Feb '24 Low Carb Bootcamp - Here we Go!

[BIWI]

So our first official weigh-in won't be until Monday, but I thought it would be a good idea to get this thread up, so that we can all start thinking and prepping for it. This is especially important for those of you who are new to low carbing/Bootcamp.

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness (although it's possible that @FinallyHere might be posting an updated one later)

You'll see that it's divided into three sections, which reflects the fact that for some of us, this Bootcamp is a continuation of the Dry January challenge.

From Monday, the next Bootcamp will last for 8 weeks.

If you're just joining us anew, then it's important that you follow Bootcamp properly, i.e. the first two weeks will be strict, before you relax into Bootcamp Light in Week 3 (if you want to.). For anyone who has been with us for the January challenge, it's entirely up to you how you take part. You can, if you wish, do the next two weeks as strict Bootcamp, or you can continue with Bootcamp Light.

Thank you for running another Bootcamp @BIWI I feel like I'm really in the groove now so looking forward to another 8 weeks. I'm terrible at keeping up with the threads so missed signing up for February but would definitely like to carry on if I can be moved up the spreadsheet please @FinallyHere .
I'm going to try to make it to the end of the tread before it gets too long so I can join in the chat this time, looking forward to discovering some more lovely recipes!

On plan day yesterday - even though the hello fresh meals in the fridge were eyeing me I made DH to the recipe (with breadcrumbs and chips) and made mine adapted for BC so chicken thigh fried in olive oil with thai spices. a side of Asian slaw (apparently just coleslaw veg, mayo and a squeeze of lime juice - it was lovely) and 2 pints of water :)

Tonight will be a touch more difficult to adapt as its a Chicken Schnitzel with roast potatoes and spring greens but I have a play about and see what I end up with.

@venusandmars I also aim for 30 plant points a week, but sometimes struggle a bit when doing full BC (not BC light). I wondered if you'd mind sharing how you've got to 25 over two days? I wonder if it will give me some fresh inspiration?

Morning all,

Reporting in for day 2 of BC. The scales have been undeservedly kind to me (down 200g ) between the end of the last BC and this one where I went off piste (though much less than I would have done pre BC). However, the biggest change for me is the hunger - I've no doubt driven by blood sugar spikes from the carbiness - so I'm back on it and eating a lot of BC friendly food to get me over the hump.

Bfast: SLC roll with roast chicken, roast garlic and mayo
Lunch : steak and salad
Dinner: left over Thai green curry

@Magnolia82 I made a lovely salmon Niçoise salad with left over roast salmon and green beans yesterday. I added a couple of soft boiled eggs and all the salady veg. I don't normally fancy salad this time of year but the eggs were warming and I really enjoyed it. I reckon that was at least 7-8 veggies in one go :)

Last day of my trip and still koko. Lots of delicious salad, veg and omelettes.

Brunch- omelette with bacon and Swiss and a salad
Snack- crudités with guacamole and green salsa
Supper- roasted Italian sausage and aubergine with pesto and pine nuts

I'm usually a daily weigher so will be interested in the damage on my return.

Ps- what is a SLC roll?

Look!

We have our recipe thread

@Magnolia82 Here is everything I've eaten - you might have to look away a couple of times because it's not all bootcamp compliant but I love beetroot and it came in the veg box and I hate waste

I've had some items more than once (celery etc but I don't think I've double counted).

Sunday Brunch: hash brown made with left over celeriac and leek, with fried mushroom. With homemade low carb bread which has linseeds and ground almonds.
Dinner: a starter of beetroot smash (beetroot, nut butter, garlic, lime juice, load of fresh corriander, soy sauce) served with crudities - celery, cucumber, a little carrot. Followed by slow cooked lamb with buttery cabbage, crispy kale and mashed swede. The lamb also had a load of ground spices in it - corriander, cumin, nutmeg, caraway seeds...

Monday breakfast: avocado on low carb bread
Lunch: homemade cream of tomato soup; egg mayonnaise and salad (lettuce, peppers, cucumber)
Dinner: prawn stir-fry with shallot, baby sweetcorn, beansprouts, chilli, ginger. Served on spiralised courgette.

Still on my list to have this week are green beans and olives (tuna nicoise salad), buttery spinach, cauliflower/broccoli cheese, fennel slaw, possibly some aubergine parmigiana.

Next week's veg box has red cabbage listed. That adds to the coloured ingredients. And I often have a jar of antipasti artichokes on hand to add weight to a salad.

Waiting with anticipation for the season when we can have asparagus, radishes (they are lovely roast in olive oil), rocket from the garden, watercress, mange tout and squash...

Every so often I find my diet getting a bit same-y, the things from my veg box, plus a few other favourites. Then I go looking for different veg - google low carb veg, or look at the tab on BIWI's spreadsheet - there a tab at the bottom with veg carb count, I've just reminded myself about gherkins, sauerkraut, kimchi so will add those to my shopping list for the next couple of weeks. And maybe chinese cabbage as an alternative to lettuce.

Perfect timing with the recipe thread @BIWI just about to do my meal plan for the week and in need of some new inspiration.

@cathyandclaire SLC - Srsly Low Carb

No idea why they changed their name from 'Seriously Low Carb' to the rather irritating one without any vowels!

I've always wondered what they say when they answer the phone - a bit like the people who work for Abrdn.

@AllTheBlackCoffee snap, my chore for this evening is to go through the freezer and try to pull together a meal plan for the next 3 weeks and then do a massive online shop so that I can start to feel more on top of things. I was going to order some of the SRSLY (can't stand the new name!) to get me through the next few days as my weekend antics have left me with cravings but when I looked at the site it wouldn't arrive until the weekend by which time I'll have time to make my own ( not that I've had the ingredients for weeks and done nothing with them)!

Thanks @BIWI - not spinach, lettuce and cucumber then!

klaxon sound 📣 Please ignore if spreadsheets & how they work are just not your thang.

The Speadsheet of Fabulousness has been updated for those joining Bootcamp in February. Please be aware that the calculations 'total loss since original start', which allow tracking across bootcamps only make sense if you have filled in column 'C' original weight.

You are of course, welcome to just ignore any ‘since original’ calculations.

If you like things tidy, but this really is your first bootcamp or you prefer to 'draw a veil' over any earlier results, one workaround is to enter put the same number in column 'AF' 'start this bookcamp' and in column 'C' original weight. so that the results for ‘this bootcamp’ and ‘since original’ will be the same, maybe only this bootcamp, maybe for ever.

FWIW, I'd been bootcamping for three months before I even got the courage to step on the scales. Now, of course, I would like to know my maximum weight but it was not to be, as the act of stepping on scales is always a bit problematic for me. Not weighing worked to get me started, keeping track with a tape measure and a pair of white shorts. In still in awe of anyone who can look that cold, hard number in the face and not shrink.

Fabulous 👏👏👏

Thank you @venusandmars - really helpful. I think I too often just use my 'favourites' to do my online shop. I'm going to have the veg tab of the spreadsheet open when I do my online shop for next week.

Evening all. Just had a banging cauliflower soup that I jazzed up with some incredibly stinky cheese. The recipe says to add bacon but alas I was out.

https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/instant-pot-loaded-cauliflower-soup/#recipe

I'm trying to be very mindful of how much veg and what variety I'm eating, as I think it's very easy to slip to dairy and meat. I get an oddbox every other week which makes me plan meals around them. Olives and celery are great go to snacks and I cooked with rhubarb this week in a savoury meal which was fab.

Evening Everyone, thank you for the recipe threads @BIWI and inspiration @venusandmars as I do feel things are getting a bit samey and I want to mix it up. I have stayed on plan today, I have sausages for dinner and was feeling ravenous earlier but managed to pick up some salami to snack on instead of non bootcamp food. I know it is processed but it helped me stay on track! I am starting to miss bread and wraps so I am also going to have a nose at the shopping thread and maybe order some for the freezer.

Hi everyone, I had a work conference today and yesterday and did not succumb to any of the delicious looking cakes they had as snacks. So feeling like if I can get through that, I should be able to do anything!

I was in to see the doctor on Monday and have very high sugar levels and diagnosed with diabetes so I need to be really good with low carbing.

@TiaraBoo I was pre diabetic last year and brought my blood sugar to normal levels when I tested after 3 months of low carb. It really does work very well.

Aubergine fried in really good EVOO, avocado, couple slices LC toast with butter, chicken, salad, cheese. Little bit of milk in tea.

I've been strict but have eaten a bit too much today, I ate the avocado because it was ready rather than because I wanted it. I know I'm not a dustbin but a ripe avocado is a precious thing!

All the water!

I'm absolutely useless at gauging when an avocado is ready!

Amazing chilli tonight. I used my usual mince but also had some of Sunday's roast beef left over so I chopped that into chunks and added it. Eight hours in the slow cooker and it was SO good - didn't want my meal to end.

Food today has been on point, despite a numb face after a filling at the dentists this morning. Just hoping the scales stop playing silly buggers tomorrow otherwise we might well be having 'words'!

Day 2 and feeling good as so far I've managed to stay perfectly on track. I need to do something about exercise though. I'm being quite lazy.
Buttery salmon fillet with salad for lunch.
Chicken in cheese and ham sauce with cauliflower, brussels and green beans for dinner.
All the water [and associated treks to the loo!]
Not sleeping well though so feeling a bit knackered. Never mind - I'm a daily weigher and pleased to see a downward trend already.
Thanks so much @BIWI for the recipe threads - great bedtime reading for me.

Hello everyone, thanks for letting me join! I'm sure this is a stupid question and I'm looking right at it, but for some reason thought there was a tab on the spreadsheet that gives carb counts for vegetables? I can see the fruit, and nut, ones but can't see the vegetable one?

Sorry about my messing marking up but it’s here

Oh, thank you, god knows why I couldn’t see it before, thank you!