Jan ’26 Low Carb Bootcamp - week 3 - full-on, light or hybrid?

[BIWI]

Morning all!

Spreadsheet as per:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gsWvWpGzTSJld1avBi9-uLJveFZes9Qa2ORKthPMl8E/edit?gid=1415293539#gid=1415293539

So as I posted in the last thread, you now have a choice. You can move on to Bootcamp Light, which means you can add in:

Some nuts and seeds
Some fruit - mainly berries
Some chocolate - 70% cocoa (and higher)
Some alcohol - clear spirits and sugar-free mixers, dry white/red wine.

… all in moderation and not at every meal time! Try to avoid the sugar-free mixers as much as you can, if you’re drinking spirits, given how artificial they are.

You can stay on full-on Bootcamp if you want to, or if you feel you’ve been slipping a bit too much recently - as long as you make sure you’re eating plenty of vegetables and salad, for good nutrition. You may, though, want to consider a hybrid - Bootcamp during the week and Bootcamp Light at the weekend.

It’s up to you.

Just remember though, that weeks 3 & 4 are infamous! It’s not at all unusual to see weight loss slow or stop. If this happens to you, don’t panic but just KOKO.

Good luck to us all

One of the dishes I occasionally make is cauliflower cheese, and I include some hard boiled eggs in the dish. Based on the 50s classic Eggs Mornay. (Obviously I don’t make the cheese sauce with flour!)

Sorry to ask an obvious question BIWI but how do you all make flour less cheese sauce? I fancy cheesy leeks tomorrow but not sure how to do it.

first challenge tonight. People here for dinner which is good as I can control the menu (apart from pudding which someone is bringing. Not sure how I’ll avoid that). I’ve not had any booze since starting BC but may have a glass which is allowed. Will try v v hard to resist more though which will be hard, have stocked up on sparkling water

You can ask as many questions as you like on these threads - obvious or not!

People have different methods/recipes, but this is how I make mine:

300ml double cream
As much grated mature cheddar as you like - probably around 175g minimum (which is half a big block). I do this by eye and by taste.
Juice of half a lemon
Black pepper

Bring the cream up to boil, chuck in 2/3 of the cheese and stir till it melts. Taste to see if it’s cheesy enough for you. Then add the lemon juice and season with black pepper. Cook gently for a while, and it will thicken a little bit. (It will never be thick like a sauce made with flour though.)

When I make cauliflower cheese, this is enough for a whole cauliflower. I also sprinkle more grated cheese on the top when it goes into the oven, so that it goes nicely brown and starts to get crispy.

Can highly recommend BIWI's cauliflower cheese!

I've been KOKO- been a little ...ahem...bunged up, so made some flaxseed protein bread ( milled flax, egg, cream cheese, seasoning, baking powder) and had marmite on toast for breakfast for the last couple of days- delicious and very satisfying.

Otherwise had a baked goat's cheese salad with bacon and pecans, lots of omelettes and chilli in lettuce wraps with sour cream and guacamole.

Back in Yorkshire and on my regular scales and my weight is the same as last week- so no loss but the phantom 6lb have gone anyway- either my scales are dodgy or it was bloat.

@venusandmars thank you for the suggestion and the water wobble info, really helpful...I forgot at 3am when unable to sleep that I'd made magnesium butter as he's ago, will try that tonight. So tingly though!

I'm starting to get more motivated to cook, it's hard when DD will often turn her nose up at stuff, and DS will not eat anything other than his safe foods...lots of freezing of leftovers here!

Heading up to London in a bit, having lunch out, there's a shake shack that does lettuce wraps with burgers (they're gluten free friendly too) in st pancras so hopefully eat there.

So glad the weather is better today, still gutted my DP can't come but DD and I will hopefully have a nice day out regardless. She insists on buying Percy pigs at st pancras m and s every time we are there so I'll just have to hope she doesn't try to share them, she rarely shares anything to be honest so I should be good!

Had two very small glasses of wine last night, first alcohol since new year, I fell asleep on the sofa! Previously I could easily drink a bottle in an evening which is a bit embarrassing...I'm getting so much out of this, reduced alcohol, feeling more confident about my body..all good.

Occasionally craving a big bag of chip shop chips though...I'll get over it.

Although I've done BC before I'm definitely being more adventurous with recipes and trying new things this time, and I'm enjoying it for its own sake this time (more so than previously).

In the coming week I'm going away for work and know that the mass-catered-type food will be disappointing. Not because of LC as there are normally reasonable choices at the venue, but because it won't be nearly as tasty or nutritious as what I'd be cooking at home.

I'm enjoying hearing about boiled eggs @BIWI and others. Sometimes I really enjoy eggs and other times I can't stomach the thought of an egg. I'm in the latter place at the moment with the exception of hard-boiled. I might try some smoked fish and boiled eggs in creamy sauce this week.

I'm really missing wine @DryWhiteagainW so will be cheering you on in resisting the second glass! I think it is easier to swerve alcohol in January since it seems to be more socially acceptable to do Dry January than drop processed white carbs. But a dry Friday night is still tough!

theghost this is precisely what I’m worried about might happen to me tonight 🤣

I think The Guardian must have been reading all the feta talk on this thread
There’s a lovely-sounding recipe in today’s Feast magazine, for chicken meatballs with feta. I can’t find a link to it, but I’ve taken a photo - hopefully it’s readable.

Enjoyed the Brussels broccoli halloumi harissa traybake from the green roasting tin last night, and a glass of white wine (which predictably affected my sleep). Scales barely moving this week (to be expected) so will stay extra focused ahead of Monday. Planning a roast, probably pork, tomorrow.
I’ve been amazing at exercise this week though- parkrun today was my third run and I’ve swum twice and done a Body Pump class. A rest day tomorrow!

The feta chicken meatballs sound nice @BIWI might try that next week.

I made this cheese sauce for my moussaka earlier in the week and it came out lovely and thick, it has cream cheese as well as cream and cheese.

simslife.co.uk/the-most-awesome-keto-cauliflower-cheese-recipe/

@mumsandaunties I made a 'kabbegeree' I blitz cabbage and cauliflower to make 'rice'. Fry them in lots of butter with chopped shallots and all the curry spices, then add flaked smoked fish and boiled eggs.

@BIWI egg mornay! brings back memories of a 1960's childhood!!

@DryWhiteagainW BIWI's cheese sauce is fabulous, and so easy. No more whisking roux to get the flour lumps out! I add a teaspoon of whole grain mustard. Bizzarely the key thing is the lemon juice.

Had lovely creamy scrambled egg with bacon for brunch, and have a sort of oriental prawn and vegetable soupy dish for dinner.

One of the best thing about this thread is all the delicious recipes I'm discovering. Being a major foodie, I don't feel "deprived" if I'm making low carb meals that I really enjoy.

I've been good all week, apart from a couple of glasses of wine with The Traitors final last night - who can blame me? Meals I've eaten recently:

Thursday:
B - low carb toast and almond butter
L - roasted aubergine with ham, mozzarella and a lemon/olive oil dressing
D - a recipe from my new MOB cookbook...basically a cod/tomato/pepper tray bake, topped with a zingy basil sauce. Asparagus on the side. DH was in raptures!

Yesterday:
B - cup of tea
L - asparagus, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce
D - home made meatballs (used parmesan and egg to bind), tomato sauce, on a bed of spring greens.

Today:
B - berries, Greek yogurt, splash of cream, flaked almonds
L - poached eggs on low carb toast
D - about to tuck into pulled pork with coleslaw, currently in the slow cooker. It smells divine, and you'll be pleased to know I invested in a nice fresh jar of allspice!

It was a ‘using up stuff leftover in the fridge’ dinner this evening! I made stuffed Savoy cabbage rolls, baked in a cheese sauce.

I made a mix of leftover roast pork, onion, chilli, garlic, yellow pepper which was all diced fairly small, then panfried till soft and browned. Added a bit of soy sauce. Let it cool.

Blanched 6 large cabbage leaves (the ones on the outside are the biggest), cooled in iced water, and then cut out the bottom of the tough stalk bit, then added a decent tablespoon of the stuffing mixture and rolled the leaves up.

Into an oven dish, any leftover stuffing spooned over/between the cabbage rolls, then poured the cheese sauce over the top and baked the lot in the oven. Added more grated cheese to the top, and cooked on 180-200 till volcanically hot and the cheesy top was browning. (I grilled it for the last couple of minutes just to make sure it was really nice and brown).

Ooh, Kabbegeree sounds ace. And I have all the ingredients too.

I can report that the pulled pork was delicious - I can't remember who posted the recipe but it was a good one. I was worried it might be a bit "austere" without the usual sugary BBQ sauce, but it was very tasty. I had mine with coleslaw in an iceberg lettuce wrap; DH had flatbread. And two more meals-worth have gone into the freezer.

Was it the recipe I posted? With orange/lemon juice and chipotle? If so, I agree - it’s really tasty. (It’s a Fast800 recipe)

I did it!!!! Only 2 small glasses of crémant and almost 2 litres of sparkling water!!! My cells will be full soon! And no hang over tomorrow. Dinner was no carb, a friend brought pudding (lemon tart and berries) I just had the berries. The only slip up was a macaron (an expensive gift I couldn’t say no to without being rude).
stuffed cabbage sounds fantastic

Yes....orange and lime juice. Very good.

I’m enjoying trying new recipes too. Although I enjoy cooking and like trying new things, I do fall into the easy dinner rut, and end up churning out the same few meals all the time. Usually because I haven’t planned well enough.

I’ve enjoyed two small glasses of red wine this evening. I’m not “doing Dry January” as such, but I had decide to stop drinking alcohol so often, and certainly minimising it for the duration of bootcamp. In the past I have done DJ with full knowledge that one glass of wine would send me straight back to a glass or two every night. I don’t get that sense this time around. Although my weight loss has been gradual, I’m pleased with my progress and have no desire to wreck it for the sake of a habitual drink that I’m not actually that bothered about.

I think if you have something all the time, it stops feeling like a treat. An occasional glass will be enjoyed much more than a glass every night.

Plodding ( keeping on , keeping on ) on
Made the Thai chicken curry last night from Diet Dr , was … ok but nothing special
Still haven’t had a glass of wine, not missing it as much as I thought

@rayna I think it was you , tinned ratatouille from France ? I found this my local Tesco , haven’t tried yet , but as one courgette was £1.11 and this tin of ratatouille was £1.35 I thought it was worth a try

__Ploughing on here- been having the flaxseed toast to kickstart my sluggish bowels, a rather disappointing lamb and halloumi burger and left over chilli.

My weight has stayed the same this week- but the swanky body-composition scales at the gym say that I've lost 3.5kg of fat since bootcamp started!

I'm sure lots some of that is less water in my squishy fat cells and more in my muscles ( I've started taking creatine which increases muscle fluid)- but I think that some is real fat loss and real muscle gain. I think I'm a bit less wobbly.

More lovely recipes to try! 😋

I've just made DH some kimchi fried rice for lunch and I resisted (no, not even a spoonful) 😇 Blimey, it was hard though as I do miss rice.

I'm still managing 2 out of 3 meals bootcamp compliant but I expect to put back on at tomorrow's weigh-in. However life has settled a little, so I'm determined to get properly back on board this week 🤞

@SemmaLina just looking at the ingredients list of that ratatouille - sugar and modified corn starch are ingredients. And it seems like it’s mostly tomato, which isn’t what a ratatouille should be!

I get what you were saying about the cost, but it would be much better (from a Bootcamp perspective at least!) if you were to make your own. And it’s not a difficult thing to make, really.

Oh I know @BIWI , I make it usually , just thought it would do in an emergency I mostly cook from scratch

Here’s my French ones for comparison- I keep them for an easy treat every few weeks