I'll start to feel less exhausted and defeated in a few days. I'm sticking stubbornly to the WOE because I'm hoping this is an initiation period and I will eventually emerge like a butterfly full of energy and having shed all my fat. I have lost weight so will persevere and besides, can't handle having to start from the beginning again!

B- yogurt, boiled eggs, creamy coffee
L- shoogled sprouts and cabbage with chorizo and feta
D- roast chicken salad tonight with a nice fatty dressing

KOKO @Jezzballs2000 you've got this!

Today I've eaten about half a pound of butter, ravenously hungry despite making LC choices that would normally fill me up. About 8 x M&S seed crackers topped with sliced butter, then about 5 (literally) cherries with a swirl of double cream hoping it would satisfy my urge for something a little bit sweet. It didn't. I've now had a slice of clementine and almond loaf (no added sugar so reasonably LC other than what's naturally in the oranges and almonds) with more butter and hopefully I'm now sated.

Dinner, unless my buttery lunch catches up with me and I'm not hungry, is boiled ham, which I'll accompany with spinach, cheese sauce, and maybe a boiled egg or two.

Sorry you're struggling right now @Jezzballs2000. Is there anyone who can help you share the load?

Don't give in now - you'll only undo all the good work you've done so far

Thanks @Baystard. I had to stop myself asking for the clementine and almond loaf recipe- sounds divine!

I think I'll have some cream and frozen berries and maybe a slightly higher carb count will lift my mood a bit!

@Baystard

About 8 x M&S seed crackers topped with sliced butter, then about 5 (literally) cherries with a swirl of double cream hoping it would satisfy my urge for something a little bit sweet. It didn't. I've now had a slice of clementine and almond loaf (no added sugar so reasonably LC other than what's naturally in the oranges and almonds)

What?!

Cherries, clementines? Both very high in carbs at 11.0g and 9.1g per 100g.

Seed crackers AND almonds? How many carbs in all that lot?!

Where is your veg? This is where you're supposed to be getting your carbs from.

These are not good low carb choices and, frankly, I'm not surprised you're still hungry. You need to be eating proper meals, with plenty of veg and salad.

@BIWI I don't see your post- thank you. I have some friends coming to stay this weekend which I think will cheer me up and help with everything. I'm looking forward to doing some collaborative cooking with my friend based around butter and cream!

DH fell off BC and decided to try Noom, which seems to be the opposite of what we do. It's all chicken breast and sadness. He already fell off it last night!

I'm feeling terribly virtuous, which is new because it's normally me cheating.

I think I'm plateauing for another week though. I might try weekly weighing. Honestly, weighing is a bit of a trigger for me and I don't like any system. If I had any sense, I'd just do it with no weighing and see how I feel, how my clothes feel and not bother. But I can't!

@SummerSazz we are similar weight, last bootcamp I stayed in the 11s but then put it all back on over Xmas, I weighed yday but am on my period so slightly over the 12 mark,
It’s so encouraging hitting the next stone bracket, well done to you

I haven’t been eating well at all with Covid, have been keeping up with water and not eating carby foods but relying on dairy too much and my appetite is really poor atm, I am so so exhausted, once I’ve sorted the DCs in thr evenings I’m ready to collapse!

Some lovely recipes posted here though and I’ve taken some screenshots to have a try when I’m feeling up to cooking again

@BIWI the M&S seed crackers are 3.3g carbs per 100g, so I've had about 1.6 or 1.7 g. The clementine and almond loaf is home made and macro counted at 1.7g per slice. The cherries were a poor choice, maybe about 5g carbs plus a little in the cream, but my hand wavered between cherries and a scone so I don't feel too bad. I've counted my whole lunch at about 10g carbs and is my biggest meal of today. I'll have veg tonight, I promise!

@Jezzballs2000 it's not as exciting as it sounds I'm afraid, it's almonds, old clementines (boiled whole including skin) and lots and lots of eggs, so not sweet but it is dense and filling and lots of fibre. As @BIWI has pointed out though it may not be BC suitable if nuts and fruit are off limits.

@BIWI

Sorry to hear that *@Benvolio* . Assuming you're in week 3, then I doubt that it's carb flu. Are you sure it's not covid? They are both symptoms, I think?

But hope you're feeling better soon, and that you manage to get through your day

@BIWI thank you, that's nice of you. I did start feeling better after a few hours, thank goodness and now I'm fine, just a bit knackered. LFTs keep insisting no covid.

I had a couple of cups of coffee (and paracetamol) then chicken mayo salad at lunchtime. Amazingly not hungry yet as that was years ago... by jove I think it might be.... working!

NSV 3 people said I looked nice today! (Comparatively, I bet)

@moleeye that is an amazing loss!

We are having friends over for dinner tonight. I am making spinach stuffed mushrooms followed by Nigella's chicken shawarma. I'm serving the shawarma on a bed of iceberg lettuce whilst others can have it with flatbreads. Dessert is going to be berries, with lemon tart and ice cream for non lc folk. I am a little apprehensive as I won't be having alcohol.

I ordered a bottle of Sea Arch non alcoholic gin this morning, so that will be interesting to try one it arrives.

I am 0.4 of a kg away from a full stone off, so that is motivation to stay on track tonight.

I expect I'm going to totally embarass myself here (because I'm possibly missing out on something that I should know), but feels like safest place to ask...

What are these emojis? 🏽

Afternoon. I’ve been looking through my old Bill Granger books, as haven’t made anything from them in some time, and used to love them. Pretty surprising just how many of the dressings he makes have some form of sugar in them. I’m guessing it’s due to a lot of it being slightly Asian fusion inspired, sort of sweet and sour. I’ve given up on him for now, and reverted back to my rather old (but always good) Good Housekeeping All “New” Cookbook (circa 1995!). There’s quite a few recipes in there that a quick look suggests are boot camp friendly, or easy to tweak. I’ll have a closer look over the weekend, I’m hoping I’ll feel a bit better by Sunday.

Covid seems to be easing off a little now thanks for asking @mirpuppet I’m not sleeping all the time. Actually felt like making soup today. Did you get the book?

@Baystard that way of cooking eggs is similar to what I do. Start them in cold water, bring to the boil and then turn off and leave it to stand on the stove for 9 minutes, then put them in cold water to cool (also crack the shell just a bit when you put them in the cold water, helps make it easier to peel them once cooled apparently).

Noted @BIWI 👍🏽

Thank you @NigellaAwesome, I'm hoping for another 1.2lb by Monday as that will take me under 200 which is my first mini goal.

My problem is always the weekend though. I've planned all my meals for tomorrow so I'm going to stick with it!