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 )

So I made meatballs, thanks to @BIWI for the inspiration-alongside mangetout and those noodles. I could 100% live without the noodles, can't make my mind up about them but I'm also already in the mindset that I have meat and veg and I really enjoy it. I'm not messing carbs in that way at all, thankfully!

My absolute favourite food is risotto, and I know I am going to end up missing that quite soon because I usually make it every single week for myself...I'll survive!

I was really quite hungry tonight so just had a couple of slices of bacon that I cooked for meals at work over the weekend. 😬

I think I need to stop having dinner so early, I tend to have it along with dd when she gets in from school so at around 4pm but then I'm pretty hungry come this time. I think I need to wait until around 6pm instead.

Welcome @amispeakingintongues! Did you manage to swerve the chocolate?!

Thank you 😊
Yes swerved the craving - opted for an Earl Grey tea instead which (thank goodness) done the job.

Glad you got here Welcome

If you were craving chocolate, then a) you need to eat something HFLC and b) have you have enough to eat, especially fat, over the day?

All the water
B: Scrambled egg
No lunch
D: chilli with veg & greens, yoghurt & cheese.

I going to plan my meals better next week & try out some of these yummy recipes. I need to have cauliflower cheese again - that cream & lemon twist are delicious & I've not had for ages.

My stomach feels more settled & less bloated already from avoiding sugary things.

Do posters have positive experience of LCHF helping menopause symptoms?

“And yes, you can have the occasional G&T when we move on to Bootcamp Light!” the best news ever!!!!!

uninspiring day
B. 2 boiled eggs
L. Roast pork, brocoli and green beans
D……had to grab what I could find as in a rush, thank goodness I prepared lots of no carb food. Grabbed a slice of ham, a chicken thigh, a tin of tuna with lemon juice and a chunk of Stilton. Totally weird but needs must.
water is going well with herbal teas.

Sorry if TMI but I’m so constipated. Think it’s 4 days now …..anyone else? And what can I do?

Now I realise I was doing cauli rice all wrong too….will try frying.
going to make the dirty celeriac fries tomorrow

Yes definitely @BSky! I sailed through it, pretty much. I had some hot flushes, but took Boots Menolieve for a short period. That, and eating this way, really helped.

I'm told that cutting back/out caffeine and alcohol will also help, but I failed on both those fronts

@DryWhiteagainW when you say constipation, do you mean you're struggling to go and/or in pain? If it's just about frequency, don't worry.

If you are really suffering, then lots of water and fat (i.e. more than you have been doing!), strong coffee, high strength vitamin C can all help. Also, exercise - if you don't already do any, then go out for a brisk walk. If you do exercise, then try and do some more, or make it more vigorous.

@BIWI you've really given me a dilemma! I might ask for no dressing, just olive oil. I don't want to appear rude.🤔
For posters feeling light headed after a hot bath. I watched a film on Whitney Houston death. She officially drowned in the bath, but they thought she likely fainted first, due to a sudden drop in BP, so be careful!
@Jenasaurus I microwaved my leftover chicken and had it with coleslaw. Not imaginative, but ok.

B. Eggs with mushroom spinach and feta
L. Cabbage reheat with Philly and oo
D. Chicken with coleslaw
S. Greek yogurt X2.
Did a circuit class this morning and swam tonight. Feeling good!

Thanks @Biwi - that's good to hear. I know this WOE has helped before with PMT symptoms but this new hormonal phase has cranked up. Do you know any of the science behind it? I'm getting a bit 😵‍💫 trying to read up on what helps?

I'm sure cutting back on caffeine & alcohol is sensible....I'm doing that now but I love a coffee & a tipple. In moderation of course & no alcohol for the next week or so. 😊

Oh crikey! There’s 113 posts since I last bookmarked. I’ll be back in a bit!

Joining you all, a few days late I am vegetarian and was reluctant to take the plunge as I thought I may struggle for ideas of what to eat. I have been through the vegetarian thread and there seems to be lots of ideas there.

Thanks @prettybird
Yes I think you're right - I not long after my last post had to eat a chicken breast because I suddenly felt hungry again even though I felt full after my earlier dinner (seasoned minced beef, spring greens, and cheese) but perhaps not enough fat throughout the day

Lessons learnt for day 2!

Finally caught up and copied some of the cabbage recipes. Love the sound of the lemony sticky chicken too.
PLEASE HELP Looks like we are going round to a friends tomorrow for a Thai take away - aaarrrgh! I can’t think of anything* *that’s BC compatible. Anyone have any ideas please?

Lovely ideas here and going to make friends with celeriac for sure, been low carb for years and never yet discovered this!!

When I was doing the yogurt and cream thing I loved grating lemon zest into it and squeezing the juice. Voila! Stiff cream and lemony.

I've had decaf coffee x2 black
All my water, with electrolytes

Big pan of butter-fried homemade sauerkraut with an egg cracked into the middle and topped with sprinkle of cheese, black pepper and coriander, lid on, heat off and leave to set.
Did that twice! 😊

Usual glass of kefir, double brewed today so it's negligible carbs. Stored in cinnamon lots of.

Had a deadline so a bit wide eyed up late. Happy Friday all x

I’m guessing they’ll order a few dishes and we’ll share but looking at the menu I’ll need to avoid the starters & maybe ask if they’ll order me the ‘prawn Siam’ on the 3rd page. Don’t think there’s anything else, I’m not great with chilli but their 1 chilli score is ok, 2 is too hot for me. Can anyone see anything else or is this the best one? I’ll not be drinking either. They’ll wish they’d not invited me!

I did not sleep well at all last night , I think I need a new pillow

Had a good day yesterday ( and will have a good day today )
B 2 buttery scrambled eggs ( I put too many salt crystals on though )
L Leftover cauliflower , leek and broccoli cheese with mushrooms
D pan fried salmon fillet with hollandaise sauce , broccoli , asparagus and spinach
I need to buy more eggs !
I really like scrambled eggs for breakfast and had fried eggs , mushrooms and truffle oil for lunch earlier this week and I highly recommend trying this

@NotDonna in my memory black bean sauce is one of the lesser offenders. Could some of the 2s be adapted to 1s, just to give more choice? I'd probably do a stir fry in black bean sauce

Gratters on the loss @Gingerwarthog and @Mercedesbenz2022 and @Merchdda

Totally not TMI @DryWhiteagainW my food intake is loosely based on making sure that it doesn't happen to me. Routinely that means a generous portion of spinach, raw cabbage, broccoli/cauliflower or celeriac daily.

If anything goes wrong in that, as it did just recently for me, senna pod team before bed and all is resolved in the morning.

Senna pods came into my life one holiday. I was low carbing and hadn't yet got the hang of the volume of veg required when out of my normal routine. I visited a chemist looking for some patent remedy. I was steered firmly away for the shelves of medicines and directed to a plastic bag of the pods. Told to take a few in hot water at bed time and expect "fireworks" when I woke up the next morning. We had no language in common so goodness knows how we communicated but it was all good

Indeed all good the next day, too.

Still got the plastic bag, it's still pretty full but had helped me enormously

I don't usually bother to correct my typing mistakes. This time, it may not be obvious that I meant senna pod tea, rather than team. 😀

Thanks@FinallyHere
I am going through peri menopause and before HFLC had found it really hard to lose weight with weight fluctuations of 4 lbs weekly no matter (it seemed) what I ate or how I exercised.
That was making me feel out of control of my own body - this WOE is helping to get back that sense of control and that makes a positive difference to my menopausal mindset!

BIWI it’s frequency really. I’m on my feet all day and go to the gym too, water is at max, can’t fit any more in so won’t worry then……..

@DryWhiteagainW if upping your veg intake doesn't help then fresh coffee is good to get things moving. Don't have to do anything special just make sure it's fresh ground and not instant.

Ooh @TigerYiger lemon juice and zest in yogurt and cream sounds like a low carb Syllabub.

@NotDonna I had a Thai takeaway last night and there were a few options. I had a chicken satay starter and crispy duck served with fresh vegetables. I also love the Weeping or Crying Tiger which is steak served with fresh vegetables but it's pricey. Or you could choose a coconut based Thai curry. Thai food usually has plenty of vegetables so you won't miss the rice, or you might be able to get vegetables in black bean or oyster sauce as a side dish. There's bound to be some sugar so it's about minimising that, and avoiding anything battered.

@Frazzledmum239 this way of eating should work fine for vegetarians, we've had plenty over the years. I've heard good things about Rose Elliott's low carb vegetarian cook book. Some vegetarians add small amounts of pulses (beans, lentils or peas) for the protein but you will need to read labels carefully because there's a lot of variation in carb content and they won't be able to be the bulk of your meal. It isn't ideal, and nuts are a better choice for protein (after the first two weeks) but, from experience, some vegetarians end up eating huge amounts of cheese when they go low carb and that can also affect weight loss in some people who are particularly sensitive to dairy.

@DryWhiteagainW don't shy away from over the counter treatments if you're having issues with constipation. Senna, psyllium husk and lactulose are all gentle treatments. Some people find a cheap magnesium supplement helps. Dietary solutions are to drink more water, eat more fibre, and increase your fat intake. You could try a teaspoon of coconut oil mixed into coffee or rooibos tea. You need to stir it before every sip as the oil floats on top but it's much nicer than it sounds.