January 2024 Low Carb Bootcamp - this one's a dry one!

[BIWIshYouAMerryChristmas]

For one month only - 4 weeks of strict Bootcamp, which means no booze.

If you want to, you can do Bootcamp Light, but with the exception of no alcohol.

All welcome! But please, only sign up if you are prepared to do the whole thing without alcohol.

Thanks Biwi! As a long term lowcarber ( over 10 years) it's very easy to fall into bad habits- it's great to be back on track. Like Ladybird I WFH and I've been constantly grazing and never knowing when to stop. Nuts, Salami, cheese, nuts .. rinse and repeat!

I'm still very sluggish but less bloated and 3lb down already. I think that's the Christmas puff going, but it makes me feel better anyway!

Hi everyone, I am joining late. I started on 2nd but have been doing bootcamp lite and having some dark chocolate and yesterday had a few spoonfuls of ice cream as my daughter left hers. So I need to go back onto strict for a few weeks to reset. I already feel better and less bloated though, the Christmas week has shown me just how much of an effect carbs have on me.

You're on the spreadsheet @Frumpyunicorn

Are chia seeds allowed in Bootcampnor do they count as nuts?

@Roundthebend45 @cathyandclaire I'm the same, WFH pretty much permanently (I'm trying to go to the office once a week just as a change of scene) and find myself snacking because I'm bored, or it's lunchtime and feel I should be eating. I should get out for a walk but I'm a fair-weather one and in our very dank corner of east Lancashire it doesn't feel like it's been dry for weeks!!!! I'm hoping that IF helps as I'll be eating around lunchtime anyway most days.
1 1/2 lb down today which is proof that the water works, omelette for breakfast as a change - I'm switching up the fillings in an attempt to not get fed up of them 😊

Well they're a seed so only allowed if you're doing Bootcamp Light

I wanted ask about soy sauce and miso? Allowed in small quantities or not.

Thanks 🙏

I need to up my office lunch game considerably, now that I'm going in more time often. I finished yesterday's soup and olives and then the ring pull from my mackerel tin snapped off 😭

Really enjoying being part of this and seeing everyone's food inspiration!
Creamy baked eggs for breakfast
Chicken salad for lunch
sea bass w/veg for dinner!

@Thesoundofmusic23 soy sauce is allowed - but be very careful which brand you choose, as carb counts vary enormously. e.g. Sainsbury's Light Soy Sauce (as in light colour, not 'lite'!) is 15.5g carbs per 100ml compared with Kikkoman's, which is only 3.2g carbs!

Same with Miso - although depends what type as well as what brand.

But I'd imagine you'd be using both in small quantities, so just use your discretion.

@LC4life Adding lemon juice to the cheese sauce adds a sort of lightness to the taste - stops it seeming as 'claggy'. Mustard probably does similar, as well as adding a little more flavour.

I always use lemon, and use the juice of at least half a lemon - taste the sauce first, add the juice of half a lemon and then see if you think it needs more.

Thanks @BIWI - very helpful.

Marinating in the fridge now. I shall report back!

That really looks delicious 😋

When thinking 'healthy' fats - remember that not all we have been told about fats in the past has been true. This is quite a readjustment:

It turns out that unhealthy part of a cheeseburger is the bun! (+perhaps some of the sugary sauces)

I'm keen to try the baked aubergine with butter and cheese.

Parmagiana is more complicated but already very popular here. (Sliced aubergines slathered with olive oil are baked in the oven till golden; these are then layered with chopped cherry tomato/shallot/garlic/oregano sauce and mozzarella... with extra mozzarella on top before a short blast in the oven.)

Still ill but thinking about food warmly once again - so on the mend.

Random daft question - can you eat aubergine skin?

@poorbuthappy yep!

Why wouldn't you?!

I have no idea @BIWI but for some reason my brain made me ask 😂😂

I'm enjoying being back on this way of eating. I know I thrive on it mentally and physically. So why on earth did I fall off the wagon so badly in December? I just kept feeling worse and worse - more sluggish in every way. And my mad response was to have even more of the bad stuff. With all the added butter and fat that I love!

Yesterday I made a lovely Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall dish from his Much More Veg book: barbequed veg curry. Aubergine, courgette, green beans and leeks marinated in a curry paste, then grilled and topped with a lemon/herb/spice/oil dressing. It was tasty and zingy (albeit a bit of a faff).

Was out for a walk today and we dropped into a pub for an impromptu lunch. I had sea bass fillets on a ratatouille sauce (declined the accompanying potatoes). And tonight I'm making a variation on the Jamie 5 Mediterranean ingredient Warm Halloumi salad, swapping out the grilled peaches for some asparagus.

I don't seem to have lost any weight at all this week but I feel so much better. Less bloated, less reflux, more alert, a return to a quiet gut... And back in my happy place on mn enjoying everyone's menus, recipes, photos and information.

@RooRooCooChoo For lunches out I buy individual sachests of mayonnaise to take with me to add fat to a salad.

@magneticmoon one of the aspects I appreciate about bootcamp is that I have no need to weigh ingredients or to count or measure anything (except how much water I'm drinking). Several of us have found that weighing and measuring on alternative diet plans has fostered an obsessive aproach and has been unhelpful for some with a tendancy to disordered eating. @BIWI's simple rules encourage me to take a sensible approach and to listen to my body.

@Metabolicallycomplicated appreciating all your knowledge and input - about to delve into your chat thread... (I may be som time)

Wow this thread is moving fast! Fell of the wagon yesterday and succumbed to the Xmas cake🤔. However rather than throw the towel in like I normally would, I have dusted myself off and got straight back to the plan.

Today
Br: no breakfast as historically have fasted and find I am less hungry if I don’t eat breakfast.
Lu: Peppered Mackerel with salad
Snack: Little gem lettuce filled with a small amount of coarse pate.
Dinner: Steak with creamed leeks and cabbage.
Coffee, herbal tea and all the 💦