Pre-Christmas 22 Boot Camp: Preparation thread

[prettybird]

This Bootcamp will start on 17 October and will last for 8 weeks, just in time for Christmas and to be able to get into those Christmas outfits.

As promised, here is a preparation thread, shamelessly and completely cribbed from the opening post that @BIWI did for the last Boot Camp which started on 25 July.

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
LOTS of vegetables and salad
(after the first two weeks) some fruit, mainly berries
(after the first two weeks) some nuts/seeds
(after the first two weeks) some chocolate - high %age cocoa though

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 - ideally none
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 (this depends on your weight - some people will need to drink more - details on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness)
No alcohol
No fruit
No nuts/seeds
No sugar/artificial sweeteners

The rules, in full, are on a tab on The Spreadsheet of Fabulousness, and I'll post a link to the new spreadsheet next Monday (memo to self: coordinate with @FinallyHere to get it sorted wink) . In the meantime, here's a link to the spreadsheet from the last Bootcamp Spreadsheet July Boot Camp Spreadsheet

Make sure you're familiar with the rules before we start. Also, check out the resources on the spreadsheet - there's loads of information about low carbing as well as lots of different recipes and shopping lists.

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 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 be 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.

I may not be @BIWI, who is having a well-deserved break, and my Big Stick might not be as big as hers, but if you give this a go, you'll find loads of support and advice from both me and my fellow experiences Boot Campers. I certainly know I need it, after the shock of last week and the shock of stepping on the scales this morning It really does work but you need to commit. Once you're into the way of things, you no longer feel deprived or hungry - which is the whole point of this Way of Eating.

@agnesmartin why don't you list out the meals you've been eating over the last few days, and let's see if we can spot anything to help you.

Thanks BIWI - I'll definitely do that next once I start. However this week I am on holiday and food is not bootcamp friendly! 😳

Having a horrendous period this month 😩 add in a painful cough and I'm feeling pretty miserable. Food felt very comforting today though, without the usual chocolate that gets consumed using totm as an excuse. I have had a throat sweet and some cough mixture though, but still feel like I'm getting back into the BC mindset overall.

B - Greek yoghurt and cinnamon with a coffee
L - avocado with lime juice and chilli, topped with scrambled egg with butter and a sprinkle of cheddar and lots of black pepper
D - pork chop with blue cheese sauce and green veg
W - 3litres

Hoping I cough less overnight and DD doesn't wake at 5am again as really need some sleep to recover a bit I think.

I'm on meds that make me a bit like this (for PND). I can snack all through the day and I'm still hungry, after every snack or meal, I'm like the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

It's definitely better when I'm eating low carb so I think this boot camp will help. Other things that work for me are liquorice tea and rooibos - I often drink one at bedtime but it's a tricky balance between not being able to get to sleep for feeling hungry vs. waking up to pee.
I'm also thinking for this boot camp I'll get a nice beaded bracelet that I can use like worry beads, twirl them whenever I feel like a snack to remind me that my body is fully nourished, I don't need to fear, remember that the signals are mixed up at the moment. I often forget and have chips or biscuits or something and then kick myself because I'm just as hungry after as I was before - I didn't really need the snack at all.

SerenWantsItAll - sorry you're having the same experience. Yes, it's just like the Very Hungry Caterpillar! I'll buy some teas and try and get into the habit of sipping them before bed.

It's not all the time, am sure it's related to my period cycle. I also feel better on low carb but with 2-3 oatcakes at bedtime to help me not wake up up at 3am.

I'm going to have FLGV in the evenings and see if the carbs from that work in the same way.

FLGV is always a good thing - but for that level of hunger I'd be suggesting that you increase your fat and protein first.

First thing to do is to really scrutinise what you're eating, and make sure that a) you're choosing fattier cuts of meat/fattier types of fish and b) make sure you're using plenty of fat to cook with.

As a short term fix, you could consider a fat bomb - I don't normally condone these, especially when they're sweet, but it might help get you more swiftly transitioned into being fat-adapted.

(The bacon and guacamole one does sound lovely though!)

How I recognise that 'very hungry caterpillar' feeling. It does tend for me to be as a result of eating starchy carbs.

I did the Zoe projects health check recently so got to wear a glucose monitor for a couple of weeks. It was scary to see how quickly my blood sugar spiked when eating even a small amount of starchy carbs and how how long it took to do that recovery. Inevitably there would then be too much insulin in my body so I'd get that feeling of needing to eat now as if my life depended upon it.

This is my strongest reason for eating low carb, it gets me off that blood sugar roller coaster. It took a few days maybe even a week for my body to clear out the insulin and adapt to using fat. It's such a peaceful state for me when hunger appears quietly and gently rather than as a roaring lion (or a very hungry caterpillar )

Hello, I missed the bootcamp sign up email. Please can you add me to the spreadsheet. Thank you for running this.

I did the last bootcamp and lost 8lbs, so am carrying on from that, aiming for another half stone this bootcamp.

In it one @Sunsnowsun

On it now (I meant) @Sunsnowsun

Yesterday I lost a lot of water weight- after peeing many more times than usual yesterday I was about 3 lbs lighter before going to bed than I was in the morning!

Lunch - butter chicken curry, salad and creamed spinach
Dinner - cabbage rolls (unstuffed and without rice) and salad

Thanks BIWI - I do eat a lot of fat and protein but happy to try esp guac and bacon! 😋

Yes, I think it's glucose intolerance. I have a feeling the progesterone part of the Hrt does this as that's normally when I get this feeling, even if I've managed to do low carb successfully for the first half of my cycle. If that's the case I feel it's even more important for me to lose weight to help reset things. It's just how many nights of poor sleep I can cope with before things (hopefully) improve. But getting some good ideas here and mentally preparing for Monday's start so that's great!

Hi all,
Thanks for starting this, prettybird.
I'm going to think hard and possibly join the bootcamp later today. Last time I joined I found that the threads were so massively popular and fast-moving that I couldn't make them work for me as a source of support. But perhaps I could find a way if I tried again. The first bootcamp i joined was extremely helpful for me.

I'm mid-covid at the moment (don't worry -- each letter I type has been carefully wiped down), and I've just had the weirdest food cravings. I suddenly NEEDED Baxter's french onion soup, and when i managed to get hold of some (in a covid compliant manner) I downed two tins back-to-back followed by a pack of EXTREMELY oversalted salt 'n' vinager rice cakes.

Clearly the fever has depleted my salt reserves and FORCED me to eat all this.

Anyway, I need to recreate the low-carb boundaries that helped me so much a year or so ago, so perhaps see you all on 17 Oct.

@agnesmartin that's insulin resistance. Are you currently eating low carb? If you are then take a good hard look at exactly where your carbs are coming from. If you're overeating them then that will put you on that insulin rollercoaster that keeps you feeling hungry all day. This can sometimes happen when we switch to Bootcamp Light and some people reintroduce berries and nuts and dark chocolate every day and their carb intake suddenly increases. Or it can happen when a long-term low carber thinks they can handle a few potatoes or a slice of bread from time to time and their carb intake creeps up.

I'm not at the moment but I was when I noticed this. Ah, it could be the 70% dark chocolate (and cream) that's the issue.

Excellent. Lots of good ideas / help to get me started.

Thanks everyone 🙏

@agnesmartin - if the above low carb specific advice doesn't help then another thing to consider is whether you are what I've seen referred to as a "volume eater" (someone who requires a large volume of food to feel satiated). Pre-low carbing, I've been through spells that were incredibly similar to your Very Hungry Caterpillaring. AT the times I was actually motivated to do so, the only way I managed to not pile on the weight was to accept my bottomless hunger and feed it appropriately with large volumes of low calorie (at the time I was calorie counting) veggies. I would lie awake ravenous after having eaten well over my calorie allowance for the day (which was already fairly generous as I knew I could never stick to 1200 calories a day) so if I wanted to sleep, I had to feed the hunger somehow! You could try the same with low carb veggies instead

On another note, does anyone have any good hot chocolate recipes? I've got the start of a cold brewing and feeling rather sorry for myself. I've made myself a hot chocolate with ~250ml whole milk and cocoa powder (no added sugar etc). It's hit the spot, but since (too much) milk isn't really allowed on bootcamp, and I don't like hot chocolate made with water, I wondered if anyone had any great suggestions for getting that creamy, chocolatey mouthfeel without the carbs if I want another one during bootcamp?!

Excellent - shall bear that in mind. Thank you!

Now off to prepare a book camp friendly shopping delivery 👍👍

@pinknsparkly - I believe there is a way to make hot chocolate with melted high cocoa chocolate and cream - but remember, you're not supposed to be having chocolate - even good quality, high percentage cocoa - chocolate at all during the first 2 weeks of Boot Camp

@prettybird That sounds AMAZING! I guess it then needs to be diluted down a bit with hot water to make it drinkable rather than a dessert....! And thanks, I'm aware of the no chocolate for the first two weeks but should have made that clear. I probably only have a hot chocolate once every couple of months so today's should do me until December😄

This recipe looks good. Heavy cream is American for double cream and it does say you can leave out the sugar if you want

bakingmischief.com/rich-and-thick-hot-chocolate-for-one/

@agnesmartin cream could well be an issue for you as it often perturbs insulin levels. You could try aiming for dairy no more than twice a day when you restart Bootcamp, apart from butter which is unlimited. If you're still having issues with feeling hungry all day after Bootcamp starts again then it would be a good idea to think about trying 16:8 intermittent fasting three days a week to help improve your insulin sensitivity. See how you go and do keep us informed - don't feel like you have to struggle on if things aren't going smoothly.

After a couple of days away with good friends I'm feeling heavy, bloated and so ready to get back on the bootcamp wagon.

I'm using the next few days to get into the right frame of mind again. Next week is an excellent week for me to start - no need for a single step off the straight and narrow, no complicated mealas out or events to be navigated.

I've had a "good" couple of days back on Boot Camp - lost over 3lb already (just shows the impact of the stress/comfort eating/drinking in the last week ).

Going to be drinking tomorrow though as it's the funeral of our friend. He was dh's Master of Wine Study Buddy so raising a glass or two of wine to him is important. He didn't "do" moderation - he actually did BootCamp a couple of times a few years ago (can't remember what his name was - he mostly lurked but did go on the Spreadsheet) but always struggled with the first 2 weeks "No Alcohol" Rule. And he never coped with the idea of "alcohol in moderation" of Boot Camp Lite which is why he tended to drop out