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

FAQ low carb bootcamp thread

I think this is it.
I'm building in exercise not to lose weight but as part of a longer term change. I need to be fitter, I need to get into good habits and I actually want to be the sort of person who goes to the gym.
Swimming is fine, it's full of women, fit ones but shaped like current me.
Yoga was a bit of a shock. The mirrors reflected a hard current truth even with finish lighting. Thankfully I started with that and not 'Power Pump' or 'Body Conditioning'. That can wait.

In the meantime I'm trying to swim most days and get in 10,000 steps most days.
It doesn't even matter how long or far I've swim, it's more about the being the sort of person who goes for a swim.

@CarbONothing I love swimming but I find it such a faff. My hair gets wet (I only do breast stroke but I still get some of my hair damp) plus it's cold now its winter.

How do you cope with the wet hair/cold ? it takes me an hour to dry my hair, so washing it every time after swimming is not an option !

So I've been going with the damp hair, breast stroke kind of swim and aftermath but am actually going to buy a hat.
That appears to be an actual thing at our local pool lots of fast and not putting head under water swimmers all wearing hats. It's like going back to school.

I've also invested in waterproof headphones with a podcast downloaded, now that has been the game changer for me and I'm very found I prefer them to the in ear ones I was using travelling and around the house.

Bring it on!

Last swimming top tip, we have solar panels at our local pool and I swear the pool is at its warmest around 3pm ish...peak sunshine solar.

I go swimming twice a week, for 30 minutes each time. I started off doing 20 minutes, with a break at the end of some of the lengths, and then built up to 20 minutes non-stop, and now 30 minutes non-stop. I'm trying to build in more front crawl/back crawl lengths, as they're better for cardio. I don't think I can face increasing the time, so it will need to be about speed/effort!

I totally get you on the hair front @biglongeyelashes - but I try to frame it to myself that I'm using David Lloyd's hot water, shampoo, conditioner and bodywash rather than my own!

@CarbONothing

I'm building in exercise not to lose weight but as part of a longer term change.

This is perfect. Exercise is very good for you, but it's diet that will result in weight loss. You have to do A LOT of exercise to impact your weight.

You have to do A LOT of exercise to impact your weight

<crying>

Is there not some adage about how the gym changes your shape but the kitchen changes your weight? I've started Joe Wicks HIIT (again) to try and build some strength and increase my flexibility.

Today's plan:
B: scrambled egg & mushrooms
L: salad, feta, leftover meatballs & creamy coffee
D: aubergine parmigiana because DH is out and he doesn't like aubergines 🙌

I'm going back to working in an office one day a week for the first time in 14 years! I usually wfh so I think this will make a nice change. I've bought myself a litre water bottle for my new desk and need to plan packed lunches too!

How's everyone's week gone.
I have had to really trust the process, be generous with the butter, take the bigger bit of chicken. Meal plan, snack plan, back up plan, shop and meal plan.
The not drinking I've managed quite happily and I've turned down some excellent looking cake and feel more smug for that than the cake would have tasted in the brief moment.
I have drunk so many tea pots of herbal tea.

I make celeriac dirty fries by cooking the celeriac chips and at the same time frying up some onion and streaky bacon. Mix it all up in a roasting tray with Cajun seasoning, liberally sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is starting to melt. Serve topped with sour cream.

Bought a too-large pack of turkey escalopes, so it's been an all-turkey day, except for a FFGY breakfast (plus cream!). Made a very creamy mushroom sauce for the escalopes and had them with shoogled sprouts at lunch and sauteed courgette for dinner. Very filling in a long-lasting way; no need for a snack.

I love celeriac chips! But IMVHO they need cooking for longer than you think. They do eventually go relatively crispy. They'll never be crispy like potato chips, but they do take on a lovely texture.

However, it's amazing how much they shrink. You look at one celeriac and think it will make loads, and then suddenly there seems to be hardly any!

I had a day today which really demonstrates how much this WOE works. I don't eat breakfast very often, and I was up a bit later than usual. Went out shopping (sorry to say I've already started my Christmas shopping ) and didn't get home till nearly 3pm. Had totally forgotten I hadn't eaten anything.

Decided to carry on and see how long I could go for, and ended up not eating until the evening. A definite result

Been a long old day here, my insomnia is rearing it's head again. (@BIWI I presume nothing to do with BC and
just my shit body?). On days like this I'd usually hit the sugary snacks hard, but not felt v hungry today which means I have avoided them.

Breakfast was a scoop of leftover bolegnese (weird I know, but what i fancied!). Lunch cheese and ham salad with mayo and a spoon if FFGY. Dinner (which DH is cooking hurrah) is pork chops with blue cheese sauce, mushrooms and green beans. I've asked him to open a bottle of wine I don't like so I won't be tempted to join him!

What has everyone planned for the weekend? Taking DC to a Halloween circus tomorrow 🤪

Small win today - went out for lunch to one of my favourite places that usually means a carbtastic feast, but I had a salmon and prawn salad that was totally delish.

Dinner was leftover roast celeriac and cauliflower, fried, with steak and coleslaw. Perfect Friday night treat dinner.

Not needing to eat is one of the unexpected bonuses of this woe for me. I've started to do a bit of hill climbing. So much fuss is made of carrying sufficient snacks.

I do carry plenty of water but am so pleased with myself to genuinely not need any food.

It's also such a boon when travelling. Knowing that while I do need to keep up my water levels, not eating is really no problem. A few weeks back, my flight was delayed by some five hours. There was really nothing much I wanted to eat and again, I was fine with that.

I'm interested to find out whether, when I do Finally (sic) get to my target weight, and I have less fat stored to keep me going, this will changed and I'll need more more often.

Meanwhile I do enjoy waiting just see how long it takes to actually notice hunger. It's a much quieter sensation than the urgent and insistent feeling of hunger when most of my calories comes from carbs. I used to eat in order to avoid getting hungry later on when there might not be anything suitable available.

Now, not so much.

I'm liking the mention of celeriac sides, especially the chunks roasted in goose/duck fat. But celeriac always terrifies me in the shop as it looks so hard. Like turnips and swede.... how on earth do you chop one into chunks or chips without severing a finger or two?

I really need to meal plan for next week. I've stayed on plan all week but the start of BC snuck up on me somewhat so my meals have been a very random combination of what's available in the house and in the small canteen at work!

@pinknsparkly once you've cut the skin off (which you do by using a big knife and just cutting down from top to bottom), the actual 'flesh' is quite soft.

Are we allowed onion?

Well you learn something new every day in BC! Thanks @BIWI that's one meal next week sorted

@Gunnersforthecup have you looked at the veg carb counter on the spreadsheet?

@Gunnersforthecup echalion shallots are best (lower carb than onion and easier to prepare than round shallots) but, unless you're eating a huge quantity of onion, I wouldn't worry about it. In this case it's more of a dressing for the celeriac fries.

Celeriac mash is another win for me as you can have (almost proper) bangers and mash (look for sausages with a meat content of 95%)

yes, onions are red on there. We have an abundance of spring onions right now, thanks to our veg box, so I am adding in those for an allium hit.

One thing I've discovered is that if you add some leeks, which you've previously pan-fried in butter, to your celeriac mash, it makes it much closer to potato mash. No idea why!

Ooh, I'm going to try that leek tip! I quite like celeriac mash but I often feel I have to psych myself up for it as the flavour is so distinctive.