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.

And here's my usual disclaimer, which is very important:

Low Carb Bootcamp is run by Mumsnetters. Those who run the threads are not medics and are not qualified in nutrition or dietetics. Recommendations and support are based on our experiences and understanding of low carbing. Before starting, if you are on any kind of long-term medication (especially for hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol), please check with your GP, as the results of low carbing can mean you may need to reduce your dosage. And if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding, we suggest you follow Bootcamp Light.

The Spreadsheet of Fabulousness updated with, I hope, no change to the link above.

if I have missed you, or you spot anything else missed, please let me know so I can fix it pronto. Thank you @BIWI and all you lovely bootcampers for the great support. As they say in the Oscar speeches, couldn't do this without you

Thank you @FinallyHere

You're the one we can't do without!

and @venusandmars reinstated, sorry about that one, phew, glad you pointed spotted it

Please shout if any of your data points are missing, I think I've got them all back but ...

Morning campers. Huge thanks BIWI and FINALLYHERE Apologies for not posting all week. Dreadful wifi away skiing. Fly home tonight and looking forward to getting back to LC as been VERY lax this past week (alcohol & puddings). I’m away again on Saturday for another ski trip so far from ideal and need to be super strict this week to get back on track.

Welcome back @NotDonna Glad to have you continuing. Spreadsheet updated ok.

Thanks @BIWI and @FinallyHere I’m grocery shopping today in preparation for the week ahead.

Thank you for the new bootcamp! I won’t be weighing so didn’t sign up for the spreadsheet, but am looking forward to this push, after several failures to start in January.

@FinallyHere Thanks, sof looking all fine for me now.

Morning all, looking forward to a new month new start on Monday. My fitbit died this morning so I have no idea how active I'm being while a replacement is being delivered.
I'm wondering if thats a good thing as I have a tendency to "reward" any exercise with a snack.

I use my fitbit to track my food intake, not as a calorie deficit tool but just to track if I'm over eating or to see trends in weight fluctuation.

Morning all. Just checking in ready for tomorrow.
KOKO

Morning all - I’ve weighed in this morning and would love to have 7lbs off before my weekend away at the end of march. Any more than that would be an absolute bonus.

That soup recipe shared on the sign up thread sounds great so think I’m going to make something like that for my work lunches this week, usually go for a tin of tuna with olives and mayo and salad

I’m prepped! And it tastes DELICIOUS. Surely this isn’t a diet 😂

Great to read all the people lining up ready for tomorrow. Thanks for this new thread @BIWI and for the spreadsheet @FinallyHere .

I was in the January bootcamp and very happy with the pounds I shifted.
For the last two weeks though, despite keeping on keeping on, the numbers on the scales have bounced up and down increasing or decreasing by 2-3lbs. It's quite frustrating at times. But, really it's a lesson in patience. I've been travelling a bit for work and I think I'm tired and possibly my body's holding onto water. Anyway time will tell.

It's been a great help to know that this bootcamp is starting up to keep supporting us. Thanks again.

All the best everybody!!

Is that the Jamie Oliver recipe @Asmallgiraffe? Looks pretty similar and is also delicious. I might make some too.

I need to confess to a big fuck up last night. Had made macaroni cheese as it's DS's favourite and he's heading away for a week on a school trip today. I had intended to have something completely different but the time came and I just couldn't resist. Piled my plate high with salad and had about a 1/3 of a portion of macaroni cheese, which wouldn't have been too much of a disaster if I'd stopped there. I went on to have a portion of steamed marmalade pudding and custard, and then polished off the quality street that have been sitting languishing in the cupboard since Christmas.

I'm back on it today, and strict bootcamp this week, so I know it won't take too kind to undo the damage (up a pound overnight). It's really reinforced for me that I'm absolutely not able to do moderation though. This wasn't the mindful, enjoy it as a treat, experience that I expected when I decided to have that tiny portion of pasta. I did bloody enjoy it, but it was in no way controlled. I ate the pasta at 6 and was still shovelling chocolate into my mouth on my way to bed at 11 🙈

As my oldest DS is away this week we're eating all the foods he doesn't like - so inexplicably lasagne is on the list. I decided to try the dehydrate function on my air fryer yesterday so have a couple of dehydrated courgettes to use in mine, and I will make myself a separate cream based sauce. I may also griddle a few courgettes too as the dehydrate function takes forever. They look suitable though, may try doing a tray in the oven on low temperature.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks.

And thank you for the new bootcamp @BIWI and @FinallyHere. I am, as always, eternally grateful. And I'm not even exaggerating. It's so fabulous to have such support in trying to make such a big change.

Right. I'm prepped. Fridge is rammed with a fuck ton of green veg and I'm raring to go. I'll be 16:8 as that is my usual agenda if that's O.K. @BIWI . I have been low carbing since NY but had a few drops off the wagon so think I need your big stick now! I lost nearly 3 stone on Keto a couple of years ago but, usual story, put it all back on and more when I stopped. I also have an underactive thyroid [medicated] which doesn't help the cause. I'm away for a week at the end of February so I'm hoping for another half a stone off by then. [I've lost half a stone since NY]. Everything crossed and thanks for this thread.

Thank you for the new thread @BIWI and for the spreadsheet @FinallyHere

@WitchWand - I'm also experiencing a similar frustration. It's frustrating when you don't know why!

For those people who do some form of IF/don't eat breakfast (who've been on BC for a while) - have any of you got any thoughts on 'mixing things up' a bit with this? I generally often skip breakfast but have a vague memory of hearing somewhere that maybe you can get used to that and it can be good to surprise your body? I've just been trying to think through any tweaks I could make and this is one I've wondered about.

Reporting in for tomorrow! So pleased to have you all on here.

Morning all!

Thought I'd re-post this here - a post I made this morning on the other thread, as a reminder/warning to all:

Just thought I show you all this - it's a salutary lesson!

This is my weight chart, from daily measuring from the beginning of January. You an see that it's bouncing up and down, but overall going down quite consistently. Then suddenly a big blip upwards. Why? End of Dry January!

So just goes to show the impact that alcohol can have. I can, hand on heart, swear that apart from the 3 chips I nicked from DH on Thursday, all my food/meals have been Bootcamp-compliant. And the alcohol? A couple of glasses of red wine, the rest gin with 0 calorie tonic, or a rum with sparkling water.

That's not to say we can't drink when we're Bootcamping, but it's better to be prepared and to understand the impact it can have on weight loss.

I think there are two issues here:

First, the body is lazy. Alcohol is the easiest source of fuel to burn, so while you're drinking, your body is using the alcohol rather than your body fat.

And second, in my case, although artificially sweetened drinks have zero calories or carbs, there is some suggestion that the body responds to the sweetness as if it were sugar. There's lots of contradictory opinion about this if you search it online, but there's also a suggestion that the artificial sweeteners mess with our gut biome too. All in all, they probably don't help things!

Above all, though, it's very useful to track progress like this. Weight does fluctuate quite naturally on a day-to-day basis (and especially if you're still having periods), but to be able to see how things change - and hopefully pinpoint why - is only helpful.

That's not to say that we should all be weighing daily, as psychologically it can be quite difficult and potentially triggering, but it's one more weapon in our armoury!

@Magnolia82 I don't know enough about IF to help you - @StuntNun is the expert here, but she hasn't been around for a while.

I'll see if I can find anything out for you though!

Can I join in please?
(starting weight 16st)

Of course you can @medianewbie. You can either just add your name to the bottom of the list, or @FinallyHere will do it - I think there will probably be a final 'scooping' up of new posters before tomorrow morning when we weigh-in

" Above all, though, it's very useful to track progress like this. Weight does fluctuate quite naturally on a day-to-day basis (and especially if you're still having periods), but to be able to see how things change - and hopefully pinpoint why - is only helpful.

That's not to say that we should all be weighing daily, as psychologically it can be quite difficult and potentially triggering, but it's one more weapon in our armoury!" Thanks for your thoughts @BIWI .

I had debated weighing daily or weekly and went for the daily one because I want to understand as much as I can about how my body's affected by what it's dealing with. I'm beginning to accept that it's complex and that I might understand somethings but not others. As you say, my weight is fluctuating daily and yet there's a gradual shift downwards. A big part of this journey for me is to not stress over the fluctuations and to keep on keeping on.

Hoping things will be ok for you today @Magnolia82 . Some people here have been talking about skiing. Well, maybe we can imagine our journey like that part of the ski slope with the bumps in. Sometimes we just have to accept they're there, to stay steady whilst we go over them and to remember too that we'll still be moving downwards, even if it's not as fast as we might like. 😁