Jan '23 Low Carb Bootcamp - welcome to week 5

[BIWI]

Evening/morning (depending on when you read this!)

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

So now we're in the second half of Bootcamp. Hopefully we've successfully navigated the doldrums of weeks 3 & 4, and the scales should be a bit kinder to us all. But bear in mind that weekly losses are now going to be smaller than in the first couple of weeks. This is entirely normal.

By now everyone should be feeling more confident about low carbing/Bootcamp, and how this can become a longer term WOE. Of all the diets I have ever done (and I'm guessing that like many of you, there have been plenty along the way), this is the only one that has ever felt like it can become a genuine WOL - way of life - as well as WOE.

The thing that always marks these threads out to me, compared with any of the threads about weight loss that you might read on Mumsnet, is just how much they're about good, tasty food. Not deprivation or compromise. And I think that's why it's easier to stick to.

So in the spirit of foodiness, it seems appropriate to issue a Bootcamp food challenge! Like many, I'm very much aware of the cost of food right now - try as I might, the cost of my weekly shop seems to go up and up. I wish I could say it was because of all the fillet steak and lobster I'm buying, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

One of the things I've been trying to do, to keep the weekly bills down, is to add in at least one more vegetarian meal per week. So my challenge to you all is to post a recipe for a killer vegetarian meal - obviously one that also fits with Bootcamp - that is perfectly suited to weekday, family eating.

Look forward to reading all the suggestions

I'm feeling horribly period bloated, just riding it out.

Did pretty well resisting (what I think were PMT related) carb cravings last week except for going through the dark choc too fast. I think, like others have said, it's not something I can keep in my pantry.

I love this recipe share, @BIWI. I've been thinking, exactly like you, I'll need to adjust the family menu a bit to counter rising food costs. I plan on putting bone broth in vege stews, with lupini beans (non-BC meals, going forward).

My BC vegetarian meals have all been mentioned. I'm really enjoying shakshuksha. So funny that I never made it before seeing it on other people's dinner menus because it was firmly wedged in the "breakfast" category in my mind and I'm not up early enough to cook something like that for breakkie. Like others, what I call bubble and squeak is a bit of a favourite go-to to empty out the vege drawer. Half a dozen eggs, any dairy - crumble or grate the cheese, beat in milks, cream or cream cheese with eggs, sautee all the veges first so they're tasty juicy, then put them in bottom of baking dish, pour over egg mixture, sprinkle a bit of cheese on top, put in a mild oven for half an hour. I did it once with a layer of char-grilled eggplant, which was really nice.

I did make a vegan BC dessert last week, fresh avocado with ganache made with coconut cream (Ayam, 29% fat). I think it is quite possibly the most delicious dessert I have ever had.

Does anyone have a good spice mix recipes for chicken fajitas please, before I go scouring the Interwebs? My DCs have requested fajitas. I'm going to serve mine on a bed of shredded lettuce and top with sour cream.

@StuntNun I use this one off the diet doctor website www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/tex-mex-seasoning

I have had a gain this week but have been totally off plan, I feel so unwell I can't bring myself to prepare food.
I'm going to try and take the dogs out for a little walk this morning to get a bit of fresh air.
Watching with interest at the veggie recipes as I could do with cutting down the food shop slightly.

Hello all,

Back from my work trip and it was pretty horrendous food wise - but I'm back on the saddle. I ended up weighing in today at 79.9 and have seen lower during the week so I will drink all the water and hope for better. I'm still hoping for being under 78kg, which should be eminently doable by the end of BC, ideally with a couple of kg to spare!

I'm loving all the BC friendly veggie recipes - I'll be adding lemongrass, feta, haloumi and aubergine to my shopping list. For those of you new to shakshuka like me, I've discovered that covering the pan is essential for the eggs to actually cook. Ken Sunday, I made it for myself and hungry DC and it took absolutely ages and ages until I twigged what the problem was...

This is not my recipe per say, but I a link to Cook's aubergine and paneer curry, which I'm completely in love with. It's £4.25 a portion so not cheap, but cheaper than a takeaway, and honestly, it's glorious. I don't work for Cook or anything! I'm going to see if I can recreate at home more cheaply. Looking at the ingredient list, it should be doable.

www.cookfood.net/products/Aubergine-spinach-Paneer-Curry/

Oops this is the right link

www.cookfood.net/products/Aubergine-spinach-Paneer-Curry/

I did make a vegan BC dessert last week, fresh avocado with ganache made with coconut cream (Ayam, 29% fat). I think it is quite possibly the most delicious dessert I have ever had.

@DontGetEvenGetEverything this sounds interesting! Please could you share the recipe?

@DontGetEvenGetEverything also hope you feel better soon! The things we women have to go through eh. Well done on swerving the cravings. A bit of dark choc isn't the end of the world.

@freshstart49 Glad you had a great loss this week, well done and welcome to the chat! The food is delicious isn't it!

@ditavonteesed Sorry you're unwell Can you get your hands on some bone broth or chicken broth? Easy to prepare, just add some eggs/chicken/veg/plenty of garlic and a good glug of oil, comforting and will give you plenty of nutrients. Hope you'll be on the mend soon!

@mimosa1 Thank you for the link, I'll give that a go sometime too. We never eat paneer unless we go out, really - DH lived in India for years as a child so he loves anything curried/foods from that part of the world but they never had paneer (maybe they didn't use it in that region?) so we're not in the habit. However I would like to cook with it, as pp said long-life cooking cheeses are great to have in the fridge for veggie meals.

I make up a jar of fajita spice using 1tsp each chilli powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder and some salt and pepper.

That curry sounds delicious @mimosa1 - looking at the ingredients list (on their website) it also includes cornflour. Although it's already reasonably low in carbs, at 12g per portion, I reckon you could get that down a bit more by leaving out the cornflour, and by using shallots instead of red onion. If the sauce is a bit watery, just cook it for a bit longer, to reduce it.

In terms of making it, it sounds reasonably straightforward. Again, from their website:

How We Make It At Our Kitchen
For the sauce, we add a gentle spice mix to a base of garlic, ginger and curry leaves, then in goes coconut milk, creamed coconut, spinach and coriander.
The paneer is marinated in turmeric and chilli flakes and fried until golden brown.
We roast the aubergines and red onion wedges

I have to go shopping today, so I think I'm going to buy the ingredients and have a go at this!

Possibly a minority taste, but for me celeriac cut into 'chips', brushed with melted fuck fat and air fried (or baked/roasted) sprinkled with salt and thyme and served with a pot of Mayo with added hot smoked paprika is a real treat meal.

I'm sure it's originally a Sainbos recipe, as a chicken thigh tray bake.

The base was celeriac and shallot, possibly other veg, with finely diced chorizo and the chicken thighs were placed on top sprinkled with more paprika, salt and thyme. A few large spoonsful of the hot smoked paprika flavour Mayo were stirred into the juices just before serving.

I much prefer my version. Often cook enough for two smaller meals and heat the celeriac in the microwave on the second day. Use mix FFGY and Mayo just depending on which I have more of at the time.

I was due to weight this morning but gave up getting to work (where I use the gym scales) due to traffic issues. Tomorrow will be my weight in.

So glad that these weigh ins don't require and changes to my woe, as they did in my sad days with weight watchers. Have a good day everyone

Sniggering at @FinallyHere - the rest of it sounds scrumptious but I don't think I'll be adding THAT kind of fat!!

I'm laughing because I use the f word quite often on here, it being Mumsnet and all, and every time, without fail, it tries to change it to 'duck'.

Ooops, a bit too much of what I'm really focussed on inside my head @TangledWebOfDeception leaking out through my fingers.

It gave me a laugh which was much appreciated!

I'll definitely try that - I've never actually done 'official' celeriac chips - usually just roast or mash it, so it'll be a great treat. Although I might not go veggie with it as I love chorizo and that sounds like a fab combo.

Haha at fuck fat haha.

I'm not keen on Celeriac chips and I loved chips when I was all about the carbs.
I do really enjoy it mashed though.

Cheese, olives and some nuts just now.
Not thought about dinner but I'm thinking of cauliflower rice kedgeree maybe.

I had celeriac chips last night! I roasted them with lots of olive oil, and some onion slices. I've learned that a lower temperature for a longer roasting time works better - cooks them through, and then I turn the oven up for the last 10 minutes or so to aid the browning.

DH was out, and I remembered that I had one fillet steak left over from Christmas, in the freezer, so that was my very enjoyable, solus dinner.

Just realised I haven't had my daily vit D tab since beginning of BC because I stash it next to my muesli in the cereal cupboard so I'd remember to take it every day 😬. Now moved next to the olive oil..

Yes loving the recipes and the chat it's inspiring.

I still can't keep up even though the threads have slowed right down... and stuck on the week 3/4 plateau, not helped by quite a lot of wine at the weekend

Really need to cut down on cheese snacking I think, as well as wine, but managing not to drunkenly fall of the liw carb wagon into a bowl of crisps which is AMAZING.

Think I can see/feel a bit more difference than the scales would have me believe so keeping on it!

fuck fats 😂@finallyhere the mind boggles. I have only recently discovered celeriac chips and am a total convert, they are delicious.
We love shakshuka in our house too, well I say we but I mean DH and I - my two fussy eaters would eat beige freezer food every night of the week if they could.

Just under a 1lb loss this week. I'm trying to be patient but I admit I get anxious at this stage that all the effort isn't going to be worth it. I haven't cheated at all. Am still mainly on strict bootcamp and am only having a G&ST once a week, plus a handful of macademia nuts if I'm doing some sport. I still find I don't have nearly as much energy for my weekly bootcamp/HIIT class and my longer weekend dog walks are at a much slower pace. Anyway, a loss is a loss and it took a long time to go on so it will take a while to come off. I'm very cross with myself for letting lbs creep on so much. Ho hum KOKO.

A fully vegetarian day, I think!

B: an avocado and two cheese omelette
L: last nights spicy roast cauli leftovers, then yogurt with a sprinkle of low carb granola and a tsp of almond butter
D: roasted harissa sprouts, broccoli and halloumi (recipe is on the vegetarian thread). Delicious! Added a couple of shallots.

No loss for the last two weeks but I'm putting that down to it being day 14 of my period 🙄 hopefully the end is in sight and I might shift a few pounds.

Hang on a minute @Smorgs! You have lost 10lbs since we started on 9 January!

And you're still losing - you have lost every single week.

What on earth is the problem with that?

If you've been reading all the threads, you'll know that it's very common to see little or no weight loss in weeks 3 & 4.