Jan ’26 Low Carb Bootcamp Week 4 - coming up to half time!

[BIWI]

Morning all

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

Spreadsheet as per - and I can see there are some really great results already, and some good losses even though we were in the infamous week 3!

Brace yourselves for week 4 being potentially challenging too. (Sorry
But from now on, weight loss should be steady and consistent - not necessarily every day, but you should see a satisfying downward trajectory.

@EnchantedDaytime why not go and check out the Low Carb recipe section - there are some lovely vegetarian recipes there:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/low-carb-recipes/3146576-Vegetarian-Low-Carb-Recipes?reply=143894981

Maybe that will stop you feeling everything is too protein heavy.

Holland and Barrett sell low carb tagliatelle, noodles and rice - I’ve bought them to try but haven’t actually done so yet

Yes, I do realise that, though based on my experience with Aldi’s black bean spaghetti I’m not sure whether a whole serving is necessary to satisfy the requirement!

I just found it useful to know that Lidl is now stocking high protein and relatively low carb options that don’t require a specialist shop. For when I can’t get near Holland and Barrett or similar.

I wonder why the Lidl edamame spaghetti has such a high carb count compared to the Aldi one? I think it pays not to be too trusting, I did think the Aldi one was so low as to not be credible.

Oh dear - big mistake!! In planning the feta and chicken meatballs for dinner tonight with dgc I momentarily forgot that one dgc has a cmp allergy - and I'd alredy told them what would be for dinner.

Then I found vegan 'feta' in the supermarket. omg it is disgusting! What the hell is Glucono Delta Lactone? The meatballs smell and taste like the worst kind of 'cheesy' Doritos and a bit like vom... I sampled one and the awful taste is lingering in my mouth 4 hours later. I can only assume that the 'feta' also has MSG in it. It doesn't state on the ingredients list just 'additional vegan flavourings' but the awful lingering after taste is the same as I get after MSG.

Months of mostly clean eating and then this violation!!

So, 'lucky' dgc has a special pack of chicken and 'feta' mealballs for the freezer that they can take for school lunches. Meanwhile, I bought more chicken mince and made meat and herb balls, without the cheese. Fortunately a fabulous tomato, chilli and red pepper sauce to go with it, and a heap of green veg. Pasta for dh and dgc.

Isn’t a cmp allergy to do with cows’ milk though? Whereas feta is made from sheep’s (and sometimes goats’) milk?

That aside, I can’t bear the idea of vegan cheese! Which is why I could never be a vegan. That and loving yoghurt, milk and eggs too much

Hi, I've just started low carb. Day 2. Just looking for advice, what to expect. How's everyone's weight loss been.

I'm trying it after coming off WLI and struggling with sugar cravings which I've read this is good for.

Gosh , yes, vegan cheese... bleurghh. Not surprised it ruined your day, @venusandmars

Slow day here... gym first thing, then low carb toast and almond butter for breakfast.

Lunch was spinach topped with bacon, two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. I was very happy to find that Sainsbury’s sell it ready-made in the chilled section as it is fast becoming an addiction.

Dinner is in the oven - it's that chicken with feta and pesto recipe shared on the previous thread...will serve with my other current obsession, spring greens. Annoyingly, DH disappeared two hours ago to give blood and hasn't reappeared so I can't dish up. And it smells delicious.

Hi @mynamefor2025 welcome !
if you look at the first post by @BIWI theres a link to the spreadsheet , which has lots of tabs to helpful info , somewhere there is also a sign up thread ( no need to sign up now though ) where all the rules are

For dinner we had chicken breasts with a creamy mushroom sauce , fine beans , courgettes and broccoli

I tried the belt on , can actually do it up now , could not wear it comfortably , but it does up ! So I found the tape measure and have lost 3 inches off my waist

Tricky , but hopefully lovely weekend ahead as we have friends over tomorrow night , I’m planning stuffed mushrooms , roast pork with kale , carrots and fine beans , probably dauphinois potatoes which I’m planning not to have ( followed by sticky toffee pudding, but I’m planning to be too full ) then nice cheese

I will be having a glass of wine , first one since the early hours of New Years Day

TBH , I’m missing biscuits and bread more than wine !

Welcome @mynamefor2025
i find that if I follow the bootcamp rules, I don’t feel hungry and I loose weight. Hope it works well for you

Pesto feta chicken was tasty, but next time I will halve the feta, as it rather overpowered everything else.

Hi @mynamefor2025 <waves>

@BIWI unfortunately it is the protein structure he has an allergy to, so it includes all similar proteins, including sheep's milk and soya. And it's a pretty violent reaction - I certainly don't want that on my babysitting watch !!!

Hallo, I went somewhat off piste in week 2 but have been back on it since then and have just caught up on this thread

I'm 8ibs down from the start which I'm delighted with.

I've been eating a lot of chopped up salads with hard boiled eggs, avocado and fish. That's got me through work lunches.

I have found the srsly LC bread a game changer. Its not super delicious but to be able to have boiled eggs and toast every so often is pretty wonderful.

Oh a much better day today. No horrid plastic formulated non-cheese ingredients. My guts felt a bit yukky today - probably psychosomatic.

B - bacon and eggs (ok a bit too much processed meat); coffee with cream
L - chia seed pudding with berries and nuts
D - leeks/broccoli/caulflower in cheese and ham sauce.

Sorry @mynamefor2025 I’ve only just seen this. Have you started low carbing generally, or are you following Bootcamp?

@Almahart wow - that is a fantastic achievement.

Post boot camp, do you think you can maintain those lunches? If you enjoy them and they satisfy you there's no need to stop...

I actually do think it feels more sustainable than it has previously so that's my intention.

I'm definitely planning on continued bootcamp after week 8, I have a fair amount to lose.

I’ve slipped a bit this last few days. Caught a tummy bug midweek, and didn’t feel great for a couple of days, and then have struggled to get back in the routine of planning and having things ready. I have tried today to eat better, but I am hungry. I haven’t weighed today so not sure what the damage is, but shouldn’t be too bad, I haven’t indulged, just not really paid as much attention as I should have.

@venusandmars I can't imagine how disappointing it must be to expect feta and then get some MSG laden rubbish.

Lamb kebab tonight, with salad and vegetable pakora. The pakora had chickpea flour as a binder but only a very small amount and it had 11 different plants and vegetables, plus lots of spices. Served with dressing with FFGY, lemon juice and mint.

We went out tonight en famille - a Christmas present from DH for all us to go and see Dara O’Briain. Turkish restaurant beforehand, and I’d checked out the menu, so it was pretty safe for me. Halloumi, garlic mushrooms and lamb koftas. Halloumi came battered, which I wasn’t expecting - but with a generous salad ‘side’, which was good. Lamb koftas also had a good portion of veg and salad with it - unfortunately service was so slow, we had to leave before we’d had a chance to eat it all, and my lamb koftas were the last to arrive at the table!

Really annoying; I hate being rushed when it comes to eating. But at least overall it was a relatively low carb meal. And Dara O’Briain was great.

Battered halloumi is a surprise isn't it.

I'm going to Wahaca today, one of the DC choice of birthday outing. Not massively BC friendly, I've looked at the menu but there is guacamole and some salads.

Yes, I’ve never had it battered before, in either a Turkish or Lebanese restaurant. It was quite a light batter, more like a thin coating, but still unnecessary!

@BIWI i had the same thing with chicken salad, they had cooked the chicken in breadcrumbs and fried them. Had to pick the chicken out.

We were out last night too, Greek restaurant (my choice as it’s good for lots of fresh meat and salad). But I did fail to resist a bit of flatbread, I am just impossibly addicted to bread. I had a diet ginger beer and it was sickly sweet so maybe taste for sweet things is fading which is good.

Thanks for the link to the veggie recipes thread a few days ago @BIWI I’d forgotten about that, going to look at it now for menu planning.

I found a new, sugar-free mayo in M&S this week, the olive oil one with just the ingredients I’d use at home

Having a nice, quiet Sunday, trying to gee myself up to make some nice soup for the coming week.

Bought some chia seeds the other day, and had a go at a chia seed pudding breakfast.... FFGY, milk, raspberries, blueberries, flaked almonds and chia seeds. It was nice, but I think I got the proportions wrong, as it was still quite liquidy. And, note to self, next time you spill a load of the seeds do not use a damp dishcloth to wipe them up, or you will be spending the next ten minutes picking the blighters off the dishcloth.....

Last night's dinner was a pork loin chop with buttered Brussels sprouts. Tonight we will have burgers and salad (lettuce wrap for me, of course).

I wore a pair of jeans yesterday I haven't worn for a few weeks. Was it my imagination, or were they a little looser-fitting? Here's hoping.