Week 1 - May '24 Low Carb Bootcamp. And off we go!

[BIWI]

Evening everyone!

I'm starting the first week's chat thread this evening as I know everyone will be chomping at the bit to get going tomorrow!

First, and most importantly, here's the link to the spreadsheet

You'll see that it's now got a bit of colour coding going on. There are several posters who have said that they don't want to be on the spreadsheet, so they are on there, but greyed out - so I know who is/isn't wanting to talk about their weight.

If you're said you're a vegetarian, your row will be coloured green; this is important, so that we know how to advise you about foods (or rather, not to tell you off if you're eating nuts/fruit/seeds when you're allowed to, as a veggie!)

If you haven't seen the spreadsheet before - or even if you have! - have a good look around it. As well as Bootcamp rules, there's loads of helpful information on there (look at the tabs at the bottom). I've revised the vegetable carb count, which now includes some more veg.

If there's anything that isn't clear

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.

... and my second-most important post:

As well as my usual disclaimer, I'm going to post my usual (oh, here she goes again, blah blah blah) request for good thread etiquette:

The threads will move very quickly (especially in the first couple of weeks). But please, please, please read everything that's been posted before you post. Use the bookmark facility so you don't lose your place. Don't just jump on the thread to post your own stuff without bothering to read what others have posted.It is very wearing when we have to keep answering the same questions, because posters haven't bothered to read what's gone before!

I will pick you up on this, and I don't apologise for it. A lot of work goes into making these threads and answering people's posts, so if you haven't bothered to read what's gone before it's very galling.

... which brings me to The Big Stick!

If you haven't done Bootcamp before, you probably have no idea what this is.

Low carbing is not a very forgiving way of eating. You can't cheat, like you can on a low fat or low calorie diet, by compensating for one 'bad' meal by having a 'good' one next time. Everything you eat and drink has to be Bootcamp-compliant.

So if I see you posting about eating/drinking things that aren't within the rules, I will pick you up on that. And I make no apologies for that. If you don't follow the rules, then it won't work for you. More than anything else, I want this WOE to work for you. If I could do it for you, then I'd be a millionaire! So failing that, it's my job to keep you on the straight and narrow. Which I will do by wielding my Big Stick.

Fabulous! Just marking my place for tomorrow!

Got my big 1.2l cup ready to be filled first thing!

I think that the big stick is as eager as I am 😂

It's throbbing away in its holster as we speak ...

Bit nervous! Especially about the big stick! But really keen to change my eating habits.

Thanks @BIWI . I am one of the greyed out ones, but it’s not so much for privacy as that I keep my own records in stones and lbs and find it a bit of a faff converting to lbs which is a meaningless number to me so I will chat about my weight but don’t mind if you don’t remember that.

Anyway, feeling motivated. After the last BC I did put back on 2lb fairly quickly, but despite straying somewhat in the last few weeks I have stayed at exactly that weight, which suggests that the slippage is nowhere near as bad as it would have been in days gone by. Tonight I have cleared out the fridge, made packed lunches for the next two days, made homemade mayo and smoked salmon pate to dip veg sticks into so I am all set.

@EasilyDeterred good point about the spreadsheet calculations working in lbs. I'll have a look behind the scenes and hope for some inspiration on how to have the calculations work in any kind of unit.

Added to the 'to do' list., with thanks

Use the FLOOR function for that @FinallyHere.

Oh no that won't work, it doesn't do floor division, it just rounds down. Sorry!

Morning all and best of luck!

Thanks @BIWI as ever for your hard work. And @FinallyHere for magicking away spreadsheet messes!

I've put on a little since the end of last bootcamp but here for the next step of onwards and downwards 😜

Morning all. Rather depressing weigh in this morning but I guess from here the only way is down….

planning on GY and cream, eggs and spinach for lunch and then something with chicken leeks and mushrooms for dinner with veg for me and maybe pasta for the dd.

good luck everyone

Good Morning!
My scales are well dodgy but they'll have to do. @FinallyHere or @BIWI Can you enter my weight please? 69kg or 152lbs or 10.8 stone. I work in Stones so have had to use a converter online. Daren't touch a spreadsheet!
I usually weigh my self daily at 9pm as I have a whole Wii Fit routine going on which I will continue. The Wii Fit scales show totally different results to the manual scale I have just used but I haven't time to set the Wii Fit up each morning due to child shenanigans and getting ready for school/work every morning. Have a good day everyone. I'll be back later.

I work in stones too but not on spreadsheet so all good
day one ! Ready to rumble !

sorted 152 it is @MissBeck

Weighed in , less than at the start of the January Bootcamp …. But more than I’d like
Holiday in Majorca in 4 weeks , so time is off the essence

I’m planning to log my meals on MFP , and just not look at the carb / calorie counter as I find if it’s written down it’s more real

will be back later ( off to reread the prep thread )

That's the drawback with using my own records rather than the spreadsheet, its harder to relate weight changes to dates of bootcamps, my records go back 10 years so they are a very valuable record. The other thing for me is that I normally use an Ipad and doing anything in excel on there is fiddly. I only put on my proper laptop about once a week. I suppose I could always quickly log it when I get to work on Monday mornings.

Morning!
A starting weight of 176lbs for me.
I've been low carb since Jan and have lost a stone but feel like the bad habits are sneaking back in again. A few carbs here, a few carbs there add up!
Hoping Boot Camp will spur me on back to it.

Morning all, happy Bootcamp day!

Thanks for the spreadsheet and set-up @BIWI and @FinallyHere . My scales weigh in Kg which is most depressing as you lose very slowly! I just use the conversion calc on the spreadsheet.

I have a possibly silly question. I know it's strictly no fruit but are we allowed lime/lemon juice for cooking or a slice in water?

Plan for today is FFGY and cream for breakfast, eggs & salad for lunch, and creamy cauliflower cheese for supper - I will probably add some other roast veg to it too. And ALL the water.

Checking in 4.5lb up from the end of last BC which I don't mind as I haven't been particularly strict - haven't been eating carbs every meal but have allowed the odd slice of toast or pizza, I may have mentioned a lot that bread in all of it's forms is my downfall!

Interesting thing happened on Saturday - we went to eat before a gig, Mexican as it's DH's favourite. Share padron peppers, sweet potato fries, loaded nachs, quesadillas, mushroom croquettes and tacos. I avoided the quesadillas and only ate the inside of the tacos but did have the rest, and for the rest of the evening felt so sluggish and sleepy we actually left early. I've had the early hours heart racing reaction to carbs (and Chinese but that's another story) but this is a new one - the universe telling me to STAY AWAY!!!!

Work week is looking busy, volunteering Wednesday evening so will take a snack box tea, DD's first exam on Thursday and we're out at a gig that night too so will need to be very strict and mindful that alcohol is normally my stress reliever. 9.6lb to get to 11st which I'm determined to do this BC - if I could get to 10st10lb I'd be delighted as that's my goal to be in the healthy BMI but aware that it will be a massive ask.

Huge cup of peppermint tea to start the day then will move onto water, have a good day BC-ers!

Good morning! May I join this bootcamp?

I have done it before (in a different incarnation) and had fabulous results. However, I've slowly slid off the wagon and would like to get back on it. I enjoy the food and feel great when eating LC.

I have a wedding in early July which is going to be extremely tedious and I very much don't want to go, but if I have to be there (I do) I would like to look fabulous. So, my goal is to get to 69kg-is by the wedding.

Unfortunately, my plan to weigh in this morning failed in the face of an epic toddler meltdown, so I'll have to add my weight tomorrow morning if that's OK? Should I add myself to the spreadsheet?

My plan for today is

No breakfast (long term IF-er)
Pret a Manger chicken salad
Beef fillet, asparagus and salad with vinaigrette and blue cheese for dessert.

Morning all, I'm really excited to be starting again. I last did bootcamp in March 2022 and then my Mum died suddenly in that April and I just didn't have the mental energy to keep it up. It has been a busy 2 years since - I was Mum's executor and we had the huge task of clearing the house of a lifetime's possessions and memories and selling it. I also had a long running court case in the middle of it all which has been all-consuming, but I won! 🙌 There is still one outstanding aspect to it, so still a fair bit of residual stress.

I started last Wednesday and was 100.3kg and am down to 97kg today. If I managed an average of a kg per week and got to below 90kg this bootcamp I would be absolutely delighted. Longer term, 82kg is my ultimate goal, but I find I work best by dividing my goals into manageable chunks.

Thanks to @BIWI and everyone else for running this.

Good morning, checking in. Thank you everyone involved in setting this up. I've weighed in this morning at 14st7.6lbs which is really really close to my most heavy ever so it's definitely time to make a change. I did bootcamp in 2019 and lost almost 2.5 stones in 6 months and kept most of that off for several years - so I have the faith and can recommend to those of you that are new.

Over the last two years there's been an enormous amount of stress and I am a comfort eater (and drinker) so here I am again. I have a wedding to go to at the beginning of July (just after the end of this camp) and a holiday mid July, so feeling happy and confident in my outfit/swimsuit are my goals.

Today I'm planning Greek yoghurt and creamy coffee for breakfast (I don't usually eat breakfast, but I'm going to eat something for the first few weeks to make sure I'm not starving at lunchtime), chicken from last night's BBQ with salad for lunch and then some sort of BBQ leftovers for dinner. I've got some leeks and an aubergine in the fridge, thinking about some sort of cheesy leek bake one night and aubergine parmegiana thing another as side dishes - will have a look at some receipes.

Something that works well for me on bootcamp is swapping my cup of tea first thing with hot water with lemon, gets some water in early doors!