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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 BootCamp 2022: Week 1

491 replies

prettybird · 17/10/2022 01:02

While @BIWI takes a well-earned break from running BootCamp after many, many years of supporting people in this Way of Eating I have, for my sins, volunteered to run the Pre-Christmans BootCamp Shock. I'll admit to only doing so for selfish reasons: I needed the BootCamp in the run up to Christmas and the accountability of running it would in turn help me to be more accountable Grin

My Big Stick might not be as big as @BIWI's but I will do my best to channel her Wink. And with the support of all the other experienced BootCampers and @FinallyHere's help with the Spreadsheet, I am sure we will see a lot of success in the run up to Christmas.Smile

Here is the link to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness You don't need to log your weight if you don't need to but within the various tabs of the Spreadsheet are The Rules ( very important), Vegetarian Rules links to resources that outline how and why this Way of Eating works, menu plans, veg carb counters and many other resources.

I'd strongly recommend that even if you don't weigh yourself (and even if you do), you should measure yourself at the start, especially your waist. That way, if your weight loss stalls, you may still see progress in other ways. BootCamp is very effective at reducing visceral fat, which will manifest itself in a smaller waist measurement.

Anyway, on to the important stuff: here are The Rules

1. Eat three proper meals a day.
You must eat breakfast. It doesn’t have to be a lot, and it doesn’t have to be absolutely first thing, but you must have something. For the rest of the day, if you’re eating enough food and especially enough fat, you shouldn’t be hungry between meals. But if you are hungry, eat something. (Hard boiled eggs make a great snack). After the first two weeks of Bootcamp we will relax this, but these two weeks are critical in terms of helping you switch easily to a low carb way of eating - and if you start to feel hungry, it makes things much harder! Eating this way will ensure that your blood sugar levels are kept stable, which will mean that you are much less likely to experience hunger. A typical high carbohydrate diet can mean that snacking is a routine part of your day. Once your blood sugar levels are stable, by eating low carb, you should find that you no longer want to snack. But the rule of thumb here is ‘if you are hungry, eat!’. (Just make sure you are only choosing low carb snacks, of course!)"

2. Avoid processed foods.
Focus on pure, natural protein as the basis for your meals - meat/fish/eggs. Things like sausages, ham, bacon, pre-prepared burgers etc should be avoided as much as possible. You can have them, but just not at every meal, every day.

3. Eat lots of fat.
Eating fat will not make you fat. Honestly! But it will keep your appetite satisfied, and it sustains your body’s energy requirements perfectly. Fat does not provoke an insulin spike, unlike carbs which do (a lot) and protein (a little). Fry in butter, add butter to vegetables, eat salad with a home-made vinaigrette dressing (not made with balsamic vinegar though, as this is too sweet), add mayonnaise where you can (just check the carb count on your mayo first). Eat fattier cuts of meat – e.g. pork belly, roast chicken with the skin on and/or eat the fat off your lamb chops. Absolutely no low fat/light/’Lite’ foods of any kind!

4. Make sure you are eating vegetables and salads with your food.
"This is where your carbs should come from, and this is non-negotiable. But choose only those vegetables that are on the allowed list. Make sure that you focus on eating those vegetables that are under 5g carb per 100g, and this will ensure that your carb counts are kept low. You don’t have to weigh/count carbs – this is one of the great joys of this WOE (way of eating), but if you’re new to low carbing it can be helpful to weigh your portions of veg in the early days, just so that you know how many carbs are in the sort of portions that you like to eat.

The vegetable carb counter is helpfully colour-coded into green (eat freely), amber (go easy) and red (best avoided as much as possible), which will help you to make your choices."

5. Be careful about dairy (apart from butter, which is unlimited).
Dairy can impede weight loss for some people. If you are drinking tea/coffee with milk or cream, try to restrict yourself to max 2 cups per day. There are a lot of carbs in milk, so if you are having several cups of tea/coffee per day, you will quickly rack up your daily carb count (e.g. 1 medium latte contains more than 12g carbs!) You may eat cheese but again, don't overdo it. Full fat yoghurt is the best way to include dairy in your diet - but beware, it does contain carbs. You should choose one that’s 10% fat – most of the supermarkets have a Greek yoghurt in their premium ranges with this amount of fat.

6. You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day.
The more weight you have to lose, the more water you should drink.

This is from www.low-carbdiet.co.uk/:

Water is essential to weight loss for those who follow a low carb way of eating. The minimum consumed in a day should be:
Your Weight.........Litres
140lbs............2.5
160lbs............3.0
180lbs............3.0
200lbs............3.5
220lbs............3.5
240lbs............4.0
260lbs............4.5
280lbs............4.5
300lbs............5.0
320lbs............5.5
340lbs............5.5
360lbs............6.0
380lbs............6.5
400lbs............6.5
"High levels of ketones in the blood stream can lead to a reduction in ketone production, therefore being well hydrated could aid in keeping the levels low and ketone production ongoing. Consuming enough water can have many other positive side effects, e.g. it aids your kidneys with the processing of protein, reduces the retention of water, helps with preventing constipation, and reduces the levels of ketones released by your breath, which in turn will reduce breath odour.

However, drinking a lot of water can mean that you also need to keep an eye on your electrolyte balance. You need to make sure that you are consuming sufficient sodium and potassium. On a low carb way of eating, we should eat more salt, so make sure that you are cooking with salt and adding salt to food, if you like it.

Good, low carb, sources of potassium are spinach (raw), avocado, mushrooms, courgettes and asparagus, as well as salmon and yoghurt."

7. No alcohol.
Alcohol is the easiest source of fuel for the body to burn, so it will always use this first before it starts to burn any fat - which is why you need to restrict it, especially in the first two weeks of Bootcamp, when we are encouraging the body to stop using carbs for its source of fuel and turn to fat-burning instead. If you really can't do this - at least try and restrict it to the weekend. Vodka with soda is the best thing to drink. Or Champagne, red wine or dry white wine.

8. No fruit.
Really. Seriously. Honestly. None at all. Zilch. Nada. After the first two weeks of Bootcamp you will be able to introduce certain fruits, in moderation, but at this stage fruit is simply too carby. We are also trying to break the addiction to sweet things, so cutting fruit out is part of this process. If you are getting all your carbs from vegetables and salad, you will be getting all the nutrients and fibre that you need.

9. No nuts/seeds.
Although they are a good source of nutrition and contain lots of fat – which is great for us – they also contain carbohydrate and, because they’re so moreish, you can quickly end up eating a lot of carbs. When we move to Bootcamp Light, after the first two weeks, you can re-introduce these, but be careful and go easy.

10. No sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Sugar is an obvious ‘no no’, but artificial sweeteners are also an issue. One of the aims of this way of eating is to eat pure and natural foods, so including sweeteners is not recommended. Some people find that artificial sweeteners can impede their weight loss, and there is some suggestion that your body can respond to sweeteners as if they were sugar, by releasing more insulin - and therefore laying down fat. Given that the aim of Bootcamp is to help us lose our sweet tooth and addiction to sweet things, then it is a good idea to avoid sweeteners altogether in this first two weeks.

That's enough for now. I'll post more in the morning: in particular the disclaimer that I am not a medical professional and that if you have any concerns, you should check with a medical professional.

OP posts:
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brookln · 17/10/2022 03:31

Hello 👋🏻 is there a similar low carb thread but with not many rules? 🙃 only because I do intermittent fasting and don't want to change that whereas I see one of your rules is to eat breakfast. Thank you 😊!

I do remember a low carb thread and ladies were doing intermittent fasting on there x

JudyBlumesBlubber · 17/10/2022 03:53

Excellent! I am embarrassed to write using my usual user name as my weight has gone out of control so I have a few username and off we go!

Which tab do we use to log our weights?

JudyBlumesBlubber · 17/10/2022 03:54

Forgot to write - I’ve at least two stone to lose but would be pleased to drop a half stone before Xmas.

ListenLinda · 17/10/2022 06:02

Morning all, checking in!
I have updates my starting date, weight and todays weight. Ready to go!
Off shopping this week to top up until pay day on Friday, I have enough yoghurt to have a couple of spoonfuls though.
Not hungry yet, after last nights tea of pork chops (fried in olive oil), sprouts and cabbage with butter added then fried off in the oil that I cooked the chops in, it was delicious! 😊
WFH today so can drink all the water too!
Happy 1st day of Bootcamp everyone!

Backstreets · 17/10/2022 06:09

Felt poorly yesterday so didn't get much prep done (unless finishing the pasta and chocolate counts?!) but much better today plus I have to hang around most of the day and wait for an electrician, so I'm going to fill up the fridge this morning :) weighing in it wasn't quite as bad as I was fearing but managing to shed the last 10 lbs before christmas would be amazing.
Good luck everyone!

MrsTerryPratchett · 17/10/2022 06:18

Hello lovelies. I'm on about week 5 <counts fingers> but I need you lot to keep me on the straight and narrow.

I spent all weekend making cakes I didn't eat. I didn't even lick the spoon such is the effect of low carb on cravings.

ditavonteesed · 17/10/2022 06:37

@brookln a lot of us do intermittent fasting when established on low carb, it's only for the first 2 weeks that you should eat 3 meals while your body adjusts to low carb and burning fat.
Morning and thanks @prettybird for doing this.
I would like to drop half a stone by Christmas as that would take me back to my lowest. I'll put my weight on later as I weigh before my first meal which is usually around 11.
I'm supposed to be doing the shopping today for prep but I have an awful cold so going to have to wing it with what I have in the fridge for today. Booked my pt session for Friday and will have to hope I'm better by then.

Frenchpoodle · 17/10/2022 06:37

Happy first day of bootcamp everyone. Thanks for doing this @prettybird and thanks @biwi for everything you do 😊

I've done my meal planning for the week, lunches are batch cooking in the oven and I’m raring to go.
B: rollitos and celery
L: shawarma chicken thighs with broccoli and green salad
D: Fast800 beef stroganoff with cauliflower mash and sweetheart cabbage 😋

debka · 17/10/2022 06:43

Good morning and thanks for the thread!
I'm going to weigh myself at work (nurse) and log it later.
I've not got much in to be honest food wise, but I'll have FF Greek yogurt for breakfast and boil some eggs and take them with some salad for lunch.
Good luck everyone!

ShagMeRiggins · 17/10/2022 06:48

Good morning.

Drink all your water.

StuntNun · 17/10/2022 06:51

@brookln if you're an established intermittent faster then you may find you're able to continue that during the first two weeks of Bootcamp. Generally though, most people shouldn't try and introduce a low carb diet and intermittent fasting at the same time. There is a thread for combining low carb and intermittent fastingg* but nobody has posted on it for a while so you will get more support here.

Mercedesbenz2022 · 17/10/2022 06:54

Morning
i want to lose around 4 stone , and this bootcamp is to get me started , thanks for running it .
I needed the reminder of the rules and once I’m up will be measuring my waist .
good luck everyone ! And drink the water !

StuntNun · 17/10/2022 06:58

Things like sausages, ham, bacon, pre-prepared burgers etc should be avoided as much as possible. Is this a new rule? I wouldn't say these foods are bad. It can be very difficult to find low carb sausages but ham and bacon are usually low carb unless they're honey roasted or sweet-cure. Most supermarkets sell 99% meat content ready-made burgers which are ideal for low carbing; the Lidl ones are a staple of my diet. I think the most important thing to read labels and aim to buy foods that are below 3-5% carbohydrate.

Motherofalegend · 17/10/2022 07:16

i haven’t done anything like this before, mainly because I have a dairy allergy and the focus on using butter to cook with etc. is there anyone who has done this or can give suggestions on how they approached it? Thanks

Canthinkofaname79 · 17/10/2022 07:16

Placemarking!

Skiphopbump · 17/10/2022 07:36

thanks for setting up bootcamp @prettybird .

I’ve been following this for one week and have been intermittent fasting too - in that time I’ve lost over 8lbs!
I got into it really quickly and felt fine, no carb flu etc. Then on Saturday had my flu jab and felt awful a few hours later, Yesterday I felt even worse and it turns out I have covid. I was beginning to think I was immune to it has its been in my household at least 5 times over the last year and this is the first time I’ve actually had it.

Minkyscamp · 17/10/2022 07:38

Placemarking. I'm taking the DCs to London on Wednesday as it's half term here so I'm a little apprehensive about doing that in week one, but it can't be helped. I've done boot camp once before, so I'm well aware of the benefits so just need to stay focussed on them.

Lolojojonesi · 17/10/2022 07:38

I’ve weighed and would like to lose 10 kilos. I’m menopausal and have high cholesterol (both ldl - bad- and hdl - good) so am going to be more careful than previously about the type of fat I’m eating, more chicken/salmon etc, less red meat.

Skiphopbump · 17/10/2022 07:38

@Motherofalegend I tend to cook with olive oil as personal preference over butter.

Chocasaurus · 17/10/2022 07:39

Morning all ☕thanks @prettybird for kicking us off.

Laid up in bed with a horrible cough/virus that has been dragging on for a week and a half now. V fed up, but still determined to start today. Have a consultation booked with the Fertility Clinic at the start of Dec and a mini target in mind for that so I need to start losing...

Remember everyone drink lots of water. I find it easier to size up my glass and drink pints as feels less daunting then. I aim to have one before leaving for work, three at work (morning, lunch, afternoon) one with dinner and one over the evening before bed.

Will weigh in and add to the spreadsheet once I've got up- hoping for a bit more sleep to shift this cough.

NotDonna · 17/10/2022 07:44

I’d like to do this please. I need to lose around a stone. I’m off on holiday to an all inclusive hotel overseas tomorrow for 2 weeks so not sure how well this will work depending on their offering it may actually work well. Just be a fair bit of temptation.

Iheartgeraniums · 17/10/2022 07:49

Joining in! Thanks @prettybird

Iheartgeraniums · 17/10/2022 07:52

I can’t fill in the spreadsheet but will later. On a flight this morning so no low carb options near me.

CherryogDog · 17/10/2022 07:52

I went shopping yesterday and bought plenty of frozen veg as I struggle with veg prep (gammy hands).
Was surprised that M&S butter was £1.75, cheapest I've seen in the shops lately. (I don't normally buy food from there, I'm more Lidl and Aldi).
Wish Mumsnet would introduce a "mini" bookmark function so that I could find all the recipes posted on the threads. I find screenshotting tricky 😏

comfortablyfrumpy · 17/10/2022 08:19

Thank you @prettybird

After a plateau of a few weeks, I start this BC with a (small) loss. If previous experience is astringent to go by, I will now get a few weeks of losing and then another plateau.

Slowly but surely :D

My target is to be down to 10 St 7 by Christmas. But tbh, less than 11 will be good!
KOKO my friends :)

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