Week 1 - May 22 Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Just getting the opening of the thread started, as there's a lot I want to post before we get into tomorrow!

Firstly, here's the all-important disclaimer:

I'm not a medic. I'm not a scientist, nutritionist or dietician. Everything that I write here is based on the reading I've done over the last 15 or so years. You sign up and take part in Bootcamp at your own risk - although I fervently hope there are no risks!

Please note, if you're taking any long-term medication, especially for hypertension or diabetes or high cholesterol, you should consult your GP; low carbing (for most people) will bring high blood pressure and cholesterol levels down, and will help regulate your blood sugar levels - so the dosage of your medication may need to be reviewed, if not reduced
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A note about weighing

Each Monday I'll re-post the spreadsheet for you to add your weight. Weight is the most conventional way that we monitor progress, but it isn't the only way, and actually isn't always the most accurate way. It's not unknown for people to see no change on the scales, yet to know that they've lost weight as their clothes are fitting better.

You don't have to weigh (and nor do you need to be on the spreadsheet), but it is always helpful to know how you're progressing, as this helps to keep you focused. There are two other important ways to do this:

1 - take your measurements. Hips, waist and bust, as well as upper thigh and upper arms.

2 - find an article of clothing that currently just a little too tight - a pair of jeans, or a blouse - and try them on each week. This is the most tangible way to see how things are working for you.

You can do these as well as weighing of course!

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Also, before we really get going, a plea for good thread etiquette!

The threads will move very quickly (especially in the first couple of weeks). But please, please, please read everything that's been posted. Use the bookmark facility so that you don't lose your place. Don't just jump on the thread to post your own stuff without bothering to read what others have posted

It is very wearing when we have to keep answering the same questions, because posters haven't bothered to read what's gone before!

BIWI - you are absolutely right that I need to have breakfast! With that in mind -

B - Greek yog and a glug of double cream
L - mound of lettuce, avocado, toms and chopped up Stilton
D (will be later when back from gym) - piles of buttery wilted spinach and 3 egg cheese omelette
Snack - oat milk latte

I'm not drinking enough I think so concerted effort tomorrow to drink drink drink.

What supermarket(s) do you have nearby? I'd go for something like rollitos if they have those, or a packet of ham, or snack-sized cheese.

LC is really easy if you're in a tapas restaurant - chorizo, prawns, olives, cheese, Iberian pork, etc

Making supper, the shop bought goujons for the family are in the oven but I've opened a packet of extra nice Gruyer and have started grazing it so I'm in a very happy place 😀

@venusandmars I totally agree, once you make the decision to commit to the WOE and accept the rules are rules it really does make it so much simpler. I HATE all the headspace it takes up when I'm "trying to be good" or counting calories... I'm always bloody hungry, thinking of food, making food decisions, weighing it, tracking it...aaagh.
I have done low carb high fat before and now I'm back again wondering why I ever stopped!
I had 3 boiled eggs with seasoning and butter this morning and had to remind myself to have lunch at 2pm - not like me at all!
In other news my turkey mince creation was DE-LISH (sharing pics of my creation 😂)

Todays food
B - boiled eggs with butter
L - tuna feta and olive salad
D - turkey mince in a tomato chilli cream sauce with spiralised courgette, mushrooms and shavings of Parmesan
S - Greek yogurt and double cream

Turkey creation pics

Crispy duck for dinner

Lunch was a large salad with cheese and mayo and olives
dinner , cod in Parma ham cooked in butter and oil , broccoli shoogled with butter and Parmesan , dp had New Jersey’s but I resisted
no breakfast as I IF , but lots of water too

B: boiled eggs
L: chicken and bacon in mayo with asparagus and salad
D: roast chicken, spring greens and tenderstem broccoli in butter.

I love the turkey photos @bella1426 - its not something I ever buy but I quite like the sound of turkey burgers now!

Enjoy Paris @mimosa1, sounds glamorous to me, the most exciting place I've been today is the dump!

I am trying not to get too hung up on daily weight fluctuations (but it's so hard!). I've had a good day of eating:-
L:- 150g sliced button mushrooms cooked for ages in garlic & stock, piled onto toasted low carb bread, spread liberally with cream cheese. Leaves and EVOO
T:- Red Thai chicken curry made with FF coconut milk AND coconut cream

3 litres of water down so far, will drink another before bed.

Tomorrow, I am polling lady for the day at the local council election (6am-11pm) so am busy getting all my meals ready to take:-

• Red Thai salmon curry
• olives & cheese
• cold meat
• veggie sausages with tzatziki to dip
• rollitos

See you on the other side!

Sorry for rubbish post. I thought I’d attached a picture 🤦🏻‍♀️

Super busy office day today, and lunch at a cafe with a colleague I don’t see often.
I managed to get a chilli with salad instead of rice (didn’t eat the kidney beans). So all went well.

B- chunk of cheese
L- chilli with salad
D- poached salmon, ham and egg mayo with massive salad
S- tea, coffee

debating whether I’ve had enough fat today? I’m not hungry but could top up with G yog and cream!

Not caught up yet, but we’ll done to Aperfectlygoodname and Lucienandjean for drinking all the WATER WATER WATER!

I know it’s a challenge, especially for those who are new to it. And, yes, it’s like the Trevi Fountain at times, but it’s really worth finding a method that works for you.

plus, amazing skin stuff will probably happen.

(hey, MNHQ, when I double-return, I expect the next line to default to a capital letter setting, like on practically every other forum in existence, and like you used to have before the re-platform! Mwah!)

Tonight:

Aubergine slices (lengthways) baked in the oven with lots of olive oil, salt and pepper

Spicy tomato sauce (1 small onion chopped, 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped, 1 red chilli finely chopped, all sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, with a tin plum tomatoes added, salt/pepper and dried oregano. Cooked down and then finished with a large lump of salted butter)

Halloumi, griddled in olive oil and seasoned with black pepper, finished with the juice of half a lemon

Chopped avocado in vinaigrette dressing

Absolutely delicious!

@APerfectlyGoodName the recipe asks for soft cheese but as it was being frozen I've added to eat rather than when cooking in case it split. It tasted perfectly fine just a bit meh......
Breakfast today was the last of my egg muffins (will be glad of a change tomorrow 😂) with broccoli and blue cheese soup for lunch. Made tomato pasta for DH and DD before they both went out which derailed dinner again 😡. Previously I'd have relied on toast and wine for me but stayed with the programme. Boiled half a leek chopped into rounds, half a dozen cauliflower florets and fried off some chorizo and sun-dried tomato in butter. Drained the veg, dumped it all in a pie dish with more butter and added some cheddar then grilled for a few minutes.
Was flipping lovely and I'm now stuffed, but has made me think about planning. I'm pretty good at writing a meal-plan but there's always a couple of nights that go awry - DH plays in a band and we go to other gigs once a week-ish plus DD's football commitments so busy busy. Will have to think about batch cooking some proper meals I can just heat up from the freezer..........
However managed all the water plus at least a litre of herbal tea, if you've kept up with all that here's a photo of my dinner - sorry all!!!!!

So much delicious food being eaten on here!

I am also falling foul of that change shagme, most irritating.

Totally relate to all the bathroom trips, today I had to excuse myself in the middle of my a. Y’all appraisal and call in at a supermarket on the way home from getting dd from work. I’d been before I left no more than half an hour previously!

Great dinner tonight! Cheesy Bolognese Bake. I amalgamated a few recipes:

1. Make cauliflower rice. (Either use a hand grater or a good processor to grate raw cauliflower).
2. Fry cauliflower rice in butter until it starts to brown sightly. The key is to keep the heat high and the rice moving so that the moisture evaporates off and it doesn't boil.
3. Make bolognese sauce.
4. Thinly slice an aubergine and salt the slices. Fry them until browned.
5. Layer a dish with the cauliflower rice, then aubergine, then bolognese sauce, then sour cream, then parmesan and cheddar cheese.
6. Bake in the oven @ 200°c fan (220°c conventional) for 15-20 minutes.

I didn't have any sour cream left so I added lemon juice to double cream and it thickened beautifully.

My 17-year-old will tell you that he likes celeriac, but do not ever, ever state that @RagzRebooted “dirty fries” recipe is made with anything other than potatoes.

it was two years ago. He still hasn’t forgiven me. ;-)

other than that, it might be an adjustment, but I’ve grown to love swede and celeriac instead of potatoes. I’ve also adjusted to enjoy lasagne with sliced courgettes or cabbage instead of pasta, chopped celeriac in a corned beef hash with fried egg on top for breakfast, and other things.

what I don’t do—because I am a stubborn bitch—is pretend it’s slag bol
or lasagne or actual corned beef hash.

For me, it’s a different dish altogether, and I call it what it is. But my Lord, the vegetable intake has skyrocketed!

That makes my day:
B - yoghurt and double cream.
L - baby bistro salad leaves, baby plum tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, olives, feta cheese, with a sesame oil and cider vinegar dressing.
D - Cheesy bolognese bake.

Fluid:
2 cups of decaf tea with milk (only a splash). 6 cups of decaf tea with almond milk.
3 X 750ml bottles of High5 water.
That will be 4250ml of water, although if only half the tea counts then it's 3250ml. Can you have too much? I know medically if you have waaay too much it's an issue, but in this context, is it ok?

@Lougle that sounds and looks lovely, thanks for the inspiration. Toad in the hole for dinner here tomorrow and I hadn't worked out what to do for the LC option but this sounds good and would be a good partner with some sausages.

I'm struggling with the water again today - I've managed nearly 3 litres but still 1.5 to go!

B: yogurt and cream
L: homemade tuna pate, salad, avocado
S: chunk of cheese, creamy coffee
D: sausages, fried tomato, fried eggs, mushrooms

First work day of BC and a successful one. Had prepped a chicken and bacon salad for lunch, managed a litre of water plus a black coffee.

Just catching up on my water tonight. Was troubled by restless legs last night so finally ordered the electrolyte tablets, as apparently that's a symptom.

Feeling good overall and didn't struggle to get out of bed at 6 this morning like usual!

I had salmon fillet for dinner with aubergine, red pepper and sweetheart cabbage with butter. I had greek yoghurt and some cream afterwards.

I haven't been hungry all day and my energy has returned. I've been drinking lots of water.

Bon voyage et Bon chance, Mimosa

Your determination is inspirational. I absolutely know you can do it.

Food today
Breakfast - creamy coffee
Brunch - SLC roll, bacon, mayo, cheese, lots of lettuce
Snack - slice of chili cheese, another creamy coffee. 2 cups of tea.
Dinner - half a cabbage, stir fried in butter, topped with pork chop in creamy onion gravy.
Water - I'm on 2.5L so a bit more to go!

@glamourousindierockandroll restless legs are the worst! I'm actually on medication for them which usually controls it but they've been bad the last two nights...from past experience there is a period of pretty crap sleep while my body acclimatises to this WOE but once it's settled in the sleep is so much better. sugar is also a massive trigger for them so it's a bit of a never ending experiment to land in the right place to keep them under control. I also take a daily electrolyte supplement at the moment and generally would take magnesium which is supposed to help. Hopefully it passes for us both soon!!