Week 1 - Pre-Christmas '24 Low Carb Bootcamp. And we're off!

[BIWI]

Morning all!

Here's the spreadsheet

Four important things:

1. You don't have to be on the spreadsheet if you don't want to - so if your name is there and you want it taken off, let @FinallyHere know, and she will remove it
2. If you've signed up, but your name isn't there, again, let @FinallyHere know and she will add you
3. Just add your weight and don't touch any of the other cells!
4. If you're using your phone for Mumsnet, you'll need to download the Google Sheets app

For Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs.editors.sheets&hl=en-US For apple iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-sheets/id842849113

If you don't want to be on the spreadsheet that's perfectly fine, but please make sure you check out all the resources that on there, on the different tabs. Most critical of all, of course, is the tab with the rules. But there's also loads of information about low carbing, carb counts for various things (including the veg carb counter, which is important), and various different plans and recipes that might help you.

And a massive thank you to @FinallyHere for managing this

Here you go:

Coleslaw
125g white cabbage (less than 1/4 of a cabbage)
75g carrot (1 medium-sized carrot)
25g* shallot (1/2 a banana/echalion shallot)
Slice white cabbage thinly
Grate carrot finely (don't use the largest holes on the grater)
Chop shallot finely
Add oil and wine vinegar - roughly 3 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar, and salt and black pepper. Stir everything well together. Leave for half an hour or so. Just before serving, stir in a tablespoon of mayo.

This will make 2 portions

@BIWI can I ask how long you've been on Mumsnet?
I came for baby equipment advice in 2003, Cod potty trained my kids and now I'm here for elderly parents and the menopause.
I recognise your name and I'd just like to say thanks to you and all the other people who've pushed me through learning curves.

I've been here since 2006, so not quite as long as you! First Bootcamp was, I think, back in 2012.

It was still pretty much fields in 2006!

Hello! I've been lurking but been a busy week as we just got back from holiday on Monday and I started low carbing on Tuesday (bootcamp light as veggie and BF an unruly toddler).

Today's menu:

Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with some mixed nuts and cinnamon

Lunch: scrambled eggs and to go with it I'll make 'Twarożek', which is a Polish dish - just take a packet of Twarog cottage cheese (can find in the Polish section of most big supermarkets), crumble into a bowl, mix with a couple tbsps of Greek yoghurt, add salt pepper and chives, serve with chopped cucumbers and radishes. V filling and high in protein.

Dinner: "Chicken" korma using Quorn pieces instead, will add double cream and spices and service with whatever veg I've got (probably broccoli and cauliflower).

I'm trying not to rely too heavily on Quorn products as realise they are processed but being veggie I kind of need to use them. I also have tofu but find the Quorn fillets and pieces handier for meal planning as they can be kept in the freezer.

Will try to update the spreadsheet when I can, starting weight is 73.7 kg. Ultimate goal weight would be around 60kg but it's a while since I've been that weight 😬 so would settle for around 64. Since having DC2 I've struggled to get much below 70kg.

Think I might have my meals a bit out of sorts. Yesterday I had bacon scrambled eggs cheese and mushrooms for breakfast then wasn’t hungry for lunch so had coffee and cream. I was famished by tea which was salad and chicken, I ended up having 2 chicken breasts I was that hungry and a bit floaty. I finished off with FFGY, double cream and cinnamon. I’ve done the same thing today so far. Maybe I should be having FFGY for breakfast then eggs for lunch? Does that sound better?

So yesterday you had: scrambled eggs with cheese, coffee and cream, chicken breasts and salad, yogurt and more cream?

If you're new to low carb then feeling very hungry is expected. Your body is craving the easy quick energy boost of carbs and not getting it. If you're hungry then eat. Chicken thighs or drumsticks would be better for satiation than chicken breasts unless you've fried them in butter and added a lot of oil to your salad dressing.

Your breakfast of eggs, bacon, cheese and mushrooms is a really good one as it it has lots of protein to satiate you and is a big, filling, calorific meal that should carry you through to your next meal without snacking. However, in this case it might have been too calorific as it led you to skip lunch and then end up extra hungry in the evening.

Coffee and cream as a meal is a bad idea as it could cause an insulin spike and a blood glucose dip that could well be what made you feel hungry. If you absolutely have coffee and cream then have it as a "dessert" straight after a meal rather than at a separate time.

It could be a mistake to have so many dairy-containing meals in one day. Some people tolerate dairy better than others but, as a rule of thumb, I would limit dairy consumption to no more than once or twice a day.

@StuntNun Thank you so much for your detailed response. I am new to LC, and so these points are really beneficial to me. I do eat chicken breast so I will swap to thighs. I also do eat a lot of dairy, I’ll limit that as you have suggested. It is very helpful as a newbie to see everyone’s food plan. I’ll re read this week and make a list of meals that might be better. As well I’ve been having mayo on salad not dressing. I need to have a re think.

As well I’ve been having mayo on salad not dressing.

You could have both?!

@LadyMcLadyface I'll ask @FinallyHere to colour-code you green on the spreadsheet, so that we remember you're a vegetarian!

Thank you! I've tried to eat fish during previous low-carb stints but doesn't work for me (plus DH and kids veggie anyway so just ended up having to faff about cooking different meals...)

Sorry I'm probably being a numpty but I've tried finding the relevant sheet on the spreadsheet and can't see any for Oct 2024?

@LadyMcLadyface

The 'weigh in' sheet is the left most tab on the current spreadsheet.

The right most tabs are the weigh in sheets from previous bootcamps.

Colour coding for you 'Vegi' coming up.

@Thistle72 do three-quarters extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil or walnut oil) to one-quarter red or white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar (but not balsamic vinegar which is very carby.) Add a little Dijon mustard, garlic powder or purée, salt, black pepper and dried herbs (I use Italian mixed herbs.) Shake well to emulsify before dressing your salad. Note that the mustard helps the salad dressing to emulsify. If you make it up in a jam jar or other sealed container then it keeps for a few weeks at room temperature. If you use extra virgin olive oil then it's best to keep it inside a cupboard though since light will degrade it.

It's really difficult to grasp just how much fat you should be eating when you go low carb. It's essential to have full fat dairy, the fattier cuts of meat (preferably with skin or fat left on,) oily fish rather than white fish, fry or roast rather than grill or boil, add butter to boiled/steamed/microwaved vegetable, use oil-based salad dressings.

Your protein intake should stay pretty much the same as before you went low carb, between 20-40% of calories, therefore you have to replace some of the missing carb calories with fat calories. Around 60-70% of your food macros should be fat, although this is tricky to measure because the macro also includes the calories your body is using from your own fat stores. Further down the line, when some people get stuck at the same weight for more than a month, @BIWI will be asking you (a) whether you're drinking enough water, and (b) whether you're eating enough fat. Usually, all it takes is around 15g more fat a day to kickstart weight loss again.

Just checking in for the first time though been on the plan all week. No loss just yet. My name change will say it all!

Having a truly insane day pre half term leave. Halloumi, couple of tomatoes, homemade French dressing (vinegar, mustard, olive oil) for lunch. Came into work meeting and caterers had really carefully got me a gluten free lunch that was carbtastic. Took two bites of the sandwich to not look insanely rude then pocketed the snack and crisps to dispose of later.

Chicken breasts with pesto, butternut squash and broccoli later! Might make some sautéed savoy cabbage to have on hand.

It may just be me who makes up salad dressing by the 500g bottle. 😁. I'm a big fan of olive oil, using it for everything cold

From a new, 500ml bottle of olive oil, pour off 125ml. Add flavourings to taste, I tend to use salt, pepper and powdered Colman's mustard. Top up with 125ml apple cider vinegar. Screw top back on the bottle, shake and you are good to go.

I've been known to turn the 125ml into dressing too, 3:1 oil : vinegar.

I’ve been surprised at how relatively easy it’s been to slip back into the LC WOE this time, the first bootcamp I did my carb withdrawals were reminiscent of the scene in Trainspotting with the baby crawling along the ceiling 🤣, but this time my body has just been like ‘oh ok, this again then’.

Haven’t had a 💩 since Sunday mind, so maybe a Senokot is in order tonight 🤔

@Butthistimesticktoit be careful with the butternut squash. If you look at the carb counter on the spreadsheet, you'll see it's colour-coded red, i.e. avoid as much as possible. It's 8.3g carbs per 100g.

Thanks @BIWI, unfortunately I can't stand the stuff! Will buy some for everyone else to have but not for me 😊. Thinking about a celeriac dauphinoise and swede chips which I can roast with some baby potatoes for the carbies, I'll need to cook everything at ours and transport to our friend's later

I’ve had a couple of teaspoons of FFGY for breakfast , cheese and ham omelette with a green salad for lunch and a smoked haddock cheese bake with cherry tomatoes and some veg for dinner .

That's interesting thank you. I wonder how to get foods in that are high fat but not necessarily high protein - I'm guessing avocado? Not nuts as too carby... oil and butter? Oily fish?

Today I finally hit 13st exactly... been trying to shift that pound for a little while! Currently lost 19lbs

Lunch was a salad of chicken, bacon and fried egg, and dinner will be beef stirfry with lots of veg

Really need to up my water intake - even still breastfeeding I'm rubbish at remembering to drink water

Oooh smoked haddock bake, do you have recipe for that? I love smoked haddock but only really manage a fish pie pre bootcamp.

@Thistle72 it’s really simple , just cherry tomatoes cooked in olive oil , layer haddock fillets ( skinned ) on top , cheese on top cook for 20 minutes . You don’t have to pre cook the tomatoes but I prefer it pre cooked and I normally stick peas in as well but I’m doing them on the side for my husband tonight as I think they are a bit too carby . Serve with anything really .