Back to School Bootcamp - the preparation thread

[BIWI]

There are just over 60 of us signed up so far, and the very lovely @FinallyHere has been busy building the new spreadsheet for us, all ready to start on Monday. So in advance of that, here's some information about how to prep for it all.

I'm going to tag everyone who signed up to make sure you have a chance to read/think/digest this information. Apologies if you've read it before, but it's no bad thing to refresh your memory!

PS: Congratulations @pinknsparkly hope your bundle is bringing you alllll the joy!

Congratulations @pinknsparkly

Remember you should stay/start on Boot Camp Light if you're breastfeeding

I had a lovely meal tonight of grilled broccoli and halloumi, with a dressing of shallots, capers, chilli, lemon zest and olive oil (recipe is in the veggie recipe thread) There's loads left over, so I'll enjoy the leftovers cold.

Congratulations @pinknsparkly . That’s wonderful news. I had a major win this morning. I haven’t stepped on the scales in ages. I was afraid to. I have no idea what I was looking at but I am a lot less this morning than I thought I was yesterday. I must have had a senior moment. One stone to lose not 1 1/2 . Successful food day yesterday.

Congratulations @pinknsparkly
Can we see a baby picture?

Congratulations @pinknsparkly , lovely news.
It's so good to read all the motivations. This will be my 3rd bootcamp in a row and I just want to koko. Have lost 2 stone and feel so much better. Would like to drop another dress size by Christmas - I can get into a few size 16 clothes but would like to be in firm 14/16 territory by Christmas.

My aim for this boot camp is to lose a stone but more than the weight loss, I really want to make low carb stick for me as a way of life. I've fallen off the wagon more times than I'd care to remember and I'm so fed up of that. We are away during the last week so I'd also like to manage to stick to the rules while on holiday and not come back bloated and disappointed in myself.

Beyond bootcamp, I want to keep going til I reach my goal and am able to throw out all the horrible, cheap clothes I buy out of necessity and because they slightly disguise my figure (even tho I'm sure they don't really) and fill my wardrobe full of outfits that I love and want to wear.

Any suggestions for small, easy snacks that are not the devil’s testicles?

that made me laugh @RooRooCooChoo
Are other forms of egg acceptable? Because scrambled or an omelette makes a yummy breakfast.

My goals are...
Firstly, lose 1/2 a stone.
I hope to do this during this bootcamp.

I'd like to have lost a stone by Christmas.

I really need to lose 2 - 2 1/2 in total.

Current aim is for all size 18 clothes to fit (fitting can be so variable)
Then size 16.

I don't care what size I am if I was 2 stone less.

I want to lose the urge to snack and not yearn for alcohol. I'm ok not drinking, but I miss it. I'd like to miss it less. That's an important habit for me to form.
I work term time, so drink on school holidays. Maybe I should aim to do a dry October half term? Eeeek. That might be too ambitious.

This recent hot weather has really helped with the water intake, because I often struggle to get in my required 3l. But not this week,so that's been a good practice

RooRooCooChoo I like smoked salmon rolled up with cream cheese or slices of chorizo/salami spread with butter with a slice of gouda cheese on top. I know some people buy/assemble rollitos. If I have something like this I will normally slice up some cucumber too to get some veg in and cut through the saltiness - also gets me drinking more water.

I have been LCHF on and off since the start of the year as well as doing more exercise. I have gone from a size 20/22 to 18 and I hope by the end of bootcamp to be heading more to 16/18. There's a particular top of mine I'd love to wear again for Christmas. Moving forward I would like to be more consistent. I have found when I have fallen off the wagon that I don't even enjoy half the 'treats'. So I don't know why I do it - I guess ingrained bad habits.

Thank you Dimples and Rogue!

Have never heard of rollitos, but am very much looking forward to a life where I can eat these things and lose weight. And yes, other eggs are fine, I'm envisaging lots of scrambles for lunch. Bring it on!

i Would love to join but maybe not track on spreadsheet? I have just been put on 3 months garden leave and look forward to losing weight, shaping up and looking forward and joining in with boot camp

I am another who tends to start a bootcamp but drop out after a few weeks. I get overwhelmed with reading (the very helpful) chat, not contributing at the time and then losing track.*

I really struggle with this too. I've joined so many bootcamps, done the hard bit then by week 3 or 4 something will kick off at work or I'm have to go away for a few intense days and nights and I just can't keep devoting the time it needs to get through all that chat! It's great though and when I can engage I find it so helpful. Sometimes I do manage to keep up the WOE even if I disengage from the chat.

I have made it through bootcamp successfully twice (serial name changer) and it's so so great. I come out if it with renewed motivation to continue, but ultimately I fail over and over again. I have so much to lose that it defeats me and I can't see how I can sustain this for the years it would take me to get to a healthy weight. I have always found that I can follow any diet/WOE (and I've tried them all!) for 3 months then I get bored and lose motivation.

I suppose I need to focus on how much better I feel when I eat low carb. It's not just about the weight loss goal and massive target stretching ahead of me. It's actually better for now too. We've had building work in the house all summer and have no kitchen. We are all eating far too many cheap carbs and it's not good for any of us. The end is in sight though, kitchen should be done within 3 weeks. Not sure how I'll be eating these first 3 weeks of bootcamp but there may be a lot of hard boiled eggs and supermarket salad boxes with cooked meat on top.

Thank you to BIWI and FinallyHere and all the posters who contribute to keep this going, I'm so glad bootcamp exists. And congratulations to pinknsparkly!

@LucyLatimer - you're very welcome, and it's not obligatory to go on the spreadsheet.

Do you have another way of tracking your progress though? It is important, as this help you to stay on track.

@PurpleWhirple you are not alone! If I could find a way to keep us motivated beyond (or even within!) Bootcamps, I'd be a very rich woman

The best advice I can give you is to really read up about low carbing and its benefits beyond just weight loss.

The other thing I'd say, is not to focus on the overall amount you want to lose, to to give yourself smaller targets, that are achievable in a relatively short space of time. So each 1/2 stone, for example. Or the next dress size down.

And keep posting here! Knowing that there are other people who understand your situation is really helpful. I'm going to really focus on getting those who lurk to post a bit more, so that there is more chat going on.

I don't record my weight on the spreadsheet but I have been recording it on and off for 10 years on the Fitbit app and it is fascinating having that record. When I am actively eating healthily, such as on bootcamp I weigh most days.

This is my first attempt at this and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens next week when I start to eat low carbs. I have done some planning on family meals so don’t have to cook several separate meals. For work I will pickup M&S salads and tinned seafoods or chicken fillets. I have also deleted Uber eats 😀 so no chance of ordering by mistake!

Thanks. I am looking forward to it and just done a shop to prepare. I like to just do things day by day as I have a history on diets of getting obsessed and not meeting my own impossible standards before I blow out and give up. Will weigh Monday and follow along with the chat. Fitbit also good as @EquallyDetermined says I find the overall trend good to see. Looking forward to it!

This will be my first proper attempt at boot camp. I started a hugely stressful new job a year ago and have been studying at the same time - just one exam to go - so my diet has gone to pot as I’ve been too busy to eat well.

Just come out of a longish term relationship and before I get back out there I’d like to get comfortably back into my size 10 clothes (currently either too tight or not wearable at all). I’d like to lose maybe a stone by Christmas; hopefully half a stone during the boot camp?

For anyone who hasn't low carbed, or done Bootcamp before - or even to remind those who have! - here's a link to some FAQs which should be useful

So thinking about next week:

Planning and preparation is absolutely key to success

Make sure you have planned all of your meals - not just the ones in the evening with your family, but all your lunches as well.

Make sure that, as far as possible, you have removed all the carby treats from the cupboards/fridge/freezer.

In the first few days you may find yourself hungry between meals - something that really will go away after a week or so - so make sure you have things to hand, that are low carb, that you can grab if you need to. This WOE (way of eating) isn't about deprivation, and so if you're hungry, then eat.

Good low carb snack options include:

• sliced cold meats/fish
• cooked low carb sausages
• hard-boiled eggs
• olives
• cheese
• celery/cucumber slices with pâté

Once you're in the swing of things you will find - I promise! - that you simply aren't hungry between meals. In fact, you may not even be hungry when it's mealtime. This is quite normal! What low carbing is doing for you is keeping the key hormones insulin, grehlin and leptin in balance, so your blood sugar is even. This controls your appetite.

Try, as far as possible, to cook the same meal for everyone in the household that you're eating. If you start to have to cook two different meals every day you'll soon get tired of that, and will be tempted to give in. Don't cook foods that you know are going to tempt you - now is the time to row right back from pasta and/or rice-based meals.

Have a look at all the recipe threads that are in the Low Carb Bootcamp topic for some inspiration.

Can I please join? I’ve BC’d before and try to stick to BC light in between but always nice to have BC for added motivation!

You're very welcome @Passtheturkey !

Hi, can I ask a question as I plan my shopping today? I like to go to the gym in the mornings and like to exercise before I eat. Afterwards I usually have a ready to drink protein shake to get a serving of protein as I understand this is important for bones and muscles, especially as I am over 50. I’m guessing that this isn’t great due to sweeteners. Most protein powders are also very sweet to my taste. What can I best do in boot camp? Is it back to basics and take some boiled eggs and cheese or does anyone use whey protein? Thanks!

@LucyLatimer Where possible, especially in the first couple of weeks of Bootcamp, yes please avoid things like protein powders and eat proper food instead. Once you're back from the gym have something like some Greek yoghurt. (Not Greek-style as it tends to be lower in protein).

Normally we'd recommend the full fat versions, but if you're going for protein, then go for Total (Fage) 0% fat, as it has the highest protein content at 10.3g per 100g.

But

Add some double or clotted cream to it, as it's important that you get the fat. (It will taste delicious too!)

However - you need to be aware that in the first couple of weeks of Bootcamp, as you transition to fat-burning rather than carb-burning, you might find that you're struggling a bit in the gym. This is only a temporary effect, and you will be fine after a couple of weeks - you may even find it works better for you!

that Sounds delicious @BIWI the fat thing is a big mental hurdle isn’t it, but I’m not even really a fan of the sweetness of most whey protein.

You have to get over the 'fat is bad' mantra!

Have a read of the resources on the spreadsheet (when it's posted tomorrow) so that you really understand how low carbing works and, most importantly, why it's a high fat diet.