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.

thanks @biwi and @venusandmars

Can't do much cooking so things like shepherds pie not poss at the mo. Likely also have POTS so need to have 3 x salt itake of average person. 2.5 litre fluuds which I'm pretty sure I do. Low carb is Advised for people with POTS so thats good.

Physio did say loosing weight will help me breathe more effectively - fat round middle = visceral fat which has impact on organs, diaphragm and space in thoracic cavity. Had horrendous fatigue with period Tue/Wed which made me wonder about low carbing, but since learnt POTS worse with period!

Sorry, long!

Last 2 days food

Breakfast
100g Waitrose greek yog (10% fat and 10% protein . Mug of tea with splash of milk
yesterday with a few berries
today bit of cinnamon.
At weekends - eggs with bacon, tomatoes, mushroom

Lunches
Today: 2 scrambled eggs, 40g smoked salmon on top of 1 slice low carb toast with butter, handful salad leaves
Yesterday: Acocado and prawn salad - whole avocado, couple handfuls prawns, few baby plum tomatoes sliced in half, handful salad leaves, handful baby spinach leaves, extra v olive oil drizzled on top. Salt.

Dinner
Yesterday
2 M&S Cumberland sausages, big pile stem broccoli, few freen beans, spoon of peas. Butter on top.
Today: Half a Waitrose chicken Tikka Masala (11g carb) pile green veg with butter

Snacks today
20g salted peanuts (aware high cal but salty snacks helpful)
12g 85% green and blacks choc

Other meals i do
omlettes with diff ingred, spinach leaf salad w olive oil drizzle
low carb toast buttered with good quality pate and leafy salad

Dinners
Meatballs & mushrooms in tomato sauce with courgetti/runner beans
Cod fillet baked in paper with butter, couple baby plum tomatoes, pile broccoli, creamed spinach (spinach cooked w creme fraiche)
Cauliflower cheese and 2 chicken thighs with salty skins

Drinks black decaf coffee, water fizzy water with lime. Occasional alc free low carb beer.

Thank you x

5'2"
12.5 Stone (was 13 4 weeks ago).
Just want to keep slow steady decrease on low carb but not make fatigue worse

I weighed in yesterday , still 11-06 , which is ok , but had wanted another couple of pounds off before going off on holiday on Tuesday , actually leaving home on Monday to make the epic journey to LHR

What I’ve learnt this Bootcamp …
Drinking cold water is nicer with an ice cube , even when it’s cold and raining outside
Cavolo Nero is my new favourite veg
Chicken thighs are far superior to chicken breast
Cheese is always the answer

I’ll need the next Bootcamp to keep making (slow ) progress as we have a family wedding in August ( looks at 30 year old son who’s been with his GF since first year at uni ) and sighs hopefully

As always , thanks to @BIWI and all the others who help with their wisdom , knowledge and anecdotes

Just returned from the tip

Drinking my cream coffee and eating melon and FFGY

I did some Pilates and stomach crunches earlier to help tone my tummy.

Making some meatballs in tomato sauce for later that everyone can help themselves to

It's going to be low carb sausages tonight as they need to used by today (and what I've got planned for tomorrow will have leftovers).

Tomorrow I'm slow roasting pork belly, with a fennel, thyme and garlic crust for the crackling. Lidl had XXL pieces of pork belly last weekend. It will do nicely for our fortnightly family dinner, with dh and ds getting back from Murrayfield early evening hopefully after a win . I'll have to work out something for ds's veggie girlfriend. She gets something homemade every second dinner so I'm ok with something from Lidl/the freezer this time, as she got a special dish made for her for our Burns Supper

@colouringindoors all of that sounds very good, and very tasty!

A low carb diet means drinking lots of water, which also means increasing your salt intake (also consider other electrolytes, especially potassium and magnesium), so salty snacks are a good idea. If you check out the spreadsheet you'll see that there are different carb counts for nuts there - peanuts are in the amber zone, so just be aware of that.

It's also about high fat, so avoid 'drizzle' and go for 'drench'!!! It does also sound like your protein choices are low in fat, so worth considering those. Salmon instead of cod, for example - and beware that a ready meal is probably designed to be lower in fat too. And the fat will also be your energy supply, so it's especially important that you keep that up.

But overall, it's working for you, so KOKO

Unfortunately try the period from hell followed by the worst cold I've had in a long time has meant I fell off the wagon because it was a case of eating what I could manage rather than what was boot camp friendly.

Hauling myself back on the wagon now I seem to be getting over it but fully expecting to see the last few days reflected on the scales on Monday.

@SemmaLina I feel like I have made similar discoveries to you this bootcamp. I am honestly loving the cavolo nero, spinach and courgettes. Cheese goes with everything. I am also eating probably far too much Greel yoghurt.

Tonight's dinner is my best bootcamp discovery - cauliflower and leek cheese, made just with double cream, Greek yog, extra mature cheddar and mustard for the sauce. Serving that with stir fried courgette, spinach and spring onion; new potatoes for everyone else. Maybe some bacon...

Thanks @BIWI much appreciated. Yes am taking electrolytes with LongCovid and after recent appointment, likely POTS so will increasing salt intake further. Have about 2 5 litres fluid. Noted re fats, and nuts, bought some salted almonds today too.

Lots more medical evidence for low carb diets out - not just putting T2 diabetes in remission but good for cardiac markers despite fat, and blood pressure.

x.com/lowcarbGP/status/1888267089825214783?t=Zma4yHKAA5Ma1nvIMMe2sg&s=19

x.com/lowcarbGP/status/1888145259688767565?t=n6ho_DsU3MAp3CYN0lXSDg&s=19

Climbing back onto the wagon here, a tricky few days and lost sight of the thread for a few days due to the cookie setting nonsense. I now have the App which is still letting me post in spite of rejecting cookies but is taking a bit of getting used to - not as easy to use.

I made tomato soup today and got back onto an omlette for lunch.

Big day of cooking, using up the imbalance of veg box things...

Prawn butter curry for dinner with spinach, cabbage and a home made keto naan. Well only half a naan because I didn't need any more.

For tomorrow I've made a shepherd's pie - lamb mince with shallot, garlic, celery and a wee bit of carrot, topped with leek and celeriac mash. Still have another big leek to use up. Probably soup but there's barely any space in the freezer.

We really need to have a food-from-the freezer-fortnight.

One thing I might ask my (veggie!) dd to batch cook for me was a chicken alfredo. Made one on another bootcamp with chicken, leek, bit of mushroom maybe, double cream.... I guess that recipe is in the meat recipe thread?

Decisions decisions

What to have with bolognaise sauce later?

Roast cauliflower, fried or roasted cabbage slices or a combination of both to see which works best

@colouringindoors - not sure, but on a quick skim of the chicken/duck etc recipe thread there were a lot of yummy looking recipes, including some with cream, leeks and mushrooms if you like mushrooms, which I don't

@KittenPause - I like to thinly slice cabbage (white or savoy) and cook it with butter in the microwave, as an alternative to pasta. Works with both bolognaise and for carbonara. I used to thinly slice courgettes and fry them off briefly, but I now prefer cabbage.

I'm loving the microwave option. That makes life easier. I'll definitely give that a go thanks @prettybird

I've already prepped some cauliflower to roast in the air fryer for later but will still try the cabbage as well

@prettybird I'll be giving the cabbage a go!
How long in the microwave does it need?
Thanks 😊

I use the same technique as I use for shoogled sprouts: sliced, into a bowl, slab of butter on top, cover with plate, microwave for two minutes, shoogle, microwave for another two minutes, then check if you need another minute or two. Season.

Shoogle

What a fabulous word

I just ended up cooking cauliflower this time so i can use cabbage next time

It tasted delicious on cauliflower as I know it will on cabbage too

@prettybird Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

Well, only 1lb up after my off the wagon week, so not ideal but not the worst. The only way is down now!

I had a bit of butternut squash left over (I know it's on the red list) so made a squash, leek and courgette gratin with toasted walnuts on top. I made it with a mix of grated mozerella and shropshire blue. recipe here It was really rich and filling, and could only manage a small portion. I think it wold be good with other veg, like swede.

Massively struggling this week with acid reflux/heartburn - any advice appreciated lovely BC-ers............started on Friday night into Saturday morning, and so bad that it has been keeping me awake, even sleeping propped up on pillows hasn't helped.
Rennie and painkillers not making any difference at all, anything I have eaten has made it 10x worse and my Adam's apple feels swollen and sort. Back is very sore around my bra strap and even my jaw and teeth are aching 😭, today I haven't eaten anything at all - thinking along the lines that a complete system flush out might not be a bad idea so onto about my 3rd litre of herbal tea. I've had this on and off since being pregnant with DD and know that too much alcohol/too much bread sets it off but it normally settles down the day after, this is completely different and so very sore/debilitating.
Anyone experienced similar?

@TheOnlyMrsW I’d speak to your GP after that amount of time just to check it is only heartburn . Hope you feel better soon