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 )

@QforCucumber I was looking for dinner inspiration so I just made your chicken and bacon, was lovely thanks.

I’ve put my weight on the spreadsheet. I lost 7lbs last week which I know is mostly water weight. I also don’t think I ate enough. I just wasn’t hungry but I’ve made a conscious effort to have a bit more today.

B - Coffee & Double Cream
L - Fried chicken and chorizo, avocado and salad leaves
D - I’m going to stir fry broccoli, green beans and spinach in butter, fry some beef meatballs and dip it all in a baked Camembert. Never would this be allowed on any other diet 😆
If I’m hungry after that I’ll have a few spoons of Greek yoghurt.

Also, I’m autistic so trying hard not to become obsessed with numbers. And sorry if I ask what appears to be stupid cooking questions about recipes you post. I need more detailed instructions sometimes. 🤦🏽‍♀️

I know it says limit dairy and it is still allowed but I think I've had too much cheese today tbh.

I had a few olives, cucumber, cheese and coleslaw the low ish Carb one from m&s. For late breakfast.

Then I had cauliflower soup for lunch with cream which is gorgeous.

And I've just picked at more cheese as dinner will be late tonight.
I do love cheese though.

I don't eat meat and really didn't fancy eggs today.

@QforCucumber thanks, sounds lovely.

Im another sprout roaster. I don’t par boil first, just Chuck them in the oven with a coating of oil and some salt and pepper.

@CarbyLite fellow autistic here. I couldn't resist just putting today's eating into MFP to see how few carbs it has produced (below 20g) compared to nearly 200g pre Christmas!! I'm not doing it every day, but just wanted to see the numbers to prove to me that it's real 😊

@FinallyHere hope the dance class is fantastic, good luck. I joined silver swans ballet recently (no previous experience) and love it, I was there today.

Shopping done, so the fridge is full of suitable cheese, eggs, various veg and salad, tofu etc ready to try some of these fab recipes.
No sprouts though.

@amigababy I was doing the same last week. I got a perfect macro ratio yesterday but I need to force myself not to, even though it’s uncomfortable just ‘guessing’ as I know I will get far too obsessed over it.

@MaryDoll84 - if you don't like plain water, there are lots of ways to make it more palatable/tasty

• herb teas (eg rooibos/redbush, camomile, Buttermint, peppermint and/or liquorice, lemon & ginger teas)

• fruit teas. Some of us let them steep and drink them cold or put some into sparkling water

• flavour water with cucumber (surprisingly refreshing) or mint or raspberries or slices of orange or strawberries (remembering not to eat the fruit for the first two weeks ) - or chuck them all in and make a water Pimm's Try this with either plain or sparkling water.

• make your own ginger tea by infusing slices of fresh ginger in boiling water. Ditto with fresh mint or lemon (never tried that myself but other Boot Campers have described it and I especially fancy trying the hot ginger )

• Experiment with the temperature of water. Maybe it's water that's too cold that you don't like. In winter I have to pour my glass of water and let it warm to (nowadays still cool ) room temperatures as the water from the tap is too cold (here in Scotland ). Maybe warm water would be preferable - or bottled water (still or sparkling) if you're in a part of the country where you literally don't like the taste of the water.

In winter, I drink a lot of rooibos as I don't like black tea but I can thole rooibos without milk. The rest of the herb teas are easy to drink without milk - Buttermint is a particular favourite.

Or get into a routine and make yourself drink a glass (or two ) of plain water every time you go to the loo. That soon becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy!

@earlyraisin salt is good! You definitely need salt on this WOE - it's to ensure you're getting enough sodium, one of the most important electrolytes (along with potassium and magnesium).

... but I don't think it really matters too much what kind of salt. I cook with table salt but add Maldon salt crystals to my food at the table.

So far spinach & celery soup. Tea, coffee & not enough water by a long shot.

Pork ramen for dinner - no noodles but can I have bean sprouts?

Good first day, definitely need to remember to drink more water. I started a new job today so the distraction actually helped.

B: 2 egg omelette with a bit of boursin, cherry tomatoes and spinach
L: A wee charcuterie with salami, gherkins, olives and cherry tomatoes
D: Roast chicken with buttered cabbage/leeks/kale

I have the buttermint tea from waitrose and it's very nice. Not a big fan of mint tea on its own, but the vanilla flavour is perfect.

Starting here at 66kg and aiming to lose 2kg.
Might not seem like a lot but it's all peri-menopause related and from experience I know if it doesn't come off now it will stay on and increase...
Greek yoghurt for breakfast
Chicken salad for lunch
Chicken, ham and feta salad for dinner

Another chocolate addict here. The only time I struggled today was not having chocolate after lunch or mid afternoon. Looking forward to breaking this habit. I quite like liquorice tea as an alternative which is sweet but not too cloying like some if the fruit ones. Also going to order the buttermint which sounds nice.

Has anyone got a favourite soup recipe? Preferably veggie. The one I usually make is tomato and red pepper but think they're both on the carbier side, I also do a carrot & lentil one so would love some lc ideas.

@FinallyHere I hear you! In the past when I've tried to cut out added sugar but still ate 'healthy' carbs like oats,pulses etc, I've still ended up binging like a madwoman.
Your words have gave me hope.

@prettybird Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately I don't like tea or any hot drinks either. My usual tipple is Pepsi max(yet another bad habit that needs to go). I recently got one of those 3l dispensers that you keep in the fridge and my plan is to grab a glass every time I go into the kitchen.

On the plus side, I love all vegetables, especially sprouts. Will definitely be trying them roasted after the suggestions on here.

My egg contribution is a diced tomato fried gently in a huge lump of butter (1/2" piece) and a pinch of Italian herbs, then add 2-3 beaten eggs over the top as an omelette. Or a small piece of leftover smoked salmon instead of tomato and herbs.

@Nugg tea will count towards your water intake but watch the milk -lactose in milk is a sugar and it's easy to take in alot if you drink loads of tea. I stick to black coffee and tea before noon, then limit myself to one cup with milk.

@katesbushh you might get on OK with the cheese, people respond differently. Some people find it inhibits their weight loss whilst others can get away with it. I eat alot of cheese and provided I steer away from carby accompaniments (looking at you baked figs). I do limit double cream though and generally stick to clotted cream which is even lower carbs and stays fresh in the fridge for much longer.

I'm very envious of your buttermint tea @CapybaraFightClub I've not found any in big Tesco, Asda or Waitrose recently.

@Baystard I adore eggs but your egg contribution really floats my boat. I'm going to try that for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you! Also, I literally have two 1/2pint mugs a day and I have 1 teaspoon of milk in it measured out because that's what I normally have so I'm hoping it won't make a massive difference... giving up half a sweetener per mug has killed me but I can just about stomach it. I don't even have a sweet tooth but tea without half a sweetener is a real struggle. I've given everything else up without a second thought.🤣

Hi all. Finally caught up! 3lb on over Christmas. Not a total disaster. I'm hoping to lose 10lbs this BC which would put me in the healthy BMI - I'm currently slightly overweight.
I started yesterday as I was up early for work this am, and I'd plenty of time to cook yesterday.
B. Eggs, spinach feta. Creamy coffee.
L. Ceaser salad with chicken.
D. Soup, Greek yogurt.

The fridge is full of green veg and butter. And cream.
Best wishes, fellow campers.

Thank you @amigababy

Love the idea of 'silver swans' I'm guessing that's adult ballet

I've got to the burlesque venue v v early and found myself checking my phone incase there was some emergency, any emergence that would mean I have to rush home and can't stay.

Honestly, what could possibly go wrong ? [maybe best to not think too much about it ]

Joining here at 68.5kg, much heavier than I have ever been before. I hadn't weighed myself for months and it was a bit of a shock. Bootcamp has worked brilliantly for me before and i try to stick to relatively low carb outside Bootcamp but December was a disaster with biscuits and chocolates at work every day. I'm not on the spreadsheet yet but I will add myself later.
I find that I have to give up cream in my morning coffee to lose weight, so I'm also trying to stick to black coffee in the morning and allow one cup with double cream in the afternoon.

@Baystard I hope I'm one of those people who get on with it. I adore it.
We shall see
Good tip about the clotted cream... another one of my favourites and I could quite easily eat it on its own. Which I'll try to avoid. Haha

@Stokey I made the curried cauliower one from the recipe thread here. It is lovely. Really nice.
I think it will be my go to for work.

@Baystard looks like amazon has it. Less than £8 for 4 boxes. 😁

@Stokey my current favourite soup recipe is Thai Green Cauliflower Soup. Sauté a sliced small onion and two crushed cloves of garlic in 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add 400g cauliflower cut into approx. one inch size pieces along with 500 ml vegetable stock, 1-2 tsp Thai green curry paste, 60 ml coconut milk or cream, 1 tbsp lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently for 30 minutes then blend until smooth. It's low carb-high fat, but also I find the slight spiciness very satisfying for Bootcamp. When we're on to Bootcamp Light, there's a very good recipe for muffins that pair well with soup but they contain ground almonds so they're not suitable for the first two weeks.

A successful first day.

B: coffee and cream
L: cauliflower and chorizo soup
D: roast chicken leg, broccoli, and shoogled sprouts and leeks with a bit of boursin

On track with the water too.