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 )

What are you using xanthan gum for? It may be low in carbs, but it's a very processed food, so if you can avoid it, I definitely would!

It’s created when sugar is fermented by a type of bacteria called Xanthomonas campestris. When sugar is fermented, it creates a broth or goo-like substance, which is made solid by adding an alcohol. It is then dried and turned into a powder.

From Healthline.com

We don't use net carbs in the UK - that's an American thing, because they include fibre in their carb counts

Sorry - just re-read your post and saw you made gravy with it

@BIWI haha yes, similar to Ikea meatballs sauce but I had it with "sausagemeat" patties - which were really minced pork made into sausagemeat -and loads of veg. Wont be a regular thing but was handy to make a "gravy" without much thought - I used to do this when I was GF for a few years.

This site is snails pace for me today!

Very proud of myself , went for an inpromtu lunch today and the menu was carb heavy , so I had cheeseburger ( didn’t eat the bun ) asked for salad , no fries but fries came anyway . Didn’t have a single one !!
halo is positively shining

thank you for the weekend pitfall reminders @BIWI

Thanks @BIWI for website link & anecdotal experience. Always welcome to learn what works others have found helpful.
I've remembered that I have the Michael Moseley book somewhere so will give that a read. Peri/menopause info is a minefield & I am trying to avoid buying every supplement on the market 😆 if diet can help...

Thanks too @Gingerwarthog for sharing your experience too.

So far:
X2 coffee x1 tea & lots of lemon water.
Exercise class & dog walk. Followed by scrambled eggs & bacon.
Lunch - avocado & prawn cocktail. Cheese coleslaw & 2 pieces of cheese.
Dinner - re plan is roasted chicken thighs with leeks, bacon & cream. Roasted sprouts.

Afternoon all, doing better on the water front today by drinking a lot when I woke up. I also had a herbal tea rather than latte at my regular Friday morning coffee catch up 😇

B: Greek yogurt with cream
L: inside out cheese omelette with mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach. Went well until the folding when it kinda collapsed but was still yummy
D: out for dinner - have looked at the menu and identified a whole lemon sole with butter, samphire and fries as a good option, will ask them to replace the fries with buttered greens.

Thanks for the weekend tips @BIWI . I think I will be tempted to drink tonight, but will stick to a small glass of white if I do. No alcohol for the rest of the weekend.

Happy Friday!

Had a gorgeous lunch today- fried cabbage, mushrooms and Turkey Bacon in olive oil, added cream, Camembert and cheddar cheese, melted it all together then banged it in the oven with more cheese on top for 30 mins.

So cheesy and delicious!

2.5l water down.

Not sure what to have for dinner, maybe something simple as nothing will compare to lunch 🤣

Hi @BIWI
It does seem ridiculous that I would be hesitant to specify how I want my food. I think of those scenes from the movies where someone orders, the chicken salad with x instead of the chicken, y instead of the salad and the dressing on the side - the final order bares no similarity to the item on the menu!
My first caesar salad there had pine nuts in it! So I now ask for it with no croutons and no pinenuts. There is white salad dressing (Caesarish?) but a drizzle of balsimic too - which I think gives the sweetness.
So now, I'll think of you standing at my shoulder with your Big Stick - I'll have the CS with no croutons, no pinenuts & no balsamic. Please.

I just had the lemon, G. yogurt and cream thing. Gosh it was delish. Thanks for whoever posted it.

I hear mention of 'portion control'. Ummm... Is that something to worry about next week?

Don't worry about portion control at this stage - just make sure you're eating enough food to satisfy you. Obviously I don't mean piling your plate high, à la Desperate Dan!

Once your body has transitioned into fat-burning, away from carb-burning, which should be happening now/over the next couple of weeks, you should find that your appetite decreases anyway.

Evening everyone

Today I ate
B: Two boiled eggs with garlic Mayo
L: home made guacamole and cream cheese.
D: sausage, crispy bacon, two fried (in butter) eggs and plum tomatoes. Only ended up eating 1/2 sausage and 1 egg though as I was full up!

Water- on my last glass now. I do keep waking up in the night needing a pee at the moment! Anyone else!!

I’ve just made the celeriac chips , they’re incredible. If DH doesn’t get home soon I’ll eat the lot!!!!!

B. Smoked salmon omelette
L. veg soup and chicken with mayo
D. Turkey steaks, salad with vinaigrette and celeriac fries
snack a boiled egg and some ham

Im going to do meat balls next week.

bit worried as I’m being taken out to lunch tomorrow. It’s a tasting menu so will try hard to avoid the carbs. Reckon this type of place will use loads of fat. Not drinking

Today's happy discovery is that a little dollop of clotted cream mixed roughly with water and steamed with espresso maker is really good in coffee.

Clotted cream, when melted, goes a bit buttery and yellow fat floats to the surface, but steamed it behaved just like milk or cream but nicer (and nearly carb free). It also keeps for ages once opened (current tub was opened last year ) and doesn't go off like cream, so less pressure to use it all up quickly.

Going to try it with cocoa now

@UnfinishedBusiness that cabbage recipe looks lovely. This week's veg box delivered a cabbage the size of my head, so it's definitely on the menu for the weekend.

@Baystard I admit I do like a bulletproof coffee as an occasional treat, or a hot chocolate version made with coconut oil and cream. However, the are pretty calorific, they leave me feeling full for a while and consequently I miss out on eating the other foods (healthy veg, oily fish etc). So I much have it a couple of times a month when I'm feeling in need of a comfort drink.

@prettybird I accidentally bought low-fat creme fraiche recently. It was horrible, grainy with an artificial tang. I threw it out and went right back to the shops for the real stuff!

B - avocado, cheese, ham; creamy coffee
L - green veg soup with butter whisked into it (sort of bulletproof soup )
D - minced lamb with garlic, celery, red pepper and tomato in it. With butter sauted spinach, cabbage and fried mushrooms. Then a coupld of bits of cheese as we have a cheese mountain to eat up.

I made a big batch of the lamb, some is in the freezer and the rest has been made into shepherd pie (with carrot and parnsip mash) ready to take to PILs. Things around them are pretty fraught at the moment, they have been assessed as needing 24hr care and support and we are embarking on a live-in carer (well actually two, who will alternate). Eye-wateringly expensive. They are in their 90s with various illnesses / frailties of old age. It's a downward trajectory which is painful for everyone. They won;t cope well with the change and distruption, but things will settle down and it's not as disruptive as them moving to a care home(s).

@DryWhiteagainW I find that tasing menus are often focussed on the protein and the sauce, with some artful veg accompaniment, and mercifully light on carby staples such as bread, rice, pasta. If there's pasta it's usually one raviolo! Things to watch out for a a spearate bread course (which often comes with some kind of delicious salty whipped butter). I sometimes take the tiniest corner of bread and literally heap butter onto it, just one tiny mouthful so I don't feel I'm missing out. If it's just olive oil and balsamic for dipping I don't mind giving it a complete swerve. The other challenge is the two puddings (dessert and a pre-dessert). I've not got a sweet tooth, and I usually find that I am genuinely quite full, so I miss them out - there's usually a willing taker!

@Baystard cross-posted with you on the hot chocolate

B - coffee and cream
L - tuna and avocado salad plus olive oil
D - cheese cubes, bacon, corned beef, 3 hard boiled eggs
S - another coffee and cream

I haven’t felt like it today so mostly snacky stuff. Had bad news earlier so this will have to do.

Evening all, well done on all the swerving of potential pitfalls!

Today I have had… scrambled eggs (in butter) with lots of spinach for breakfast. At lunch I had a creamy coffee and wasn’t very hungry so picked at cheese, ham, cucumber. At dinner the kids had make your own pizzas, so I got myself some big mushrooms and topped them with a bit of tomato paste, cheese, pepperoni. Yummy! Now feeling in need of a snack though, think I’ll roll a lettuce leaf with some chicken, cream cheese and gherkins (love this, DH has to look away as he says it’s too weird 😂 ) .

I was trapped under a poorly toddler for most of the day, which interrupted water drinking, so topping up now…

How important do people feel it is to vary what you eat? I'm aware that, having started this WOE about a year ago, I have 'go to' meals that I tend to eat most weeks. Since Christmas I've been trying to branch out a bit, but so long as we're eating lots of veg, and enough fat, does it matter?

Also (slightly tongue in cheek) WHAT'S HAPPENING TO AVOCADOS?Every one I've bought recently has been overripe on the outside and as hard as nails round the stone. Inedible.

Today's food:
B: nothing (long term IFer)
L: roasted pepper and cauliflower soup (sounds weird but it was nice), grated cheese, hard boiled egg
S: slice of cheese
D: home made chicken thigh shawarma, coleslaw made with cabbage, red pepper, and leek, with mayo dressing.

Lots of water (but mostly as tea/herbal tea today - it's so cold!)

@Lucienandjean I’m the same at repeating meals. I hope suppose if the repeated meals still cover a variety of ingredients so include different vitamins/minerals it’s fine. I saw an article recently about eating 30 different fruit and veg a week - I can’t even think of 30 different low carb veg.

L - ham salad with mayo
D - a big plate of roast veg, salami and more mayo

Might need a mayo break tomorrow!

I've really enjoyed my 5 days so far. I feel tough enough for this now, I've ditched the tea with milk. I'm on black coffee and herbal teas now that I've found some I like, Spicy Ginger and Turmeric, Star Anise with Orange. I brewed some Hibiscus and drunk it iced in a wine glass. The jury's out on that one.

B: egg mayo
L: Pate, chunky in cubes, and celery
D: white fish fillet baked with butter with olive oil roasted courgette, brocolli and radish.

@earlyraisin
where did u get the star anise tea ?
I need a change from peppermint
thanks

@Mercedesbenz2022 it was reduced in the Coop, I need some spicy tea! It's Twinings superblends, it's got Turmeric and orange in it too. Got to be good.

@earlyraisin thanks ! I will look out for it

I've just managed my belated work Christmas meal out.

I had green olives to start and Thai red curry with cauliflower rice. Avoided the chapatti and the sweet potato it came with so mostly chicken and peppers. Feel it was ok, not overly saucy and didn't feel tempted when surrounded by puddings.

I did have a glass of dry white wine but as a once a year event with my colleagues I'm happy with that. I also started on January 1st so almost ready to move onto bootcamp light.

Can I ask how you make the sauce for Thai curries without using coconut milk?