Jan '24 Dry Bootcamp - our last week

[BIWI]

Morning all. Hope Storm Isha didn't do any/too much damage.

Here's the spreadsheet - hopefully fixed now!

Although this started out as a 4-week challenge, I realise of course, that January is the never-ending month, so we'll continue right to the bitter end, which will be a week on Wednesday!

Don't panic though - I will be starting another one for February, only this time it doesn't have to be a dry one.

I'll start the next one 'afresh' so it gives other people a chance to join us, which means that (if you want to) the first two weeks will be the usual strict Bootcamp. If you're happy on Bootcamp Light, or you simply want to be able to have a drink (!), then it's entirely up to you.

So thinking about our last ten days - what do you realistically want to be able to achieve? I'm still hoping to get the scales to start with 9 rather than 10, but that does mean I'm going to have to be super strict, as that leaves me with 3.25 lbs to lose. I have two meals out before the end of the month, but they're both in places I know I can make good choices, and I'm finding it easier to forgo the alcohol too, so I'm not too worried about those.

For me, then, it's a weight challenge - but it doesn't have to be weight. It could be a specific item of clothing (thinking about those of us who have holidays coming up), or your measurements, or anything else that you think you can work towards over the next ten days.

Sorry @RooRooCooChoo I think that needs my laptop. I appreciate it looks bad but you are in good company, same thing happening with BIWI sigh.

Please don't apologise @FinallyHere ! Just wanted to give you a heads up to peruse at your convenience. No rush at all. And thanks for all your hard work 🤗

Much love to any fellow spreadsheet nerds 😁

Oh yes, that's me.

Normally an XL fan (from the pre-Windows days) I'm learning lots about Google sheets.

I’ve had a good week weight wise as ive still been struggling with my appetite. Just had a lovely lunch tho of a baked Camembert with bacon ( precooked ones I bought for a salad) to dip in. Very nice!

I had a very hungry day on Wednesday - so just went with it (low carb only) eating three large meals when two smaller ones usually fill me up. I was able to satisfy the hunger (and luckily didn't feel tempted to fall into carbs) but was puzzled by it.

Thursday my appetite was back to normal and I'm going with that.

It is interesting what was said about GaryTaubes above and his idea that this way of eating can't be sustained. Perhaps he is right about actual 'keto' because it is so restrictive but BIWI's low carb is rich and satisfying.

I suppose it must be more difficult to stick to low carb if you live in a place where you have to depend on a lot of catering. You need to do more pre-planning.

The world of cafes and canteens hasn't caught up with this way of eating yet - though supermarkets are starting to be helpful.

@venusandmars I think the Halloumi & Leeks recipe was just that but with a bit of lime.

I think it's important to point out that Taubes was referring to his own diet, as well as strict keto.

Strict keto being under 20g carbs per day - which would be very difficult to follow consistently, especially if you're focusing on eating plenty of veg/salad.

Also, he talked about his diet - he eats the same thing pretty much every day, which I doubt many of us would enjoy!

Hit me up with your favourite low carb drinks when out please. I'm off to a party tomorrow night with a pay bar and I'd like to have some ideas up my sleeve. I'm not sure if they'll have alcohol free so it may need to be soft drinks. I'm very excited, I have a new dress to wear.

Hello everyone,
Thanks for the coffee sleuthing! I've let a bit of carb creep happen and I can definitely tell via the increased level of hunger. I'm going skiing on the 12th so am determined to carry on until then with a proper effort!
Have a good weekend and good luck with the spreadsheet @FinallyHere - thanks for dealing with it!

Evening all.

I've checked the spreadsheet and all my deets seem correct, so thank you @FinallyHere and other techies.

I still feel rotten ill. Have hardly eaten all week and the scales haven't moved.
Cracked today, and had the smallest sliver of cake. Was revolting and felt quite sick. Furious I've probably taken myself out of ketosis with something I didn't even enjoy 🥲

Halloumi and leek recipe is here.

And huge thanks to whoever mentioned using griddled aubergines as a pizza base, I've just had them topped with some tomato sauce, pepperoni, basil and mozzarella- delicious!!

Soft drinks when you're out - I find soda water a bit boring so often ask for a dash an Angostura bitters in it - which to me makes all the difference!
I like drinking slimline tonic water on its own, but I avoid the Fever Tree one as it's quite carby!

I'm now in the next stone bracket, so my mission for the weekend is to make it stick for Mondays weigh in.
I'm out for lunch both days, so I've chosen what I'm eating already and am going to stick to it!!

Happy weekend everyone!

@BIWI (or anyone else) - I know we don't need to count carbs on bootcamp but I wondered approximately how many grams of carbs per day would be classed as 'low carb'?
As I don't have a lot to lose, I think I need to maybe track a bit more carefully to see what else I might be able to tweak.

I found an amazing cafe today. On the "light bites" section of the lunch menu, three out of the four options were either low carb, or came with a small amount of toasted bread that could be left off. Two of us, plus a toddler, shared a brie and bacon salad, a meat and antipasti plate and a fruit salad (I swerved the fruit salad - the other adult isnt LCing and the toddler is a fruit monster!). We both agreed that actually half the brie and bacon salad with a hot drink would have been plenty! I was still stuffed at dinner time which is most unusual for me.

Please can I be unhidden from the spreadsheet when you have a look at it @FinallyHere. I have been weighing but struggling with the gradual increase in weight so didn't want to record it.... but thanks to my renewed efforts, the scales have started creeping in the opposite direction 👏

@Magnolia82 there's no one definition of what low carb is!

And the reason for this, is that people have different levels of tolerance for carbs.

It's the thinking and reason behind the Atkins diet - so the start of that is the induction phase, where you stick at 20g or less of carbs per day. Then after that you very gradually add in more carbs, until weight loss stops, or you start to gain weight.

It does mean that you have to be scrupulous about weighing/counting carbs, which is why most people just don't do Atkins properly!

Dr John Briffa suggested 100g carbs per day, with no more than 30g at each meal - I think that's probably more like a maintenance level really.

@Magnolia82 @BIWI

When I had gestational diabetes, the dietician recommended a minimum of 100g carbs per day, minimum 30g per meal plus max 10g per snack (twice a day). That diet was aimed at keeping blood sugars under control for baby so not a low carb diet per se, but something that I think feels reasonable (though I would personally shoot for no more than 100g total per day, with max 30g per meal).

I also came across the Public Health Collaboration (PHC) before my first bootcamp, so a few years ago now. Their guidelines feel like the maintenance approach I would aim to follow and I would describe it as moderate carb not low carb. They are a group of doctors and other health professionals and have published quite a bit of information on their website. They suggest a maximum of 125g carbs per day (but actually aim for a minimum of 30g of fat, 0.75g protein per kg bodyweight, and lots of fresh vegetables like BIWI) and to aim to only eat foods with a carbohydrate content of less than 25g per 100g of food. Even when I leap off the BC wagon, I try to aim for the <25g carbohydrates per 100g.

@LowCarbingIn2024 for the same reasons of illness I succumbed for the first time really to the idea of fat+sugary comfort, except my brain is broken and this is what I just did:

I attempted to mix a bit of cream cheese and a dash of double cream to recreate a cheesecake filling. Except that's not sweet at all, so then I panicked and thought well I won't add sugar, but passion fruit will do the trick. It really didn't, ate it anyway out of stubbornness and then I decided to check how carby passion fruits are. It turns out, very!

I'm choosing to frame it as a lesson - I think the cake might be for you too. It wasn't the nice treat you expected and it shocked you out of going down that road.

Goodness I am still a bit behind with the thread, but thought I'd better keep up now even if I have a gap, otherwise I may never catch you up!

On the coffee front I assume that because there are some solids (fine ground beans) then technically there are calories. How many you actually consume isn't clear since you may not drink the coffee dregs, and then obviously there's a difference between the energy released when coffee is burnt and the energy we would be able to derive from it in practice.

To @pinknsparkly and those struggling with motivation - me too, I empathise. I've not been weighing this time because it seems to trigger lapses. However I'm still really struggling so considering going back to regular weighing. I don't have much to lose (I've lost, and maintained, a 3 stone loss on BC over the last couple of years but the final 1 stone yo-yos). Finding it difficult to do more than maintain this month, but also finding it inordinately difficult to be as strict as I know I must be.

@AIBConsiderate hope you feel better soon.

@AllTheBlackCoffee well done for sticking with it, it must feel marvellous to see it paying off!

Thai cauliflower soup with prawns for supper, wonderful and spicy on a cold night. Having a raspberry Kombucha after a long week. Its 5g carbs per whole can but I think that's comparable to Fevertree light tonic and it's helping me to swerve the gin and tonic.

@BIWI @pinknsparkly Thank you. That's really helpful. I don't think I need to worry then - I seem to be between 50g and 70g most days. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

@AIBConsiderate when you’re on Bootcamp light and in need of something dessert like
Try this
https://www.delscookingtwist.com/dark-chocolate-mousse-the-one-and-only/
theres a lot of writing , then a simple mousse recipe ( my DH love’s chocolate, so we ( I ) make this quite a lot ) I put whipped cream on top as the dark chocolate is too dark for me

Thanks!

@pinknsparkly

Unhidden you in the spreadsheet, welcome back, glad to know the scales are moving in the right direction again.

Morning all, sorry I’ve been MIA for a few days from the thread, the news of my cancer investigations has reached my parents and in-laws and it’s been a few days of having to reassure other people that it’s all most likely benign. Because there’s been so much messaging back and forth I’ve not wanted to be on my phone for anything else, hence no bandwidth for mumsnet.

Ive been on plan and pretty consistent. The only slip up was getting caught short with a very hungry and grumpy toddler waking up from a nap in the car and needing to pull in for a McDonald’s just to get us fed and sorted before we carried on home. I had a couple of chicken nuggets which obviously is low carb but not boot camp compliant.

I got pulled into a pitch at work last minute which was pretty pressured and involved a couple of very late nights which hasn’t helped either, I’m absolutely knackered this weekend and want all the carbs, so the toddler and I are going to do lots of lovely things instead and try and stay distracted.

My scales aren’t moving downwards much and are fluctuating all over the place this week. I’ve lost 9lbs in 4 weeks so far though so I’m more than happy with that!

Morning everyone, scales ping pong continues in the Coffee household, thankfully for both DH and me, which makes me feel a bit better about it all! He's having too many carbs and not enough water so I've no sympathy there, but I'll keep plugging away cos I know I'm doing it all right. I've lost almost 9lbs so far this year (DH has lost 12) so it's working and the trend is downward so just a case of KOKO for us both.

I've just ordered a book on fasting which was recommended to me Fast like a Girl. Anyone read it? Apparently it talks about fasting but linked to your cycle which I think will be quite interesting. I'm not technically supposed to fast as it's not good for my underactive thyroid but I can't stomach breakfast most days so usually end up doing it anyway. I'll have a read anyway and share any wisdom I can glean.

No idea what todays plan is but I think I'll do celeriac dauphinois as a side with tea later and the rest will be BC compliant.

Just copying this over for @Slumberlands:

I've just started this , hope I'm not too late. Really struggling to find things to eat!

One of the things you'll soon realise on these threads is just how much we talk about lovely food! Lots of recipes and meal ideas are shared. There's certainly no shortage of things that you can eat, even if you might feel it's punitive not being able to eat bread and pasta etc.

Tell us a bit more about you, and why you're finding it hard, and let's see if we can help you.