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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)

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Brassbumblebee · 12/01/2023 09:51

Or you could use a bit of a packet of taco seasoning if that's easier.

50notout · 12/01/2023 09:59

Hello all

Can I join, please? I've been low-carb since Jan 3rd and doing ok except for a few mistakes- eg last night I had butternut squash because I thought was ok...
Also, I've been having Kefir, berries, and flaxseed every morning. I'm choosing Kefir over Greek yogurt because I am keen to increase my good gut microbiomes after listening to Dr Tim Spector - is this ok? I realise now I shouldnt be having fruit so I'll cut this out for a couple of weeks from tomorrow.

I'm 5ft 3 and currently 11.1 and I started at 11.5. I would like to be 9 stone or even 9.2/3 so Ive a lot to lose. I'm 50 in 4 weeks!

xx

OldandTired66 · 12/01/2023 10:01

Day 4 already! Got up and had breakfast from force of habit (greek yoghurt) and now feel uncomfortably full as I wasn't even hungry. That's never happened, I'm usually starving in the mornings and convinced I'll pass out if I don't eat. Lunch today is veg soup with cheese on the side (maybe tinned sardines if I feel like it). Dinner Sausages and mashed swede and whatever veg we have. If the sausages are very carby, I'll have a pork chop instead. Weekend challenge of lunch out twice is looming 😬.

Passtheturkey · 12/01/2023 10:07

Thank you for this chat it’s very motivating.

I’ve been sticking to BC lite due to relying on DH to shop and prep food as I’ve broken my collar bone. I’ve got a little more movement in it now and have eaten the truck load of berries he’d bought so going to try and start 2 weeks of strict BC today.

I’ve been starving since I did my shoulder, although I think more bored mouth and comfort eating then real hunger. Also meals have been lower fat then I’m used to on BC, DH is a child of the 90s so firmly in the fat is the enemy camp.

What are peoples super easy meals? I’m dairy free.

BonnieBairn · 12/01/2023 10:12

After just wanting to eat the contents of my fridge last night and feeling pretty miserable for constantly eating I decided to weigh myself this morning to give myself a shock as I was sure id have put weight on! Pleasant surprise of 4lbs off! I know most of it is water but it's given me the kick up the arse I needed to believe that this WOE will work and also a nice boost to keep me going. Food planned today is:
B:boiled eggs in a cup with butter
S: Greek yoghurt
L: leftover bolognaise with bare baked noodles and cheese
D: salmon fillets with buttery veg

I'm going to roast some sprouts this eve for a snack and also buy some chorizo so fry up too. Hope everyone else has a good 4th day Smile

venusandmars · 12/01/2023 10:26

@Passtheturkey salmon baked in the oven is very simple (dot it with lumps of butter and wrap it in foil). Plus oven roast tomatoes (in olive oil herbs, salt and pepper) Served with buttery broccoli and asparagus.

Or if you've got a slow cooker, then ready diced lamb steak (or good quality sausages) with tomatoes, shallot and herbs. Served with spinach and shoogled sprouts (you made need someone to help with the shoogling until your shoulder has healed a bit more).

I'm out over lunch time today at a meeting regarding PILs' long term care, so having brunch instead today - coffee with cream, boiled eggs, avocado, ham and cheese and salad (with mayonnaise and evoo). Dinner will be green veg / chicken soup. Maybe cheese too, there's lots of it in the fridge thanks to generous gift of a cheese hamper.

Passtheturkey · 12/01/2023 10:36

Thank you @venusandmars good idea to make the most of the slow cooker.

BIWI · 12/01/2023 10:52

@Eanair23 celeriac will become one of your greatest finds during Bootcamp!

Last night we had it as a mash, (with leeks, which make it seem more like a potato mash):

  • Peel and cube the celeriac (into chunks about 2.5cm square), then boil in salted water till very tender - around 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the chunks
  • When soft, drain into a colander and leave for a few minutes till it has steam dried (this is important, as it can be a little bit soggy)
  • While this is happening, wash and slice two large leeks/three medium to small leeks into 0.5cm rounds and pan-fry over a medium heat in a generous chunk of butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook till they're soft
  • Then tip the celeriac back into the original pan, add the leeks and mash - ideally using a hand-held blender. Check for seasoning - it may need a little more salt and pepper - you may need/want to add a bit more butter.

There are also lots of other recipes for celeriac on the recipe threads - dauphinoise, boulangère, tartiflette ...

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BIWI · 12/01/2023 10:55

I also make 'simple' celeriac chips - just cut the peeled celeriac into chip shapes, put them on an oven tray, drizzle them very generously with olive oil, season and bake in the oven.

They don't go quite as crispy as potatoes would do, but they get a lovely, chewy caramelisation around the edges. They do, however, shrink - so you start off with a large celeriac thinking it will feed 4, and find you've probably only got enough for 2!

I use the same technique with swede.

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Nugg · 12/01/2023 10:56

Morning All

Well I went out for dinner and of course I got the poor young man who had started working there about 10 minutes before I arrived to take my awkward order haha! I ended up with gammon, fried egg and a mixture of green veg which was broccoli, sugar snap and garden peas. Focused on the meat, inc fat and broccoli with a couple of sugar snaps. Was nice enough and I couldn't finish it.

so today:
B: Mushrooms fried in butter, 2 plum tomatoes, scrambled egg with cream and chives, 2 rashers bacon
L: egg , cheese and ham salad with mayo and HM dressing
D: Meatballs, tomato sauce and BareNaked Noodles! Excited!

Meatballs are prepped as I did them while making my breakfast - work is a killer right now so after work is my danger time when I want to comfort pick! Not that there is anything to comfort pick at - the worst I could do is have sugar or sweetener in a cup of tea in reality 😂

Great recipe ideas on here, thanks to you all! I am searching for the cauli cheese recipe but I can't get the whole thread on one page to search for some reason!

BIWI · 12/01/2023 10:56

@StuntNun as I understand it, the rolling in flour is just to help the sausage meat stick to the egg, so you might be able to get away without the almond flour. But pork scratchings sounds like they'd be delicious!

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venusandmars · 12/01/2023 11:02

@Nugg par boil the cauliflower florets. put 300ml double cream in a saucepan and heat gently. Stir in as much grated cheese as will melt in it (quite a lot!). I add ground pepper, half a teaspoon on wholegrain mustard, and a squeeze of lemon juice. The lemon makes all the difference.

Put the caulflower in a dish, top with the cheese sauce and bake in the oven.

I use lots of other veg in the same way.

Nugg · 12/01/2023 11:28

@venusandmars How simple is that thank you so much, it will go smashing with pork chops I will dig out of the freezer at the weekend :)

BIWI · 12/01/2023 11:36

Another long post from me - again, with apologies if I'm repeating something PP have already said!

@DryWhiteagainW I know onions are on the red list, but you can still use them - after all, they are a pretty vital component in most meals! Just use them sparingly, baring in mind how carby they are. If you can replace them with shallots, then it's a good idea, but I often just use an onion anyway, especially if the carbs in the rest of my meal are low

I wouldn't worry too much about the couscous/onion for now - this first week or two is always a bit of a learning curve! And how lovely to have had your food made for you Smile

@Greatly I'm not sure if grumpiness is a carb flu symptom Grin But sounds like you need a distraction - can you listen to a podcast or some music with your headphones on, or go and have a long bath? And then come back to beautifully folded laundry?!* Well done on doing Dry January as well as Bootcamp <pins medal>

Re your mayo question, Hellmanns is only 1.3g carbs per 100g, so it's pretty low carb. I think the only way to lower it would be to make your own.

*next time it happens, as I realise you posted this last night Grin

@BonnieBairn it's an awful feeling, isn't it? The only way is to ride it out. Distract yourself with something else. Or have (another!) glass of water. But also, it's a very positive thing to recognise that you're not hungry!

And - well done on the 4lbs! I realise that for those new to low carbing, eating all the fat is a bit of a leap of faith. You just need to trust us Grin

@MuthaHubbard very glad you're still with us/on track. Hopefully checking in here, and chatting with everyone else will keep you here.

@Mercedesbenz2022 oh yes! Sometimes I think adding Lycra to jeans didn't do any of us any favours. Realising that your trousers aren't cutting in or your bra is killing you is the first major, really satisfying sign that things are working Flowers

@Lalalalalaaaa Tomatoes are fine - cherry tomatoes are a little higher in carbs, according to Sainsbury's website, but they're still under 4g carbs per 100g.

@AllTheBlackCoffee well you have a plan, which is half the battle. You could also always imagine I'm sitting at DH's desk, with The Big Stick ready ...

@Savedmybacon brilliant that you've recognised the benefits, beyond weight loss, of low carbing! And I'm very glad it's helped you with inflammation. And yes, I am going to tell you to be patient! You lost over 9lbs in your first week - you couldn't possibly keep that rate of loss going after that.

But you did really, really well - please don't lose sight of that. What you've added back into your diet is perfect. Apart from the water, which you do need to glug.

I know you - and all of us here - are impatient to lose the weight, but remember: it didn't go on overnight, so it's not going to come off overnight either. Focus on what you've achieved for now - not just losing weight but also feeling better - and that will keep you going over the next few weeks.

And be prepared because there will be times when you don't lose, and you may even gain. This is perfectly normal!

@amigababy did you put enough cheese in it? (Just seen that you used single cream as well, which won't have helped. But hope it tasted nice anyway)

@Backstreets we're only on day 4 - it's really important that you keep the water up! Are you drinking other things? Perhaps focus on having a drink of water next time you go to the kitchen for a cup of tea/coffee? At your weight you aren't having to glug litres, so it should be easy to keep the intake up. One tip that's been suggested before is to make sure that as soon as you get out of bed, you have a glass of water. Drink that while you're getting ready for work/making breakfast etc, and then it's really easy to get the first half litre (or even full litre) in before your day really gets going.

Sorry to hear you're poorly @mimosa1 - hope the antibiotics do the trick soon.

@LadyBiker hope you had a lovely birthday. Only one comment ignoring the brownie is that you didn't have much/any veg yesterday - perhaps it was just because of the day, but you need more than just salad. Also, doesn't look like you ate much food at all - olives, pickled onions and cheese sounds more like a snack than a meal! Remember, this WOE isn't about deprivation - we eat till we're satisfied.

@FinallyHere great post! And also @Baystard and @SpottyBumPony - it's really important that we recognise that hunger isn't about an empty stomach.

Hunger is driven by an imbalance in our hormones. If we control the amount of insulin that we're producing (by keeping our carbohydrate intake low), then this also helps to control two other key hormones, grehlin and leptin, in check - which means we don't feel hunger.

Welcome @50notout! Re the kefir, it really depends which brand you've been consuming, as some of them are much carbier than others. But most Greek yoghurts (full fat ones) have good bacteria in them any. If you're buying it because of a specific digestive issue, then I'd say continue with them - if it's just a general awareness of the need for better health then, in the short term, I'd say switch to full fat Greek yoghurt (just check that it does contain probiotic cultures)

OP posts:
Savedmybacon · 12/01/2023 11:41

@BIWI that positive reassurance felt like a warm hug and brought a little tear to my eye - thank you ❤

QforCucumber · 12/01/2023 11:43

Morning All, reading and catching up at this time of day is really helping me keep on track (and giving me wonderful ideas for the next days dinner too!)

I know it's not recommended for kids to go full on Keto - but any ideas to help wean my 2 off the sugar/processed foods somewhat?

We do all sit together for evening meal and they are great with veg, so not so much of a concern there but it's mostly the breakfast.
They are 6 and 2 and I don't know how but we've moved so far away from porridge and on to rice crispies and shreddies that I think I'm going to struggle with the move away from cereal (they do always have milk and fruit too - banana or blueberries mostly)

BIWI · 12/01/2023 11:45

Savedmybacon · 12/01/2023 11:41

@BIWI that positive reassurance felt like a warm hug and brought a little tear to my eye - thank you ❤

I aim to please Grin
Just watch out for The Big Stick though ...

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BIWI · 12/01/2023 11:48

@QforCucumber could you switch them to something like scrambled eggs on toast? And berries rather than bananas? (Nothing wrong with them having the fruit, and if they're full enough after the eggs, then they won't want much fruit anyway!)

Or how about adding berries to (full fat) yoghurt? Sainsbury's do lots of different mixes of frozen berries, for £2.50 for 350g, making it more economical?

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Baystard · 12/01/2023 11:59

Does he mention cheese for gut biome @50notout ? I'm sure it's good for the gut, lots of bacteria and fungi and is a prebiotic too. I eat alot of unpasteurised cheese and I'm sure the more cheese goes in the more fat comes off!

@Nugg I'd love it if restaurants had a low carb surprise option on the menu - a good chef rustling up something using ingredients they have in their fridge that day could be amazing!

BIWI · 12/01/2023 12:03

I generally find that the high street chains and brewery-owned pubs are the worst at having so many high carb meals. A lot of those places don't have chefs and rely on bought-in meals. They also use cheaper ingredients, and make popular dishes - all of which tends to mean higher carbs. Things coated in batter and/or sticky, sweet sauces and glazes.

I think whoever designs their menus at head office also abides by the current government rules about the main focus being on carbohydrate - which is why everything comes with bread or pasta or rice or potatoes.

But even in those places, there's usually something you can find that can be prepared without the carbs - e.g. a burger without the bun. Salad instead of chips (but beware the dressing which 9 times out of 10 will have balsamic vinegar or honey in it!)

It does make eating out a bit of a minefield.

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QforCucumber · 12/01/2023 12:06

@BIWI thankyou these are great ideas - actually the little one has been eating some of my eggs on a morning so not sure why it didn't even enter my head as being something I could make for him too!

Maybe I also need to change my mindset too - which I am doing for myself (hence BC!) but for 'kids food' too - it's bizarre, when weaning them I was all about the veg and things - then work and school and nursery kicked in and all planning has gone out of the window.

Greatly · 12/01/2023 12:08

Thanks @BIWI - relieved I can stick with my Hellmans addiction 😂 feeling less grumpy today and also hypocritically enjoyed putting on my nicely folded t shirt this morning 😂

BIWI · 12/01/2023 12:41
Grin
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Eanair23 · 12/01/2023 12:55

Thank you @SpottyBumPony that is really helpful. My problem is that (for now anyway) I can't tell how long each stage will last. I'm happily at 5, at work. I leave at 2pm for home at level 4. I get out of the car an hour later at level 2. So I can go from 4 to 2 in an hour!

Anyway, I'm going with it for now. My 'go to' out and about lunch is Chicken Caesar, no croutons. The dressing tastes sweet, so I'm sure there's some hidden carbs, but it gets me home, and stops me dropping below 4. I feel like I stay 5 minutes in 3 - I go from 'i could eat' to 'moody' with hunger really fast. It's OK. I just eat the Caesar and good to go.

I had a sneaky weigh in this morning. I forget the number ,but the Christmas gain is gone. The timing of the BC is excellent for me. January is cold and wet and miserable here (west of ireland). BC helps me focus on brighter days.

B. Creamy coffee before my gym class.
B2. Half avocado. 3 baked eggs with spinach and feta. Side of mushrooms with a dash of cream. Another creamy coffee. Yum.

Thanks @BIWI for the celeriac tips. My downfall in the past has been food boredom. No excuse really but I'm really 'in the zone' this BC and that celeriac is going to be cooked, one way or another, this week.

LittleMy77 · 12/01/2023 13:00

QforCucumber · 12/01/2023 11:43

Morning All, reading and catching up at this time of day is really helping me keep on track (and giving me wonderful ideas for the next days dinner too!)

I know it's not recommended for kids to go full on Keto - but any ideas to help wean my 2 off the sugar/processed foods somewhat?

We do all sit together for evening meal and they are great with veg, so not so much of a concern there but it's mostly the breakfast.
They are 6 and 2 and I don't know how but we've moved so far away from porridge and on to rice crispies and shreddies that I think I'm going to struggle with the move away from cereal (they do always have milk and fruit too - banana or blueberries mostly)

I’ve got a 7 year old, and have same struggle, esp as the school are teaching the food pyramid of which carbs are the biggest group to be consumed!

we do eggs 2-3 times a week for breakfast, other days he gets toast and cheese / weetabix with whole wheat cheerios and flax seed shoved in. Usually have berries (low on the carb ratios) we don’t get bananas anymore as they’re v high in sugar (plus they often go bad as ppl decide not to eat them..)

Can also recommend crustless mini quiches / frittatas as they can be batch made and heated up, plus I shove cheese and unidentified veg in there

no yoghurt here as he hates it