2023 Low Carb Bootcamp - THE PREP THREAD

[BIWI]

Happy New Year everyone! So far, we have 119 people signed up, so I think it's going to be a busy one.

As ever, I'm starting the prep thread a week in advance, to give you all the information you'll need to get started. If low carbing/Bootcamp is new to you, it's really important that you read all this. Even if you've done it before, it's a good idea to re-read!

I'm going to tag everyone, to ensure that people get good notice to come over to this thread. Previous experience tells me that trying to tag everyone in one go just won't work, so I'm doing it in groups of 20.

Here we go:

@Janieread
@Skiphopbump
@Henowner
@ZiggZagg
@TidyDancer
@Comfortablylesslumpy
@Cleanthatup
@Passtheturkey
@Lucienandjean
@Smorgs
@FinallyHere
@EmergentThoughts
@pinknsparkly
@baystard
@SpottyBumPony
@Eanair23
@Potas
@ThistlyPerf
@ListenLinda

I just re-read my post. Just to clarify, I wasn't recommending a mushroom smoothie.

Mushrooms OR a smoothie here but never say never.

Also love boiled egg mashed up in a cup with butter and plenty of salt and pepper. Have even managed to get past needing a slice of toast with it now just through repetition

@katesbushh and @Mercedesbenz2022 you're very welcome!

@Purpleavocado one of the things we always say on Bootcamp is to remember that breakfast is not a special meal that merits special food! The idea that we only eat certain things comes from Mr Kellogg, back in the day.

Therefore, eat anything you like! It certainly doesn't have to be eggs.

Leftovers from the night before are fine, for example!

If you're missing your cereal, there's a lovely recipe for low carb granola on the vegetarian recipe thread.

Link to the recipe threads

The recipe threads are organised by food type (e.g. meat, vegetarian, etc) and are supposed to be stickied in the Low Carb Bootcamp topic. However, sometimes they lose their sticky and, if you use an ad-blocker, then the stickies aren't visible to you.

So here's a link to them all, grouped very helpfully in one post

(Thank you to @prettybird for the initiative!)

@Jenasaurus thank you for your post. What a journey you've had - but how amazing that you have managed to successfully deal with all those conditions. I hope that Bootcamp will continue to help you.

Definitely continue with the laxatives in your case! But also remember to keep your carbs coming mainly from vegetables and salad, and keep the water intake high.

Tomatoes are definitely a fruit, but we allow them on Bootcamp as they are so versatile - and not as high carb as you might think they would be, as a fruit!

@JustAPony one of the great joys of Bootcamp is that everyone in the family can eat the same way. Please don't see this as a WOE (way of eating) that means that you have to eat separately - all that does is give you more work to do!

Obviously certain meals can't work - if lasagne or risotto is a family staple, then you won't be eating that. But, frankly, my view is and has always been, that if I'm cooking, they'll eat what I cook

Sometimes I do add a carb element to their meal, but generally if it's a 'meat and 2 veg and potato'-type meal, I serve meat and 3 veg. No-one will die through lack of a potato!

This thread here might also be useful (although it's a bit old now).

It's a list - with photos/ingredients lists - of useful low carb products that you might find in the supermarket.

If there's something you come across, please feel free to add it to the list - take photos of the front of the pack and also of the ingredients list, so we can see the carb (and fat/protein) counts.

Can you count me in too please?

I still have low carb lasagne (recipe is on the recipe threads ): I just use lasagne sheets on two thirds for dh and ds and thinly sliced courgette on "my" third

Hey @BIWI may I join? Hoping I can just comment here rather than trying to C+P on official sign-up thread...

I've been on many BC threads in years gone by, under various names (@prettybird may remember me as I am Danish and always recognise her Georg Jensen pieces!).

Thank you first of all for herding the many cats over and over again! 😁but also for creating such a positive, friendly, healthy space where it's really not about dieting as such, nor about deprivation, but just about eating delicious foods in a really healthy way that is overwhelmingly good for us and offers so many lifelong benefits over and above getting slimmer!

When I lost 3 stone in 6 months through low-carbing, many years ago now, I had to do it all by myself (following my own instincts, not following a specific plan) and whilst I can do it by myself, it's so much nicer to have lovely company on the ride!

Thank you @TangledWebOfDeception! And you're very welcome. I'm going to go through the various threads today to gather up all those who've said they want to join. I'm sure that @FinallyHere is doing the same thing, but we'll compare notes to make sure that everyone (who wants to be) is on the spreadsheet. I think we're probably up around 150 now

Thanks @BIWI, I'll be on the spreadsheet please!

You'll need a big broom for herding 150 cats! 😄

@BIWI is an excellent cat herder @TangledWebOfDeception

I've jsut bought a bunch of frozen turkey and stuffing from Cook in their post Christmas sale. It was lovely (we had it over ChristmAs) so feeling chuffed. Highly recommend for other LCers x

I see a collection in @BIWI's future...

Big stick - self explanatory
Big broom - also self explanatory
Big spoon? Perhaps for dishing up generous portions of shoogled sprouts?
Big knickers! A visual reminder of NSVs/how far we've come!

Looking forward to getting started. I joined the pre Christmas boot camp and have stayed on BC lite since ignoring Christmas Day! although the nuts and berries have crept up so a reset will be very welcome. My motivation is linked to fertility and PCOS but am also enjoying fitting in to smaller clothes!

Does the courgette make it really wet?

Hello, can I join too please?

@prettybird I haven't been on the past few BCs but I dip in here and there just to keep abreast, so I know that you were in charge for a while...I'm sure you, too, did a great job herding cats and wielding the Big Stick! 🙂

I've had several days now of not having any carbs - been ill for almost two weeks (although thankfully feeling much better today) and little to no sense of smell/taste, so not been enjoying food anyway and don't miss it. I'll hopefully be through any carb flu by the time we officially start.

@poorbuthappy - not that I've noticed. I just cut it thinly on the diagonal (so ovals), which is how Tom Kerridge does his lasagne (although I do my own version of "white sauce" which is really just various cheeses and egg).

I've tried it with strips of leek but the courgette worked better (think I might have been better pre-cooking the leek but couldn't be bothered with the hassle).

Can I join please @BIWI?

I've followed the BC threads for a couple years now, but never plucked up the courage to join. I need to lose 10lbs for a holiday in a few months and could do with some accountability (I'm a big yo-yo dieter) so here goes...

Hello everyone, I'm very excited about starting back to BC, it does me immeasurable good to have some structure, especially in gloomy January. I'll go on the spreadsheet but probably only weigh occasionally (possibly start, week 4 and end) as last BC I benefitted from a slightly less obsessive relationship with the scales than that which I've typically had previously.

I'm pairing low carb BC with an attempt to spend less on non-essentials (no internet shopping for example). I'll be using up food from the freezer and store cupboards and trying to restrict purchases of everything except fresh vegetables, eggs, cream, butter and cheese.

Great to see so many familiar and new 'faces', thanks to @BIWI for running this. Thanks also to @prettybird for doing a sterling job pre-Christmas.