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Low-carb bootcamp

Join discussions about low-carb bootcamp plans, meals and progress. Consider speaking to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Pre-Christmas 22 Boot Camp: Preparation thread

134 replies

prettybird · 10/10/2022 16:12

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! Shock SmileLow carb means high fat, so you will be able to enjoy things like:

butter
cream
cheese
mayonnaise

No light/lite or low fat anything! Shock

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 Blush 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.

OP posts:
Backstreets · 15/10/2022 16:00

I've been to the shops and got eggs, sour cream, yoghurt and frozen veg, plus a recipe magazine for inspiration. Will spend a few hours tomorrow cooking and filling up the fridge, getting ready for Monday!

My standard LC breakfast is sort of a "huevos rancheros" without the tortilla. A sunny side up egg, guacamole (I use frozen avocado and just thaw as much as I need), pickled onion, red salsa and creme fraiche. An absolute mess but very good. I found a LC recipe for tortillas so might give that a go at some point.
For lunch I make "cheddar waffles" or little almond flour pizzas.

prettybird · 15/10/2022 16:06

Just to remind newbies that for the first two weeks of Boot Camp, you're not supposed to have nuts or seeds (unless you're vegetarian Wink)

After 2 weeks, you can have nuts in moderation

There's a nice recipe for muffins (cheese or vanilla) which uses almond flour that I plan on having ready for snacks once the first 2 weeks are up Grin I keep 3 eggs in the fridge (recipe requires cold eggs) ready!

OP posts:
ListenLinda · 15/10/2022 16:36

Oh gosh, i’ve done so well the last few weeks but my period has hit and I want ALL the carbs. Fajitas with lettuce for the wraps for an early tea, but had a small portion of nachos. Now i’m eyeing up the bar of dairy milk in the fridge.
need to slap myself and get back on it.

FinallyHere · 15/10/2022 17:18

@Canthinkofaname79 and anyone else looking for inspiration for meal planning in readiness for Monday (and, just possibly, the rest of your life).

Have a look in at the tabs in the spreadsheet of fabulousnesss* Each thread has a link to the latest spreadsheet in the first post.

One of the tabs is called four week meal plan. There are loads of other meal suggestions in the threads as people post what they have eaten as well as the recipe threads groups by type of food.

Loads of inspiration. Please let us know how you get on with them all.

FinallyHere · 15/10/2022 17:24

If you are looking for help from the tricks your mind sometimes plays when it comes to eating, @ListenLinda I've found Gillian Riley's work on eating less, including the idea that we can have an addictive desire for some foods, especially the highly processed, very sugary 'junk' foods, to be really helpful.

https://gillianriley.com

Knowing that the first bite is the easiest to resist, and subsequent bites are increasing difficult to resist, is one of the things that keep me on the low carb straight and narrow.

BIWI · 15/10/2022 18:03

... and go and check out all the recipe threads that are in the Low Carb Bootcamp topic. They're all grouped by food type to make it easier, and there are some really lovely recipes there that are bound to inspire you.

ListenLinda · 15/10/2022 19:25

I’m always like this on the few days upto and first day of my period. Usually I just put anything and everything in my mouth, even if I aren’t particularly hungry.
interestingly, the last few days I have been fine and not deviated off plan at all.

But today, first day and coupled with some drama with DH & work, my head has gone.
Tomorrow is a new day, I am focused and will do better.

Thanks for being kind, I was expecting the big stick 😊

BIWI · 15/10/2022 19:27

I'm off duty for this Bootcamp @ListenLinda Wink

Canthinkofaname79 · 15/10/2022 20:03

Thank you

Canthinkofaname79 · 16/10/2022 09:11

FinallyHere · 15/10/2022 17:18

@Canthinkofaname79 and anyone else looking for inspiration for meal planning in readiness for Monday (and, just possibly, the rest of your life).

Have a look in at the tabs in the spreadsheet of fabulousnesss* Each thread has a link to the latest spreadsheet in the first post.

One of the tabs is called four week meal plan. There are loads of other meal suggestions in the threads as people post what they have eaten as well as the recipe threads groups by type of food.

Loads of inspiration. Please let us know how you get on with them all.

I clicked on the 4 week plan link and it said the link doesn't exist?

prettybird · 16/10/2022 09:14

@Canthinkofaname79 - @FinallyHere is the current custodian of the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness so hopefully she'll be able to fix it Smile

OP posts:
Mercedesbenz2022 · 16/10/2022 09:14

The link didn’t work for me either but in prep I have googled low carb soups , the plan for lunches this week , and will go shopping today for lots of veg ( flgv )
I know I have fell down on planning on previous attempts but koko

FinallyHere · 16/10/2022 09:30
Blush

Apologies for the non functioning of the link, @prettybird I've PM'd you

FinallyHere · 16/10/2022 09:35

Please would someone very kindly try this link to the spreadsheet of fabulousness

prettybird · 16/10/2022 09:44

Looks like it works for me Smile. Thank you so much @FinallyHere Flowers

OP posts:
FinallyHere · 16/10/2022 09:44

Phew. Thank you ☺️

CherryogDog · 16/10/2022 09:52

I'm just lurking for inspiration because I can't keep up with fast moving threads.
5 years ago I lost 4 stone on boot camp lite, just cut out the really obvious carbs ie bread/ pasta/ spuds, and no processed foods. I increased my exercise too.
But everything's gone to pot now. My health has taken a turn for the worse so exercise is minimal and I can't prep food very well. My OH cooks a lot, but it's always something with pasta/ chips/ mash/ rice and he loads up my plate (and for some strange reason gets really arsey if I say I'll dish my own meal up).
But I'm sick of being tired and flabby and can't afford to buy bigger clothes so I'm going to sort it somehow!
Something about the Very Hungry Caterpillar really resonated with me!
I can't face food until about 1pm, sometimes as late as 3pm. I force feed myself a small banana at about 11am to take my NSAID, (thank F that I'm now on a once per day, I had a month of 3x day and trying to space those out and take with food was making me nauseous).
But take yesterday, didn't have my banana as OH said he was cooking a breakfast. I had a huge breakfast at 1pm, then wanted something sweet so had sticky toffee pudding and cream, then wanted something salty so had a half bag of Tyler's crisps.
It's like once I've started eating I can't stop, even if I'm not particularly hungry to start with.
This never happened when I was following boot camp lite.
Thanks to OP and everyone else who puts their time into helping us all.
Good luck to everyone starting or continuing!

prettybird · 16/10/2022 10:02

Sorry to hear you've not been well Flowers

If you can't face food until about 1pm, but need to take an NSAID, could you have some full fat (of course Wink) Greek yoghurt rather than a banana? Or boil yourself some eggs so that you can have one along with your NSAID?

If your OH is doing the cooking, just ask him not to serve you any rice/potatoes/pasta - although I recognise that that's difficult if they're integrated into the dish Confused. That's what I have to do when we go to my dad's for supper (we alternate Sunday night dinners - it's his turn this week).

OP posts:
Mercedesbenz2022 · 16/10/2022 16:13

Beef slow cooker on , with beef braising steak and veg , cooking today for a quick tea tomorrow!

Canthinkofaname79 · 16/10/2022 17:02

I'm trying to find a decent soup recipe without potatoes in!!

FinallyHere · 16/10/2022 17:06

Hope this works for you, @Canthinkofaname79 , a link to the low carb soup recipe thread

Soup recipes http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/lowcarbb_bootcamp/4454989-soup-recipes

Canthinkofaname79 · 16/10/2022 17:13

Oh thank you!!

Canthinkofaname79 · 16/10/2022 17:14

I'm just doing a meal plan.
I'm cooking what suits me and the family can have it if they want too or sort themselves out!

DurhamDurham · 16/10/2022 17:23

I've been boiling eggs to take to work for lunch this week. Going to have belly pork with buttered leeks and green beans.

Had blueberries with yoghurt earlier on, I know we're not allowed fruit in the first two weeks but that hasn't started as yet 😁

prettybird · 16/10/2022 17:24

I actually find this WoE (Way of Eating) quite easy to adapt to feeding family who are not Boot Camping. I just serve them with rice/potatoes/pasta alongside the meat/protein part of the meal, while I make sure that I have plenty of veg for me (the FLGV - Fuck Load of Green/Good Veg - that we talk about regularly Wink)

I make great sourdough bread but I'm now happy to make it for dh and ds (eg for their breakfast/lunch or to have with soup). I know what it tastes like so I don't need to have more of it Grin

OP posts: