Week 1 - Autumn Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

So here we are! Over 160 of us signed up!

Here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness for you to enter your first weight

If you aren't on the list for any reason, just go to the bottom of the list and add your name - the lovely Willie will sort out the alphabetisation later.

From experience of previous Bootcamps, the chat thread can move very quickly! So, if you have a specific or particular question, please post it on the questions thread I will do my best to check it as often as I can, as will other seasoned Bootcampers.

If you have a really burning issue, please feel free to PM me and I will do my very best to help you as soon as possible.

And if you're looking for inspiration for things to cook, here's the recipe thread

Here is a brief reminder of the rules:

We do not eat any of the following during Bootcamp:

bread
rice
pasta/noodles
potatoes
flour
pastry
sugar
chocolate/sweets
biscuits/cookies
crisps

And here are the ten rules of Bootcamp:

1. You must eat breakfast.
2. Avoid processed food
3. Eat lots of fat
4. Make sure you are eating vegetables and salads with your food
5. Be careful about dairy (apart from butter, which is unlimited)
6. You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day
7. No alcohol
8. No fruit
9. No nuts/seeds

10. No sugar or artificial sweeteners

More detail/explanation of these rules is on the spreadsheet ? look at the tabs at the bottom.

One final word from me ? the disclaimer! I am not a doctor, a scientist, a dietician nor a nutritionist. The advice that is given here is based on my own experience of low carbing, as well as the reading I have been doing over the last few years.

If you have a medical condition, or you are taking long term medication, please take advice from your GP/consultant before starting to low carb.

Good luck everyone!

Well, have been good again today. Despite just starting to eat meat I thought id give pork a try - didn't like it.

Bf Greek yoghurt with a few drops vanilla essence and a flax muffin (mix of full and low fat yoghurt as still getting used to taste but nearly all ff)
Lunch half a chicken and cheese frittata, cucumber sticks with philadelpha to dip
Tea pork in omelette with salad and a dollop of ff mayo. Although I did leave most of the pork (I did try)

I added a few drops of lemon juice to sparkling water and prefer it that way.

I think after so long being a vegetarian that chicken and turkey is probably all I can cope with.

Drank lots of water today, not as much as I should as I am am aiming for 2.5 litres, but at least 2. Its very hard - and I want to go to bed early!

B- bacon and eggs. Couldn't stop staring at ds friend bread though:)
L- leftover lamb and celeriac from yesterday
D- lc sausage, cauliflower rice, peas, and salad with mozzarella to start. Dc had some mash and gravy too.

This thread moves very fast, off to read it!

Another good day, sugary stuff at work successfully avoided. The big challenge will be tomorrow as it is my birthday and i have to provide cakes for 25 people at the office. BIWI and her stick will be needed. I must not give in as the floodgates will open......

Crabby - second everyone else - they aren't as accurate. I did a home one and result was over 10, 'proper' blood test result was 8.4.

BUT - go to your GP and get them to order a proper one. Do you have risk factors etc? Even though mine is over 7 now,my consultant is happy to manage via diet and exercise as no strong risk factors for heart disease. Plus, as a women your oestrogen gives you protection etc.

lavender peas are a bit high carbs for bootcamp, maybe try some other veg in the 3.0g or less section?

Too much processed meat for me today, but I was at college all day and I was snacky between lectures :(

b - egg & bacon
s - babybel
l - chicken salad, pepperami
s - babybel
d - chili con carne & cheese
s- red berry tea with coconut oil. Only managed 1 oil pull today as well.

Just noticed its low on veg too, though I did eat a lot of salad at lunch.

Struggling to do 3 litres of water. Only managed 2 both days so far and am in the loo every 20 minutes! Can't keep running out of meetings all day. Do we need to drink so much?

Hello all. Just marking place.

As you were.

Thank you all - I will have a read through those links now.

It's a hand-held monitor similar to the ones which do blood glucose measurements (which this also measured), presumably provided by Flora. The test is administered by the pharmacy assistant and it only gives an exact measure for HDL if the level is under 2.5 mmol/L.

I know I need to get it done at the doctor's, I'm just reluctant to have them start lecturing me about statins etc (my blood pressure's been creeping up the last few years too). I know I need to suck it up and go for a cardiovascular checkup and do something about my appalling levels of fitness.

joining in, too. I am nearly 17 stone and need to lose lots not sure where the end of my journey will be... I hope to reduce to my fully prgnant weight of 100kg soon (4kg to go) and then progress on to my prebaby weight (90kg). I can no longer claim to have just had ababy as she has just gone up into junior school.....
And my doctor has told me to lose weight so I had better listen.

wishing us all good luck!

Today:
B scrambled eggs
L piece of roast chicken
S yoghurt with flaxmeal and vanilla
D Salmon fillet, courgettes sauteed in butter, kohlrabi mash with cream and mustard, spinach watercress and rocket salad.

10 glasses of water
5 mile walk
30 mins stretching and resistance exercise

Can you see my halo?

B: Cup of coffee with dash of double cream; 2 egg omelette with green pepper, ham, spinach, chilli, and a weeny bit of cheese
S: Greek yoghurt (maybe 100ml)
L: Salad with egg mayo and mackerel on the side (sure that delighted everyone sitting near me!)
D: Lamb chilli (shallot, leek, mushroom, chilli, pepper, fried in coconut oil. Lamb mince and about 2 tbsp of sainsbos chopped tomato) served with a tbsp of greek yog/ mint/ cucumber raita, and half an avocado, chopped. Was quite nice, if I do say so myself :)

Ruprekt - I did try those, but they didn't work for me for some reason. But I did notice that there are several versions of the recipe, all of which give different quantities, so I think I need to play around with them.

HighJinx - I make a pastry crust with ground almonds, and it doesn't really taste that strongly of them. That said, I like almonds, so it may be something that you would notice more, IYSWIM?

I'm checking in with a dose of Carb flu....
at least it means I don't fancy wine!

Sorry just to clarify more... they want the HDL levels to be above 1 mmol/L (as HDL is the 'good cholesterol') and the test is meant to calculate your ratio of 'good' HDL to 'bad' LDL/VLDL cholesterol. I've no idea why the machine can't measure it if it's over 2.59, but the higher your levels of HDL as a proportion of your total cholesterol, the better. Total cholesterol 'should' be below 5 mmol/L.

In my flora advertisement booklet it tells me all about how I can lower my cholesterol by not eating 'BAD' fats and buying all of their products instead.

New no it wasn't a fasting test, although they tried to book me straight in for one of those. I am going to go to the gp and get it done properly.

Cocoa no I don't think I have risk factors, but I'm slightly overweight, drink too much, am pretty unfit and just turned 40. My father had high blood pressure and I think high cholesterol, and my mum has slightly high bp and cholesterol.

Off to read links now.

Crabby it's probably because of the 'hook' effect or prozone which means that very high results can show up as much lower than they are.

B: Greek yoghurt and double cream
S: wasn't some dark chocolate honest
L: four chicken legs and salad with HM vinaigrette
D: salmon baked in butter with buttered leeks and buttered broccoli

Nigella - hope you're feeling better soon. You know the drill! Lots of water, keep up the fat, make sure you're keeping your sodium levels up

And no wine!

Crabby - if you can, get hold of a copy of Dr Malcolm Kendrick's book "The Great Cholesterol Con". It's really interesting. It will certainly make you think twice about taking statins, which your GP will almost certainly want to prescribe for you ...

here too

hope everyone is having a good second day?
I've had 6 pints of water, scrambled eggs with butter and chilli for breakfast. Cheese salad for lunch and bacon, egg and mushrooms for dinner.
feeling totally stuffed

did someone mention wine

Evening to everyone!!

This thread is moving so fast leaving me behind. It seems everybody is doing great so well done to us all!!

B 2 boiled eggs and mayo
L left overs from last night - beef mince with runner beans and mushrooms
D salmonfried in butter with cauliflower rice and broccoli with loads of butter
S 2 table spoons of Greek yogurt. Ff of course :)
A lot of water, a big cup of bullion for breakfast, one black coffee and one ginger tea.

I hope it is ok..

Day 2 done. Already fed up with eggs....
What can I have for dinner tomorrow to look forward to?

Dementedma - I'm having piri piri chicken tomorrow :)
It is marinating in the fridge already. The marinade is easy to make - garlic, celery stick, chilly, salt, tb of red vinegar and olive oil - mix everything and pour over chicken :). It's yummy