Week 4 (or 5!) Jan '25 Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Morning all.

Spreadsheet, as ever

Although we're coming to the end of this particular Bootcamp, you'll see that @FinallyHere has added enough columns to the spreadsheet so that you can keep going, should you wish.

We'll also keep this thread going too, past the end of the week, for general low carb/Bootcamp chat and support - although I won't be starting a weigh-in thread each Monday after this one.

I know it's only been a short one this time, but looking at the spreadsheet, it looks like there have been some great results, even before today's weigh-in.

Made a delicious Thai beef salad tonight! I've just posted the recipe on the recipe thread. Was sooo good!😁

I shop quite a bit at Aldi these days. (Smoked salmon @ £4.20ish for 200g, which is cheaper than a lot of naice ham, veg is inexpensive, berries for the children, etc)

I like ribeye steaks best if I can get those, there will probably be a lot of nice meat options on offer in the run up to mother's day. Rib eye has some fat, but is more flavoursome than fillet, which is the most tender cut. A good steak should be marbled with fat, that is supposed to make it more flavoursome and tender.

There are different approaches to cooking steaks; I go for high heat, sear on both sides, and a short enough cooking time to leave the centre of the steak pink.

It is also supposed to help if you take the steak out of the fridge maybe 30 min in advance of cooking, and then leave it to rest for maybe 5-10min after cooking.

I also shop the meat counter at our local Waitrose and often buy their unusual cuts on special offer. For example, ox cheek, which I braise for many hours, also sometimes fillet steak at 1/3 the price. My husband had a big birthday last week; we celebrated with a Waitrose bargain rib of beef.

Often though, I just feed myself an omelette and use up any low carb veg that needs to eaten either in the omelette or on the side.

We will probably be eating roast lamb come Sunday.

It is also supposed to help if you take the steak out of the fridge maybe 30 min in advance of cooking

This is really important if a) you like a rare steak and b) it’s a thick cut. If you don’t bring it to room temperature, it’s likely to still be cold in the centre.

Day 2 of Ubercamp done! I managed to dodge the beige buffet and mountain of cake in the office today. It is tough though. I'm not sure I could manage more than 3 days.

@BIWI is 3 days the optimum to kick start weight loss or is it more that longer than 3 days would be unrealistic for people?

Ugh am stalling after losing half a stone. What’s uber camp?

@CleanQueen123 I have no idea if there’s any science behind the 3 days - probably more that I couldn’t be arsed to work out any more days
But in reality, it’s just designed as a ’short, sharp, shock’ to get things going again.

@NoCarbsForMe how long have you gone without any loss? And how much more weight do you have to lose? It is very common to have periods of time where things don’t move, so if it’s only a short period of time, and if you know you’ve been following all the rules (you have, haven’t you?!), then don’t panic.

Ubercamp is three days’ worth of low carb meals, all listed on the spreadsheet.

I think I might grit my teeth and stretch it out to the end of the week to use up the food I'd prepped for ubercamp but 5 days is definitely enough!

It's been a real eye opener for me. My portion sizes will absolutely be reduced after this.

Thanks BIWI will check it out on the spreadsheet.

I think it’s been about a week or 2? put 3lbs on. But you’re right I’ve probably just not been strict enough over the weekend.
Also not drinking enough water!
back to it.

Also wondering if it’s not working so well for me because I don’t eat meat, just fish. Maybe I’m not getting enough protein…?

Well, you know the drill! List out your meals (and what you’ve been drinking) over the last few days and let’s see if there’s anything we can help with.

Well Ubercamp was tough but it had the desired effect. Nearly 4lbs down this morning which is the first proper weight loss I've had in weeks. Just have to watch my portion sizes and KOKO now!

That’s great to hear. Sometimes all we need is a bit of a ‘reset’. I think it also makes you realise how easy it is to allow carbs to creep up.

Indeed

carbs have definitely been creeping up more and more for me

so much so I was just craving veggies so have just had a bowl of roast veggies as a bit of a reset

delicious

Hello, is there likely to be another bootcamp soon? I’ll do it anyway, but would be nice to have some accountability and support if anyone else is thinking of doing it.

Stressful times recently mean that I’ve fallen into bad habits, and I need to get back on track. Tried fasting, but struggled with it. Being hungry is miserable and unnecessary, and led to me eating rubbish and wrecking all my hard work.

I have eaten fairly low carb at times in the past, with some success. I generally avoid bread anyway, as it messes with my digestion, and have reduced my pasta intake over the last couple of years, so I’m hoping to continue in that direction.

@Castleriggsee earlier post on the thread

Ah, sorry @BIWI, I missed that. Totally understand.

Sorry about that - but you’re very welcome to post on this thread, as we’ll keep it going for anyone who needs support or just to chat!

Good luck

I guess if pp wanted to start their own LC support thread in the future, they could? Also, reading the previous threads is so helpful, there's so much useful info on there.

Absolutely @Appalonia - I don’t own Bootcamp. If anyone wants to start their own, there’s no reason why not.

Well, I’m starting tomorrow if anyone wants to join me! I’ll have a look back through previous threads for some ideas.

Welcome @Castlerigg

i don’t post all that often but feel so.much.better eating high fat low carb that i am just long term keeping on keeping on (KOKO) and always glad of company.

Weigh in day for me! Last week paid off because I'm around 4lbs down in total and have finally gotten below 12st. KOKO everyone!

Brilliant!

We had an excellent low carb lunch (mostly) yesterday - roast guineafowl with shallots and bacon, and a sauce made from the gravy, with cream , thyme and prosecco (the only element that wasn't very low carb). We had lots of vegetables with it; the rest of the family also had colcannon mash or roasted baby potatoes.

Well done @CleanQueen123 for getting under 12 stone!