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.

I forgot to say earlier that I already have so much more energy on this woe. Yesterday I completed my tax return (which I've been putting off for ages) and tidied my office, today I dealt with some long overdue emails, sorted out my 2024 diary, wrote Christmas thank you letters and went for a long walk to post them.

Contrast to my way-off-plan December when I sat miserably contempating my tax return, procrastinating about emails, and feeling rubbish.

@sheepdreams do you have a Polish supermarket near you? They will have a selection of cherry trees. I have been enjoying a cherry and chocolate one.

I'm really enjoying being back on the wagon and even did my spin bike workout! I know I've lost some weight already (daily weigher) but I'm most happy about my face being clear again. I got spots from all the carbs, but they are gone again!

Good morning everyone. Yesterday was a little challenging as it was little Christmas in the Goodie house. We celebrated both La Befana and the Irish Nollaig na mBan. DH always makes cannelloni with mixed meats, bechamel etc but adapted the recipe for me and used eggplant. He hollowed out the eggplant, diced it and fried it with mince beef, shallot, garlic, tomatoes and then bound it with mozarella, stuffed the eggplant and topped with grated parmesan and mozarella and baked. It was divine. For a starter we had melting cheese. I dipped with celery and he dipped with bread.
Lunch was leftover fried zucchini with two artichoke hearts with melted gorgonzola.Breakfast was coffee with cream and a couple of spoons of FFGY. I am reasonably happy but I didn't eat enough veg, probably not as much water as I should have and ate a lot of dairy. I suspect I might be one of those who need to watch my dairy intake. Anyhow I survived and avoided the wine, Prosecco and mince pies somill take that as a win.

Today will be coffee and cream for breakfast. Lunch will be eggs with greens. I have some eggplant left over so will either have that for dinner or try @Metabolicallycomplicated's chicken and haloumi skewers.
Have a great day everyone.

Yesterday presented my first 'dry' challenge. We went to the theatre, so had dinner first and then at the theatre, as I'd booked the tickets way back in August, I'd also pre-paid for 2 G&Ts for me and DH.

I had sparkling wine at the restaurant, which was fine, but by the time we got to the theatre I really didn't fancy any more water! So I chose the alcohol-free beer option. Half a pint in the bar before we went into the auditorium, and then a can for during the performance.

All good. Until I checked the carb counts online this morning, to discover that the beer is 5g carbs per 100ml. So that was 25g carbs in the can alone!

Anyway, the scales were kind to me this morning - although I think I might have seen a bigger loss if I'd just stuck to sparkling water.

We live and learn

If anyone is short on meal ideas, ask chatGPT. My prompt was ‘provide me with a 7 day meal plan that adheres to the principles of a ketogenic diet’ and it’s pretty spot on. There’s a few things that aren’t boot camp friendly but if you just need ideas it’s a good jumping off point.

Also for a larf I asked it to do the same for the slimming world diet. Hilariously it’s somehow managed to get hold of their IP and it can generate on-plan menus with syn values you’d never need to pay for a membership, just ask chatGPT for the syn values of stuff and ask it for meal ideas at the same time!

Chat GPT is much more innovative with menu ideas than I am!

I'm weighing on Sundays because we're usually in London on Mondays at the moment with no scales. Hope that's OK.

Delighted to have lost 4lb! That's all my Xmas bloat gone, so the rest is a much harder and slower slog.

I've booked to go back to the gym ( first time for over a year, although I used to be a real regular) this morning, so hopefully that will help.

Yesterday's meals:
B: leftover crustless quiche
L: crispy duck salad in soy dressing
S: Melted Camembert with celery and cucumber dippers

Well, well, well - talk about a Freudian slip!

I had sparkling wine at the restaurant

No. I had sparkling water! Honest, guv.

@venusandmars Ooh thank you. I will order some of these.

@Pleaseandthankyou ooh I will certainly look for those they sound lovely.

ChatGPT is way better than any of my recipe books!!!!
4lb down on the scales this morning, although I'm fairly sure that has more to do with my bug than any of my efforts 🤦. Obviously nothing to talk about food wise yesterday and not sure what today will bring yet, herbal tea for now but feel a bit dehydrated after yesterday.
Very cold today but dry so will be soup making and possibly a walk if I can find some energy. DD should be back later but will provide stay with dad an extra night to make sure I'm not likely to pass anything on - DH will have to take his chances 🤣

Hello all. Can I join a week late? Just back from holiday and desperately need to get back into the low carb WOE. I fell off the wagon in September, I don't know how much I've gained but I feel like it's a lot... 4 weeks off the booze will be a challenge, but I know I'll feel so much better for it.

Longer term, I have a lot to lose but I'm aiming for slow and steady, I don't mind if it takes a year or more - as long as the overall trend is down.

Off to re-read the rules and write a meal plan and shopping list. Will weigh tomorrow morning.

You're very welcome @FairlyOddmother - and I've put you on the spreadsheet.

My child is testing me this weekend, wanted to make butterfly cakes yesterday, which I did and now wants to go to Pizza Hut for lunch, where I know there’s nothing suitable for me 😩 looks like another day of grinning and bearing it 😩😩

OK, so looking at the spreadsheet, there are over 20 posters who haven't entered any data. (Some haven't posted on the thread either). As it makes it much easier to read when all rows/columns are populated, please can you let me know if you want to stay on it, or if you want me to take you off?

You don't have to be on the spreadsheet to do Bootcamp - so you can come off it if you'd prefer not to enter your data.

@BeethovenNinth
@ChequerboardCharlie
@chubbybear1
@ConstitutionHill
@Frumpyunicorn
@HouseNoMore
@islandtiger
@JacketAndJumpet
@latelydaydreams
@LazydaysofSummer
@magneticmoon
@Mamma1982
@Pleaseandthankyou
@Queenelsarules
@SpottyUnicorn
@StiggyZardust
@Sunsnowsun
@TeaRose29
@Walkingwithdinosaurs
@walttynutcade
@Whicker
@WitchWand

TIA

Don't they have a salad bar at Pizza Hut?

One week off the booze and I am already feeling the benefits - I am actually sleeping (despite needing to get up for the toilet in the middle of the night - all that water!) and can go back to sleep after waking up. My sleep has been awful I’ve the last year and I have really suffered. I have also noticed that my heart palpitations seem to have stopped…

Yesterday was tricky as I was out all day running errands and doing admin. I couldn’t drink as much water as I would have liked to as I didn’t have regular access to a toilet, but drank as much as I could and was probably only a little bit off my target. I also had to eat at pizza express (tried to go to Nandos but it was full!). I was disappointed that the pollo salad has gone from the menu and now it has breaded chicken instead. So I had the melanzane which looked the best option. I expect the tomato sauce had sugar in it, but apart from that it was just aubergine and cheese… I ate lunch so late that I did not have a proper dinner and just had an avocado and some Rollitos instead.

But I am proud that I resisted dough balls, pizza, biscuits, cake and all the other tempting things that were out in front of me!

@BIWI please take me off the spreadsheet. I can’t bring myself to step on the scales (I know I know!) . I definitely see my tummy is flatter than it was last weekend. Hopefully next week the love handles will have reduced.

Hi, please remove me from the spreadsheet. Thanks 😊

Hi @BIWIshYouAMerryChristmas I would like to be on the spreadsheet but couldn't find my name, I think I am getting confused with all the tabs which tab is it please? Thank you

I went to the gym yesterday, and did an actual Bootcamp , which was challenging to say the least , and I’m a little achy in the legs today , same class booked for next Saturday
last night was fun , as we had dinner at a friends house , no alcohol was easy , as we live in the back of beyond , so I drove

a few carbs were consumed , but I swerved as many as possible , handily friend doesn’t like sweet things , and always does a spectacular cheeseboard not dessert
It was a late night though , I’m feeling worn out today

I have a real target now as we have booked a holiday to Barbados in March , it’s our 30th wedding anniversary so we thought we deserved a treat !
I’m going to keep off the wine ( my downfall ) even after the 4 weeks
Cant wait for that first rum punch !

Hi @BIWIshYouAMerryChristmas , I Will be posting from tomorrow (I was due to be a late joiner, because of holiday), but won’t be weighing, so am happy to come off the spreadsheet from that perspective.

looking forward to tomorrow and good luck and we’ll done to everyone here so far!

Hi @BIWI just a quick note to say that I would like to stay on the spreadsheet, please, and will be putting my info in. Had a few manic 12 hour working days due to two clients sending work at once - hopefully all finished tomorrow!

Weighed in today - no access to scales tomorrow.
Have lost 2.5 lbs - probably largely due to no Christmas cake and no booze. Feeling more energetic, sleeping better and as always when I do dry January, I can focus better.