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!

Here's a really good piece about why fat is so important in a low carb diet

Can anyone tell me how to find the "resources tab" at the bottom of the dpreadsheet please? I have looked and looked - must be going senile!

I made a lovely Jamaican oxtail stew last night:

2lb oxtails
4 teaspoons mushed garlic
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 spring onion sliced thinly
1 scotch bonnet pepper
Tbsp coconut oil (I used virgin for the flavour)
1 echalion shallot chopped
1 medium carrot chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
Handful of chopped green beans

Marinate the Oxtail in the garlic, thyme, spring onion, scotch bonnet, allspice and coconut oil and sit for a couple of hours (overnight would probably be even better)
Brown the oxtails, then add the rest of the marinade to fry off a little.
Add carrot, shallot and tomatoes and fry for a minute or so.
Add enough water to almost cover and simmer for 3 hours.
Add green beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.

I think cauliflower rice would go really well but I just had a big bowlful on its own - this served 2 greedy people with a half portion left which I have just added water and some chili sauce to to make a spicy soup for breakfast.

*tbsp of Allspice should be in the ingredients list, sorry!

And salt and pepper! 1/2 a tsp of each in the marinade.
Gosh I'm rubbish at this!

Morning all. Carb flu has hit me today. I thought I would avoid it as I was low carbing anyway but I think I was kidding myself. Half a block of dark chocolate in one sitting etc. Scales say 2lb loss since Monday and my very tight trousers are loose today. Yay. First test today is resisting the fab flapjacks at work.

Chocolate?

Not till after these first two weeks!

Ooh add to recipe thread bullet!

Stunt the steak was from Saturday night - DP made extra, so a little piece of fillet for DD yesterday and a bigger bit of rump/sirloin left to have in a stir fry. It was lovely and tender and rare.

Interesting articles again BIWI.

That stew looks lovely Bullet!

at "my petri dish daughter"!

4lbs off since Monday, which is good. Feeling massively anxious and irritable this morning though, don't know why.

It's carb flu, Crabby. Water, fat, salt - you know the drill!

Where do you find Oxtails Bullet? I have a morrisons, tesco and lidl within walking distance (& waitrose from October!)

Had cauli cheese last night with a pork steak -yummy!!! I'm having the leftovers tonight while everyone else has boring old pasta oh and I also have the last portion of broccoli, kale and Stilton soup for lunch!

I'm in a soup mood now the weather is cooling so am planning to try a different soup each week - cream of mushroom is next!

Daisy I have to get my butcher to order it in specially. I feel like I'm doing something illicit when I sidle up the meat counter and ask him to get me some oxtail.

I like the way this Dr Briffa article describes low carbing as 'throwing a big fat log on the fire in the morning' rather than 'carbohydrate kindling throughout the day'.

have a question on double cream- can we have some whipped with a bit of vanilla in it? it's purely psychological but I am searching for a treat to have

How did you do cauli cheese, Daisy? I was thinking of that but not sure how to get around the flour in the white sauce... did you just melt cheese over it?

Morning all.

Sneaky weigh in this morning - 2.5 lbs off. Yay!

Woke up thirsty this morning. Had forgotten that bit. Had full glass of water before I even put the kettle on. Will try and remember to have warm water with a couple of drops of lemon juice tomorrow instead of tea.

B was egg mayonnaise.
L will be salad and some of the nice bits I bought in M&S yesterday
D leftover beef stroganoff with cabbage

PasstheTwiglets there is a recipe for cauliflower cheese on th recipe thread.

Oh - a lot of the recipes from the Bootcamp recipe thread are on the MN food section too under Low-carb recipes.

We don't have a good "cheap" butcher any more and the closest 2 are "award winning" but very expensive and the 2 closest farm shops are also expensive (horrible memories of a £12 chicken that I was too embarrassed to say 'no thanks'!!!)... so I am stuck with supermarkets. Morrisons and lidl seem pretty good with cheaper cuts and I used to order from Ocado & so found waitrose did sell cheaper cuts as well...

pass I use cream cheese with some cream to make a creamy sauce on a low heat and then add cheddar or Stilton or feta to make it a bit more cheesy - the stronger the cheese, the less you need - just stir till melted. I then add a tsp of whole grain mustard and black pepper, stir and pour over cauliflower. An a4 sized dish will give us 6 portions with either a portion of meat (1 sausage is enough for me to give an idea of amount) or for the carb eaters a baked potato.

Don't worry BIWI chocolate was last week. I've been good all three days so far promise. (Don't hit me with the big stick)

Morning All, we are already on day 3 and I am 3lbs down yey hope everyone else is doing ok?

Just back from the gym after a killer workout, will ache later I'm sure, but hey no pain no gain! Had a snack/breakfast of 2 hard boiled eggs onece in, I workout better on an empty stomach.

I got the oxtail in Asda - from the meat counter, I have got it from Waitrose before. You can also buy beef cheeks in my local Waitrose.

I'm realising now how much I eat absent mindedly. I'm getting better at it but yesterday I started off my toddler's apple and corn cob for him, without thinking. I would have finished off his leftovers usually but stopped myself. I think I must pick all day long this woe will be good for that I think, quite aside from the food itself.

BIWI can you explain why I wake up so desperately thirsty? I'm drinking loads all day and am well-hydrated before I go to bed. I see Buda mentions the same thing and I would just like to understand it.

You might all like to try these as a breakfast alternative, they are scrummy egg cheese and bacon muffin

For breakfast I also like ham and mozzarella 'pizzas'. Slices of ham to cover oven dish, copped tomato and mozzarella on top. Bake in oven until it looks yummy.

*chopped tomato ...