Week 2 - Jan '25 Low Carb (Dry) Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Morning

I know that for some/many of us, this is actually only week 1, but as there were some valiant people who started last week, it is now week 2!

As ever, here's the spreadsheet

Just a reminder that if you're using your phone/the mobile app, you'll need to download the Google Sheets app to access the spreadsheet. And when entering your data, only add your weight and - for fear that @FinallyHere will have a coronary, don't touch anything else!

Good luck everyone.

Love the sound of those crackers, I don't have sweet stuff at all really so don't miss it on this WOE but my weakness is crisps, crackers etc so will give them a go this weekend. Ended up having the omelette for lunch and dinner yesterday as it was bigger than expected (more eggs to use than I thought) so just reheated it in the evening and added wedges for DH. Chicken and mushroom casserole in the slow cooker this evening with cauliflower and broccoli cheese, and there will be leftovers so I won't have to cook much - the cold makes me really unmotivated!!!!

The cracker recipe sounds so good. We can't get decent ones here (full of sugar, palm oil, and 100 ingredients), so I'm hoping the kids like them.

Speaking of chip shop fish, does anyone ever order a naked fried fish? I did that last summer (there's no way I'm missing out on a fish and chip shop when we go back to the UK in summer!); in terms of LC, I'm guessing it's okay? I bloody loved it (soaked in salt and vinegar and with mayo)!

I've had a huge loss (9.3), but increased by 10.3 over Christmas. I only broke LCing on about 4 days in total, so I think it just goes to show how water balloon like the lipoedema makes me! I love that with this WoE, it always works as soon as you get back into it. Am also loving hearing about the success everyone is having.

@NewYearOldCold oh I didn't think of that! Good idea in a pinch, thank you.

An interesting programme tonight on Channel 4:

the Glucose Goddess

I haven't read any of her stuff, but from I have read about, sounds like it might chime well with low carbing

Morning all. Nipping in while working from home this morning. It's amazing to see everyone's recipes and food ideas. That's been my problem when previously low carbing. I tend to stick to the same things over and over and get bored.

Poached eggs on Heylo low carb toast for breakfast.
I have left over roast chicken which I will have for lunch with cheese coleslaw and some cucumber.

Not sure yet which of the things in the fridge need to be used up today, will have a look later!

The chicken tomato cheese airfryer meal looks amazing thanks @AIBConsiderate
I love my airfryer and will be hoovering up all the good ideas from the thread (and actually making the darn things hopefully!)

Well, it went down well, however the liner is silicon and removing the thing from the airfryer with sauce in was an absolute nightmare, and I can't believe I didn't see that coming. Lesson learned! I'd try it again with something a bit stiffer.

Good to have the learning from experience as well thanks

I got some silicone liners for my air fryer from B&M bargains and they have small handles on them. Usually manage to hoick them out with the use of two forks which is very useful when sauce is involved!

Think my plan is going to have to be staying away from sweet things for as long as possible. I’m worried that if I have even a little dark chocolate after week 2 it’ll be back in the slippery slope again. Not fussed about bread, cakes, biscuits or crisps but that bloody sweet tooth of mine.

The program mentioned by BIWI above will be interesting watching.

B - yogurt
L - tuna mayo salad
D - chicken in sun dried tomato and cream sauce with veggies

I finally found this and read everyone's posts! Started in a half-hearted way on Boxing Day and properly on 2nd January and have lost 8 pounds so far. All December/Christmas weight but still very motivating. Nice to be back to no swollen fingers, stomach feels better and all round feeling good.

My goal is a holiday in June. Beach/pool and hot so I want to be at my fighting weight!

@AlbertCamusflage some of my weight loss is definitely post Christmas. This graph shows my almost daily weights in Dec/Jan. I didn’t weigh when off plan for multiple days. A lot of those gains are water and they come off as quickly as they go on.

I was down to 13 stone and 1/2 a pound before Christmas (12/12). Today I’m 12 stone 12.2 lb. So really I’m down about 2lb since before the Xmas period.

Thanks for the shakshuka idea (can't remember who suggested it), made it for the first time and it was delicious! Definitely need to branch out a bit more this time round and trust myself to adapt existing recipes

@AlbertCamusflage re sweet treats, a little pomegranate molasses goes a long way. Even a scant teaspoonful stirred into yoghurt and cream, seems to expand. Maybe to be avoided in the first two weeks but definitely one of those special ingredients worth experimenting with. On the pre Christmas LCBC threads someone shared brilliant tips about frozen fruit pieces. I think it was cranberries and even strawberries. Again a very little goes a long way but worth rummaging in the frozen section, I seem to remember for some reason they are lower carb.

I was going to make leek and shallot frittata tomorrow night but the mention of shakshuka has made me think about changing my plan, especially as I have a load of flat leaf parsley that needs to be used up (having finally sorted through the fridge )

I've just been to the supermarket and shakshuka was very much on my mind. I am basically of the view that I have wasted my sixty one years on this planet by not eating it before this week.

Since I so much enjoyed the warm sweetness of cumin and caraway in the shakshuka recipe I tried the other day (https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/shakshouka_74716) , I thought about adding a tiny pinch of ground cloves too. Would that work do you think ?

Thanks for the pomegranate molasses tip islandtiger. I will try that after week 2. I looked for fresh vanilla pods in tesco today, following a suggestion on here, but they are evidently too highbrow for my tesco

EDITED to add that, when it comes to parsley for the shakshuka, I start to feel guilty if I buy a pot for myself and don't immediately hand it over to my pet finches. So I have bought double rations to keep us both happy.

Mine had cumin, ground coriander and sweet paprika. Cloves sound interesting too!

I want shakshuka now! Definitely adding that to the list

I finely grate a small amount of 80% dark chocolate into Greek yoghurt with lashings of double cream. Hits the dessert spot for me

Almost had a fail today! Went straight to a school event after work, so got home starving with nothing prepped and having not been to the shop. Rifled around and made flat mushroom topped with camembert, 2 rashers bacon, 1 egg and a bit of lettuce. It all felt quite soggy and would have been delicious with a slice of toast or even a bigger salad. So, a bit of a rubbish meal, but at least I didn't give in to temptation.

It was me who suggested them! Freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries, so they're in the baking section, not the freezer. They are very, very low in carbs and you only need small amount as well, so they won't add too many carbs to your yoghurt.

Oh, and @AlbertCamusflage you'll find vanilla pods in the baking section as well!

Oh blimey, you lot made me have shakshuka for dinner rather than my planned chicken! It was blooming lovely. Added a bit of bacon as there were a couple of sad looking rashers in the fridge.

Tonight we had cauliflower cheese 'luxe' - in that as well as cauliflower, which I boiled until tender, I made a sauce with fried onion and leeks, some ham and Serrano ham (both of which were in the fridge and needed to be used up), black pepper, dried oregano and some chilli flakes. Added 300ml of double cream to that, and a very large handful or two of mature cheddar, and the juice of half a lemon.

Poured that over the cooked cauliflower, in a baking dish, covered with more grated cheese and two large tomatoes, sliced, (which also needed to be used up). Baked in the oven, and then finished under the grill, to brown the tomatoes and the cheese topping.

Served that with tenderstem broccoli, that I pan-fried in olive and sesame oil, with 3 quartered echalion shallots, and finished with light soy sauce.

Mmmmm. With bacon added to the eggs it is a middle eastern full English!

Checking in at the end of the day. Had a minced beef, blue cheese casserole with green beens. Delicious but it gave me heartburn as it was so rich. Had a small drink of apple cider vinegar and the pain is subsiding!. I also treated myself to a blender for the office so I can make an emergency bullet coffee when needed! Lunch was a ball of mozzarella, ham and salad with lots of olive so not too bad.

Dear lord @BIWI, that sounds indecently good!

I liked what you said earlier about how much people love their food on these bootcamp threads and I completely agree - I get so much inspiration from everyone else and what they are eating.

I'm on a Low Carb Facebook group that I'm going to come off of, as it just seems to be people posting recipes about creating fake bread/pancakes/waffles/overnight oats (!)... all of which is just cheese, more cheese, almond flour, eggs.... and more cheese. There's a time and a place for that stuff (and we are all here for the cheese!), but it is just the opposite of the talk here - where vegetables are often the heroes of the dish, or beautiful pieces of meat and fish are lovingly prepared. Like you said earlier @AlbertCamusflage, I think seeking out the high quality, nourishing stuff is so important. We are improving our health and WOE, not depriving ourselves.