July '22 Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Welcome everybody!

Here, thinks to @FinallyHere, is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

This Bootcamp will last for eight weeks, with (as ever) the first two weeks being the most strict.

I'll post again tomorrow, but just wanted to get things underway for now

Thank you for all the work that has been put into this thread. I have not done one of these bootcamps before but need a strict timeline to try and lose my last 10ish lbs. Started low carbing over a year ago and managed to lose 4st but my body and maybe my mind has decided that as i'm in the healthy range it's enough. I, on the other hand know that I have 10ish lbs left to go and REALLY want to get there but keep sabotaging myself as it's not far to go and 1 cookie won't matter! Hopefully I can stick with it and finally achieve my goal. Good luck to everyone and I can't wait to read your journeys.

I was just about to come on to say to @Bunce1 that @BIWI will tell you off as no artificial sweeteners allowed - but she's already got in there

Quite a few BootCampers have railed against the "no diet drinks" rule but there are sound reasons for it. Having artificial sweet stuff maintains our addiction to sweet things.

If you're really desperate to drink something fizzy and can't thole plain water, try sparkling water with some cucumber which you can eat or lime slices or sprigs of mint. You can even infuse with raspberries or sliced strawberries - but for the first two weeks, you'd need to be disciplined and not eat them Try the cucumber - it honestly makes a lovely refreshing drink (I like it in plain water - it doesn't even need to be sparkling!)

Ooops!

I will not have one tomorrow!

Sorry! There are three reasons why it (or other artificially sweetened things) are not allowed in the first two weeks:

1. as @prettybird says, we're trying to break the hold that sweet things have over us
2. we're aiming to eat food that's as unprocessed as possible
3. there is some suggestion that our bodies respond to artificial sweeteners as they do to sugar - which obviously isn't great!

Makes total sense, thank you!

I have a feeling this might be a foolish question - but does a ham joint that you’ve cooked yourself count as processed food, simply because it IS ham?

@WhoAteTheChips - I think it would count as processed, but it obviously depends on the ingredients.

I went on to the Sainsbury's website and their small unsmoked gammon joint lists these as its ingredients:

British Pork (88%), Water, Salt, Dextrose, Stabiliser: Sodium Triphosphate; Preservatives: Sodium Nitrite, Potassium Nitrate; Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate

So yes, very much processed! (Although I'm sure it will taste lovely if it's home-cooked)

Digging a little more into the artificial sweeteners issue, I came across this piece:

Artificial sweeteners and insulin resistance

... which is really interesting

(and I've added it to the resources section on the spreadsheet)

@pinknsparkly if I'm frying in butter I always add a dash of olive oil to the pan - seems to stop it burning.

It’s a proper bone-in ham from the butcher, I forgot I’d ordered it till the meat box arrived today. It’s bound to have been cured in something though. I guess (hope) that the real issue would be if I ate it with roasties and a pudding. I’m hoping if it sits virtuously alongside a huge pile of roasted green veg it won’t do any damage.

This is what I found a butcher's "green bacon" https://coxbutchers.co.uk/product/cornish-green-back-bacon/ had as ingredients. It's a large green bacon joint that I get when I'm cooking my own ham (boiling then baking glazed with cloves, mustard powder, brown sugar and coke blush)

Ingredients – Cornish Pork,
Salt, Preservative (Sodium Nitrite(E250))
FREE FROM SULPHITES!
Ingredients – Cornish Pork, Salt, Preservative (E252) (E250)

Thanks for all the inspo everyone! I forgot how much I love low carb food. We can do this!

Tonight's dinner...chicken breast stuffed with spinach, Philadelphia and cheddar wrapped in bacon, served with green beans and cabbage. Forgot about the joys of butter consumption on this way of eating

Thanks so much @venusandmars - I'll give that a go! All the menus sound amazing 😍

I think my first day has gone ok especially as it all had to be done on the fly? Am just off to supermarket so should be better going forward
B: Greek yog (FF)
L: pile of crudités with a can of oily tuna to dip (all allowed veg)
D: chicken and avocado salad(skin on chicken) with pile of green salad and EVOO and lemon juice dressing.

I also had one coffee with cream, a couple of mugs of weak tea without milk and all the water. I am very acquainted with the bathroom grout today!

Today I've had...
B: Greek yoghurt and cinnamon, coffee and cream
S: coffee with cream
L: Ham, cream cheese, big pile of salad and crudités with coleslaw and olives
S: spoon of Greek yoghurt
D: green Thai curry with tofu and masses of veg

I know I won't be so snacky once I've adapted, I just need to get myself through the first few days...

Oh, and loads of water, of course!

Are takeaways completely out or are there some suitable options?

I've kept to plan today but am feeling hungry this evening. My food wasn't low fat at all but I do have that unsatisfied feeling now. Think I might try something fatty like a few slices of cheese. I knew evenings would be my hardest time, the chocolate is calling!

Turkish/Lebanese/Middle Eastern takeaway usually has some good kebab options and low carb veggie sides.

Curry can be good too if you stay away from the rice/naan and the aloo.

My local pizza place does pizzas with a cauliflower base which are delicious but taste suspiciously carby to be honest

Got through the day despite massive cravings for something sweet this afternoon.
B- leftover paneer curry
L - cottage cheese, veg sticks, cheese cubes, olives
D - spinach and cream cheese gratin with brocoli
S - a few chunks of cheese and cucumber, Greek yogurt
Loads of water.
Very cheesy day...

Today

B- Greek yogurt
L- Turkish eggs
D- Sausages and roast veg (aubergine, mushroom and pepper)
More Greek yogurt for dessert.

I do plan to avoid processed meats, but had some sausages to use up and want to eat alongside the family.

I've cut out the carbs since Thursday and have definitely been suffering with 'carb flu'. I knew I would as I haven't gone LC for a few years, hopefully I'm over the worse of it.

@FancyFelix - plan low carb snacks to be ready for the chocolate siren calls.

Ideas: boiled eggs, bags of Golden Crunch (puffed pork crackling), some home made coleslaw, babybels, exploded babybel "crisps" (quartered and microwaved in silicone muffin trays/on a silicon sheet and cooled), cooked/roasted chicken legs/thighs, plenty of Greek yoghurt, spoonfuls of clotted cream, slices of cheddar cheese with butter and Bovril/Marmite, slices of cucumber topped with pâté .....

And water water water

I’ll add Greek to the list of good takeaways that @FancyFelix mentioned, @ChimneyPot . There was a Greek grill place local to me which closed recently, which I’m very sad about 😢