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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.

Jan 2023 Low Carb Bootcamp - Week 1!

857 replies

BIWI · 08/01/2023 22:20

Welcome everyone! We have over 160 people signed up this time, so things are going to move quickly.

Here's the link to The Spreadsheet of Fabulousness which has been carefully and lovingly curated by the very lovely @FinallyHere

There are a few bits of admin that I need to post before we get going. The first of which is the usual disclaimer:

I am not a medic, a scientist, a dietician or a nutritionist. Everything that I post here is based on my reading and my own experiences of low carbing gained over the last 20 years. You follow the guidance here at your own risk - although I very much hope that there are no risks!

Very importantly, though, if you are on any kind of long-term medication, please talk to your GP/nurse about low carbing. This is especially important if you're on drugs for hypertension, cholesterol and/or diabetes, as a low carb diet should have a positive impact on all of those conditions, which would mean that your dosage may need to be decreased, if not removed altogether.

The second is about etiquette:

Please, please, please read all the posts on the thread before you make your own post. These threads work so much better when we're all here interacting with each other, as that means we can offer help and support when it's needed. Don't just jump on the thread to plop down your meals for the day, your weight that day and then just fuck off. That doesn't help anyone.

More than anything else, it's incredibly irritating when someone posts a question which has already been answered early in the thread. I, and lots of other Bootcampers, spend a considerable amount of time responding to people's questions and concerns, and it's pretty insulting when it's obvious that these haven't been read.

(Oh, and it's very obvious if you haven't read the thread, so take that as a warning Wink)

OP posts:
Thread gallery
29
NotDonna · 10/01/2023 21:27

Wow there was lots to catch up on! Seems everyone doing brilliantly. I did have lots of comments but now can’t recall who said what but…

sleep/kids it never ends (sorry) - picking up from parties in early hours or hearing them in the kitchen making cookies at midnight - I kid you not! Last night DD1 was making a lemon cheesecake at stupid o’clock. It’s never a useful dinner for the next day.
birthday wishes to the person whose birthday it is tomorrow. Have a great bday but Stay away from the cake!!
sweet cravings/ wagon wheels oh my goodness I have the same thing. Zero desire for anything sweet until I eat lunch then the minute I finish I really fancy a sweet taste. Weird as I don’t have puds normally. I’m sure there’ll be a scientific explanation for this. What seems to work (other than yoghurt with a splash of cream) is having a drink (not booze!) The distraction of making it esp if it’s cucumber & mint water or a fresh peppermint tea plus actually drinking it takes the edge off. Although your DH offering you a wagon wheel made me giggle, I hope you avoided it.

*STOP PRESS EXCITING NEWS I took delivery of a soda stream this afternoon so can now have lots of lovely litres of sparkling water. Thank you BIWI for suggesting one on the ore-Xmas BC. Have had about 4 litres of fizzy water / peppermint tea today! Loving it.

TheMagicSword · 10/01/2023 21:36

Day two, tick!

Made a chicken + chorizo dish by pouring stock and cream in to the pan, inspired by a couple of posts on here recently, very yummy!

I think I have jeans in at least three sizes down, if not four. Might hang them up in order in my wardrobe! I have very few clothes in my current size - if I can drop one or two then I have a whole wardrobe to shop from.

QforCucumber · 10/01/2023 21:47

The stock and cream trick is fab isn’t it - a learned one from my old waitressing days, any creamy pasta sauce is pretty much stock and cream then add other bits (Parmesan, chicken, peppers, onions etc) then a flavour so Cajun or tarragon.

steak sauce - lash of cream, stock and Stilton cheese until thick and bubbling.

(and the reason I never order £14 pastas in restaurants when I know they’re pennies to make)

hah @NotDonna maybe the sleepless toddler is the world getting me back for always making egg in a cup whenever I got home from a night out in my teens/early 20s! Mum would go mad at me clattering and banging about boiling eggs at 4am

CarbyLite · 10/01/2023 21:48

Ooooooh @AllTheBlackCoffee I have an Iceland near me. I am so going to go some of that later this week! Thanks for sharing.

DryWhiteagainW · 10/01/2023 21:48

Marking place again. Doing ok with the water, herbal teas all the way for me and I think reducing my caffeine intake is good too (drink far too much!)
must admit I’m peckish now.
been to gym yesterday and again tonight.

mimosa1 · 10/01/2023 21:49

Oooh I love the idea of a smaller pair of trousers as a yardstick. I have far too many clothes I'm keeping for "one day when I fit into them again". I shall find some and if I'm brave enough, take some photos and post them.

@QforCucumber I know exactly what you mean about habit. I gave the children grapes for desert tonight and purely out of habit ate a big handful.

CarbyLite · 10/01/2023 21:50

I think I have an old pair of Levi’s somewhere too. Though I won’t fit into them this BC. Maybe after a few I will.

Gingerwarthog · 10/01/2023 22:15

Greek yoghurt for breakfast, chicken salad with spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and salad dressing for lunch and a cheese omelette for dinner.
Plus lots of water.
Resisted biscuits. Ate a carrot

freshstart49 · 10/01/2023 22:20

Hello you fabulous members xx my first week ends tomorrow I started at 16 stone !!!! Iv had a great week of chicken thighs eggs cheese cabbage and sprouts !!! I'll add more this week but I need to start with very little choice. On the whole it's not been to bad the Ketoflu did hit me but I upped salt etc so it has eased now. I have a weekend of socialising but it will be soda water for me! I have CFS and FYBRO I'm riddled with arthritis so I know how good I feel when I do this properly keep at it

Andi2020 · 10/01/2023 22:31

@Jenasaurus yes it is lovely at that place is not to far from me

BSky · 10/01/2023 22:50

Breakfast: water, scrambled eggs & bacon,coffee
Snack: x2 salami slice
Lunch: cauliflower soup
Dinner: omelette with chorizo, pepper & cheese. Avocado salad.
Snack: FF Greek yogurt
Water water, water - prob not quite enough but almost.

I also inadvertently ate blueberries last night when my son had some. Just forgot. Ooops.

Well done to those who resisted wagon wheels & other temptations. My OH is joining me in not drinking alcohol and healthy choices but still eating up the Christmas treats including Christmas cake which I love.

Using clothes as a guide to weight loss is a good idea. One of the things I'm looking forward to is feeling good in myself as my body likes this WOE and feeling good in my clothes again. Be nice if the scales dropped too but I know it's how I feel that is motivating me.

BIWI · 10/01/2023 23:04

@Nugg that's not too bad where the main courses are concerned - as long as you avoid obviously high carb things like sweet sauces and glazes, you can ask for things without potatoes/chips/onion rings. Personally I'd go for the lamb rump, and ask them to leave the potatoes off/give you a bit more of the cabbage.

The starters are much harder to navigate - could you just ask for a bowl of olives, without the bread?

@MaryDoll84 you could always try adding cream or clotted cream to your yoghurt?

@MuthaHubbard don't worry - if you're not a breakfast fan, you can drop this when we move into week 3!

@Dolphinnoises when we move onto Bootcamp Light, you can have some fruit. There's also a really lovely recipe for low carb granola on the vegetarian recipe thread.

@NotDonna we love our SodaStream! I find still water very boring and if I had to drink just that, I'd soon be slipping back on the water front.

@BSky I'll ignore mention of the blueberries for now! but do have to point out that there's a fair bit of processed meat in your day today., with the bacon, chorizo and salami.

My day today:

Lunch - egg mayo with green salad, a little bit of thinly sliced shallot and a mustard and vinaigrette dressing, with a bit of Red Leicester as a snack a bit later on in the afternoon

Dinner - meat balls: shallots, green pepper, garlic and beef steak mince, salt/pepper and mixed herbs, all whizzed up in the processor and then formed into meatballs, and baked in a hot oven, with olive oil, for about 30 minutes.

I had this with some Bare Naked Noodles, which I had with tomato sauce - chopped shallots, chilli flakes, garlic and a tin of tomatoes - and grated cheese on top.

Also served with sweetheart cabbage, which I sliced and then fried quickly in butter (lots!) and olive oil, with s+p, then covered the pan and let it braise slowly for around 10 minutes.

OP posts:
Andi2020 · 10/01/2023 23:13

All caught up took half hour, its like reading a novel I'm bed reading all the posts and your waiting for each person's chapter the next day.
Busy work day so didn't gey all my water drunk.
Goodnight

stayathomegardener · 10/01/2023 23:16

CapybaraFightClub · 09/01/2023 19:01

@Baystard looks like amazon has it. Less than £8 for 4 boxes. 😁

Thank you, ordered!

stayathomegardener · 10/01/2023 23:25

@Fourfrosties off topic I put a couple of drops of Lugols iodine at 12 or 15% in water as a throat gargle, kills all viruses and bacteria.

BountyMultipack · 10/01/2023 23:36

Its great to read everyones posts about what they're eating!

Yesterday and today:

B- Tea & lots of water.
L- 2 fried eggs with mozzarella on top. Sides of stir fried mushroom and green beans, an avocado, and some rocket. Had some cucumbers and tomatoes too.
D- Chicken curry with green beans and peppers. Sides of broccoli, salad and greek yoghurt.

Mistakes:
Day 1 had blueberries with my greek yoghurt. Thought I was doing a good thing and forgot that fruits aren't allowed!

Also, have been adding onion to the chicken curry. Realised today that it's coloured red on the sheet, so will gave to make the curry without.

Questions:

1- Can I add ginger and garlic to the curry?
2- Am I okay to have warm water with mint when I wake up. I've read in the previous posts that mint tea is fine, but what about real mint ?

Lucienandjean · 11/01/2023 00:36

Loving reading about everyone's food, and getting some ideas for future meals.

B: Greek yogurt and cream
L: fried eggs and mushrooms.
S: a couple of cherry tomatoes and a lump of cheese
D: low carb chilli, avocado, sour cream, salad.

I resisted a chocolate biscuit at a friend's house.

Probably didn't manage all the water but gave it a good try.

venusandmars · 11/01/2023 00:52

@CarbyLite I think one of the good things about this way of eating (woe) is sticking to regular meal times/options. And/but also recognising your own fullness / not hungry signals. For example, I have my dinner at a regular time but I often only eat a small portion of it - leave the rest for the next day.

@BergamotMouse I always have [[https://www.amazon.co.uk/24-Hellmanns-Mayonnaise-Individual-sachets/dp/B005OUWK7W/ref=asc_df_B005OUWK7W/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309979522532&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17378616613510005673&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007326&hvtargid=pla-697994097547&psc=1 individual mayo sachets in my handbag so I can add them to salads that are a bit too low in fat...

venusandmars · 11/01/2023 00:53

Link for individual mayo sachets

venusandmars · 11/01/2023 01:17

@nugg the main thing is about being WITH a good friend for a birthday event, it is not about what YOU eat. So eat beforehand so you are not hungry (a simple cheese omelette) and then go and just nibble on a small bit of steak or some chicken or fish. None of them will really notice.

@TigerYiger I'm all for a couple of aums at the end of the day (and the beginning).

Lalalalalaaaa · 11/01/2023 03:12

So day 3 and I'm broadly escaping the keto flu (although I started 1 Jan so beyond that a bit). Main challenge I think is cutting down on portion size a bit /stopping snacking when I'm not really happy, just bored.

I am cheating slightly (hides from stick) in that I'm allowing myself two cups of tea a day with low fat milk. I just can't stomach my tea with full fat or cream. I feel this is something liveable. Otherwise keeping up with water and having soda water with a squirt of lemon juice to change it up. I REALLY miss my diet coke.

I had Greek yogurt with cinnamon for breakfast to try it but it looks really quite carby. Is 5% carbs ok and do I need to limit how much I eat if so? I had a 150g pot but I'm not as full as normally.

Plan for today:

Greek yogurt and cinnamon
Chicken thighs and veg (maybe leek and asparagus)
Burger (with iceberg lettuce bun and mayo) and veg

Snacks - olives

Lalalalalaaaa · 11/01/2023 03:13

Snacking when not *hungry (although not happy also applies!)

DontGetEvenGetEverything · 11/01/2023 03:53

Thai cauliflower soup was delicious. Had it with cold chicken - we are going through a freezer full of leftover wedding food, quite a bit of chicken and beef slices to get through.

Had an emotional day yesterday, said goodbye to my best friend who's going home (to the other side of the country).
Up in the night and gave in to desire for sweet solace by adding sweetener to yoghurt. Two bowlfulls.

Thought later I could have had liquorice tea instead. But thinking about it now, liquorice tea is so sweet - would I be better to avoid it to break the habit of needing sweet foodstuffs? Especially as (it would seem) they have such an emotional valence for me?

sheepdreams · 11/01/2023 04:54

Stuntnun your soup recipe sounds delicious I shall certainly be giving it a try.

Eanair23 · 11/01/2023 06:28

Finally caught up! @BountyMultipack I couldn't imagine cooking savoury without onion. Maybe leave them big, so they're easy to not eat, after. I know that ginger or garlic are fine because the amount of carb per portion is negligible.
Eating wise - I am eating lots! But I know from previous BC this is ok. Yesterday
B. Creamy coffee
B2. Baked eggs with spinach and feta.
L. Chicken Caesar
L2. Butter, garlic, lemon fried prawns on leaves.
D. Veg traybake with feta.
I had a zero tab dissolved in my 3rd L of water. This helps with flu and getting in that last L.
I'll try adding more fat/oil to meals to see if this helps hunger.