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.

I suppose essentially the fat we're eating as part of LCBC isn't going to stay around for long enough to affect our bodies making us fatter as it were because the fat that's already part of our body is now breaking itself down due to lack of carbs so it's breaking itself down for the glucose so it's not interested in processing the fat we're eating.

And yes I suppose our body is essentially peeing the fat away in that it's eliminating what's no longer required from the process of it all.

I really shouldn't be writing all these posts when I've had no sleep.

Do excuse them all. Not sure why I felt the need.

Thanks @BIWI and @prettybird btw

You've described it well @KittenPause

That's why I visualise it as "peeing the fat away"

But it reiterates the importance of the plenty of water as your body needs lots of water in order to break down the stored fat.

Thanks @prettybird

Morning all! I am a science dunce (no idea where DD gets her love and affinity for it from!) but love the discussion, I just can't remember any of it afterward 😳

Currently -6 outside so mainlining herbal tea instead of water and starting to plan next week's menu and tomorrow's office day in between work calls

Not hungry at all this morning but had a few spoonfuls of FFGY first thing, and lunch is planned to be another omelette - a bit egg heavy but need something warming and I can cram plenty of veg into it. Dinner is leftovers from last night - ended up chopping the chicken and panfrying with mushrooms, shallot, paprika and butter then adding a big spoonful of hm stock and half a tub of cream cheese then reducing. Served with boiled broccoli worked later than intended so the plan for today is to turn the remains into thebake with cauliflower and broccoli. @BIWI that cauliflower cheese sounds immense!

Fascinating discussion to try to follow - my main takeaway is to do better on the water front!

Food planned for today:

B- scrambled egg and kimchi
L - probably sliced aubergine baked with a splodge of pesto or something on, and melted mozzarella, with a salad
D- leftover beef goulash I found in the freezer, with tenderstem broccoli

I bought an air fryer (finally) and am very excited by it! Tested it last night with celeriac chips, which came out great.

First piece here, explaining the role of insulin in increasing bodily fat. This is adapted from a piece in Chapter 6 of Escape the Diet Trap, by Dr John Briffa. (Also a very easy-to-read book about why calorie counting doesn't work and why low carb is more effective):

Fat is delivered to the fat cells via the blood stream in the form of triglycerides. One triglyceride is made up of three molecules of fat (called fatty acids), joined on to a molecule of glycerol.Triglyceride is too big to penetrate the fat cells. It must first be disassembled, allowing its fatty acid constituents to make their way into the fat cells. Once there, fatty acids and glycerol can combine again to form triglycerides, effectively ‘fixiing’ the fat in the fat cell.

Fat can be released again, but this to happen, triglyceride must be broken down into its constituent parts. This process, known as ‘lipolysis’, allows fat to be discharged back into the blood stream.

The ebb and flow of fat in the fat cells is regulated by insulin.

• Insulin activates the enzyme ‘lipoprotein lipase’ that catalyses the conversion of triglycerides into glycerol and fatty acids. This facilitates the uptake of fat into the fat cells.

• Insulin also facilitates the uptake of sugar into cells where it can be converted into glycerol (via something known as glycerol-3-phosphate). In combination with fatty acids, glycerol ‘fixes’ fat in the fat cells.

• Triglyceride in the fat cells is disassembled through the action of an enzyme known as ‘hormone-sensitive lipase’. Insulin inhibits this enzyme, and therefore slows fat release from the fat cells (lipolysis).

• Some fat in the body can be made from sugar through a process known as ‘de novo lipogenesis’ in the liver. This process is driven by the enzyme ‘acetyl co-A carboxylase’, which is activated by insulin.

In short, insulin is fattening. And, crucially, lower levels of insulin will generally lead to fat loss.

Fat does not directly stimulate insulin secretion, which means that it has limited fattening potential.

I suppose essentially the fat we're eating as part of LCBC isn't going to stay around for long enough to affect our bodies making us fatter as it were because the fat that's already part of our body is now breaking itself down due to lack of carbs so it's breaking itself down for the glucose so it's not interested in processing the fat we're eating.

Absolutely!

@AlbertCamusflage

The piece I quoted above talks about how insulin, through the conversion of sugar into glycerol, which then combines with fatty acids, 'fixes' fat in our fat cells. For the triglyceride to be disassembled - which will allow fat to be released from the fat cells - we need an enzyme called 'hormone-sensitive lipase'. But insulin inhibits HSL, therefore also inhibits the release of fat from the fat cells.

Therefore, when we're eating low carb diet - and specifically when we're adapted to this way of eating - insulin levels fall, which means, ultimately, that fat is released from the cells

So it's the action of reducing carbs that helps lose weight - simplistically.

Eating a low carb diet means that fat in our fat cells is released back into the blood stream to provide us with energy. Along with dietary fat, we're then 'feeding' our body's nutritional requirements for energy as well as specific fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).

This is also a really useful piece to read, which covers how and why we came to consider fat as the villain:

A short history of saturated fat: the making and unmaking of a scientific consensus

This was written in advance of the latest US Dietary Guidelines, to be published this year.

It's a long piece (although worth reading), but here's their summary:

Summary

The idea that saturated fats cause heart disease, called the diet-heart hypothesis, was introduced in the 1950s, based on weak, associational evidence. Subsequent clinical trials attempting to substantiate this hypothesis could never establish a causal link. However, these clinical-trial data were largely ignored for decades, until journalists brought them to light about a decade ago. Subsequent reexaminations of this evidence by nutrition experts have now been published in >20 review papers, which have largely concluded that saturated fats have no effect on cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality or total mortality. The current challenge is for this new consensus on saturated fats to be recognized by policy makers, who, in the United States, have shown marked resistance to the introduction of the new evidence. In the case of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines, experts have been found even to deny their own evidence. The global re-evaluation of saturated fats that has occurred over the past decade implies that caps on these fats are not warranted and should no longer be part of national dietary guidelines. Conflicts of interest and longstanding biases stand in the way of updating dietary policy to reflect the current evidence.

Seed crackers are lovely !
Tricky to roll out , I used baking paper under the dough and on top and rolled over the paper
I used a mix of cheddar , Red Leicester and Parmesan , didn’t have onion or garlic powder so just ignored that bit

Hello, can I join up again? I've been away from Bootcamp for most of 2024 and it's great to read all the posts on the science of how and why this woe works.

I added my name to the bottom of the spreadsheet @finallyhere
(waves to all the familiar faces)

Minus the tomatoes for me that sounds heavenly!

I've rustled up a delicious lunch of some leftover chicken breast, mushrooms, sliced greens all fried together with garlic and cayenne, added a bit of cream and parmesan at the end. That should stave off the cold for a bit!

Hello, thank you for the reminder to keep guzzling water!

I love hearing about what people have been eating. I find it quite easy to slip into meat and cheese and little else, so I'm always after ideas.

Last night I had roasted butternut squash and Brussel sprouts (thank you airfryer), then I fried some chicken thigh fillets in garlic and cream with some basil thrown in. Tonight I've got some salmon and will make some sort of stir fry, with noodles for the rest of the fam.

welcome and welcome @venusandmars @againmaeve and everyone else, great to have you on board.

I'm reading all morning! gotta get moving.

I weighed today as not sure which day was 1 for me. I'm down 1lb but feeling a bit constipated. Week 1 went well, aside from 1 disaster meal - i was a guest. There were 3 homemade deserts. The only veg was carrots. There was raost potatoes and homemade yorkshire puds. Complete BC carcrash. I was happy not to derail my whole week.

I'm loving the tips on here. My plan this week is to eat mindfully - I eat large portions of food in fear of hunger (and falling into carbs), and I want to address this.

Thanks @AlbertCamusflage on the tip re WoE - I am adapting to a new regimen, and I don't want to throw in the towel just as I haven't lost heaps!

It is 2 lbs loss since Christmas - and it is the right direction. Onward.

Hello @venusandmars
I had wondered where you were/what you were up to!

If I can bring myself to brave the cold outside, I might go and buy some double cream, so that I can make cheeseburger pie this evening. It was on my meal plan, but I forgot when I was making the cauliflower cheese that I needed to keep some of that cream back!

For those that haven't tried this or seen the recipe, here it is (and picture of the finished article!):

Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients:

500g minced beef
50g finely chopped onion
150g chopped mushrooms
100mls double cream
2 heaped tablespoons of mayo
150g strong cheddar grated
3 eggs
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Method:

Fry mince, onion and mushrooms together until cooked
Season to taste, add the Worcestershire sauce and stir.
Put into a shallow oven dish* and spread it out/flatten the top
Beat eggs add mayo, cream and cheese.
Pour over the top of mince and bake in oven F375/C190/Gas mark 5 for 20 to 25 mins until set and golden brown.
Ready to eat immediately, or you can leave to cool before taking out of dish, then cut it in to portions and wrap in cling film
This freezes very well.

*I have made this in a casserole dish and it worked well, but if you use a shallow oven tray/dish it's more like a savoury bake I think.

Ooh that looks delicious BIWI. It’s definitely going on the meal plan here. I need to spend some time writing out the recipes I’ve taken a screenshot of, otherwise I’ll forget about them. Despite loving my phone for most things, I find a printed or handwritten recipe gets used far more.

I walked to the post office to get a stamp at lunchtime. £1.65!! Flipping heck. But it was surprisingly mild out - although it could have been the fact I’m so unfit I overheated.

Have to confess that the science behind this WOE is beyond my comprehension. But if it works….

B - yogurt
L - eggs scrambled in butter with fried tomatoes
D - pan fried salmon with roasted veggies and halloumi

I’m definitely making the cheeseburger pie , looks great .

Thanks to someone's suggestion can't remember who I now add a layer of thinly sliced gherkins on top of the mince before pouring over the cheese mix. Lovely!

Yes, I serve it with gherkins, along with some Franks American mustard (which despite its sweet taste, contains no sugar or sweeteners), and also some no added sugar/salt Heinz tomato ketchup. A tablespoon (or 15g) of which is only 0.8g carbs.

Then with a green salad with either a vinaigrette dressing, or the Basque one I wrote about earlier.

Had a lovely lunch of half of a perfect, creamy extra large avocado 🥑, with the hole filled with EVOO. It filled me up so much I had to cling film the other half That can be tomorrow's lunch

I'm also feeling very virtuous although it relates to the period in late summer when I fell badly off the wagon : I was clearing/sorting some of the shelves in my wardrobe (today was the knickers, bras and socks pull out shelf and then the T-shirts and bikinis/swimsuits shelf). I've thrown out a total of 17 jelly beans that had fallen out of the bags that I had nominally bought for dh and hidden in my wardrobe but then ate myself I couldn't put them into his jelly bean jar as it's currently empty , so instead I threw them straight into the food recycling bin I am not a human trash can, I reminded myself

Hi,
I can easily manage the water/herbal tea intake but can anyone help with fats? Butter I'm fine with but I don't eat cheese, plain yogurt and rarely cream, anyway to make the yogurt more sweeter for breakfast?
Thanks

Do you like cinnamon? A pinch of that added to FF (10%) Greek Yoghurt adds a sense of sweetness.

Make sure to get the authentic Greek yoghurt and not the "Greek style" stuff as that is a lot more tart and I end up throwing it away or making tzatziki with it .

Other ways to "sweeten" it is vanilla seeds (as suggested earlier on this thread or the last one ) or vanilla powder or even a wee bit of cocoa powder. The freeze dried raspberries that BIWI has recommended are also good and you don't need much. I bought mine off Amazon.

After the first two weeks, you can add a few berries to your yoghurt.