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Low-carb bootcamp

Join discussions about low-carb bootcamp plans, meals and progress. Consider speaking to a medical professional before starting any diet.

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

541 replies

BIWIshYouAMerryChristmas · 23/12/2023 14:44

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
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Mamma1982 · 07/01/2024 16:12

@BIWIshYouAMerryChristmas thank you that’s given me a lot to think about!

Your right I just need quick and easy go to options that don’t require much thought! What do you recommend that’s quick and easy for lunch and dinner? Really am inspired by the thread and would love to lose weight too!

BIWI · 07/01/2024 16:29

@Mamma1982 generally speaking, these days, I don't eat breakfast. I only ever do if - for any reason - I'm really hungry. If I do, it's generally full fat Greek yoghurt, just on its own.

Lunch - are you at home or at work? It's obviously easier if you're at home. Sometimes I have leftovers from dinner the night before. Otherwise it's often something based on eggs. At its simplest, just a couple of boiled eggs.

Sometimes hard-boiled eggs (x2) mashed with butter and/or mayo. Today I was hungry, and had the eggs with some diced ham (leftover from my Christmas cooking), some diced cheddar and a diced slice of tomato, with mayo.

I always have some low carb bread in the freezer from the Srsly Low Carb company, so every now and then will make myself a sandwich using this. Tuna mayo or egg mayo or cheese or ham. The bread is really good, but it is expensive, so it's not an everyday thing.

Dinner - anything and everything! DH and I mostly eat the same thing, even though he really doesn't need to low carb, so sometimes I add carbs to his meal. For example, if I make Bolognese, I have mine on a bed of shredded, pan-fried cabbage whereas I'll serve his on spaghetti.

Other favourites:

  • cauliflower cheese; I make the cheese sauce with just double cream and a shedload of grated mature cheddar (also adding the juice of half a lemon, as discussed on this thread already, I believe!). Sometimes I'll add other veg to this, e.g. fried shallots or leeks. Sometimes I also add some bacon lardons that I've fried.
  • halloumi and roast veg -1 or 2 blocks of halloumi, depending if I'm cooking for just the two of us, or if my (adult) DC are also eating. Veg could be peppers, courgettes, cauliflower, onion/shallots, garlic, chillies. All chopped and drizzled generously with olive oil, then roasted for around 40 mins
  • aubergine and courgettes, griddled first and then baked in layers with a tomato sauce and mozzarella and Parmesan.
  • meatballs in tomato sauce; high fat beef mince, whizzed in the processor with onion, garlic and a pepper, salt and pepper. Rolled into balls (no need to add anything to bind them) and then baked in the oven, drizzled with olive oil, till browned. Served usually with tomato sauce and a side of any green vegetable I fancy/have to hand.
  • stir-fries are a regular thing - using pork fillet or chicken thighs or salmon fillet. Marinate the protein (slice the pork, cut the thighs into chunks) in oil, lemon, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and any other spices/herbs you like/have to hand. First stir-fry a mix of low carb veg - e.g. shallots, broccoli, pak choi, baby sweetcorn, green pepper, with whatever seasonings you like (usually garlic, ginger, chilli), tip these into a serving dish to keep warm, and then in the same pan fry the meat briefly till it's just cooked through, then add to the veg. (If using salmon, I put the fillets in foil and bake those in the oven for around 15 mins.). Sometimes I also add a tin of full fat coconut milk to the dish, with the juice of a lime. I'll serve that either with noodles for DH/DC and Bare Naked Noodles for me, or rice for them and cauliflower rice for me.
I try to avoid having to cook different things for DH/DC and me, but sometimes it's better that way.

Diabetic friendly Low carb keto bread. - SRSLYLowCarb

Really tasty diabetic-friendly, high protein, low carb bread loaf for weight loss and blood sugar control. Perfect for diabetics.

https://srslylowcarb.com/collections/loaves-rolls/products/the-low-carb-loaf

Mamma1982 · 07/01/2024 16:46

@BIWIshYouAMerryChristmas This is so incredibly helpful. Thank you so much! I work from home and in the office so I’m going to try my best to plan and be as good as possible! 😬 I will just take it one meal at a time and up my water intake! Thanks! ☺️

CharlieHadAPigeon · 07/01/2024 16:49

@Metabolicallycomplicated yes I survived with my low carb virtue intact! I had the tuna and sweetcorn sandwich filler for breakfast, then by lunchtime was near a Nando’s so had chicken thighs with broccoli and rainbow slaw (pretty much just red and white cabbage).

And yes the username is a reference to the annoying song.

TheOnlyMrsW · 07/01/2024 16:50

That sounds fab, I've gone for a sort of stew with tinned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, shallots and pepper with Cajun spice this but will use the vindaloo recipe next time. I have another piece of pork in the freezer a similar size as I got a big yellow sticker joint and cut it half before freezing! Going to have with roast cauliflower and broccoli, and DH can have potatoes as a reward for being a good egg this weekend!!!

Prinnny · 07/01/2024 17:07

I’ve just had a halloumi wrap with garlic mayo for tea was amazing.

For work tomorrow I’ve got a chicken and bacon salad for lunch then butter chicken for tea, I can’t wait!

BIWI · 07/01/2024 17:37

I presume it was a low carb wrap @Prinnny?!

Saltysausage · 07/01/2024 17:48

@Metabolicallycomplicated it does sound like I’m not digesting fat properly when eating just eggs as a first meal. Had a tuna salad for lunch (don’t eat breakfast) and that was fine.

Went to the gym three times this week so am happy with that. Have felt motivated to stay on track food wise so that’s been quite easy this week. Will weigh on Tuesday when I go to the gym.

Baystard · 07/01/2024 18:12

I routinely IF @LowCarbingIn2024 and I find it easy and satisfying. I rarely eat before noon (including milk in tea), and if I'm not genuinely hungry then I skip lunch too. When not addicted to carbs and UPF my body generally knows what it needs and I get satisfaction from listening to it.

I frequently fast for 24 hours and occasionally 48 or 60 hours. As @StuntNun says it gets easy with practice. Fasting has taught me that normally I eat because its either a social norm that I want to engage with (eating a meal with family or friends) or just my body anticipating food because ive created a habit of eating at a certain time. I normally need to fast for at least 48 hours to feel genuinely hungry.

Didn't do enough water today so will make a big effort tomorrow and get it back on track. Sore muscles today after lots of exercise during the weekend so will be focusing on getting plenty of protein, I imagine needing it for repair purposes!

Prinnny · 07/01/2024 18:14

BIWI · 07/01/2024 17:37

I presume it was a low carb wrap @Prinnny?!

Haha of course! 3g of carbs, was fabulous!

AIBConsiderate · 07/01/2024 18:35

Evening all. Made a banging chicken stock yesterday and just used it to make a lovely chicken and veg soup this afternoon. That'll be for lunch tomorrow soon so feeling quite smug.

I did crack on Friday night and have a can of pepsi max. I was starting to root around the kitchen and it's definitely a danger time for me that I've now identified. The can felt like a real treat - not ideal but it would usually have been a lot worse. Now I need to make sure there's something in place that feels like a treat, and it might be the whipped feta!

LiesDoNotBecomeUs · 07/01/2024 18:43

Still (covid) tired but less ill. Sense of smell not right.
I'm no longer infectious so yesterday was able to attend a very very sad funeral from a late December bereavement. We are all raining inside here.

I'm not sure what the (now in our bathroom) scales will show - but will try not to be too concerned. This way of life is working for me in so many ways.

Back to cooking - so energy is clearly getting better at least.

Warming breakfast: egg bacon and sausage with a slice of low carb bread. (No tomatoes left)

coffee and cream and two (illegal this week) squares of dark lindt when out (no need for the cake also served)

Tonight will be sea-bream fillets on roasted med veg (courgettes/olives/shallots/aubergine/tomatoes). I'll bake veg in olive oil in a roasting tin for 25 mins then add the fish skin side up (oiled and salted) for another 20 mins or so.
FFGY if still hungry
Or pre-prepared Chicken breast bake and sprouts

LowCarbingIn2024 · 07/01/2024 18:50

Thank you so much @BIWI @StuntNun @Baystard for your responses. Very helpful. Very much appreciated
Blimey, though. I can't contemplate more than a 16 hr one currently, so in awe of more.

I did 16/8 yesterday and today and feel fine on it. But I find it generally easier to just eat once or twice a day at weekends, and get less of an urge to snack during the day.
I'll try and squeeze in a third one some time next week, depending on how work goes

Generally, I find I get hungrier more at work, so I'll see how that one goes.

There was a recipe for (I think) flaxseed bread in a bootcamp last year which we made a few times. It was v nice and quite easy to make. Didn't stay fresh for long, so we sliced and froze it. Was v nice w soup.

LowCarbingIn2024 · 07/01/2024 18:54

Sorry to hear about the funeral @LiesDoNotBecomeUs. That sounds very sad.

Our dinner tonight was chicken in a stock/cream/tarragon sauces served with shallots, fennel and broccoli
Absolutely delicious (and I feel so full, I'm confident of going through to 9ish tomorrow when I can break my fast)

Metabolicallycomplicated · 07/01/2024 19:49

Well mousakka is going on the regular rotation, it’s a touch rich on its own because the cheese sauce is obviously low carb so cream, cream cheese and parmesan but with salad on the side it’s awesome.

January 2024 Low Carb Bootcamp - this one's a dry one!
January 2024 Low Carb Bootcamp - this one's a dry one!
blackteaplease · 07/01/2024 20:02

Evening all. We've been to the Eden project today and I'm behind on my water intake but I've managed to stay on plan with food.

Breakfast scrambled eggs and sautéed mushrooms, avocado and cherry tomatoes
Lunch tuna salad
Dinner leftover chicken and cauliflower cheese.

Looking forward to weighing in tomorrow

Metabolicallycomplicated · 07/01/2024 20:34

I’ve officially hit that part of this WOE where hunger isn’t a thing anymore. It doesn’t matter how many times I come back to low carb after hiatuses, it never fails to amaze me how much my food behaviour is driven by hormones when I get to this point and experience life without cravings for food. It’s amazing how much of your brain is suddenly free when you’re not having to consciously fight hunger all the time.

Food:

B: 16:8

L: unexpected soft play trip with no low carb option, so had a coffee with double cream, planning to have lunch when I came home at 14:30ish. Got distracted, didn’t feel hungry so totally forgot about eating when I got home as there was no physical cue from my body to eat.

D: Usually would have been starving having not eaten all day and would have binged, but still wasn’t crazy hungry (I was peckish don’t get me wrong but not ravenous) so I had a portion of moussaka and salad as planned.

On the hormone front too I don’t want to get excited, but I think I might have finally stopped bleeding after continuous bleeding since the beginning of October. The bleeding stopped this afternoon and has occurred on the same day I’m pretty sure I’ve flipped into ketosis…coincidence?? I have endometrial hyperplasia as a result of crazy oestrogen levels (due to high insulin resistance and PCOS), so there’s a chance the endometrium is thinning as my oestrogen has dropped in turn because my insulin has dropped and that’s finally led to the bleeding stopping. I always get a (rare!) regular cycle when I first drop into ketosis so I know it does impact my hormones somehow, so it’s not completely crazy to think it’s related is it??

PurpleWhirple · 07/01/2024 22:34

Definitely possible isn't it @Metabolicallycomplicated

Your moussaka looks fab and I don't even like aubergines but I'd scoff that!

I've tried really hard this week with not snacking in the evenings. I've managed it with herbal tea and trying to keep busy but this evening I was just so hungry for some reason. Normally I'm not actually hungry, I just crave sweet things. This evening I've eaten an entire packet of corned beef so I'm going to be gutted if I don't have a decent loss in the morning because of that. I did stay on plan and after a slow start I've managed all the water.

I did have a non scale victory today though - a coat I bought just before Christmas that was ever so slightly tight when buttoned up now closes very comfortably. Pleased with that as it was cheap as chips and now looks even better than it did on my fancy day out!

Applerumleandcustard · 07/01/2024 22:41

Ooh @Metabolicallycomplicated that moussaka looks amazing
I’m planning a veggie version , more like a baked , topped ratatouille ( known as ratty tatty here ) tomorrow, with a jacket potato and some of tonight’s left over pork for DH

Redhothoochycoocher · 08/01/2024 06:21

@Metabolicallycomplicated so amazing what you're doing now. Well done and good on you for knowing. Have you got the freshwell app?

I'm down 2.5lbs which I'm thrilled with as I didn't really start until the 3rd and then had a few treats for DHs 40th so wasn't expecting a drop. Been sticking to this WOE and reading through the thread each day as motivation for the last few days and will have my first full week now. Expecting to drop the water weight.

Have had some lovely meals too. Today will be:
B 2 egg omelette with peppers
L leftover burger with cheese and salad
D Homemade tomato soup with lots of cheese on top.

Have a good week everyone!

RooRooCooChoo · 08/01/2024 06:27

4.1lb down which I'm very pleased with. Not sure what I'll eat today - or for the rest of the week - as I'm off on my travels. But, a strong start will help me stay strong, and I've packed a cool bag as advised.

💪

Frumpyunicorn · 08/01/2024 07:25

Morning all, 2lb down for me which I am pleased with. Its back to work / school in the frumpyunicorn house today so hopefully things should be OK this week, although we have our 'christmas' at the inlaws this weekend which could be tricky.

poorbuthappy · 08/01/2024 07:38

5lb off. So pleased.
Here's to another fab week. 👊

Thesoundofmusic23 · 08/01/2024 07:55

Don’t seem to be on the sheet any more but a staggering 8lb down on my first weigh in but first weigh in may be flawed as not first thing and fully dressed - so maybe 5-6lb? Blown away as first time doing this and can see a difference in my body already. Struggled to turn down biccies and coco last night but I did and feel good this morning for it. 🙌

Metabolicallycomplicated · 08/01/2024 08:02

Well I was hoping for maybe 4lbs off, but got 6lbs off! 20st 7lbs down to 20st 1lbs so nearly half a stone gone already Grin

I’ve not been in the 19’s since I was pregnant with DS 3 years ago so I’m looking forwards to seeing that again hopefully next week.

Alas, my bleeding hasn’t stopped altogether but it is definitely lighter which is very welcome. Fingers crossed as my weight and therefore oestrogen drops it will continue to improve.

Onwards and downwards :)

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