Jan '23 Low Carb Bootcamp - Week 2 - how did you get on?!

[BIWI]

Evening all! I'm posting the week 2 chat thread this evening, as I know how keen everyone will be to post tomorrow. As I'm retired now, I no longer have to set an alarm to wake up, so I don't want to keep everyone waiting tomorrow morning to post.

I love this week. It's when we see how much people have lost, and it can be a significant amount. It can be a real leap of faith for anyone who hasn't low carbed before, and all those who really don't believe you can eat that much fat and still lose weight!

I'm really hoping that you've all had a good first week, and that your commitment 'to the cause' has been rewarded with a good result - be that on the scales, with your tape measure, or the currently-too-tight clothes that you've been trying on.

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

I hope very much that you've had a good first week, and that you're feeling supermotivated for the rest of Bootcamp.

However - if you haven't lost, or you have even gained, please don't be downhearted. We're all different, and there may be lots of reasons why this is the case for you. It's also really important to note that it's not a competition. We all lose at different rates - plus, anyone who is bigger will lose more/faster than someone who is smaller.

Hopefully there are other benefits to this WOE that will keep you on track - at the very least, I hope that you have been enjoying the food, and that you don't feel deprived, like you would be on a low calorie/fat diet.

@StuntNun
Is this chocolate mousse allowed this week?
After the red wine/ kidney beans and honey/halloumi debacles of last week I cannot afford to put a foot wrong..
If so, thanks, looks great!
Brilliant nom de plume btw. Any clues why?

@Gingerwarthog I'm sorry, but if you don't know the answer to that question, then you clearly haven't read the rules or any of the information I posted in the prep thread OR at the start of the week 1 thread!

Please go to the spreadsheet and read the rules.

Hi @BIWI
I have read all the prep stuff, promise.
I'm asking if the mousse is allowed going into week 3?

Gingerwarthog stomps back into jungle...tail between legs.....tusks down...

Bootcamp Light rules allow some chocolate in moderation.

Tail now quivering....

Thanks, I'll leave it in this time.

That recipe calls for 60% cocoa content dark chocolate, which is actually quite hard to find - and also would be a bit carbier than I'd prefer.

Lindt 70% cocoa content is 34g carbs per 100g (i.e. a whole bar) - that recipe calls for 200g, meaning it would be 68g carbs between 4-6 people, so 11-17g carbs pp.

The 85% cocoa content is 22g carbs per 100g, therefore for this recipe would be 7-11g carbs pp.

If you could manage with the 90% cocoa content, then the carbs drop even further. The carbs for 100g here are 14g, so for the recipe 28g. This means it would be 5-7g pp.

It's a good test as to how well adapted you are to low carbing if you prefer the darker chocolate.

My worry about rushing into recipes like this too soon is that you'll want the sweetness of a higher carb option.

Remember, Bootcamp isn't just about cutting our carbs/looking for weight loss, it's also about breaking the hold that sweet things have over us

Ah, good stock chat. I took the fat off some I had last week, as it has cooled and solidified by the time I got to sorting it and I figured it would freeze best that way.

I wonder if I could keep chocolate in the freezer to help me with the “moderation” part of BC Light!

Writing my meal plan for the week. Celeriac dauphinois to feature, love it. Just scouring the web for a good vegetable soup recipe and I’ll make the almond flour scones to go with it. Might try making egg bites (recreating the Starbucks ones) too.

I've made the Starbucks egg bites before @TheMagicSword in my instant pot. I've never tried the real thing TBF but they were very good. I can't recall what recipe I used but there are loads online. Definitely recommend.

Feeling a bit meh today and still in bed dicking round on my iPad despite being awake for hours. Food plan is a bit loosey goosey too, but we have a pork joint with potentially very good crackling which I'll do for tea. Need to drink more water, was rubbish yesterday.

New to the thread. Does anyone know what the highest fat, lowest carb natural yoghurt is?

Ooh, thank you for the mousse recipe StuntNun, screenshotted and saved. It was 80% chocolate, now I need to add more to the shopping list to make mousse. I think I can resist cravings today by reminding myself about the weigh In tomorrow! I was planning on staying on strict bootcamp for 2 more weeks because I have felt so good on it, but may have to do a few days on lite and then go back to it.

Good grief the celeriac hit last night ……I made wedges with it for dinner, so delicious but it was carnage later
Im in bed eating my FFGY which really does taste so much better.
pub lunch later which should be ok.
frosty walk in the countryside soon which I’m looking forward to.

Just wondered what are your minimum / max heating temps?

Ooo sounds lovely - we too are going to wrap up for a short walk today, that’s all we get the kids to do it’s so cold out!

were in a brand new build @DryWhiteagainW which really holds the heat, usually house only drops to around 14/15 overnight. Heating comes on to 17.5 on a morning, and sometimes we boost to 19/20 through the day if we feel a chill.

it heats quickly and seems to hold it well so we are lucky in that sense (I also feel like my Nan but made dh put a thermal door curtain up at the front door this year and it’s made a huge difference to the landing/stairs)

ordered a takeaway last night - had lamb and chicken kebab, only the meat with garlic mayo and salad and really didn’t feel like I was missing out at all!
possibly won’t be at home in the morning to weigh in so have done today and I’m another 2.5lbs off - that’s 5.5 in 2 weeks which I’m over the moon with. Happy scale thinks target will be around mid April so perfect for summer.

roast chicken for lunch today and leftover chicken leg with whole grain mustard mayo tonight if peckish. I’m the only one who eats the dark meat and the skin so all that goodness is all mine!

Wow well done Q that’s a great loss.
I weighed this morning and I’ve lost a little bit so hoping it doesn’t fluctuate tomorrow.
Have checked pub menu and will ask if they can substitute extra veg for spuds.Cauliflower cheese is with all roasts and I’m guessing the cheese sauce is made with flour, will that amount of flour be an issue? I know strictly speaking it’s not allowed.

Thanks @Baystard, it wasn't easy but something has obviously shifted in my brain as before I'd just have dived face first into the bowl of crisps! I hope you are feeling better today? It's maybe just your digestive system changing and adapting, it doesn't take much to upset the gut, it's a very sensitive organ.
Another NSV for me though, we went to the pub yesterday for a cheeky pint and I am so pleased to report I only had soda with fresh lime, was more than happy with that and enjoyed it too!

Thanks for all the further information/comments on the LC bread. I think I’m going to change tack and get the rolls in instead so that I can have a bacon roll once in a great while. Thanks for the recipe, @StuntNun might give that a go sometime.

@DontGetEvenGetEverything I made chicken stock last night. Looking forward to having some warming mugs of soup these next few days. It’s freezing here. ❄️❄️❄️

@DryWhiteagainW We live in a Victorian end terrace and it gets pretty cold at night. Kitchen gets down to 8 on a cold night and living room is 11 now, when heating’s been on for over an hour. However I did leave the door to the hallway open which hasn’t helped. I think it’s usually about 12 in the morning during a cold snap, and up to 14 within an hour or so, then settles at around 16. I wear cashmere/wool capes or jumpers to keep warm, and there’s a lovely big fleece blanket on the sofa for extra cosiness when I’m relaxing in there.

We’re usually at somewhere around 16 but we’ll turn it up if we’re feeling particularly cold/unwell. The bathroom is nicely heated, anywhere between 19-21, the dining room and our bedroom stay quite comfortable too, probably somewhere around 17-18. It’s an expensive house to heat as it’s not yet been insulated. We’re going to do that and also planning a multi-fuel stove in the living room.

It's so warm here that the fat hasn't separated from the rest of the stock anyway!!

Last time I made the chocolate mousse recipe I used 75% chocolate and it was sweet enough for my taste buds. If you serve it with cream then that adds it's own sweetness.

On the stock/bone broth front, I let it cool and skim off the fat for cooking. If it's got bits in it then you can mix the fat with double the volume of hot water then let it cool again to get a purer fat that will keep longer in the fridge. Even chicken fat (which is called schmaltz apparently) can be use for cooking.

I’ve previously made 100% chocolate by mixing cocoa butter (2tbsp) and cacao (1 tbsp) and find it less bitter then shop bought 100% stuff. I let it set very thin on a baking tray. The whole lot is 3.1g of carbs although I’m not sure what the total weight is.

@BIWI I was the one who mentioned keto rash. It’s improving so hopefully it was just something else or was temporary.

Was a bad day of food for me yesterday due to sever period pain making me sick if I ate. I had some seaweed thins and some 100% chocolate. Hoping for a better day today eyeing up DHs biscuits.

Just back from the gym and had a (yet another!) frustrating conversation with my trainer, who is a committed low calorie dieter. He knows all about me and carbs as we've been training together for over 10 years, but I just can't persuade him.

Anyway, I was talking about changes in obesity levels in the UK since the 70s, and the reasons for it - a key one being the recommendation made to us in the early 1980s that we should adopt a low fat diet, which should therefore be high in carbohydrates.

I came across this graphic which shows how obesity levels around the world have increased since 1975. (Scroll down until you see the heading 'Mean BMI in Adult Women' and then click the arrow on the graphic - there's one below showing the same data for men)

And then I found this article which helps to explain why we have seen this phenomenon.

Much of this will be old news to many of us - but for those new to low carbing it could be helpful.

Ah @Passtheturkey sorry I mistook you for someone else - but also glad to hear that it's improved. Sorry about the period pains though . It has to be said, menopause definitely has its benefits!

I leave the fat in stock because it adds taste and I like a much fat as possible in casseroles and stews - I've never had a problem with it not surviving the freezer successfully. I also scrape up fatty meaty bits from the bottom of the roasting tin and freeze, I add it to stews and casseroles to make them as tasty as possible and because even small amounts of waste make me unreasonably bothered.

Must drink more water today, hopefully it'll reduce how bloated I feel. I have a sore throat and a bit of a cough so I don't think the bloating is diet related but I'm sure more water wouldn't do any harm.

@Baystard I’m exactly the same. I won’t throw out even the smallest scrap of food. Leftovers are used. All lettuces/veg/whatever that end up past their best (doesn’t happen often as I tend to keep on top of using) go into a minestrone-style soup. I’ve also frozen my fatty stock without any problems.

Well, that was a windy night. Might give celeriac a miss in future. I had the fries but I think I prefer roasted swede chunks. Lazy day today as cycling was binned due to freezing fog and ice. Had a couple of streaky bacon rashers for breakfast, finishing off the veg soup for lunch with cheese on the side and dinner will be beef stew with plenty of veg. Tried the kale crisps yesterday. Those I did like. Can't believe I've gone nearly 2 weeks without any pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, cake, biscuits, cereal and not really missed it (except bread, I love bread). I absolutely love not being permanently peckish.