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.

Oh and I think the 0% Guinness is a winner if you like Guinness, of course!

Albeit that’s probs carb heavy… 🤔🤔

My favourite is Peroni 0 but that's too carby as well. I stopped buying Brewdog when there were all the allegations of bullying management, but maybe could try again.

@NotDonna I believe the best thing for gut biome is lots of varied plants, herbs and spices. I love stilton and find it very addictive, making me wonder if it's particularly popular with my bugs.

So the thing that’s stopped me restarting low carb over the last few years has been that every time I try, I get the worst stomach cramps and trapped wind symptoms and end up in agony in the first couple of days. The very first time I did low carb (and lost a lot of weight), it didn’t happen but it has every time since without fail.

It’s just happened again tonight and I’m gutted, but is this likely to settle as my body gets used to the WOE? Could it be the change in diet rather than the diet itself causing the symptoms?

I’m going to power through it and see if it settles, but does anyone know how long it typically takes for the gut to adjust?

@Metabolicallycomplicated have you tried buscopan, might relive the cramping.

@BIWI thank you again for bootcamp generally and this one specifically, I do enjoy the company of like minded low carbers I'd be very glad to join you. Weight tbc on Friday (meant to weigh myself today and totally forgot - Back in work again on Friday).

@Magnolia82 Enough fibre is a particular preoccupation for me, I have a good portion daily of (in ascending order of effectiveness ) spinach (wilted in butter with nutmeg, absolutely delicious ) raw cabbage (usually in some variant of Greek salad with EVOO dressing ) or celeriac (air fried as chips with hot paprika flavoured mayo ).

In season (which has just started) i treat forced rhubarb as a vegetable, chopped into sections and air fry-ed in butter.

All delicious and really very effective indeed in keeping me, ahem, regular

@sheepdreams your post about trying to stave off the cravings really spoke to me. Do please ignore me if the thought of a slimmer silhouette really does works as motivation for you. I often find myself rebelling against the idea a lot and then using that rebellion as an albeit feeble excuse to eat everything carby in sight

My strongest motivation for keeping on with this low carb way of eating comes from how I'll feel immediately after eating and for the rest of the day (and night) thereafter. Do I want to feel sluggish, guilty and generally blah as I do when eating lots of starchy and sugary carbs ? Nah. I feel so.much.better when I eat high fat low carb and, amazingly, I love the effect on my shape, too. All good.

Yes I took it as soon as it started and had a soak in a hot bath and I’m back to normal now, I’m just fearful it will keep kicking off for as long as I follow this WOE . It’s not going to stop me either way, my choice is IBS and low carb, or high carb diet and bleed constantly from my vagina until they cut my womb out of me so it’s a case of ‘choose your hard’ at this point, as bleak as that is!

@Metabolicallycomplicated usually cutting down on carbs would reduce/remove the symptoms of IBS, so I'm a bit puzzled about that.

Looking at the food you've listed, the only thing I can see that could possibly be an issue is the amount of dairy you're consuming, although that was only on the first day.

But as with any change of diet, I think it's always possible that it's simply the change that is disruptive and problem-causing.

The other thing to consider would be pre/probiotics, to help deliver a healthier gut biome?

(I'm not a medic, scientist, nutritionist or dietician so I'm really just throwing out some thoughts here, rather than anything more significant!)

Thank you BIWI - fear not, have now eaten the whole chunk of wensleydale over several days, it is gone!

Received a cheese hamper last week, will now move onto other options (which are all less carby). And add more green veg once the floods subside.

Thanks BIWI, I don’t have any issues with dairy and even when not eating low carb I eat quite a bit.

I don’t have a gallbladder so it could be my bile production hasn’t increased enough to digest the fat I’m eating just yet. Normal people have additional bile stored in the gallbladder ready for if a meal is suddenly more fatty than usual, but people without gallbladders produce the bile needed on demand and the body has to sort of ‘guess’ how much fat to expect, so my theory is the sudden change is the issue.

Like I say I’m not stopping this time either way, so it will either get better or it won’t!

Good morning everyone. I weighed in this morning at 80.4kgs (177.4lbs). I gained 5lbs over the holiday season.That is quite shocking to me as I didn't think I went off-piste quite that much! I ate far less carbs and sugar that I would have usually eaten but I was fairly inactive as the weather was awful and I definitely didn't drink as much water as I should have. I also measured my waist and it came in at 108cm. I have a bit of work to do 😞. I need to get a proper exercise plan in place as well as that has really slipped. I need to make the time everyday.

Breakfast today will be my usual green smoothie. Lunch will be mozarella with a salad and dinner will probably be either a beef slow cooked stew or else smoked salmon.

I am taking a days leave and I will get some shopping in. I really fancy the idea of preparing some lovely warning veggie soups for work. I make a roasted veg soup with six tomatoes, four stalks of celery and two eggplants, red peppers and courgettes, olive oil and oregano. I blend with 1/2 litre of veg stock and usually get four or five portions. I am going to try it today and swop one red pepper for a green and halve the tomatoes to reduce the carbs. I am also inspired by other posters suggestions such as the cabbage, kale and blue cheese. I also like the idea of celeriac soup. Hope everyone has a great day.

@Metabolicallycomplicated that makes sense. My cousin had her gail bladder removed and she tries to avoid fat as it causes her pain and discomfort. Hopefully it will pass soon and your body will settle down.

Yes you’re advised not to eat much fat post surgery. I had mine out 15 years ago when I was 18 and initially followed the low fat advice but still used to form stones in my remaining bile duct.

The problem I have is if I don’t eat much fat it means high carb diet, which I shouldn’t be eating due to PCOS and the aforementioned metabolic pickle I find myself in, so I can’t win! It’s an unsquarable circle.

All this will of course improve if I can become metabolically better behaved so I have to take that option I think, as the most pressing concern right now is hormone issues.

Morning all. Stuck to the plan yesterday, and even managed to fight through the post dinner mince pie craving.

Today I shall eat
B: FFGY w cream
L: chicken breast w salad
D: pork chops w creamy mushroom sauce and salad
S: babybel

FinallyHere, thank you for reminding me of how lethargic and sick eating sugary carbs can make me feel. I managed not to succumb to the cake🙂.

For the first time in weeks I have managed to sleep without long periods of wakefulness last night. Still feeling a bit bleugh this morning, but hoping once I adapt to new woe I’ll feel more energised.

Planned food for today
Br: FF Greek yoghurt
Lu: Peppered Mackerel, salad, whipped St Agur
Dinner: Pork chops, swede, sprouts, cauli cheese, veg smothered in butter.
Blk coffee, lots of water, selection of herbal tea.

Aiming to walk 10,000 steps.

Also making the effort to stand at least every half hour from my desk based job.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Ooooh your dinner sounds lovely, I quite fancy that!

Just jumped on the scale out of curiosity, it’s day 3 and I’m 3lbs down (yes I know it’s mostly water but LET ME HAVE THIS.)

Ive also lost my ‘carb face’ already which is fun. When I’m eating a ‘standard’ diet I get a moon face where I carry a lot of puffiness and it makes my face look rounder. It’s a well known insulin resistance thing and it usually takes a good few weeks to vanish but this time it’s started reducing immediately. I have cheekbones again! Even DH noticed this morning and said ‘bloody hell that was fast, you look like you’ve lost weight already’. I know it’s not a ‘real’ achievement but I’m taking the wins where I can

Bit of a headache this morning and I’ve woken up a bit peckish so Menu for today:

b: poached eggs if they’ve got them in the work canteen this morning, planning not to 16:8 today due to said headache and hunger. I’m trying to listen to my body.

L: left over bacon broccoli bake

d: chicken and halloumi kebabs with a chop salad and yoghurt, lemon chilli and mint dressing

Morning everyone, lovely reading about the early wins like losing carb face - I didn't know this was a thing but now simultaneously hoping I have one and I lose it asap. Bought new scales yesterday and weighing in at 200.75lbs. I'm not shocked but it is the most I've weighed for a long time. I need to lose 50lbs and need to have a woe that I can stick to beyond weight lose so that I can maintain. I've lost weight before so I don't want to yo-yo and end up back here once the weight is off.

We're away for a couple of days tomorrow so I will do my best to stick to LCHF.

Today is my first proper day of it.
B ffgy with cream
L 2 egg omelette with peppers and side salad
D home made stir fry with tofu, just soy sauce and a tiny drizzle of sriacha

I am going to join you. I have eaten everything and anything throughout December. Started New Years Day. Do not want to step on the scales for a few weeks. I have a button up dress that is gaping at the waist. My goal is to be able to wear that comfortably so I will try it on every week. I have done this before and it really works. Thank you BIWI. You have kept me a size 12 for the last few years. Cooked beef cheeks last night and shoogled sprouts last night. Plenty left for tonight. Would like to try some yoga at home. Can anyone recommend a website for beginners ?

Hi. Can I join please and be added to the spreadsheet? I joined the one last summer and gave up after a few weeks. I have a family wedding coming up at Easter so really determined to drop the pounds this time.

@Pleaseandthankyou some people swear by yoga with Adrienne on YouTube, there's a 30 day challenge on at the moment I believe.

@FinallyHere I know EXACTLY what you mean about rebelling at the shape thing. I'm the same - generally get cross about impossible beauty standards etc etc so need to find different motivation for my health bc I'm am too heavy and it's not good for my knees and I want to be able to keep up with my children and my hot DH

Got through yesterday, first day, which is always the hardest. Need to do a bit more shopping. Good luck all!

@Metabolicallycomplicated do you have a recipe for the kebabs please? They sound lush

Thank you Jean! I've entered! Hopefully I'm lucky! I've also private messaged you

I'm in! I'll have to weigh in on Sunday when I'm back from my travels but back on the wagon and looking forward to feeling better. Good luck everyone.