This Bootcamp will start on 2 May, and will last for 8 weeks
The first two weeks will be strict, but after that you can move on (if you wish) to Bootcamp Light, which is a little more relaxed.
These are the things that we don't eat, throughout the whole of Bootcamp:
- bread (of any kind)
- pasta/rice (of any kind)
- potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweetcorn, beetroot
- sugar/honey/syrup
- flour (and anything thickened with flour)
- cake
- biscuits/crackers/pastries
- crisps (of any kind)
- fruit juice
- full sugar fizzy drinks/squash
- balsamic vinegar (all other vinegars are fine)
- grains/pulses/legumes (which includes peas)
- sweets
What can I eat then?!
Things you will be able to eat are things you generally can't eat on any other diet! Low carb means high fat, so you will be able to enjoy things like:
- butter
- cream
- cheese
- mayonnaise
No light/lite or low fat anything!
- all meat/fish/seafood (although keep processed options to a minimum)
- eggs
- oily dressings (especially using extra virgin olive oil/avocado oil)
- lard/coconut oil (as well as butter) for frying food
- plenty of vegetables and salad
- (after the first two weeks) some fruit, mainly berries
- (after the first two weeks) some nuts/seeds
There are just ten rules, and as long as you follow these you should lose weight. In brief, the rules for the first two weeks are:
- Eat three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Avoid processed foods as much as possible
- Eat lots of fat
- Make sure your carbs are coming mainly from vegetables and salad
- Be careful how much dairy you're consuming - especially milk (butter is unlimited)
- You must drink at least 2 litres of water a day
- No alcohol
- No fruit
- No nuts/seeds
- No sugar/artificial sweeteners
The rules, in full, are on a tab on
The Spreadsheet of Fabulousness
Make sure you're familiar with those.
Planning and preparation is key to success on this WOE (way of eating)
Which means you need to think about all the meals you need to prepare for the next week - which includes what you're going to have for lunch if you're out of the home at work, and thinking about any likely social occasions.
So - make sure your cupboards/fridges/freezers are emptied (as far as practically possible) of anything really carby that you know is likely to tempt you.
Make a meal plan for the week (or the next two weeks if you can that organised!) and then make sure you buy everything you need in your next shop.
Cooking a couple of meals ahead is a really good idea - so you know you have something Bootcamp-friendly easily to hand.
For the first week or so, while you're adjusting to a low carb WOE, especially if you're new to it, it's a good idea to have some low carb snacks to hand. As you adapt to it, you'll find that you really aren't hungry between meals, but in the beginning you may need something. Great low carb snacks include:
- chunks of cheese
- olives
- cucumber/celery
- hard-boiled eggs
- cooked (low carb) sausages
If you're planning on using anything pre-prepared/packaged in your cooking,
make sure you've checked the carb count on the back of the packet. It's amazing how something that seems like it should be low in carbs is anything but - because the manufacturers have added sugar, or potato starch, etc.
Make sure that you have read, re-read and read again Bootcamp rules. Ideally save them on to your phone, or print them out and stick them on the fridge. Especially make sure that you've worked out - from Rule 6 - how much water you are going to need to drink each day. The more you weigh, the more water you're going to need to drink.
It can also be a really good idea to keep a food diary - it can be very easy to start with a huge burst of enthusiasm, and then gradually let things start to slip, and then ending up eating stuff you shouldn't, and wonder why the weight isn't shifting. Just reading back through entries from the early weeks can be really helpful here.