Jan ’26 Low Carb Bootcamp - week 7: almost done!

[BIWI]

Morning all. Sorry for the late start. I think I have been distracted by the appearance of sunshine and blue skies this morning!

Spreadsheet is here:

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

So we have two weeks left. Still time to shed a few pounds. It’s also worth considering, perhaps, a return to strict Bootcamp for this last fortnight, especially if things have slowed down.

It really is. I’m dreading going away this week.
LCHF is just brilliant, until it’s not..as it’s so very unforgiving.

I am going to have to decide whether to switch to a different weight loss plan from the end of bootcamp for that reason. Without the accountability of the thread, the bad days get more and more common.

If its okay with @BIWI maybe we could keep the thread going at the end of bootcamp.

I was clearing out a cupboard today and came across a little oxo spiraliser that I have clearly forgotten buying, it must have been in there for at least 3 years unopened. I have a courgette in the fridge so I think this must be fate though!

Chicken fajitas minus a wrap this evening, with lots of soured cream and cheese. Was ravenous earlier though so had some cheese and a couple of non-LC crackers. Never did get round to making the LC ones last week but you've reminded me @SemmaLina

It's difficult @DryWhiteagainWwhen you're not on your home turf isn't it - it's hard to know which restaurants will centre the protein rather than being carb-heavy. We have some locally that are excellent and lots of LC friendly choices and others that are dreadful. Hope it doesn't detract from your holiday though.

I always keep the last thread running after we've finished, so no worries on that front!

I don’t get the issue with eating out , most places do salad or meat / fish and veg of some description and don’t have dessert . Perhaps I’m eating in peculiar places 🤣

It's the temptation @tinyspiny!

Oh goodness, you're very fortunate @tinyspiny. A small but pervasive local chain of hugely popular, style-over-substance restaurants near us centre virtually every meal on carbs. If it's not chips it's pancakes or dumplings or pastry or fish-that's-mainly-batter. Half the menu seems to be sweetened sauces, and there's almost no veg. Side orders are different variants on chips, garlic bread, onion rings etc but no veg. All very beige with a token sprig of pea shoots. You need to go to less popular/obvious places to get proper cooking but for non-locals I imagine it's very difficult to know where.

I think it's something most of the chain restaurants are guilty of @RightTurnClyde - Bill's was mentioned by @CointreauVersial (I think), and I always struggle to find something suitable there. So much so that we only go there 'in extremis'. Frankie & Benny's was another one. Only went there once!

If it's not stuff in batter or breadcrumbs, it's stuff with sweet dressings or sticky sweet sauces.

IME, and to echo something that @venusandmars has said before, usually the more 'top end' (i.e. expensive!) restaurants tend to be the ones where the dishes/menus are much less carb-laden.

I agree, some restaurants are fine. The Turkish place I went to last month I could have eaten practically every dish, just leaving out the bready things, and even the pizza/pasta place last week was OK. But Bill's was particularly challenging. There's also the temptation aspect..... I'm off to Flatiron at the weekend - steak and salad, easy peasy. But they do a truffle mac-and-cheese which honestly is part of my Death Row meal - it is just heavenly. Resist, resist....

Just had a delicious cheesy omelette for breakfast.

Hope you had a good birthday @CointreauVersial

I'm just back from holiday and 2lbs up, so it's back to strict bootcamp for me - until my next holiday at the end of April. The hotel buffet breakfast was fantastic and had lots of lchf options - yogurt, eggs, omelettes, salmon, cold meats and cheeses, salad, veg. But it also had some very tempting bread and pastries I often do intermittent fasting and don't usually have breakfast at home, but on holiday that was my main meal of the day, with fish or meat with salad in the evening. Back to the cold weather and my usual routine.

Chicken and spinach soup for lunch today, followed by chia pudding with berries and nuts; dinner will be lamb meatballs with tomato ragu and lots of green veg.

My tip for navigating restaurants (other than what others have said where slightly more expensive is generally better) is that I always have a coffee with amaretto or another liqueur as my pudding. It's sweet enough to satisfy that urge for something yummy to round off the meal and it means you don't have to sit feeling deprived while watching everyone else indulge.

I just don’t feel the need for a dessert , even before adopting this WOE even though my husband has pudding of some description every day . I’ve always much preferred a starter / main / coffee . I also have never really eaten chocolate but I do love fruit gums / Colin the caterpillars / flavoured soft nougat , all of which I’ve knocked on the head completely since Jan 1st . When I hit my goal , which will probably be in another 6 weeks hopefully , I have a huge bag of assorted nougat from Costco that I will allow eke out over the next 6 months . I have attached a photo 😀

We only go out a couple of times a year, if that...so I always have everything including cheese course, heh. I don't always skip the actual pudding but if I'm being very careful or already feel like I'm at my limit of food/carb intake, I'll just have the coffee and it helps everything feel properly complete.

Puddings aren’t the prob for me as I don’t have a sweet tooth. Today was brunch out and everything was on bread. Yesterday the only light lunch I could find was quiche (asked fir extra salad instead of wedges) but I find that I often leave the potatoes/bread and seems such a waste when you’re paying for it.

Checking in a bit late, family crisis. Back up 1lb this week but still mainly sticking with it,

Haven't read the full thread properly yet, but we eat out quite a lot and I don't often have pudding, preferring starters, but usually drive so liqueur coffees aren't an option. But it can be hard resisting the carby part of a main course and often in pubs there are very few options. I know it is suggested to have a burger without a bun or fries but honestly for me that's so unenjoyable and poor value I can't justify £15 for it and it is just a sad fact that the carbs are often one of the tastiest bits. Steak without chips feels wrong too but I can manage that with salad and a creamy sauce such as blue cheese. I also have an issue that often the veg in restaurants are laced with butter which I absolutely hate so I try to always go for salad rather than veg.

My daughter eats LCHF all the time and we often have to order for her by amending the menu. I have to say I always find restaurants very accommodating about replacing chips or bread with extra salad etc. Sometime we’ll combine two dishes (she isn’t a cheap date 😂) eg the steak with aubergine parmagiana as a side or meatball starter with a main course salad. Always dressing on the side. She is particularly fond of a steak place but we’ve also found Zizzi good (they have salads you can add skewers of chicken to) and the new make your own (cauli rice) donburi bowl at Wagamama means that’s an option for us as a family again which is nice. Brunch is good too - almost everything comes with toast but removing it and adding avocado or extra eggs is often possible. The amount of protein she can pack away is astonishing - a mixed grill for 2 is her favourite menu option and I take perverse pleasure when a waiter says ‘it’s for two’ and I say I know, she’ll eat it and she does!

Back on it fairly easily this week. I've already lost the couple of pounds I'd put on.

I've nearly finished my srsly last w ca b bread. @BIWII think I remember you saying there was another brand you like - what is it?

I’m off to Flatiron tomorrow hopefully @CointreauVersialI always go for aubergine parmigiana as my side, I think I love that like you love the truffle mac! Packing eggs for the train and winging the rest. Home with no DH for the weekend, no more eating out so will do my best to get back on track after my little break with DS.

I know I've tried another brand @Almahart but can't remember which one - there is Heylo though:

https://weareheylo.com/

Re eating out, another thing I sometimes do is to order two starters, or a starter with one of the sides (usually a vegetable dish).

@Almahart Keto Chef is the best bread , I’ve tried them all . It doesn’t toast particularly well but it’s lovely for sandwiches .

@SemmaLina I just whipped up a batch of those cheesy crackers - ooh, they are fabulous. I thought they'd be a crumbly nightmare, but they are quite firm and crunchy, and so tasty. Not without incident.... I spilled sesame seeds everywhere, my scales ran out of battery, and the rolled-out dough stuck firmly to the "non stick" baking paper, so I scraped it off and resorted to the roll-and-squash method to make the individual biscuits. But I will definitely make them again.

Decent food choices today.... omelette for breakfast, feta & roasted veg soup for lunch, with LC toast and paté on the side, then a chicken leg with roasted courgette for dinner.

I eat aubergine parmigiano quite often when we eat out, often it's about the only suitable thing in pizza/pasta type places, but I had an absolutely awful one in Pizza Express a couple of years ago. Made it at home last week.

Tonight we had the spicy liver wrap recipe I posted last week, I had mine without the wrap but extra salad and some FFGY.

@CointreauVersial I hadn't thought about the squash method ( much easier ) I need to make more as they’re really good

@SprinkleofRain my spiced liver plans for this week were thwarted by Sainsbury’s substituting my chicken livers for chicken mini fillets. Nope.