Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Low-carb bootcamp

Join discussions about low-carb bootcamp plans, meals and progress. Consider speaking to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Week 3 - May '24 Low Carb Bootcamp - Light or full-on?!

184 replies

BIWI · 27/05/2024 08:43

Morning all.

This week sees the opportunity to add back into your diet fruit, nuts and seeds, chocolate and alcohol, by moving to Bootcamp Light.

HOWEVER!

All of the above in moderation.

Fruit - keep the focus on berries, and don't go mad by having lots of it, regularly. As with veg, there's a carb counter on the spreadsheet which you can use - just look at how few fruits are in the green section!

Nuts/seeds - there's a carb counter for nuts on the spreadsheet too (and when I get round to it, I'll do one for seeds. Again, go easy. While they're very good for us, they can get carby very quickly as they're so moreish.

Chocolate - aim for a minimum of 70% cocoa. You'll be surprised - if you've been avoiding sweet things for a while - at how easy it is to enjoy higher cocoa content chocolate. It's also actually good for us too. Lindt make a good 90% chocolate, but I prefer one that Sainsbury's sell, in their Taste the Difference range, which is a Ugandan one - https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-ugandan-90-dark-chocolate-taste-the-difference-100g

2 squares of this is very satisfying.

Alcohol - be very careful here. Partly because you'll find it has more of an effect on you if you're not eating carbs, and partly because once you start drinking you'll suddenly find yourself easily able to justify those crisps! But mainly because a) there can be a lot of carbs in it; b) all the time you're drinking alcohol, this is the source of fuel that your body will be using, rather than fat and c) even if you choose a spirit which has no carbs in it, chances are you'll be drinking it with an artificially sweetened mixer - and remember we're trying to avoid the artificial sweeteners.

The Benefits of Having a Healthy Relationship with Chocolate

Are you and chocolate on the outs? It may be time to make amends. Find out how having a balanced relationship with chocolate may be good for your overall health.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-benefits-of-having-a-healthy-relationship-with-chocolate#:~:text=Dark%20chocolate%20contains%20powerful%20antioxidants,damage%20caused%20by%20free%20radicals.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
13
BIWI · 30/05/2024 10:57

Sounds lovely!

OP posts:
OpalTiger · 30/05/2024 11:35

HELP! I am having a HUNGRY day - I am a long-term IF’er so normally don’t eat (and not hungry) before 12 but today I’ve been so hungry since I woke up!

I’ve already had a portion of FFGY, 2 eggs with ham and 1/2 an avocado, a bit of cheese and a few Brazil nuts and I’m still hungry. I’ve had 1.6l of water already so I don’t think it’s thirst. ‘Normal’ me probably would have had a few slices of bread with Nutella on and I’m trying really hard not to fall for the temptation. Any advice, wise ladies?

prettybird · 30/05/2024 12:04

Apart from yet mire water, can you go and do something? Especially something that requires you to concentrate or "get in the zone" so that you're distracted from wanting to eat?

Even if you just go into another room, go for a walk, call/talk to a friend/colleague: whatever is appropriate for your circumstances.

Are you hungry or hAngry ?

BIWI · 30/05/2024 12:24

Hungry --> eat!

You've eaten all good stuff/low carb stuff so that's all good. More water will always help, and the idea of distraction is good. But also, have an early lunch?

OP posts:
PunksVersusBrats · 30/05/2024 12:27

I've been like that for most of this week, @OpalTiger, I find that I get days like this when the weather has been gloomy, one of the reasons that I gain so much weight in the winter. Is it OK to just have more food, as long as it's LC until you feel full, as we're not calorie counting and listening to our hunger?

BIWI · 30/05/2024 12:31

We always advocate eating if you're hungry on this WOE, as Bootcamp/low carbing isn't about deprivation.

That said, it's important to be aware that sometimes you can be hungry because you're thirsty, or that you're bored, or needing emotional comfort/reward.

Personally, unless I'm ravenously hungry, I try to imagine my body having to turn to its own fat as a source of fuel, rather than adding more 'fuel to the fire' so to speak. If you can ride it out till the next meal, then try doing that. But don't suffer!

OP posts:
PunksVersusBrats · 30/05/2024 12:32

Sorry, cross-posted with @BIWI, who has answered my question.

Victim of my own success here 🙄 I made a vat of creamy broccoli soup this morning to help with the rainy days and most of it has already been scoffed by the teens, as I stupidly asked if they'd like a bowl for lunch. I'm delighted that they liked it enough for seconds, but it was going to be my lunch for a few days 😆

EasilyDefined · 30/05/2024 13:22

Just checking in and reading back through the last couple of days. No breakfast this morning (I got busy and completely forgot). Broccoli and blue cheese soup for lunch now and I've got some FFGY and strawberries for afterwards. Dinner tonight will be something made out of chicken thighs, probably curry with salad and FFGY. Water so makes a difference, I lost 1lb overnight on Tuesday after upping my water again on Mon/Tue (it always slips at the weekend).

I've eaten salad for lunch all through the winter but somehow damp cold weather in May seems even worse in terms of fancying it at the moment so I've been having soup for lunch all week. Maybe back to salad tomorrow.

@prettybird we are in a bit of holiday limbo too because of DH, he has been diagnosed with low grade prostate cancer and no treatment needed so far but he has to have a PSA test every three months, which could mean treatment needed (just had one which was OK next is now due in August), so apart from a week in Scotland in July which we could have cancelled if the one last week hadn't been OK we have been reluctant to book anything this year, I dread to think what it will do to the ease/cost of travel insurance. Hope your DH's surgery comes through soon.

I get like that too @PunksVersusBrats and to be honest no matter how much LCHF stuff I snack on it doesn't satisfy me so I think it is emotional rather than true hunger. I do find imagining the taste of something I really hate eating (aversion strategy) helps the moment pass.

MissBeckIsAtWork · 30/05/2024 13:48

They've just pulled me up some rhubarb at work, and traditionally I would do a crumble with it! Any ideas??

OP posts:
MissBeckIsAtWork · 30/05/2024 14:27

Ooh, that's new @BIWI I was thinking of something puddingy. Didn't cross my mind to make a sauce with it!

EasilyDefined · 30/05/2024 14:37

I make rhubarb compote with a bit if ginger and cinnamon and a TEENY bit of sugar honest just a teaspoon for a whole pan and eat it with FFGY. I also give it away at work and bake it into things to take in. I get a LOT of rhubarb from the allotment.

BIWI · 30/05/2024 14:41

Rhubarb is actually a vegetable, so it works well in savoury cooking! It has a very low carb count, at only 0.8g carbs per 100g. You may need to add some sugar or honey - or an artificial sweetener - but try to use as little as possible.

OP posts:
OP posts:
MissBeck · 30/05/2024 15:35

Oh my goodness you two!! Why would you show me something I can't have!! Flour and caster sugar??? 😂😂
Home now. I also aquired 2 small leeks a cabbage and a lettuce.

prettybird · 30/05/2024 15:46

The almond muffins (that can be made either as cheese ones or vanilla ones) on the veggie recipe thread might be adaptable into rhubarb "cakes". Make some rhubarb compote (with a tiny amount of erythritol as sweetener) and then put that in the bottom of muffin cases/tins (I use a silicon tray of deep muffin shapes, so there's never an issue with demoulding them) before filling with the vanilla version of the muffin mix.

Thinking about it, I have some sliced rhubarb pieces in the freezer..... Wink

MissBeck · 30/05/2024 16:07

Trots off to the veggie recipe thread....

FinallyHere · 30/05/2024 16:55

Rhubarb is one of my very favourite things

Roasted on high in over or air fryer with a touch of butter and squeeze of lemon, it makes for a delicious sauce with any especially duck breast (with buttered spinach and roasted celery).

One of my proudest achievements is to have trained my taste buds to prefer a squeeze of lemon to any sugar in cooked rhubarb.

Pleaseandthankyou · 30/05/2024 19:21

I love rhubarb crumble and rhubarb jam. I have a bit in the garden and didn’t know what to do with it so I will try roasting with lemon.
I marinaded some chicken thighs tonight. Roasted them and had in a low carb wrap with home made coleslaw. Put some grated strong cheddar in the coleslaw. Delicious

OpalTiger · 30/05/2024 19:39

Thanks all for the support earlier. I get the ‘eat when hungry’ thing but it just felt so odd to eat more after what would normally have been a very big first meal of the day for me.

I ended up making a big pot of tea to drink and phoned a colleague for a natter to discuss a very important work related issue. Working from home is what gets me as I have cupboards full of carbs! Went to the office for the afternoon which was a good distraction and then home for my bolognese dinner (family with spaghetti, me with kale). Onwards and upwards!

MissBeck · 30/05/2024 20:55

Just had a mega panic as I cleared my PC browsing history and it cleared all my saved log ins. Tried password reset and non of the emails were coming through, so emailed support. I then realised I hadn't made an email account, I'd gone through google, so had to re-email support (who were lovely) to explain. Bet they thought I was a right plonker!

As I have enough rhubarb, and can get plenty more from work, I've decided to try all 4 suggestions from @BIWI @prettybird and @FinallyHere 😂including the traybake as my birthday cake on saturday!! I'm prepared to accept the consequences! 😜

B: Coffee with Double Cream and cheese
L: Tinned mackerel salad
D: FRIED Gammon, mushrooms, brocolli and sprouts.

@PunksVersusBrats That creamy chicken looks doable for me. Do you have to use skinless chicken? I'd rather have the skin on.

EasilyDefined · 30/05/2024 20:59

@FinallyHere that sounds interesting re duck and rhubarb. I don’t like fruit with meat AT ALL (apart from a teeny bit of cranberry sauce with turkey) so things like duck with orange or black cherry are never on the menu here even when not on BC, I’d never thought of using unsweetened rhubarb though.

Dinner - chicken fajitas without wraps, chicken, green pepper and onion fried with spices served with avocado, sour cream and cheese.

PunksVersusBrats · 30/05/2024 21:01

I don't see why not @MissBeck, although I don't eat the skin myself. I used chicken breasts, but it would work with thighs (skin on/off) just as easily and I'd probably use thighs if I made it again.