Summer '23 Low Carb Bootcamp - week 8 - our final week

[BIWI]

Morning all.

Here's a link to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

(fingers crossed that I've posted the right link - no doubt @FinallyHere will correct if I haven't!)

Just one more week to go. Hopefully we're going to get some sunshine this week - Wednesday looks particularly promising - which makes salad meals much more tempting.

It may only be a week, but still time enough to shed another pesky pound or two!

Good luck

Ah! Posted soon, I was wondering if there is any other alternatives that I am not aware of, food wise Other than Konjac noodles.
As all
my previous attempts with LC, after 2-3 weeks of mostly dry (meat) food, my gum goes really sensitive and that’s when I decide to stop! I can’t stop now, I am determined to continue, but need meal ides to keep going.
for the first time ever I cooked a courgette and it tastes nice! Added that to shrimp/green pepper with noodles!
anything I air fry or roast go really hard- I need to learn when it is still cooked but juicy! Please help, sensitive gums are not an easy thing to deal with

What kind of meals are you cooking @Newlease? I'm not sure why everything should be dry, given that you could make lovely sauces.

@BIWI I try to cook various meals, but end up leaving on the stove for longer than needed, I guess, mainly when I cook Indian/ roast/ grill
could you please suggest a sauce for beef mince? And for a chicken bake. The last one so did ended up too salty ( bacon) and cheesy

If I'm making the base for a shepherd's pie, using beef mince, this is what I do:

• gently fry onions or shallots in olive oil, till soft, in a medium-sized saucepan, seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper (depending on how strict I'm being with the carbs, I may also add some sliced/diced carrot too). If you like, you can add some dried herbs too - my herb of choice would be oregano.

• when they're soft, add the mince. Turn up the heat a little, and fry until the mince is all broken up and is no longer pink. At this stage, I add an Oxo cube.

• Then I'll add water to cover the meat/veg, and turn the heat down to simmer for at least 30 minutes, with a lid on the pan. This ensures that the liquid doesn't boil away.

• After this time, I take the lid off and taste - I usually add a little Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce at this stage, sometimes a little soy sauce (when I say a little, I mean probably a tablespoon max). Then let it continue to simmer, till it reduces to the amount of liquid you want.

If I'm making a Bolognese sauce, using beef mince, this is what I do:

• gently fry onions or shallots and chopped garlic in olive oil, till soft, in a medium-sized saucepan, seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add some dried herbs too - my herb of choice would be oregano but mixed herbs or Mediterranean herbs would also work well.

• when they're soft, add the mince. Turn up the heat a little, and fry until the mince is all broken up and is no longer pink. At this stage, I add an Oxo cube.

• At this point I'll add some chopped or sliced mushrooms, and fry those with the mince, then I'll add a tin of tomatoes. I fill half the empty tin with water and add this to the mixture. If you like it more tomatoe-y, add a tablespoon of tomato purée. A glass of red wine may sometimes find its way in at this point!

• Again, lid on the pan and cook gently for at least 30 minutes. After this, take the lid off and continue to cook until it has the amount of sauce that you want.

@TheOnlyMrsW Oh such a magical sight - did you do a little jig?

@newlease do you have a slow cooker? I stuck a half duck in mine - there was nothing dry about that, it was meltingly tender! I also make sausage casserole in the slow cooker, again very soft and tender.

Bit of a mixed day today - too much to do!
B - coffee with cream
L - cold chicken salad
D - fish pie with buttery cabbage and fennel and kale

Hey everyone,

Do people find weight is off with period? Got mine today, delighted as should be gone for holiday. But weight was up.

B-scrambled egg salmon avo
L chicken salad
D pork chop plus this veg medley that I've been doing and it's unreal.

Tenderstem broc, courgette and asparagus onion garlic chorizo fried off then stock and cream, oh and feta

@BIWI Thanks so much for taking time to write these. I will try those and let you know!
@venusandmars , I need to dig this up, I haven’t seen it since we moved house last year and completely forgot about it. Would be very useful when it gets cold as well.
I am going to look into the recipe threads, need more ideas

Very sorry to hear about prettybirds’s dad.

I had a loss of 2lb this week, finally getting me to the 145lb mark.

I have got into some bad habits like eating smaller meals and then snacking on cheese and nuts in between but managed to curb that last week by eating 3 proper meals, hence the 2lb loss.

So only a 4lb loss so far this bootcamp but this was hampered by some meals out.

I’m still pleased overall as after those meals out, I was able to get right back into low carbing the next day, where as previously the meals would have triggered a carb binge for days or weeks.

I've finally caught up, goodness it's been a busy place! So much lovely real food being discussed. I had a lovely holiday @BIWI nice having some good weather and not having to cook much!

Frightened to weigh yet as much jeans feel a bit tighter but I'm back on the wagon and all is well.

Haven't made them yet but I'm determined to try the almond muffin recipe, I've never tried them even after many years of BC, thanks @BIWI and @venusandmars for the inspiration.

I returned from my AI holiday earlier today.

I ate loads of delicious fish, langoustines, pork, steak and FLGV and fruit. oh and cheese.

I had omelettes when I chose to eat breakfast otherwise just coffee and a nectarine.
I didn't go crazy with the alcohol. I did towards the end eat more and more ice cream because they had a delicious hazelnut flavour in at times and I couldn't resist a bowl of that after dinner after a hot day.

I swam loads and walked a fair bit as well as bobbing around the sea or pool on my lilo.

It was easy to make good delicious choices and I shall miss it. My portions were on the large side though in the evenings but I didn't usually eat much during the day.

I've resolved to cook more fish at home, thin fillets seared in a hot pan.

I didn't give a monkeys about my weight or size during the day in my swimsuit but sometimes wished I was slimmer when dressing for dinner.

So I'll carry on with this WoE and definitely stay in the thread and cut my portion sizes.

I say sometimes. I mean every night I wished I was just a size 12-14 that would do me

DD is a size 4 and my height so after looking at her getting changed then seeing my reflection straight after is a bit of a sort of shock I guess as I adjust to the size difference.

@HappiDaze that sounds like a very perfect holiday. And even better that it has inspired you to come home and eat fish - as they cooked it. Hopefully that helps preserve your feelings of holiday wellbeing for even longer.

I returned from my long holiday in May/June (don't know if that's a spring holiday or a summer one) convinced that I'd spend the rest of the summer is shorts and pretty dresses, maintaining my light golden tan. Nope! I think we've had about 2 hours of sunshine in the last 6 weeks. And without the sunshine my itchy irritating rosacea has returned. Anyone got any tips?

@HappiDaze never compare your body with that of your dds! If your tummy is rounder and softer it's because you grew her in there. Well, that's what I tell myself when I look at my two tiny slender dc

Food today was a bit haphazard, dc was staying overnight so we had breakfast together, then I had 'snack' food for lunch. Fish and veg for tea and some freshly cooked langoustines for 'supper' (not a meal I normall have since I'm usually doing I/F). We forgot to have them before our dinner, so had them just now, with lemon mayonnaise. Delicious fresh seafood and a glass of chilled white... mmm!

If I'm going to attempt 16/8 tomorrow, or anything close to it, then my first meal would be 1pm Then I have to go to a meeting at 7pm so will have another meal at 6pm. Tough, but might be a good discipline to get me back on track and an opportunity to have lots of water during the morning.

@venusandmars I did do a little dance, and made DH photo the scales in case they were different when I moved 🤣🤣🤣
@bowiesmum I always find that periods affect my weight, it's due to water retention iirc but disappears straight away

In sort of good news, I'm now under 12st at 11st 13.5lb, after having blipped up to over 12st 5lb in the 2nd half of July (I think a bit of self-sabotage as well as not feeling well).

It's not for a good reason, but I'm trying to see the silver lining.

Funeral is next Thursday. My dad had a life well lived and I need to remember that.

So I've just cooked a couple of white fish fillets which I had salted a bit to make them firmer. They broke up into small bits but still tasted great. I had them over a bowl of sliced tomatoes, sliced mozzarella with pesto, topped with an avocado and rocket leaves with a drizzle of balsamic and olive oil. Very satisfying, clean and delicious.

I clearly have no idea how to fry fish. I used a cast iron frying pan, well used with good patina. I only used a tablespoon worth of oil.

Any suggestions how to cook a fish fillet so it gets that sort of golden brown finish.

I'll try my non stick pan next time

A little success this evening - diced cauliflower fried with chopped chorizo. Really delicious, a bit of bite from cauliflower, crunch from the chorizo. And very virtuous! Bit of leftover cheese sauce with it too added an extra delight.

I find fish very difficult too @HappiDaze and I'm not qualified to advise.

@prettybird

@prettybird he will always be in your memory and the grief I suppose is something you will always carry with you knowing that he will always want the best for you and for you to be happy

Frying white fish in butter, gently frothing, not too hot, gives it the brown finish.

Hi, just wondering if I can tag along for the last leg of bootcamp. I thought it wasn't running anymore, that'll teach me for not checking in more often @BIWI you are amazing for continuing to help everyone ❤

I had another stroke in March so really trying to sort myself out.

So sorry to hear about your DF @prettybird

I love your name @BuffyTheBuffetSlayer

Thank you

I did have the pan too hot. I'll try a smaller non stick, low heat, lots of butter

My boobs are still annoyingly massive, they're only a DD but my god they're annoying in clothes.

I just got a gown and short kimono from the one hundred stars sale. They are lovely and do fit and close around my frame but when I looked in the mirror after tying the belt my big stomach and saggy boobs made me feel a bit meh

I'm going to have to start back on a very strict week 1 BC and exercise more.

I'm going out later to a Party so now I just feel like I want to hide away after feeling quite body positive on holiday ie I didn't care what I looked like because no one knew me.

I guess that's why we have bras and we should wear them when trying on clothes at home

@HappiDaze - did the fish still have the skin on? IMVHO, even if you don't like/eat the skin (like me!), it helps to cook the fish much better.

A trick I read about, which I have tried, is to put a piece of greaseproof paper in the pan and fry the fish on top of that.

I'd also use lots of fat, but cook quickly over a hot heat. Cook skin-side down first, then flip over and brown the flesh quickly.

Sorry to hear about your stroke @BuffyTheBuffetSlayer . How are you otherwise? (And of course you can join us! As ever, we'll keep the chat thread going on until the next Bootcamp)