January ’26 Low Carb Bootcamp - getting us started!

[BIWI]

Welcome to the first Low Carb Bootcamp of 2026 - and Happy New Year to us all

Each week, every Monday, I’ll start a new chat thread, with a link to the spreadsheet. But I wanted to start this one a little bit earlier, so that I could post some prep stuff - either as a reminder, if you’ve Bootcamped before, or as key information if you haven’t.

If you haven’t Bootcamped before, and things aren’t very clear, then the FAQ thread should be helpful:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/low_carb_bootcamp/4049535-Low-Carb-Bootcamp-FAQs?reply=118903269

But please ask any questions on the threads - or PM me if you’d prefer.

The very lovely @FinallyHere is working on the spreadsheet in preparation for Monday. You don’t have to be on it, so either message me/her to ask to be removed, or simply ignore your row!

To make sure everyone who has signed up has seen this thread, I’m going to tag you all - in batches of 10 because sometimes it doesn’t work if you try to do everyone at the same time.

I just do sweetheart cabbage chopped up in the microwave with butter , it’s really quick .

Morning
I have had a good couple of days
Weight is dropping nicely and I have been eating lots of veg and drinking water
Meals are things like desi omelette for brunch
Omelette with fried onion, baby spinach mushrooms fresh coriander and green chili and spices- turmeric, black pepper and chili flakes
Evening meal I made a lamb curry and homemade low carb naans
We are having tacos tonight they aren't that high carb but I am going to make pasties using the leftover dough
I also tried to make mozzarella 'crisps' but they didn't get crispy
Could have been used as a wrap tho
Getting inventive! Ha

Good morning. I will admit now that I have not stuck to the low carb diet this week. I found preparing food and snacks for my kids (fruit, crackers etc) too hard so did have some of my Christmas chocolate last night, and a couple of crackers a few days ago, as well as a bit of cake on Wednesday. No bread or pasta though, which was a staple for me. Sooo... Maybe I'll do another 2 weeks of strict bootcamp. I am starting today with fried bacon and eggs with spinach so hopefully won't be hungry. Yesterday breakfast I had yoghurt mixed with some cream half a teaspoon of chia seeds, nutmeg a d cinnamon which made the yogurt less boring.

@Ninarina that omelette sounds lovely. I've got some left over cooked green beans and romanesco, also got mushrooms and tomatoes in the fridge. That's lunch sorted. We're going to our neighbour's for dinner tonight, I'll just have to eat around things as best I can. It's a dinner that's been postponed twice already, and something of a celebration as they are both widows and have recently got engaged. Not having wine is more of a challenge - they'll have chosen some nice bottles to go with the meal. It's 2 minutes walk so no designated driver needed! I plan to ask for sparkling water when I arrive, fill up on that and then have one small glass of wine with my main.

@SemmaLina that laksa looks gorgeous and your bowl is so pretty too! And @Ninarina's omelette, going to add both to this week's plan 😋. Had the sausage traybake on Friday night, but I did find the halloumi and sausage together too salty @BIWI, think I'll do one or the other next time. Was very tasty though!

Yesterday brunch was omelette with peppers, tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms, spinach and cheese. Added some cajun spice for a bit of a kick, and DH had toast with his. Was so full that I didn't eat anything else at all, probably not ideal. Good night at DH's gig, lots of soda and sparkling water and no hangovers in the W household which is fab! Must have done something right as had a mini-whoosh and now 2.5lb down!!!!

Today's plan is Labyrinth at the cinema, I don't like sweet stuff anyway so won't be tempted by the snacks, then steak for tea with cauliflower and broccoli cheese. Drinking buckets of herbal tea as it's still bl#$%y freezing here, and doing a meal-plan (I hasd one in mind when I shopped but tweaking to include the new recipes, which helpfully have everything in for). Hope everyone has a good day!

Please could the poster who recommended the thai soup made with frozen cauliflower repost the recipe. I've scrolled up and down the thread but still can't find it 🙈 Sorry and thanks 🙏

@Ninarina

We are having tacos tonight they aren't that high carb but I am going to make pasties using the leftover dough

When you say ‘they aren’t that high carb’ what do you mean?! Any kind of flour-based product isn’t allowed during Bootcamp.

Sorry you’ve had a difficult week. How are you going to handle things differently next week?

Can you plan to make meals that will work for the kids as well as you?

@PunksVersusBratsIt was @DryWhiteagainW, but I took a screenshot

I’ve just tried that thing where you microwave Brie. It was tasty, but smelly. I think it’s much less filling than just eating the Brie as is. But it was tasty and crunchy, so may well hit the spot if you’re struggling for snackery.

Hope you like it Punk my frozen med veg is on the go now. Put a whole bunch of fresh basil in and the house smells divine

Brilliant, thanks @TeamToeBeansand @DryWhiteagainW🤗

Rookie error! Don’t cook the basil, it looses its taste. Luckily I had another pack.

med veg and chicken with basil soup recipe:

I (700g) bag Tesco frozen med veg

2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 veg stock cube
szlt and pepper.
2 packs of basil

boil veg with a kettle of water, veg stock and tomatoes (next time I will only put half the kettle and add more water at the end to get the consistency I want)
when it’s cooked add fresh basil but don’t cook it!
blend it all up.
chuck in chopped cooked chicken.
voilà.

i reckon a dollop of double cream or Boursin would be incredible.

this has made 6 portions for lunches this week

I am not having the tacos!
But I did check the box and it was about 12g per taco
However I made some delish keto naan breads using the Sugar Free Londoner recipe last night
I will use the beef mince taco filling and make pasties with that
Lets see how that turns out
@venusandmars @TheOnlyMrsW
Yes the omelette is yummy
I gently fry the onions first so they go a bit soft and then add green chili and veg- mushrooms baby spinach etc then the eggs and sprinkled coriander into it 😋

Had a couple of tests this morning, but I passed 😁
Met a friend for coffee in Costa - ordered a mint tea.
Then met my DH&kids at a cafe and avoided the homemade scones & Victoria sponge cake! Ordered just a green tea and waited until got home for my lunch.

I have been having FFGY & double cream & cinnamon for breakfast and Tuna & Avocado salad for lunch.
Tonight we are having homemade meatballs for dinner, the family having it with tagliatelle I'm having meatballs with a huge salad.

@TheOnlyMrsW I find that cooked basil goes a bit slimy. If I have lots, I blitz it in olive oil and freeze it in ice-cube trays. Then add a couple of ice cubes to any soup or lamb dish...

@Ninarina the desi omelette was amazing. Dh had some other leftovers (he chosen which ones he wanted) but he was very envious of my omelette. I've promised to make it again during the week. Will also do keto naan with it - make these ones very simple.

Oh, just realised that the naan have almond flour in them, so I will wait until the following week to make them.

@Ninarina thank goodness! I was about to rummage in the cupboard for The Big Stick

That naan bread recipe looks amazing @venusandmars - I’ll definitely have to give that a go. I’m very good at swerving the rice when we have an Indian takeaway, but the bread is irresistible! But I take your point about the almonds, so will wait till we get to week 3.

@riskycleo well done . It’s hard when you’re out, especially in coffee shops, as the world really isn’t made for low carbing.

I've just added ingredients for the lovely looking salmon laksa to my Tesco shop, also ground almonds to make those amazing looking naan from week 3. I find curries really helpful on this woe.

KOKO here, I have remembered peppermint and liquorice tea, for those looking for something sweet, it really hits the spot.

@DryWhiteagainW I have screenshotted that Med Veg soup recipe, as I am a huge soup fan, and that sounds so easy. Maybe the chicken can poach in the soup liquid, then fish it out and shred?? Anything for an easy life. Good idea to add Boursin or similar. Might have to wait a while as I have a freezer full of turkey soup to get through first.

Lovely brunch today - I had Eggs Benedict at Christmas which reminded me how much I adore hollandaise sauce. So I did a sort of Florentine Benedict, with spinach, bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise. Delish.

Currently crunching through one of my favourite low carb snacks (look away, vegetarians) - pork scratchings. 😋

We had roast shoulder of pork last night - a lovely, fatty cut of meat. With the advantage of lovely, crispy, crunchy crackling.

Had it with pan-fried, charred hispi cabbage and celeriac ‘chips’ baked in the oven along with the pork.

We normally go out for dinner on Sunday, which is often a challenge from the LC POV, and where I’ve been very guilty recently of lapsing. But the weather is so awful this evening that we’re staying in, and will be enjoying some of the lovely cheese my SIL sent us for Christmas.

I’m hoping that the scales will reward my ‘good’ behaviour tomorrow morning

Thanks to @Ninarinaposting about her Desi omelette I remembered the Dishoom Akuri (spiced scrambled eggs) I got completely obsessed with last year, I think I ate them every day for a week! I tend to add extra veg like peppers or courgette, whatever needs using up and I’ve never got the spice/heat element the same twice, it’s absolute roulette. Very satisfying “light supper” to make up for birthday indulgences.

DH took me for a lovely hotel night for my birthday with a 7 course menu. Not all bad but I didn’t abstain as it’s a treat we look forward to annually. Salmon and Fallow deer were highlights. Excellent full English this morning too, with some verboten elements.

Lots of driving has limited my water intake so catching up now. Not expecting miracles but firmly in the zone for next week and nothing problematic planned for next weekend. DH was excellent on the edible gifts too- fancy nuts and 85% chocolate, nothing I can’t eat.

Tonight I adapted an internet recipe (mostly changing things around to improve sauce consistency) and it went down very well, especially with the teen.

For 3 people:
6 chicken thigh fillets
1 heaped teaspoon minced garlic (or use fresh)
Oil/butter
Small bag of fresh spinach
125ml(ish) double cream
About half a wedge of grated parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

1. In a frying pan, heat the oil/butter, lightly fry the minced garlic and brown the thigh fillets in the garlicky oil/butter. Season before browning the 2nd side.

1. Transfer the fillets to an oven-proof dish. Wilt the spinach in the frying pan, than add the cream and two thirds of the parmesan and stir to combine.

1. Pour the cream mixture over the chicken and sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the top.

1. Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins until the chicken is cooked through.

😋😋😋

Spicy lamb this evening with lots of salad, and a FFGY and mint dressing.

In some respects it's difficult to believe this is just a week, it feels like it's been longer (in a good way). I think I've eaten more vegetables this week than in all of the previous month, and I'm feeling much less controlled by cravings already. I have also noticed that the whole family have eaten better too as I've cooked more, and using a wider range of ingredients and vegetables.

Well done for avoiding the cake @riskycleo

Your brunch sounds really good @CointreauVersial, another good idea for using spinach.

Good luck in tomorrow's weigh-in everyone!

Today has been a tricky day and I need to get a grip for tomorrow.. although I hope the weigh in will help.

I was out of routine.. grabbed a hard boiled egg and a creamy coffee for breakfast.. then had nothing but cups of tea (visiting various family members and turning down cakes, biscuits etc..) until the evening, and then couldn’t face dinner stuff so just had a bowl of ffgy with chia.

I need something different tomorrow. Something that doesn’t taste greasy, eggy or boring. I’ve ordered some SRSLY rolls and am looking forward to their arrival. Even if they are too processed for a strict week, I can plan the massive halloumi and salad sandwich to have next week.

I went for a quick mooch around Aldi, and got some of their low carb black bean spaghetti. I’ll have that tomorrow and if it’s any good I’ll go and buy a stack. I also got some electrolyte sachets…which were stocked next to all the protein/low carb stuff.

I guess I need to go find the lowest carb tomato sauce recipe I can possibly find to go with the spaghetti. I don’t know that I can face cheese sauce after having had three days of cauliflower cheese (without flour of course).