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 )

Thanks @BIWI and to @finallyhere for the speeadsheet of fabulousness.

I could only get 5% fat geek yog this morning which isn't ideal, but I shan't let it stop me!

@NotDonna have you downloaded the Google sheets app if you're using your phone?

@MuthaHubbard well done on the water front already, you've reminded me that I need to drink some before I leave the house to set my day off on the right foot (already on the train - will do tomorrow!)

Excited to be getting started today. Well I actually started on Tuesday last week but today's the day I faced the grim numbers on the scale.

Plan is Greek yog and cream, omelette and salad for lunch, and sausage and swede mash with green veggies plus all the water and a run at lunchtime.

Morning campers, ready for this.
Not to be a pain but someone has put their weight on my line.

@IncompleteSenten don't worry about putting your weight in I promise no one is looking at anyones but their own and we all start somewhere, the 100lb and count down trick is good if you really don't want to. Like was pointed out up thread no one is here because we are svelt (I love that word).
I need to hit the shops later as no food in. I have found it better to only buy a couple of days food at a time as the food we eat on bootcamp tends to both be fresh and go off quick and be expensive. I have found over the years I need a lot less food that I think I do so it cuts down on massive amounts of waste.

Good morning everyone, thanks @BIWI and @finallyhere

Good luck everyone!

I have a shiny new bottle of fizzy water with me on my way to work this morning (water water water!).

Thanks @BIWI for another bootcamp took a break last couple to see how I would manage but starting to build up the pounds so I feel the group helpful for encouragement.
Welcome all new people and welcome back all the bootcampers from previous years.
This is the last week before my daughter returns to Uni so will be an emotional one. Water think from previous bootcamps we were advised best to sip throughout the day than drinking whole glass in one take.
Goodluck everyone x

Question. The sheet is in lbs. Can I just add in kg instead as long as I'm consistent with units?

Placemarking!!!

Reporting for duty! I definitely need this. Between being ill and then Christmas I've put on 10lbs since I had to drop out of the pre-Christmas bootcamp. I knew I'd put on some weight but I didn't think it was that much. I'm almost back to where I started in July 😔

Morning!! Will catch up later, just marking my place and logging the dreaded numbers! Line drawn, water water water!

Have a great first day campers!

Having done LCHF before I wonder if the weight will drop off quicker. I completely lost my spare tyre last time and its back, bloody thing. That's my goal, to get rid of it. I start a women's weightlifting class tomorrow evening and I'm doing dry January, so I SHOULD finish Jan is a slightly healthier state than when I started. Dd2 is going back to uni this week amd I will really miss her 😭

@Lalalalalaaaa

Can I just put in in kgs

Interesting question. Would you mind trying that this bootcamp? I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work and will make a separate note incase we ever want to calculate 'total losses over this bootcamp

Shall look at an enhancement to include unit in a what do they always say 'future release '

@IncompleteSenten no probs if you prefer not to weigh or to use the 'from 100' I felt exactly as you do that I didn't want to know my start weight.

I wish now that I had at least been brave enough to take a weight at the very beginning. I feel very different having bootcamped since this time last year I've lost over 20kgs and wish I knew exactly how much.

Lost quite a few inches from my middle. It's really worked well for me.

Thanks so much for the water reminders! I almost completely stopped drinking water from September onwards as I was spending so much time driving to and from hospitals (dying FIL and seriously ill dsis) and I'm 56 so didn't want to keep stopping for a wee!

Morning campers! I lost 2.5 stone doing low carb last year but stopped in the summer and surprise surprise I've put 2 stone back on. I am disappointed with myself.

Meals for the first day back are
Greek yoghurt
Salad Nicoise
Sausages with broccoli and leeks

@ditavonteesed

Happy for you to PM me the 'number wrongly in your line' and then feel free to use your row.

It might even have been me not clearing out my testing properly if so, soz.

Morning everyone!

There are some names I recognise, and many that I don't - although I suspect some of those are probably namechangers.

If you're new to low carbing, please feel free to ask any questions you have, even if you feel they're foolish ones! These chat threads are specifically for us to discuss low carbing, Bootcamp and any issues or worries that you might have.

And if you're new, please don't lurk! . Some of us are 'frequent flyers' (not because low carbing doesn't work, but because there's more weight to shift than can be dealt with in 8 weeks), so it might seem that we all know each other - which isn't the case.

The spreadsheet

A couple of things to say here:

• If you're using your phone to access it, you'll need to download the Google Sheets app

Here's the link if you're using an iPhone

And here's the link if you're using an Android phone

Secondly, you don't have to be on the spreadsheet if you'd rather not - although it's a very useful way to record your progress. If you don't want to put your actual weight in, as PP have suggested, you can index it instead. So your starting weight is 100 and then for every pound you lose, you take one off. So if in week one you lose 5lbs, then next week you start at 95.

Re using kg rather than lbs

Like @FinallyHere I can't see any reason why you wouldn't, but just in case, there is a converter on the spreadsheet - check the tabs at the bottom

Yes I’m on my phone but have the app and it worked brilliantly on the pre Xmas BC. Anyway, thanks to @Jollyholibobs clicking on 108 cell lets me see my name so I’ve added my original weight and todays. I cant recall what day we started the pre Xmas bootcamp but I’ll add original date later.
@Janieread starting weight lifting and doing dry Jan & this! Well done you. Weight lifting sounds great! What a fab idea! I’m going tea total. Had a whole year alcohol free in 2021 and I’d like to do another year. I start Pilates this morning and haven’t done it for years so feeling a bit nervous.
I’ve already had bfast of left overs - chicken, feta, peppers, & olives. I’ve been up since 530am (jet lag) so it already feels like lunch, but I’ll wait till midday.
L- eggs, toms, kale
D- creamy tarragon chicken with carrots, kale/spinach (blooming love kale & spinach)
oh and LOTS OF WATER!

Morning all!

l’m starting a little heavier than I finished the last but I expected that after my Christmas indulgences. I’m back on track and hope to be so until next Christmas!

I’m currently 244lbs. My mini goal is to get below 240 and my main goal this bootcamp to to get below 225lbs.

Lunch today will be an omelette and dinner may well be the same as I’m driving DD back to uni today so need quick and easy - there also isn’t much food in the house but my shopping arrived tomorrow.

Hello everyone, first bootcamp here. I have entered details into the spreadsheet! My number looks quite low but I'm a titch at just 5ft and carrying a lot of wobble around my tummy. I started cutting down on the carbs on New Year's Day so from what I've read I might hit the stall weeks a little sooner.
I've started on the water and had some 10% yogurt for breakfast.
We have chickens for eggs but they don't blooming lay in the winter! Useless things!! Hoping they might start up in the next month or so and then I can go egg crazy!
It is my day off work today so I might go for a few miles of a walk depending on the weather.
Good luck to everyone!

Weighing

Just to pick up on a comment by @IncompleteSenten about when to weigh. The best time to weigh is first thing in the morning, after you've been to the loo but before you get dressed.

If you weigh later in the day, all you're doing is weighing yourself plus your clothes plus whatever you've had to eat or drink - so it will be artificially higher, which is never a good thing

How often to weigh?

There's no hard and fast rule here. Some people prefer to weigh daily, as it keeps them on track - but some people find the day-to-day fluctuations (which are quite normal) too dispiriting, so weigh only once a week.

You don't have to weigh at all, if you'd rather not. I know that over the years many people have talked about previous diets/obsessions, and the scales have come to mean something quite negative.

It is, however, helpful and motivating to have some way of monitoring your progress, so there are two things you could consider:

1. taking your measurements - hips, waist, bust, upper arm, upper thigh - and doing this once a week
2. trying on an item or two of clothing, that's currently a bit too tight. This is perhaps the most immediately tangible way of seeing how much you've lost. The trick, though, is to choose something that's just a bit too tight - not something that is several sizes smaller than your current size.

Recording your weight

If you're recording on the spreadsheet, there are different options for this:

• record the weight you are each Monday morning (the most logical, seeing as I'll post the spreadsheet each Monday)
• record the weight you are each week, on a different day, but the same day each week - e.g. every Friday, if that works better for you
• weigh every day but take an average for the week and record that weight
• weigh every day and record the lowest weight you've seen that week (which evens out natural, daily fluctuations)

Whichever way you choose is up to you, just be consistent with it.

Nice to read couple of others have students back to Uni, I have money for this week and she flies back next Sunday.
B Greek Yogurt Ginger tea
L Omelette with spinach
D Chicken Broccoli
Water and Ginger tea through out the day.

Good luck @BergamotMouse !

Thank you @NotDonna - I'm a bit nervous about the lifting as I'm 56, but I will report back!

@JustAPony I turned mine out this morning and it was so disgusting and muddy I lost heart and have left stables mucky 😳 will go back later and do them rather than eating toast at 4pm 😂

I need to meal plan. I have to cook for dd3 and dh and they aren't low carb. Tonight it's pasta with cherry toms and Pancetta - I'll have tenderstem broccoli instead of the pasta.

I had two fried eggs with mushrooms when I got back from horses. A dollop of mayo and a generous sprinkling of chilli salt (aldi - I'm obsessed).

Only 1 pint of water so far and two coffees with almond milk.

Love all of the positivity!

For those that struggle to get enough water, I use the elastic band trick to help me. So, according to the chart, I need to drink 4 litres. My reusable bottle is 500ml, so I started the day by filling it up and putting 7 elastic bands around it. Each time I fill it up, I remove an elastic band. I really like it as a visual reminder as to how I'm doing during the day.

Oh I like the elastic band trick. I was just wondering how to keep track of how many bottles I’ve drunk without resorting to yet another app!

@Janieread have you discovered spiralised veg yet? I like to spiralise courgette and cook in butter instead of pasta and it feels like spaghetti.
Broccoli sounds delicious too!