January '25 - Low Carb Bootcamp (Dry!) - week 1 (of 4ish)

[BIWI]

Good morning all, and a very happy new year

So today sees the start of the first low carb Bootcamp of 2025, and to get us off to the best start, this one is short and sharp. Only 4 weeks (ish, depending on when you actually start!), but also a dry one.

As with all Bootcamps, our first two weeks will be the strictest but with the option after this of moving on to Bootcamp Light for the remaining two weeks. The only difference being that we're aiming to be alcohol-free for the whole time.

Many thanks, as always, to the very lovely @FinallyHere, who is womanning the spreadsheet for us; you'll see that it allows for different start dates. Some of us are starting today, those in Scotland get an extra bank holiday so might be starting tomorrow - and several people are on holiday until 6 January. Exactly when you choose to weigh-in is entirely up to you!

Please have a good read of the spreadsheet!. Not only are the rules on there, there's also a huge amount of really useful information, along with a veg carb counter, helpfully traffic light colour-coded, to show you which are the best (and worst) options. You'll also find plenty of resources about low carbing, which will give you a good understanding of the science behind this WOE (way of eating).

As ever, any questions please post them here - or send me a PM if you prefer - as well as any meal suggestions and just general observations about how things are going for you.

Good luck to us all!

I feel better that it wasn't just me thanks @PunksVersusBrats
Good luck!

The cauliflower cheese recipes look amazing and I will try. I use soft cheese melted down with grated cheese and thinned with almond milk.

Today for me:
Breakfast: 2 sausages and one egg
Lunch: Nothing as late breakfast
Dinner: roast chicken with celeriac chips, coleslaw and sweetcorn, just a small amount as I see they are actually quite carby

Much more satisfying day today… ate bigger meals and at normal times. Sunday is the day we all really enjoy food together, then typically I eat a bit less in the week.

• scrambled eggs, mushrooms fried in truffle butter (so so good - it was reduced post Xmas in Morrisons) and a whole avocado
• Sunday roast - lamb shanks cooked in stock and onions, green beans, roasted sweetheart cabbage (I don’t like gravy ever and obviously I skipped potatoes)
• cauliflower cheese soup (family had it with bread) with a dollop of crème fraiche and chilli flakes… yummy

I’m much more satisfied than yesterday!

Well the weather has been horrendous today , we had snow last night and hoped for a lovely crisp bright day ….. but no
We managed a drizzly walk , then came back and made some plans for our holiday next month
I tried on a nice summer dress , quite snug and a bit of a battle to do the zip up ( it’s one of the underarm ones , which I always find tricky )

It’s just as well we’re on Bootcamp , or the wine and biscuits would have been consumed this afternoon , amazingly , I’ve got through a day with no cheese
faints

Had fried eggs and mushrooms for breakfast
Ham salad with mayo for lunch
For dinner , we had duck breast , stir fried veg I had creamed cauliflower, DH had roast potatoes

@RockyRogue1001 im definitely trying that aubergine and chorizo , sounds lovely

Oh my goodness I tried the shakshuka that someone mentioned upthread . It was so delicious and so comforting. It will def become a regular thing for me.

Somehow a mouthful of egg in the middle of a lovely warming sauce was such an exciting treat, like finding the toy in the middle of a box of cereals.

This evening I've made the low carb shepherds pie from the economy recipe tab on the spreadsheet. It is cooling now, having just come from the, oven and it looks lovely.

I have to say, having been running these Bootcamps for over 12 years now (how did that happen !) that one of the key things that marks posts out, compared with some of the other weight loss threads, is just how much people enjoy their food.

It really isn't a WOE that's about deprivation!

I have definitely eaten very deliciously today! Had a big crunchy chopped salad for lunch with cucumber, celery, lettuce, spring onion, chicken, and ate with an omelette, half an avocado and a dollop of mayo.

Dinner was roast chicken, cauliflower cheese, steamed broccoli and carrots. I didn't even think about the roast potatoes and gravy I was missing.

I haven't needed any snacks today, so I think that is a positive sign too.

I had bowl of bolognaise with lots of cheese and a salad with feta and vinaigrette dressing. It was very filling

There was a small bit of bolognaise left so I had that in a roasted half of red pepper

I've made a soup with left over veggies for tomorrow or hunger pangs

I can't add my info on the spreadsheet, is there something I need to do? Sorry to be a dunce!

Reporting for duty and very keen to get started. Very disappointed with my weigh in as have undone all the good work achieved last time I committed to this WOE.

Today will be more challenging than it might otherwise have been as school doesn't go back until tomorrow 😱 so I shall be spending the day desperately trying to entertain jaded children at various museums which will pose a problem for lunch and water consumption. Nevertheless, my plan is:

B: mushroom omlette
L: snacking bits of cheese, chorizo and whatever else I can fit into a packed lunch
D: pork fillet and creamed spinach

My personal challenge this BC will be to eat much less meat (once I've eaten the last meat bits still in the fridge). I have already seen several delicious-sounding recipes shared.

Thanks to everyone for their company on this journey and to @BIWI and @FinallyHere for their guidance.

171.6 weigh-in
Planned today:
Breakfast: Heylo low carb bread toasted with last of the pate
Lunch: chicken and vegetable soup with low carb bread and cheese
Dinner: mince with celeriac mash

@FinallyHere sorry if I'm being daft but I can't see a way to add my details, could you add it please? If not could you let me know how I can do it?

Starting date today, weight 12 stone 4lb

Sorry and thank you!

I've added you @SmallOrFarAway

Do you have the Google Sheets app on your phone (assuming you're using your phone to Mumsnet)?

Delighted with a 4lbs in 4 days loss. I know it's just the initial water whoosh but it has cleared most of the Christmas bloat. Hopefully this time next week I'm broadly back to where I was.

Plan for today:

B- Eggs, asparagus and mushrooms
L- Broccoli and stilton soup (and probably a bit of salad/antipasti on the side)
D- Chicken curry and saag paneer

Week 2 chat thread is here

Thanks @BIWI I downloaded the app but I don't have a Google sign in so couldn't do anything further and didn't want to start creating an account if there was another way!

I had a failure yesterday - red wine. Due to there being such a lovely bottle of the stuff in the house leftover from Christmas.
I'm confessing it here because this thread has now been superseded -- which I think means that all carbs reported on it since the creation of the new thread are automatically null and void?
Seriously though I feel very demoralised about it and I need to find a way to let myself KOKO despite failure.

All else was good yesterday, except for not enough water.