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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:
Thread gallery
7
ZiggZagg · 17/10/2022 18:16

Yes, very efficient today unusually Halloween Grin

Stokey · 17/10/2022 19:19

Checking in here. Tricky start with nothing in the house and work stupidly busy - normally I would have been reaching for crackers, nuts and chocolate. But stayed on the straight and narrow
B - Lidl Full fat yogurt - got this at the weekend when my posh M&S one had run out and agree with @prettybird , it's very creamy
L - last egg in the house, boiled with last bit of Boursin in the house, and a few slices of cheese
D - sausages (no idea what they've got in then but hopefully pretty LC as are butchers) with cauli rice and broccoli

What do people recommend as easy snacks? Preferably crunchy as I do find I miss that a bit.

Going into the office tomorrow which is also a challenge. Think will go for Pret salad for lunch - they have one with smoked salmon and egg in or crayfish & avo, both which seem ok.

I can't remember who asked about herbal tea but I think it does count towards your water intake?

prettybird · 17/10/2022 19:26

@Stokey - I struggle with crunchy stuff especially during the first 2 weeks. You can make cheesy crisps by piling up grated cheese on a baking sheet, or exploding (microwaving) a quarter of a babybel in silicon muffin tray. You can also bake slices of salami/chorizo.

And there's always Golden Crunch (packets of puffed pork scratching)

OP posts:
FinallyHere · 17/10/2022 19:30

Today's menu consisted of

Breakfast seasoned IF'er

Lunch chicken Caesar (ruby lettuce, spring cabbage, spring onions, cucumber, lambs lettuce, celery. An egg, air fryer chicken thigh and Mayo with fresh garlic and anchovy)

I had eaten only about half before realising I had seriously over catered. Need to keep a closer eye on how many green veg I take out of the 'fridge

Evening Cauliflower and Broccoli florets with BIWI's cheese sauce.

3l water, plus another glass because amazingly, I'm still thirsty.

Chocasaurus · 17/10/2022 19:31

Still feeling rubbish here 😕 but food has been ok
B - Greek yoghurt with cinnamon plus a coffee with a splash of milk
L - picky plate of boiled eggs, cheddar, ham and crudités
D - veg packed chilli (I left the kidney beans)
W - almost finished my 3rd litre of the day

Really hoping DC sleeps tonight and I feel a bit more human in the morning

Canthinkofaname79 · 17/10/2022 19:34

I made the cheese sauce but don't think I made it cheesy enough! Added some parmesan. Quite fancy a nice herbal tea will see what I can find.

BIWI · 17/10/2022 19:41

ListenLinda · 17/10/2022 17:29

I also came across this today, picked up a pack for BC Lite.

Could be good for a hearty paella, which is one of my fave dishes!

@ListenLinda you can have that now - no need to wait till Bootcamp Light! Konjac is very high in fibre but also very low in carbs (and calories). It's perfect Bootcamp food.

ListenLinda · 17/10/2022 19:43

Oh fab, thanks @BIWI that’s good to know.
I wondered if it was off limits, if it was a processed food but I think i’ll be giving it a try 😊

Rshard · 17/10/2022 19:52

Sorry to hear sad news @prettybird and @ZiggZagg 💐

Also has shoogled sprouts for dinner, so yummy!

Day 1 has been good, ready for day 2. Have enjoyed reading about people’s food.

Lolojojonesi · 17/10/2022 20:20

My week 1/starting weight on the chart has been filled in by mistake - so easy to do with spreadsheets! Don't want to delete without letting people know, could maybe be @ListenLinda or @loopylu26 ?

MrsTerryPratchett · 17/10/2022 20:30

@Stokey celery is my crunchy go-to.

@ListenLinda just a warning that the konjac things give me DREADFUL stomach pains. Almost immediately and really severe. I think it triggers my IBS which pretty much disappears on this WoE.

I use courgetti instead.

agnesmartin · 17/10/2022 20:33

prettybird - Thanks for letting me know about Lidl yog

Someone - sorry forgot who - was asking about crunchy snacks. M&S do Parma ham / Serrano ham and chorizo crisps. I think Parma work best - least greasy & most crunchy. They're expensive though but great as a treat.

B: 5% yog and some cream
L: cheese and ham roll ups
D: shoogled sprouts and rump steak

And all the water!

FinallyHere · 17/10/2022 20:46

@Lolojojonesi

Sorry 'bout dat, I've cleared your row of all data, looks like a cut/paste error.

prettybird · 17/10/2022 20:50

@MrsTerryPratchett - I'm not keen on celery, that's why I always forget about it Wink

OP posts:
comfortablyfrumpy · 17/10/2022 20:53

Today's stash...

Breakfast - Aldi Full Fat Greek Yoghurt with chia seeds (I'm on week twentysomething, so am having seeds) and frozen fruits of the forest.

Lunch - homemade VLC bread, toasted with avocado

Dinner - chicken stirfry with TONS of veg.

Plenty of water (most with Hi5 zero) and 3 cups of tea.

Porridgeislife · 17/10/2022 21:20

Today went ok! I’m breastfeeding a 14 week old so doing boot camp light from the outset.

B - three rashers of bacon and two fried eggs
L - homemade chicken and vegetable soup
D - meatballs with cabbage, broccoli and carrots. Greek yoghurt, blueberries and 85% choc for dessert

Two lattes, a couple of Babybel and some olives in amongst it for snacks, plus 2.5L of water.

Skiphopbump · 17/10/2022 21:22

Today I had

Lunch- Polish sausage and then Greek yoghurt with a little squeezy peanut butter (maybe about a teaspoon full)
Dinner- lamb stew and cauliflower

I was planning to have the left over lamb stew for lunch tomorrow but DS had a double portion. Thankfully my weekly shop will arrive so there will be plenty to choose from.

DSs last day of school is tomorrow and then he’s got a week and a half off - it’s difficult to know how to entertain a 14 year old but I feel I need to do at least a couple of things with him.

humancalculator · 17/10/2022 21:43

B- yoghurt and a boiled egg
L- tuna salad with avocado, cheese, green salad
snack - tomato and mozzarella
D - sort of pork bolognese - DH had it with pasta, I didn't. Sprouts with parmesan. Salad
Have been constantly nibbling cheese and cherry tomatoes. I'm actually ravenous, have been all day, but put that down to not having slept well last night.
3L water!

prettybird · 17/10/2022 22:20

@humancalculator - if you've still been hungry, I wonder if you've been having enough fat. Were the sprouts served with butter? How oily/mayonnaisy was the dressing for your salad? How level of fat did the yoghurt have?

But you're right: lack of sleep can also affect hunger Sad. Hope you sleep better tonight.

@Porridgeislife - glad that you're doing Boot Camp Light as you're breastfeeding.

@Skiphopbump - good luck with thinking of things to do with your 14 year old Grin Maybe a film? If you've just started Boot Camp I'll let you off with a warning about the peanut butter even if it was just a teaspoonful as you're not supposed to have nuts in the first two weeks. Shock

OP posts:
venusandmars · 17/10/2022 22:27

@Stokey celery (with blue cheese/ cream cheese in the middle) that's bloody cruncy! parmesan crisps ( a wee pile of parmesan under the grill) - crunchy and yummy. Or inspired by {oh who was it who mentioned silverskin onions??} a bit of strong cheese and a wee pickled onion best on a cocktail stick as per the 1970s M&S Serrano ham crisps / chorizo crisps / parma crisps - they are salty and yummy, and just perfect. DO NOT LET ANYONE ELSE HAVE EVEN A SINGLE TASTE... (they'd snaffle the bloody lot!)

SerenWantsItAll · 18/10/2022 01:45

@Motherofalegend I find macadamia oil with salt behaves just like butter when you're frying.

I went out last night to a friend's Italian restaurant and was expecting to have to survive eating salad while I watched my family eat delicious spagetti dishes, but they had zucchini noodles on the menu!! Fresh zuchhini, too. So good! (I think they're called corgettes in UK).

Has anyone made their own zuchini / corgette noodles? I'm guessing there's a kitchen tool you can buy for it??

Backstreets · 18/10/2022 05:37

@SerenWantsItAll yeah, a spiralizer - I make it all the time, have gotten lots of use out of mine :)

ditavonteesed · 18/10/2022 06:45

@ListenLinda I would recommend you try those first before you put them with any other ingredients and waste good food. I can't put them anywhere near my mouth. Others on here seem to like them so it obviously personal.
So to top off the horrible cold and period I now appear to have a dental infection. Bit worried as I lost a tooth last year after cracking it when I fell over and then getting an infection (most painful thing ever), this isn't as bad I'm just sort of aware of my tooth unless it touches another tooth then I'm through the ceiling. It's the tooth opposite last years one, am I just going to start losing my teeth, is it an age thing? I like having teeth I think it really helps my general face as well as eating and stuff. #rundown

ditavonteesed · 18/10/2022 06:46

@SerenWantsItAll are you on the uk? Sainsburys often has courgette noodles in packs reduced, they are lovely.

ListenLinda · 18/10/2022 07:13

@ditavonteesed are they not like the bare baked noodles, where they take on the taste of whatever it is in?

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