Week 4 (or is it 3?!) Jan '25 Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Morning all.

Whether it's 3 or 4, this is the point that you can switch to Bootcamp Light if you wish - which means allowing fruit (some - mainly berries), nuts and seeds (just be careful with the carb counts - check the spreadsheet/back of packet) and chocolate (some - at least 70% cocoa). But still no alcohol. Sorry!

As ever, Here's the spreadsheet

I was trawling for something different to cook this week, and there was a great recipe in The Guardian's Feast magazine on Saturday, for pork chops, with manzanilla-braised leeks. It's 100ml manzanilla between 4 people, and obviously the alcohol will cook out, so I think I might try that. (I was trying to find a link, but for some reason the recipe isn't online).

Anyone else cooking something new/different this week?

@ColouringPencils this Bootcamp will finish on the last day of January.

But don't worry - we always keep a chat thread going for people to chat/ask questions/give support/share recipes, etc.

Ooh. I love duck breast , but my favourite recipe has plums , red wine and brown sugar in the sauce , it’s a James Martin recipe ( if I remember correctly) but not Bootcamp friendly sadly

Had 2 walks today , one with DH this morning , the afternoon ( much nicer weather , needed sunglasses ) with a friend , I’ve done over 19,000 steps and an hours Pilates class !

Just as well I’m retired , I certainly don’t have time to go to work ( I know , I’m very lucky )

I'll be sticking around (with booze) after January.

B; tea
L; sausages and remoulade
D; roast chicken and Brussels sprouts. Instead of gravy I deglazed the roasting dish with wine (leftover box wine) and had that. Delicious it was.

Has anyone else found that electrolytes give them a real energy boost? The low carb WOE makes me feel better generally anyway but since I started taking electrolytes on Saturday I've felt so energised and alert.

I was a bit skeptical that I needed them or that they'd make a noticeable difference but I can't think of any other reason why I've got so much energy, especially in the mornings because I am not a morning person 😂

Which electrolytes are you taking @CleanQueen123 ? I wouldn't mind an energy boost!

@FinallyHere The spreadsheet is showing something strange in some cells of my row. I don't think I did anything to cause this (just entered my weight), but sorry if I did.

@Magnolia82 no problem, I'll take a look now

Found you all and spreadsheet updated... no change but after a 4lb drop last week I'm not surprised.

Yesterdays mushroom dish played havoc with my digestive system

That said my jeans are falling off my waist

So if you want a sudden whoosh then mushrooms might be your answer but it might come at a price

Re-weighed this morning after stubborn scales yesterday and I'm two pounds down, so I'll have that!

I think it will be salad with tuna mayo here for lunch and chicken curry with fried cabbage/cauliflower rice for tea. I didn't eat enough veg yesterday so will be trying to make up for it a little today.

I made myself coleslaw last night (which I had with cold boerewors) so I've got that for lunch today.

I'm making chilli for dh at his request. I've just had an idea that the spiced mince that I'll extract for me (before putting the kidney beans in), I could add quartered (and shoogled ) Brussels to, as an alternative to the kidney beans. The sprouts that I have at the moment are quite big. Usually I serve whole shoogled sprouts to the side - but mixed through the mince might work quite well.

Only 0.9 lbs this week but having read about the weight fluctuations other have I'm OK with it, all the the right direction, not feeling hungry or depressed and less bloating so KOKO!

For the last three weeks I've been the only adult in the house as my husband has been away, which has meant that I've had no temptations at meal time. Now my mum has come to stay. While her help with childcare is much appreciated (and will trump a diet any day!) it is challenging my resolve.

She's turned up with lovely loaves of sourdough which have been banned from the house for the last month, and doesn't believe a meal is complete if it doesn't contain a potato. Send me strength everyone!

Today's plan is
L: Mackerel pate and crudites
D: salmon with green beans and broccoli (probably in an creamy sauce... my mum will have mash, and I will silently hate her for it...)

Why don't you try making a celeriac and leek mash? Surely your mum would be happy to eat something different just for a few days? And she may not even realise it's not potato anyway! (Somehow, adding leeks, which you have pan-fried in butter, to the celeriac, gives it a texture much akin to potato)

You are important. Don't let your mum's needs/wishes override yours!

I'd forgotten that leek is such a great addition to celeriac mash

I might try this celeriac and leek mash too. I think I've celeriac chipped myself out! I don't like it when you get one that is a bit less 'done' and the flavour is too strong... I can see how leeks would help round the flavour off.

@BIWI my mum has to eat a Fodmap diet, which does rule out lots of vegetables. But I will look into compromises. I think celeriac is permitted and will look into leeks, so thank you for the inspiration.

To be clear, she wouldn't prevent me from from eating LC, or even intentionally sabotage me. She is supportive of my weight loss - to say the least. It's more that I am weak in the face of carbohydrates (hence the need for BC!) and, as I am now dumping the little rascals on her at every chance I get, I feel I would be unreasonable to deprive her of a potato or two. 😂

I shall stop whining and exercise some willpower. And buy a celeriac.

Leeks might not be FODMAP, @BusyFrizzyLizzie - unless you use the green part.

I make this duck recipe I have it in an ancient Ainsley Harrot cookbook (the book is ancient, not the chef!). I adjust the sauce and miss out the honey and add only a tiny, tiny drop of balsamic.

Just had bacon, egg and fried mushrooms for lunch, and tonight I'm planning to make the stuffed cabbage leaves that someone suggested last week. 2 tiny cabbages in the veg box today so I'll have to be inventive about how I wrap the sausage meat.

Sorted @Magnolia82 (was nothing you would have done) and @NoCarbsForMe updated.

@venusandmars if you blanch the cabbage really well (actually probably boil it!) so that the leaves are really soft, and you cut out some of the harder stem, it makes it easier to wrap round a filling.

Tea, Coffee with cream, 2 fried eggs and 2 slices of bacon 🥓 for breakfast. Yum

FFGY as a snack (was meant to be lunch but didn't suffice)

Lunch was lettuce, 4 baby plum tomatoes, avocado, 🥑 gammon, feta cheese and red onion.

2 Brazil nuts

Feeling very full.

Thank you 🙏

I used to have to eat FODMAP @BusyFrizzyLizzie because of my awful IBS. This WOE has all but cured it. I wouldn't evangelise to your mum but it has changed things for me.