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

A nice pink stick for me this morning.

Where can I find the link for the sheets please? I will try again to access it.

@calibee I'll post the link to the new spreadsheet on Monday

When you say 'nice pink stick' do you mean you're using ketostix? Generally we don't recommend those on Bootcamp. If you're drinking all the water that you should be, then they won't show realistic progress. Plus - they're expensive, and not really measuring the right thing.

Here's a piece from this website, which helpfully explains why:

Here is a summary of an excerpt from The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Volek and Phinney

• Ketostix were designed to help diabetics avoid ketoacidosis which is a dangerous condition involving very high blood sugar and very high serum ketones. If you have near normal blood sugar and serum ketone levels consistent with nutritional ketosis, you don’t need to worry about this.

• Ketostix only measure excess levels of acetoacetate, which is not the type of ketones that correlate with nutritional ketosis.

• The ketones that correlate with nutritional ketosis are known as beta-hydroxybutyrate. This type can be measured only with a blood ketone meter.

• There is a built-in time lag. Ketostix are measuring what has happened in the past since it takes a while for the kidneys to produce urine.

• Exercise can influence how many excess ketones are excreted.

• You can be in nutritional ketosis even when Ketostix show no excess acetoacetate. In the keto-adapted state, very little acetoacetate ketones will be excreted in urine even though blood ketones may be high.

^^

... with apologies for the formatting of that post!

I've been back on full BC since Tuesday and have found it surprisingly easy so far. I even managed to miss dinner last night due to a family drama and was happy to do without rather than go for some quick and easy carbs which would be my usual response. I've made sure I've had a good breakfast this morning to try and avoid the hunger munchies and am now stuffed with cheesy scrambled eggs, mushrooms and spinach.

I've been reading through the pre-Christmas BC for inspiration and am amazed at the way many of the participants handled holidays, parties, Christmas itself - puts my previous BC efforts to shame. But it shows that this is totally doable as a WOE whatever is going on and has definitely given me a kick up the bum. We're away for a few days in Feb half term this year and I've already told DH I'll be sticking with LC whereas usually I'd have slackened off and never got back on I'm determined to KOKO.

I really want this year to be the year I stop faffing around and sort myself out and for once I feel positive that it can happen.

Ahhh...thank you. Old habits die hard I guess. I will file them in the bin .

@prettybird Ah so lovely. I want to find a tablecloth like yours! I've got that candelabra too, a birthday present from my DH years ago. 😊

@TangledWebOfDeception - we got the table cloth in Keria, a wee mountain village on Levkas (Levkada), famous for its lace and embroidery. It cost something like 300€ about 17 years ago but the Greek women back at the hotel on Meganissi (where we used to go on holiday every year) seemed to think it was a reasonable price for such a large handmade lace tablecloth ! We'd been trying to find a big enough tablecloth for our dining table (which my brother had made for us - he used to design and build furniture) and we took the risk that it was the right size and it fitted perfectly just as well at the price

I've done really well this week losing the worst of the festive excess lbs mostly by cutting out the booze and bread habits. Just the regular excess to clear now! I've got a celebratory weekend away to get through now though, am traveling for work on Monday and just realised I forgot to bring my scales with me, despite excellent intentions. First weigh in on Tues then!

That’s really good going well done. I haven’t weighed for a while as at my DS looking after his dogs and don’t trust his scales. I’ve been good food wise lots of protein and veg and no carbs so on track that way. I basically only brought with me what I am allowed to eat which helped.

I didn’t know this. Thanks for sharing as when I wasn’t diabetic and followed a meal replacement diet they recommended testing your urine for ketones to see if you where in Ketosis. To be honest they way I know I am in ketosis is when I don’t feel hungry as have ample protein and no carbs or low carbs.

the urge to snack goes and you feel energised.

@Jenasaurus

the urge to snack goes and you feel energised.

You describe exactly how low carbing feels for me. 😀

Starting again on Monday and looking forward to being more focused this time. Less belief in low cal diet and putting my faith on low carb.

Want to be focused with no faffing! this time. Rather than weigh on a weekly basis I would like to weigh monthly and monitor my progress on improvements to health such as being more in control of my food and not constantly thinking about food and snacking and better energy levels.

looking forward to this journey.

I slice them in thin cross sections and fry them in macadamia oil with celery salt.

Hi @sheepdreams

* You are still welcome to log your weight iin the spreadsheet even if you only weigh monthly*. The spreadsheet is set up for new entries weekly. I weight monthly too and just put the same weight as last time into the in between slots.

It's good to take some measurements too eg waist circumference and how the fit of clothes which start too tight change, too. It's counterintuitive to me but I seem to either lose weight or inches.

I've written a meal plan and a shopping list, and I plan to hit Aldis tomorrow! I'm excited for this. I wouldn't mind an idea for a fabulous low-carb breakfast on the first day, though, to help me jump out of bed with boundless enthusiasm. Good luck preppers!

Can I ask whether flaxseed would be allowed? I have it on my yogurt to help prevent constipation.

I'm thinking of using waist measurment instead of weight throughout bootcamp.
My scales are ridiculously unreliable, and I'm not in unhealthy weight range but I am over unhealthy waist size.

I can recommend the ribbon technique. I bought some pretty coloured ribbons and tied one around my waist, cut it off where it reached. I then hung it on a hanger, 2 weeks later I did the same and hung it next to the first ribbon and so on, it was really good to have a clear visual as the ribbons got shorter and shorter. My DD does a similar thing but uses the same ribbon each time and cuts off each time she measures and then keeps the bit she has cut off to see what she has lost every week/fortnight as it gets smaller and smaller. I started off with a 41 inch waist, its 34 now and although my belly still needs to reduce, I am feeling a lot happier knowing it is actually finally coming off this area of my body, as even when I knew I had lost weight I still felt like a fatty tummy blob woman, so it was proof to me it was coming off there as well as my already skinny arms and legs!

How about a cheese and mushroom omelette? If you want, serve it alongside some buttery spinach and a fried tomato.

Have been eating low carb all week and am amazed at how much less I am craving sweet junk food. The 'I need cake' feeling just isn't there.
Breakfast has been yoghurt or porridge; lunch - chicken salad with Mozarella and dinner more chicken with more salad.
This evening it's beef.
My stomach is noticeably flatter.

The 'I need cake' feeling just isn't there.

@Gingerwarthog 's brilliant, isn't it ?

I think it's ok after the first two weeks; comes under the bracket of nuts and seeds. I sometimes make a sort of porridge using things like flax seed, ground almonds, chia and any other nuts and seeds I fancy once we're settled into bootcamp lite.

As a change from omelettes I like big sliced mushrooms sautéed in butter, when they're nearly done crack 2 eggs in, sprinkle a bit of grated/chopped cheese on top and swirl some truffle oil around it. Cook with a lid on until the eggs are done. Would work with a side of spinach if you can tolerate cooked spinach; it's firmly a salad leaf for me!

@Gingerwarthog just remember that when we start on Monday, porridge won't be allowed. It's way, way too carby I'm afraid.

No problem @BIWI
Knew that - am going to have a glass or two of red wine this evening and then it's the full start on Monday.
Have shifted the Christmas gain already though!