Jan '24 Dry Low Carb Bootcamp - Week 3

[BIWI]

Morning all.

So I've put the Big Stick down, and let's start this week afresh.

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

Remember, this is only a four week challenge, and we're now half-way through. For the next two weeks, if you want, you can do Bootcamp Light (which simply means that you can add in some fruit (berries mainly), and some nuts and seeds. In moderation only, please.

But NO ALCOHOL!.

Whether you started on 1 or 2 January, we've now completed a whole fortnight without booze. Hopefully you should be feeling the benefits of this beyond just it helping with weight loss. Having moaned about not sleeping better, which is supposed to be one of the key benefits, last night I did sleep very well (having had the worst night's sleep the night before!), so hopefully it's all kicking in now.

I had this low carb bread for dinner thinking it was bootcamp friendly then realised it contains 7.2g carbs per 100g - is that too high?

I think the rule is anything under 10g per 100g is fine but could be wrong!

Oooh I’m going to try this combo, I might try frying it rather than baking it, or baking it to ‘set’ the crumb then frying it to golden it maybe?? I shall experiment and report back!

Slight gain for me this week as I had a (planned) day off BC on Saturday when we went to celebrate our lovely colleague finishing 6 months placement with us and moving on to a different place.
Stayed alcohol free but had 2 lovely fruity cocktails instead and some rice with my dinner...
I wanted to record my weight, but it looks like my name was removed 🫤 which is fair enough as I am not contributing much to this lovely community 😳
Good luck, everyone!

I thought it was under 5g.

Could well be! For LCHF I’ve always stuck to under 10g for anything that’s a ‘treat’ like dark choc or low carb products I know I’m not eating a lot of, or additives to sauces etc then under 5g for stuff I eat more than 100g of like yoghurt etc, or eat regularly but I’m not sure that’s boot camp compliant!

Very happy to add you back!

There is no rule!

If you're buying ready made/processed foods, then generally speaking you should be looking at 5g carbs per 100g/100ml or less. But you have to take into account the overall quantity of what you're eating.

No idea where the 10g has come from!

Very proud today, had a "working lunch/networking event thingy"
So I ate before I went.

Soooo glad I did.... not one single thing on offer without carbs....
Sandwiches (obvs), crisps, chicken in breadcrumbs, spring rolls, samosas.

Didn't touch a thing 💪💪💪💪

@Saltysauage - which bread was it? It's a bit high. Compare it with Seriously Low Carb bread, which is 3.6g carbs per 100g

<pins medal onto @LowCarbingIn2024>

@BIWI it’s this one - was actually very satisfying.

@LowCarbingIn2024 well done for resisting temptation!

How many slices did you have? Remember, that most of your carbs should be coming from veg/salad. So if you only had 1 slice, it's not too bad. But if you had two, it's starting to get a bit high.

I started off with two….
I had two with 1/2 avocado, 2 chicken thighs, cucumber and tomato. Then I had another slice with the rest of the avocado.
Will try to stick to one slice along with a big salad or some soup next time.

@venusandmars
Thanks for the encouragement. I’m not giving up.
@RooRooCooChoo
Great recipe; always my go to dish when we eat out and looks better than the recipe I’ve been using. Will try.

Just been for a drink after work (soda water) and three of us just committed to joining the work gym and going together .

Double bonus as will get me out of the office on time too. Even if only once a week together with Pilates and dog walking should help

So that's 11.1 g of carbs, before you take into account anything else you've eaten! Bear in mind that if you were doing Atkins induction (the strict two weeks of his plan), that would be over half of your daily allowance. Same as if you were doing Keto!

Hopefully you'll finish the pack soon!

@alwaysclockwise I've sent you a PM

I have some strong reading glasses now so I’ll be able to check items more accurately
when I buy them and not 100% trust when things are labelled as low carb.

Thank you @BIWI Replied 🙂

@Saltysauage that is similar to the Schneiderbrot that I like. It is 3.7g carb per slice. I only ever have once slice - I just toast it and load it high: butter, ham, mayonnaise, cheese, sliced avocado, cucumber, soft boiled egg. Has to be eaten with a knife and fork, can't be picked up like an open sandwich without everything falling all over your clothes :)

The advantage is that it has a really long shelf life, and even once opened it last ages in the fridge. I usually have a packet handy for those moments when dh has been eating toast and I'm just desperate!

My personal approach (I know this is not bootcamp advice) is that for these kinds of products I use a 'less than 4 grams of carb per item' approach. So one slice of the protein bread is OK. One ritz cracker (eaten by mistake) has 2g carb. But a single oat and pumpkin seed ryvita has 7g carbs - I wave a sad goodbye to that :(

I use that approach because I mostly don't eat it frequently, so the majority of my carbs come from healthy veg. I really don't want to be weighing and calculating the carbs in everything I eat - so much easier to follow this woe and to stick to the lowest carb veg.

On the coffee front, I have coffee with cream at home (only ever once a day). If I'm out I have expresso macchiato, just expressso with some milky foam on top. It's slightly less milk-less than an expresso. Plus it is only tiny so I get my once-a-day caffeine hit without having to drink a big mug of black coffee.

Added benefit is that I feel so sophistiated :)

Had two lovely long walks yesterday but a very sedentary day today, wrapped up and staying warm, and an external meeting cancelled due to weather.

Food today:
B - 16/8
L - coffee with cream; smoked mackeral pate with salad
D - sausages, chard, oven roasted tomatoes, shallots and mushrooms in a sour cream and mustard sauce

Hello all. I could do with a bit of a talking to please. For a bit of background I am 56 and come from a family with a history of CVD and T2 diabetes. I have been on the heavier side for about 20 years (heaviest 86kg) healthy, ex smoker, lower BP and moderate exercise (but I do walk a lot). I had gestational diabetes in one pregnancy. My cholesterol started to rise and went up to 7.2 last year. GP put it down to oestrogen and felt it would largely resolve itself when I went on HRT. My cholesterol started to lower but HRT did not agree with me so I quit last July after I got shingles. I started low carbing around the same time. Saw my gynae in October and she was not concerned about my previously high cholesterol. I had a hysteroscopy and since then really feel great. I declined further HRT. Since I started low carbing I feel better than I have in years. I have lost over 8kg, my skin looks great, I feel more focused etc and feel this really suits me.

I had a health check last week at work. They did a blood panel and called me today to say that I need statins and to contact my G.P. My total cholesterol is 8.9. my LDL is 6.1, HDL is 1.8 and triglycerides 2.2. My ratios are ok (,either good or not a cause for concern). DH is a doctor and I have an allied health care background. When my cholesterol was at 7.2 my doctor had suggested diet first and then statins. DH's view was that statins were unnecessary and not for me. I am increasingly persuaded by the emerging science on fat in diets, cholesterol etc and that sugar, insulin resistance etc is worse. Yet today when I heard my cholesterol scores I wobbled and feel quite uneasy. It is hard to completely unlearn everything I have read over the years about cholesterol, animal fat etc turn you into a walking time bomb.

Honestly the stress has nearly made me hit the Prosecco 😅. Seriously though I need to figure this out. I need to figure out if I am perhaps eating too much fat! Or consider ways of staying on this woe and making some adjustments. I could cut cream in my coffee.I could use more olive oil and less cream. I could eat more oily fish and less pork/red meat and eat more avocado and nuts.

I haven't discussed this with my dh yet. I am not sure if I want him to know in case he wants to persuade me to eat low fat etc and reintroduce the carbs. In fairness he would never tell me what to do but again years of hard wiring about bad fats might make him concerned. I wonder have any of you been in a similar position and if so how did you manage it? I need a wee bit of a hand hold and lots of encouragement with a bit of advice. Thank you.

Low physical energy today - although my concentration and focus is much better. Vegetable soup (leek, onion, broccoli and bacon) this evening which was nice and chunky and more like veg stew.

@Goodiewhemper I understand your concern, however:

My ratios are ok (,either good or not a cause for concern)

... if this is the case, why are you worried?

I'm not a medic, or scientist, as I'm sure you know. It's @StuntNun who is much more of an expert on the issue of cholesterol, so hopefully by sending up the bat signal she will be able to advise you more.

There's a good piece here by Zoe Harcombe that might help.

@Goodiewhemper I’ve no clue about statins but hopefully someone with experience will come along. Great that you’re feeling better low carbing and it’s just those pesky blood results.

@mimosa1 Tesco online sell the Buttermint tea, so it’s worth checking your local Tesco store.

I’ve had another good day today helped by the blue sky & sunshine despite being freezing 🥶
Had Pilates followed by a lovely dog walk
bfast 16:8
lunch - Bolognese with buttery leeks and cabbage
dinner - homemade Tuscan chicken (recipe on bbc good food but I don’t use flour or white wine, but add more cream & some olives) served with lots of lovely kale and buttery leeks
pretty sure I’ve had all the water.