Low Carb Bootcamp challenge - lose half a stone before Christmas

[BIWI]

If we start next Monday, there are 6 weeks leading up to Christmas.

Hopefully that means that we can drop 7lbs in those weeks - but only if we're properly strict.

It's entirely up to you if you want to do strict Bootcamp, or Bootcamp Light across those 6 weeks, although I'd suggest that if you haven't got too much to lose, you veer towards a stricter approach.

It's also, we need to bear in mind, a more difficult time of the year to think about losing weight as there are likely to be more social occasions, so a stricter approach around all of those events is probably a good one!

Who's in?!

This week is sooo hard. Am away from home all week staying in a cheap hotel from Monday - Friday. Lunches are sandwiches which I'm mostly managing to avoid, and dinner options are pretty limited too. To cap it all... I don't have my usual cycle in to work, so no exercise.

In short, I have sinned, but I have several excellent excuses... 

@islandtiger 👋 fancy seeing you here

Is there not a supermarket near by @RooRooCooChoo? You could stock up on cooked meat/cheese at the very least.

Yep, I have been doing that, although as I approach the end of day 4 without a hot meal, my resolve is weakening horribly. But you're right, there are options and I need to just get on with it and stop grousing

Might be the wrong thing to say but I would be having a warm meal even if I had to avoid some elements of it. What sort of meals are on the menu?

I had a good day planned, not had carbs but feel horrible had 3 slices of bacon, 2 fried eggs then lunch was supposed to be a halloumi salad, was working and ended up eating the whole block of halloumi 🫣 never want to see halloumi again , 600cal worth and nearly 50g fat added on to the not very healthy breakfast. But don't feel like eating anything else at all after that, just craving some fresh fruit

The mains are exclusively breaded or battered. It is a clean-eater's hell.

I have been considering ordering a meal and trying to pick off the carby coatings, but that is where my lack of resolve comes it. If it is in front of me, I shall eat it.

But I will not despair! I may set off across the industrial estate and see if there is something I can find in this culinary wasteland. And home tomorrow, where I shall pre-order a large steak and cauliflower cheese. No place like home!

Ah fair enough! I've many times ordered fish and scraped off the coating (I always allow myself just one bite if it's a good quality crispy batter as I find that way I can easily resist the rest), but if it's going to sabotage you overall best not go there!

I guess it's only one more night, and that steak is going to taste SO GOOD.

Woah!

Nothing unhealthy about bacon and eggs for breakfast! (Beyond the fact that bacon is a processed meat of course)

And stop worrying about the fat! A low carb diet is a high fat diet. You really have to get your head round that.

... and we don't count calories on Bootcamp. So no need to worry.

Don't give in to the call of the fruit - eat that salad you were going to have for lunch instead. (Or, if you're not hungry, just don't eat anything).

@thehoundschicken I'd rather that than some of the carb heavy meals you so often get stuck with when staying away from home. Sounds like getting enough veg could be the challenge though.

I'm getting on ok, reasonably strict bootcamp but I did have a small onion at dinner and literally a few toasted almonds. A whole block of feta roasted with veg in EVOO for dinner and didn't have a single one of the kids' chips.

Pleased to report I found somewhere with gammon steak and fried eggs on the menu. Who says trad British food is all carbs! Thanks for the backbone stiffening LC-ers. I shall not crumble tonight!

Yes please

Bloody hell I cooked a lovely chicken and veg then when DD came in later and ate something carb heavy I ate the leftovers without thinking duh

@RooRooCooChoo I've been wondering if this was you. Hate to think of you on cold food in this weather. Hope you find something a bit more comforting tonight.
I had shakshuka for brunch 🍳 🥬🌶️. We had the left overs of lamb and spinach supplemented by cabbage stir fried in sesame seed oil. And a pint of lemon water 🍋 🚰! My how times have changed. And the accountability does really help, thanks everyone.

🍳 👏 that's more like it @RooRooCooChoo

@Mirrormeback do you want me to add you to the spreadsheet?

Hi all. Had 2 scrambled egg on low carb toast for breakfast, lunch was a a punnet of raspberries with a big handful of walnuts (fancied something different and haven't had fruit for weeks). Dinner was chicken and bacon cooked in butter, with salad and mayo. Have had 4 squares of Aldi dark chocolate as well. Better have a stricter day tomorrow. Have had plenty of liquid though and resisted sausage casserole, which is DS' favourite and he was home for a visit, having moved out of home last week.

Weighed myself this morning and I’m 3lbs down since Monday 🎉. I was also aware that my diet has been slipping on the vegetables and very heavy on the dark chocolate and cheese front, so I looked up a new recipe and made this tonight. Very unseasonal I know but easy to throw together and delicious.

I had a lovely supper of shallot and tomato scrambled eggs, started off in plenty of butter and finished off with a glug of cream

Tomorrow I'm going to have to go a wee bit off piste as we're having lunch with my mum and dad's oldest friend at a place that she and my dad used to go lunch where they always had their (apparently) famous twice baked soufflés. But we'll go for a walk afterwards, so hopefully will walk some of it off!

Evening all! Another 1lb down this morning, but I had a terrible day with water, only managed about 1.75l so far and stupidly drank a pepsi max that someone in work bought me (aaargh!), so I'm not expecting anything tomorrow. Had coffee with cream for brekky, a chicken salad for lunch with loads of greenery (and a wee beetroot, they are a weakness, but not a hideously carby one (3g) if I can believe the packet), then steak with swede fries, creamed spinach and broccoli tonight. School photo day today so I feel like I ran most of it off shepherding children back and forth to the hall...

My calves are feeling weirdly wobbly, so I got some of that electrolyte powder a pp recommended and will see if it helps.

I can sympathise with posters who've commented on mindlessly eating things that are offered to you unexpectedly without even thinking about the carb content until it's too late.... I successfully navigated the course on Wednesday lunchtime and avoided all carbs as I knew in advance it would be carby. Yesterday I was offered a flapjack at a mum and baby group as someone had baked for us all, and I ate it without even thinking about it 🙃 like Dita, I also need to up my game in being more prepared. I've eaten quite a bit of cheese and greek yogurt due to lack of preparedness. Not that those are bad things, but if I'd been more prepared I'd have eaten veggies instead. I've also got a stack of eggs in the fridge so may boil some up for easy to grab food.

Dinner for the last two nights has been https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-mustard-pork but used finely chopped pork chops rather than fillet thanks to a Tesco delivery substitution. It reheated surprisingly well (I thought the pork might get tough or the sauce seperate). Very tasty!

Morning everyone. Been a couple days since I've checked in, I've been really busy. Feel better to see I'm not the only one to slip up though mine was not mindless. I had an apple as I honestly could not resist. My brain was screaming at me to munch on all the sugar & carbs everywhere so I grabbed an apple instead. Honestly if I didn't I'd have been through packs of biscuits, chocolate, juice, the lot! Even harder for me is I bake on the side and I've got quite a few orders this week.
Lots of cookies, cake and brownies. I'm about to go in the kitchen and start all over again for my brothers baby shower tomorrow which is going to also have the most carborific delicious foods, salty and sweet and i'll be relegated to meat and salad. Won't even be able to take any treats home like usual or have any of the cake 😭

Thanks @BIWI @prettybird @thehoundschicken for all of the information re artificial sweeteners & tips on jazzing up the water. I have been doing better

The week is nearly over!! Well done to everyone so far😀

Thank you for reassuring, to be honest it wasn't food guilt really I genuinely felt greasy yuk the good thing was I was stuffed and didn't eat anything else following my late lunch of a full block of halloumi!

I've had eggs and bacon again, and will have a lighter lunch and steak which I love tonight with green roasted veg can't wait! I was 12 9 this morning and started at 12 13.

@N2022

I'm about to go in the kitchen and start all over again for my brothers baby shower tomorrow which is going to also have the most carborific delicious foods, salty and sweet and i'll be relegated to meat and salad

This is a mindset you're going to have to change!

Delicious though cakes etc may be, you need to know just how damaging they can be to us - not just from the point of view of weight, but also causing other issues, such as inflammation - and potentially even more serious conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes.

See here

Obviously the odd cake here and there isn't going to do us any harm (although the scales may not like it!) but overall, in the West, we all eat too much sugar.

Why not investigate baking without flour/sugar? Almond flour can be used in a lot of bakes - and you can use sweeteners like erythritol. Yes, it's artificial, but will be better for you than sugar. (It's a key ingredient in many of Tom Kerridge's recipes in his book The Dopamine Diet)

Monya Killian Palmer - who has written four keto recipe books - also has a blog, called Fats of Life, and there are several recipes for cakes/desserts here