Week 1 - Back-to-school Bootcamp!

[BIWI]

Morning all. I hereby declare this Bootcamp open

Here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

... with many thanks to the lovely @FinallyHere for creating (and managing)

I know you're all keen to get going, so will post this now and then come back with some important housekeeping notes

I think a lot depends on whether you enjoy the processes and have the right kit, I have always made jams, pickles etc, been making yogurt for years so mayo was just an extension of that for me (as was butter). I totally get that not everyone has the time or inclination though.

I was toying with making my own as am trying to avoid UPFs and, even before boot camp, mayo made up a healthy proportion of my UPF calories.

How long do you find homemade will keep? If it's a weekly task I could face it, but daily or every other day is likely to be a bridge too far!

Hi all and well done on everyone's progress and effort. It's hard, isn't it?

Is it ok to join still? Can I add myself on to the spreadsheet please? It feels lovely and supportive on here.

Post children I have been trying to get to lose 2 stones. The trouble is after every few pounds off I celebrate with a feast (because I've earned it🙄) which really hinders the progress. Not ideal, but I can't seem to stop myself. Perhaps the accountability will push me more and the posts on here help me find a different mindset.

It easily keeps a week in a jam jar in the fridge (I don't sterilise the jars as I do for jam just put them through the dishwasher).

Of course you can join! Just add yourself to the spreadsheet and the Very Lovely @FinallyHere will re-alphabetize it later.

The great thing about low carbing is that you can feast without impeding your progress (assuming that you don't mean pasta/rice/bread/potatoes/chocolate/cake etc!)

But there's really no excuse, as so much of the food we can eat on this WOE is so enjoyable, tasty and satisfying.

What counts as a neutral oil?

You're looking for an oil which doesn't have much flavour - normally that would be something like sunflower oil. However, this oil is very high in omega-6 and can lead to inflammation, which we obviously don't want to encourage! Something like avocado oil would be a good one.

You could try a light olive oil and see how you get on with that?

Hello all. It's so lovely to have found a supportive & kind group. I have read a few of the old bootcamp threads over the summer and pleased to 'properly' join this one. I have already really benefited from reading everyone's updates and have had a good start to this bootcamp. Thank you.

I just had a question about what people's thoughts/experiences are related to some of the ideas about getting '30 plant points' a week, etc. While I am enjoying eating lots of veg/salad, some of this advice suggests for good gut health, it's good to try to have a wide range of foods from 6 groups: fruit, veg, wholegrains, legumes, nuts & seeds, herbs & spices. On this WOE we are cutting out 4 of these. Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Or do you think it's ok if we focus on eating a wide variety of veg & salad.

Sorry - that's ended up being a long post. Hope it's ok to ask this?

Thank you for the sympathy, it's definitely not dairy as I only had a small amount of cheese at lunch yesterday. I can't have cream in the house as I have no self control 

Like you @Gnomegnomegnome I've had digestive issues for years, I get a lot of ibs symptoms although never been diagnosed. I think it must be the fat @BIWI , I've forgone the Mayo on my lunch salad and just had evoo as my stomach is still making a lot of noise.

@Magnolia82 I think after the first two weeks you're fine to add back nuts and seeds in moderation. And I think the long term plane for maintenance allows for small amounts of legumes, I could be wrong on that one though.

Well done everyone that's already seeing results, I was 0.5lbs up this morning but I'm not worried. I have to weigh everyday, if I don't then I know I've really given up!

Yes I've just double checked the bootcamp light rules and you're allowed to have some fruit and nuts/seeds after the first 2 weeks 😊

@Magnolia82

it's good to try to have a wide range of foods from 6 groups: fruit, veg, wholegrains, legumes, nuts & seeds, herbs & spices. On this WOE we are cutting out 4 of these

First 2 weeks of Bootcamp we don't allow fruit or nuts and seeds
Remaining 6 weeks you're allowed those, but no wholegrains or legumes
In the entire Bootcamp you're encouraged to eat veg, and it's assumed that you'd want to use herbs and spices for flavour!

After you reach whatever target you have in mind, then it's the time to increase your carbs to a point where you start to see weight gain. This means adding in carbier veg but also legumes/pulses. You may be able to add in some whole grains too.

It's difficult to be prescriptive about what you can add back in, or increase, because everyone deals with carbs differently. For some, that means staying at a fairly low carb intake every day whereas for others this can be greater.

Legumes/pulses are definitely positive for your health. I'd be more cautious about wholegrains and would look to add those last.

@MyShinyThing @nappiesandcontracts @BIWI
Thank you so much. Really helpful.

FFS. DH has been to the doctor today and his cholesterol is high. So he's come home and declared we all need to stop eating red meat, cheese etc for dinner.

How the bloody hell am I going to manage this? If I'm honest, part of my thinks he's doing this deliberately to sabotage my efforts (not having high cholesterol obviously, that would be a big stretch).

We have breakfast and lunch separately but do always eat as a family. Tonight I was going to do Spag bol with spaghetti for them and cauliflower for me.

Ask him what he's going to cook instead?

What did his GP actually say, though, about his cholesterol being high? Did he give him a breakdown of the numbers? Or did he simply give him one number and tell him he needed to go onto statins?

He gave him a breakdown. The high one was 6.6. They suggested statins but DH says he wants to try diet first. I mean literally he went this morning, he'll be bored by tomorrow and hasn't done any research of his own (nor will he).

We've compromised on fajitas. Chicken, salad, avocado, cheese and sour cream for me.

Wraps for DH and DS. I will NOT be letting DH have any of my sour cream.

added you @casiopeia (great username, by the way ) Welcome

and I'm afraid the alphabetiser also caught @letitgoagain, so your row is now longer at the end

Ill catch up with the thread now, just wanted to post these straight away

However, what is the deal with cholesterol? My cholesterol is also high, but I think that's mainly due to the amount of biscuits I was eating. My blood sugar also high. So I'm prioritising losing weight and getting my blood sugar down over my cholesterol, as that seems more of a priority, and think about the cholesterol later.

Today I am craving for carbs and it’s driving me crazy at work! This is my first time doing low carbs but I’m looking for any ideas please.

Today
B- 2 boiled eggs with FF mayo
Lunch - minced meat with peppers and aubergine
D-( plan) fried fish fillets with mixed salad and full fat yogurt

@Tubelight the only thing I've found helpful is water. Or doing something else entirely. There have been several times I've opened the fridge or the snack cupboard and had to have a strong word with myself. then I've got myself a glass of water instead and it's passed.

Just checking in.

B: coffee
L: veggie soup with Korean spices. Boiled egg.
D: chicken drumsticks, big salad including avocado and fresh toms from the garden 😍
S: carrots and cheese

@Tubelight me too!!! I'm really struggling today, I snacked on carrots in the hopes it would give a satisfying crunch. It was okay but definitely not carbs.

You are right @fruitstick I just need to be strong @Sunshine1606 drank 2 litres of water already, I might try some cold lemon tea. 45 minutes to leave work and then busy London Underground for another half an hour.

I’m also snacking on carrots today. I don’t think that I’m craving carbs, I think that I’m bored/need distraction from a horrible report so would automatically reach for something carby or sweet.
DH isn’t helping by texting to ‘remind’ me that the trifle in the fridge needs eating!

I am looking forward to dinner!

Just be careful if you're snacking on carrots! They're not especially low carb.

Obviously they're better than biscuits or cake, but you'd be far better with celery or cucumber. Or a piece of cheese.

Vegetable Carb Counter

If you haven't already found it, check the veg carb counter out, which is on one of the tabs on the spreadsheet. It's helpfully colour-coded, so you can see where you should be eating most/least.

And you'll see that carrots are in the amber section.