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

My 4.5lb total loss was absolutely mitigated today by a colleague walking in the room and saying ‘bloody hell you look trim; you can really tell you’ve toned up’ when in fact I’ve just been on bc - I must have been rather bloated previously 😂

@mimosa1 so I had a go at making that curry this evening - see photo!

I used their list of ingredients as an inspiration, but obviously had to guess at quantities.

Ingredients:

1 packet of paneer (Apetina, 225g)
2 teaspoons of ground turmeric
1/2 tablespoon chilli flakes
3 medium aubergines, cut into chunky dice
one onion, chopped
Large piece of fresh ginger (probably about 2.5cm), peeled and finely chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamom (the recipe called for black cardamom but I didn't have any)
1 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cumin and ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (the recipe called for curry leaves but I didn't have any)
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 block of creamed coconut (Blue Dragon, 200g), broken into pieces
1 tin full fat coconut milk
200g bag of baby spinach leaves
30g bag of fresh coriander
juice of half a lime

This is what I did:

First

Chopped the paneer into chunks, added the turmeric and chilli, then a generous drizzle of olive oil and seasoned with ground black pepper, and stirred it all together

Second:

I fried the aubergine and onion initially in some coconut oil, but realised that in a crowded frying pan they weren't going to brown enough, so I tipped them into a baking tray and roasted till nice and brown; season with salt and pepper

Third:

Added the garlic and ginger to a frying pan with some coconut oil and sautéed gently, and then added the spices

Cooked that gently for a while, and then added the tomato purée, then added the creamed coconut and coconut milk, and cooked this till the creamed coconut melted; let it simmer away while I did the last bit

Fourth:

In another frying pan I fried the paneer until it was browned, then tipped the roasted aubergine/onion into a casserole dish and added the paneer and the coconut sauce

Fifth:

In the same pan I'd fried the paneer, I tipped the spinach leaves, stirred them around to pick up the residue of the oil/turmeric/chilli, and then added this to the casserole dish, along with the coriander. Then I added the juice of half a lime.

Into the oven and cooked for around 30 minutes. (Not sure it really needed that long, given that all the individual elements were cooked when I put them into the dish, but we weren't ready to eat at that point!)

Smorgs perhaps you are impatient like me. BIWI is right that you’ve lost loads since BC started. I’m like you, have been very strict with initial loss then it slowed down. I’ve been reminding myself that BIWI said wk 3/4 can stagnate and, if we’ve been strict, it’s going to continue shifting….it has to. It’s a long game I think, which is most probably better long term.

I love the rude fat….made me laugh!

im obsessed with celeriac. Honestly can’t get enough if the stuff. Mash again tonight.

Im feeling rough. Bad throat yesterday has now turned into a chesty cough (which with the amount of water we are all drinking can be very stressful at my age !!!!!)…have a horrid headache and feel worn out. Cancelled the gym. Don’t dare do a Covid test, but keep thinking of BITW….might have to.

Another one sniggering at fuck fat. I love a good typo. Mmm that curry looks delicious. Let us know if it was a success!
I finally got back into lifting some weights yesterday and today(alternate upper and lower) and it was tough!!! I expected to have lost some strength as I haven't worked out since September, but I had very little energy and I wasn't pushing myself too hard. I think I might add some berries to my pre workout yogurt and chia seeds for some extra carbs, and up the water to see if that helps.
I'm definitely gonna keep going with it coz I love the mental boost that exercise gives me (even though I hate it at that time!).

BTW it was easily enough to serve 4 people (especially if some of them are having it with rice.

DH and I had it with a dollop of yoghurt on top, and a wedge of lime

@BIWI that's brilliant. Did you enjoy it??

Yes it was really tasty! I think the trick is probably not to overcook it, as the aubergine starts to disintegrate, but I really enjoyed it.

Today’s food:

Lunch: Slices of cold pork belly with extra salt; Japanese broth with mushrooms, carrot, red pepper, cabbage and spring onion.

Dinner: I took inspiration from @Rayna37’s roast cauliflower and greens recipe above: roasted cauliflower, shallot, red pepper and pickled chilli in olive oil and plenty of ras el hanout. Steamed a few Swiss chard leaves with a sliced garlic clove. Combined all the veg and dolloped some yoghurt, tahini and lemon sauce to which I’d added some oil from the roasting tin.

We're having chicken fajitas, with sour cream and guacamole this evening. DH/DS1 will have theirs with wraps, I'll have mine with lettuce leaves as a wrap (bought some Little Gem lettuce for the purpose). I printed off the recipe that @AllTheBlackCoffee linked to, and will make a version of that Tex-Mex spice mix to marinate the chicken in.

I'm just hoping that the avocados will be ripe enough/not too ripe. I'm hopeless at determining the right level of ripeness when I buy them.

I had fajitas a few days ago and was surprised how much I liked them wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Today we will be having chicken in a boursin/cream/mushroom sauce with cauli rice and whatever veg is lurking at the bottom of the fridge.

I know what you mean about avocados @BIWI - I had to throw a particularly nice looking one away yesterday as I'd left it too long and it was brown inside but it was still hard

Gentle squidge with some resistance is perfect ripeness. But it’s hard to get a nice a one unless you pay handsomely for it - I do our basics/staples shop at ALDI/LIDL and I’m quite happy to pick up pretty much anything we need there, but I won’t buy their avocados anymore as most of the time they’re really not nice, and/or they never ripen and just go straight to rotten. Not worth the money on the off chance that you might one time get a half decent one.

@BrendaLee yes it’s amazing how well it works isn’t it - I really don’t miss the wrap, and you actually taste the flavours more because they’re not being dulled by the bread. I fancy fajitas now! Another week ‘til we do the monthly shop and I pick up some of the things I need to make us some of the lovely meal suggestions/inspiration on this and last week’s thread.

Sometimes I really wish I wasn’t boycotting M&S. I’d like to go for a walk round the food court and pick up one or two treats (plus there’s an EB tin bulb pot I’m after!), but I reason that it should hurt a little.

I don't think it's you @BIWI, I think avocados are just very fickle! I love them but often feel I'm just setting myself up for disappointment if they don't meet my expectations.

@Rayna37 I've bought some halloumi and was debating what to do with it and you've inspired me to try it with harissa sprouts.

Tried on several pairs of Levis today, variations in sizes including some 'goal' pairs. All can be zipped up with only modest muffin top, even at worst, but my tolerance for too-tight trousers is very low these days and I value comfort now. The real goal pair are the low rise style that I picked up in a charity shop but aren't very forgiving of an over 40/post-C-section tummy but I'll not throw them away just yet, I'd like to see whether they improve with a few more pounds.

@Baystard tbh I learnt a couple of years ago that I’m much, much happier with my silhouette if I just wear some shape underwear - not the heavy-duty kind, but something that just tucks things in a little so that trousers, in particular, sit nicely and look better around the waist/tummy. I bought a few one-pieces and they work really well which means I don’t have to get rid of things I like. Might not be for everyone, but works well for me!

Here’s my new book which I’m really looking forward to delving into! The colours are just so inviting, and hopefully there will be some recipes that can be easily adapted to be BC friendly.

I'm winning at life with perfect avocados two days running which I bought reduced to 44p for both in the village shop!

Oh that is a big win at life!!

I often make omelette with avocado so actually it doesn't matter if it's a bit too ripe. Realising you could cook it was a revelation sadly the avocado and strong cheddar with lots of black pepper toasted sandwich is off the menu

I bought my avocados at Aldi ...

I’ve been lucky at times with ALDI avocados @BIWI so it’s perfectly possible that they’ll be fine - I’d say I find them to be good about 25% of the time. I just didn’t want to keep buying them and being disappointed so often! Fingers crossed for you!

I've never had much success using lettuce wraps and always end up wearing more of my fajita filling than I end up eating! So now I just do a salad with all the fixings dumped on top. That way I can be sure I get every last bit of sour cream and guac - yummm!!

Funny week here with more redundancies announced at work. I'm thankfully not as affected as some but have to move teams as my manager will be going and some other changes to my role. I'm feeling a bit all over the place as a result and food hasn't been great. It has all been LC though but there has been wine in the week which I'd managed to stop since NY and I really need to get a handle on again. And too much dairy replacing meals, not enough veg and skipping meals all together which I know isn't great for my thyroid.

Anyway, today I am trying to get back to some level of normality - scrambled eggs for breakfast, shakshuka for lunch and chicken in Boursin sauce with green veggies in butter for tea.

Yay!

Phew!

A good avocado is a beautiful thing.

Absolutely inspired thanks @BIWI and making fajitas tonight too, the kids like them with homemade chicken nuggets (chopped chicken, coated in yogurt, then tossed in a breadcrumb/parmesan mix - so much easier than the egg/flour faff) and they're so easy, will pop home on my lunch and grab some chicken out of the freezer. One of the joys of only working a 5 min drive form home.

@TangledWebOfDeception good idea about the shape wear making things a bit less lumpy/offsetting the effects of gravity a little. I have plenty of it but realise I stopped wearing it during lockdown and got too used to stretchy comfy pants - will dig them out.

Oh @BIWI what a huge success, I'm very envious in fact I'm going to go out at lunchtime and buy an avacado I hope they taste as good as they look.

Yes I know I'm being slightly ridiculous. I've got form for this kind of thinking. I embark on projects thinking: 'this will be amazing/life changing' and then after the initial effort, for which I often put in 100%, I then lose sight of the overall goal or get too impatient, let things slip and end up back at square 1. I'm talking diets/ways of eating but also other things in life.
I suppose I'm just trying to remind myself that the weight will not all come off in 6 weeks but progress is progress and if I KOKO I'll get there in the end.