Jan 2023 Low Carb Bootcamp - Week 1!

[BIWI]

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 )

@Veryfishy - I think @StuntNun is the queen of the airfryer but I think it was Ragz (?) who perfected the dirty fries

@CapybaraFightClub my Amazon buttermint teabags arrived today, thanks so much for the idea!

I ate when I wasn't hungry this evening...but it was an avocado at peak ripeness. I didn't realise it needed eaten until after I'd eaten a huge omelette and I didn't dare leave it until tomorrow

I need to plan tomorrow so much better
I work 12 hours shifts and haven't brought enough food to work.
Today's been okay but really hungry now.

Scrambled eggs with mushrooms cooked in butter.
Veggie chilli (no beans) cauliflower rice and cheese.
And that's it.

I think I may have mushrooms and something when I get home.

Going to bring some roasted sprouts tomorrow as a snack to keep me going until I'm home.
Or avocado.

Can someone suggest a way to make chicken more interesting, any recipe appreciated, I have 2 cooked chicken breasts in my fridge and plan on having them tomorrow but not sure what to have them with except salad.

Drove dd back to uni so didn't drink enough water - didn't want to keep stopping for a wee.

Mushrooms, fried egg this morning

Then a pack of rollitos from dds Lidl shop

Then a HUGE stir fry with leftover roast pork, broccoli, courgettes, ginger, chili and garlic with bare naked rice (zero? carbs)

This WOE saves money as I would normally have bought a takeaway coffee or two and a sandwich/snacks!

Nice but relatively ordinary day of food, just without all the additional crap and bad habits I'd slipped into. Loads of water too and no snacking or urge to at all.

6:30 swim (30 mins)

B: mushrooms, eggs, mozzarella and truffle oil- about 10:30
L: tuna mayo (whole tin, big spoon of Hellmans) on spinach, cucumber, tomatoes and black olives with EVOO and basil oil.
D: small pork steak with roasted spiced cauliflower with lemon and tahini dressing (adapted from the green roasting tin book-
chickpeas left out, pork on the side!)hmm I suppose tahini is technically banned until BC lite

Leftovers for lunch tomorrow will be nice too.

@Jenasaurus i like chicken marinated in tandoori spices, chilli and yogurt then roasted in a hot oven. Serve with sour cream and crunchy salad.

Also lovely is chicken strips fried with fajita spices and served with sour cream, grated cheese and crunchy pepper strips.

I would normally mix some mayo with either pesto or wholegrain mustard to have on chicken salad for lunch! Not wildly interesting but might tempt you?

@Jenasaurus
Chicken breast stuffed with stuff (ricotta, mozzarella, herby cream cheese) and/or wrapped in stuff (Parma ham, bacon).

Chicken chunks/strips stir fried with stuff (chorizo, fajita spices, garlic, chillies)

Chicken baked, cooled, shredded and added to salad, omelette, scrambled egg, cream & chicken broth.

@Baystard - the fajita spice recipe sounds good, will do that tomorrow, thanks

@Rayna37 - not really a fan of mayo, love salad cream but its full of sugar, i wonder if beetroot would be OK

@CarbyLite - oooh yes stuffed with ricotta sounds lovely, i may add this one for another time and top with crispy bacon

I have spent this evening looking for recipes and somehow ended up drooling over things I cant eat, This reminds me of the time I would inhale chocolate and then eat yoghurt to try and trick my mind into thinking I was eating chocolate :)

Found it !

Ragz' Dirty Fries
Makes one portion

-250g celeriac cut into chips
-Toss in seasoned oil, I used Italian herbs, garlic granules, chili flakes, salt, pepper and a pinch of smoked paprika

-Air fry or oven cook in one layer, turning partway through until nicely well done (brown at the edges, they won't go crispy really but they get close).
-I topped with fried chopped bacon (obviously not vegetarian but facon works) and shallots.

-Shower in grated cheese and grill until bubbling.
-Served with mayo (aoili would be even better).

that’s going to be my lunch tomorrow

@Jenasaurus sorry beetroot is a no, really carby! It's very sweet, that's why it makes such good chocolate cakes/brownies!

Won't help if you're just trying to use what you have in but you can get really nice Caesar salad dressings: Cardini's is low carb, add anchovies and Parmesan too if you like them.

Made a frittata for tea and really happy with how it turned out so wanted to share! I baked it in an enamel pie dish (along with a packet of pigs in blankets I found lurking in the freezer). Good for using up veg and also if you're having a veggie day as I am eating more meat than usual, with not being able to fill up on pasta etc.

Chop red pepper, celery and anything else you have hiding in the fridge into small pieces and put in dish.
In a big bowl, beat 6 eggs. Grate in a few small carrots and around 70g cheese.
I also added some defrosted and squeezed frozen spinach to the eggy mix too.
Pour into dish and mix together.
Top with more cheese!
Bake for 35 minutes until golden.

I ate about 1/3 topped with mayo and sirarcha - didn't realise how carby (30g!) that is but was a v small amount!

@StuntNun thank you for the advice re hunger. I am quite hungry and have a dread of 'getting more hungry' if that makes any sense. When I am HUNGRY - the carbcravings ramp up very quickly. I am eating quite a lot

@Jenasaurus cold chicken is a dull thing. I have half a roast chicken in the fridge, I might do curry for the children, or fry a bit with butter and garlic over leaves for myself. I'm not a great planner.

Today:
B. Baked aggs (3!), with spinach & feta
L. Left over roast veg with feta and olive oil.
D. Chicken (A full half), roast cabbage and coleslaw
S. Greek yogurt - in a tub. Extra plastic but the portions I serve myself are MUCH bigger.
Just finishing my 3rd L of water.

@MaryDoll84 we've had this issue before with baby sweetcorn! Ultimately we decided it must just be to do with different varieties.

We just had the nicest chicken meal for tea. Chicken breasts, each stuffed with a quarter of a Boursin, wrapped in 2 slices of prosciutto and baked for 40 mins in the oven (were big breasts!). Served with creamed leeks, tenderstem brocolli and mange tout (latter two in lashings of melted butter). Was so bloody tasty, we had clean plates all round I may have licked mine when no one was looking

@CarbyLite understand re the textures - well done for even managing a drizzle then

I have a celariac in the fridge - I usually end up throwing them out because I don't know what to do with them. I have an airfryer. I am so excited. Thanks the recipe!

Ragz celeriac dirty fries are a firm favourite here as well but I make them in the deep fat fryer. I've boiled eight eggs to make Scotch eggs but I usually roll them in ground almonds instead of breadcrumbs. Any suggestions for what I could use instead of the almonds? I'm wondering whether grated Parmesan might be nice. Or I could just leave them off entirely and try "naked" Scotch eggs.

Oooh I'm loving the sound of those celeriac fries I'm definitely doing them soon.

Re the scotch eggs, you could blitz up some pork scratchings and use that instead? (I'm going to be doing them soon too, yum)

Good call @Brassbumblebee I'll have to see if I can get some.

I’ve searched everywhere looking for celeriac to make mash but now think I’m going to try the fries they sound delicious!

i missed that onions aren’t allowed and have been using them!

came home tonight to find DD had made me dinner. Salmon with couscous salad. I couldn’t say no, guessing I had approx 2 table spoons of couscous which is annoying.
I’ve been doing well….will the few onions and tonight’s couscous affect the weight loss?
B.Smoked salmon omelette
L. Chicken salad with mayo, white whine vinegar, olive oil)

taking 2 boiled eggs to work for breakfast, trying to think where I css as n eat them without drinking people out!!!!!

have made a huge batch of leek, celery, cauliflower soup with loads of corriander and cumin in it (and an onion!)…..love soup , easy to take to work

I'M SO GRUMPY

Dh is stressed and when he's stressed he stalks around doing grumpy tidying. I've just slammed the door between me and him so I can't hear him huffing and puffing while folding the fucking laundry. I just want to sit quietly and watch Landscape Artist OTY amd instead all I can hear is him dramatically shaking out clothes. Not sure why it annoys me, I'm sure some people would love their OH to do the laundry. I'm a grumpy witch.