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!

BIWI what are your thoughts on erythritol as a sugar substitute in the occasional bit of low carb baking?

BTW anyone who saw my pancake recipe earlier up-thread, I have now tweaked this, leaving out the sweet flavourings (eg cinnamon), substituting flaxmeal for ground almond, and adding a sprinkle of grated parmesan. This turns it into a savoury pancake which works brilliantly as a pizza base. I made "pizza" for lunch a couple of days ago, adding a smear of tomato puree, mozzarella, olives and capers and mushrooms, and it was incredible. I was so full I couldn't eat a thing until late evening. If made in advance I think it would work cold in a lunch box. If anyone wants the recipe I will post it.

I do please!

Morning all,

Happy day two everyone, slept like a log last night so feeling motivated.

B: omelette fried in loads of butter
L: stuffed marrow - the leftovers that never end
D: Thai green curry - this is going to be my sticking point today, going to a friends for dinner. My plan is to pick the chicken and veg out of the curry and avoid the rice. I'm also thinking about talking to her today and dropping the Jamie / cauliflower rice into the convo.

Oh and yes please on pancake recipe!

OK here is is:

Starry’s Savoury Pancake Pizza Base – Low carb style

80 ml fresh liquid egg white (I use Two Chicks, which you can get in Sainsburys, Tesco, Waitrose)
60 ml double cream
small pinch of salt
1 tbsp grated parmesan
50g ground flaxmeal (Linwoods is great – you can get it in supermarkets in the cereal aisle, also in healthfood shops)
¼ tsp baking powder
Unsalted butter for frying

Whisk the egg whites until it forms soft peaks.
Place all the dry ingredients in another bowl then add the cream and stir well. Don’t worry if the flaxmeal goes very sticky and chunky, squish it a bit as you stir to make sure it is all combined with the cream. Fold the whisked egg whites (you will need to stir it quite a lot) into the flaxmeal and cream mix.
Melt some butter in a non-stick frying pan and put half the pancake mix into the pan – aim for a pancake about 6” across. Fry for three minutes on one side at a medium heat – and do not be tempted to touch or move it during this time (otherwise it will fall apart). Turn and cook the other side for another couple of minutes. Repeat with the rest of the batter

Makes 2 “pizza bases”

Let cool a bit (or freeze), then spread with a tsp of tomato puree, some mozzarella, and any suitable toppings that you fancy – mushrooms, olives, capers, etc. Grill for a few minutes until the mozzarella is bubbling.

If you make pizzas out of both the bases and leave one to cool then refrigerate, it works well as a cold lunchbox item.

Carb count: Less than 1g per pancake.

Feeling sick this morning

Is this the bootcamp flu?

Starry that sounds great - going to have to try that.

High could be. Make sure you eat something asap and keep up the water.

Bit better today with food :)

B) Eggy Muggins made with cabbage, 2 black coffees & 1 bullet proof coffee
L) 3/4 of a frattinni and 2 chicken legs salad
S cheese
D eggplant, mice, turnip thingy my partner made. I was worried but was pretty tasty but spicy so I had loads of yoghurt (full fat greek of course)

Oh and walked to and from playgroup so that is probably 35 minutes of walking too!

Had an early night last night and will probably do that again tonight. Help me stop munching in the evening.

starry - that sounds brilliant! If using fresh eggs, do you have any idea how many whites that quantity would be? I'm going to cook something this weekend that uses egg yolks only, so I'm looking for a use for the whites!

(I get very confused when I read your posts, because my surname is Starr, and I always wonder if it's me!!!)

HighJinx - could be. It won't last long, honestly! Make sure you're drinking plenty of water, and keep your salt intake up. Eat something, if you can - could you manage a boiled egg?

Cocaone - it will be interesting to see how your levels respond to this WOE. If you can, get hold of a book called "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Dr Malcolm Kendrick. It's really interesting about the whole cholesterol thing. Also, have a read round Dr Briffa's blog he writes a lot about cholesterol, as does Zoe Harcombe

That said, I am not a medic by any stretch of the imagination, and nor am I under the care of a consultant, so it's not my place, role or right to tell you what to do! But it might help you to have a little bit of reading/ammunition.

BTW - are you on any medication for your cholesterol?

starry can you add your recipe to the thread?

Should I reduce calories near the end of the weight loss. Like I said earlier, stick on 65kg, 4 pounds off my goal (mixing weights there). Had a massive salad and fish for tea last night, plenty of water. I never eat any carbs as I have coeliacs and all grains/potatoes make me puke. But whatever I do that weight hasnt changed for 2 weeks, a fast day, a day of eating all day. Even bouncing up and down on the scales.
4 bloody pounds. C'mon!

I'm here! Not weighed myself... am struggling with meds and a flare-up so just concentrating on staying low carb.

I was amused to see JO doing cauliflower rice! I don't miss rice so won't bother but I did try to make a mash out of cauli so I could make bubble and squeak or corned beef hash - I just couldn't get it creamy enough so was a bit of a fail (we ate it though!) any thoughts? Or should I just wait for waitrose to finally open and get (when in season.. v soon) celeriac?

Any tips for blitzing soup that doesn't make a mess? I find with the handblender, it sprays everywhere and yesterday's food processor whizzed broccoli, kale and stilton soup is really bitty (and chewy not soup like)....

twisty - are you a healthy weight for your height?

it may be that you're at the weight that is comfortable for your body (though i know very well how it feels when the scales are a bit lower!)

are you eating enough fat?

but yes, you may feel you want to look at portion sizes, but not drastically obviously!

daisy dp's mum has a silicone lid thing from lakeland with a hole in the middle for a stick blender to stop it going everywhere?

hazchem whats eggy muggins? Or do you mean eggy muffins? How did you make them?

BIWI what are you doing with egg yolks [nosy face] I always struggle with what to do with either left over whites or yolks esp as I don't make meringues or lemon curd now...!!

Ohh off to look at Lakeland - thanks Willie!

this is it

I'm 5' 10 and now 10 stone 2 or 3. Before kids (obviously still the same height) I was 9' 13 which is what I was aiming for.
There are still wobbly bits which I am not happy about. Like the skin on my tummy.

tbh then it may well be that you're at a weight that your body is happy with, and to get any lower you would have to cut down and keep it cut down iyswim. i know it's not always the best measurement, but your BMI must be around 20

do you do any exercise - resistance training etc - which would help with tone?

do bear in mind that through eating low carb you will likely be trimmer at a given weight than you were when eating carbs, because you won't have the carb bloat any more

Morning all, hope you're all feeling good?
I feel ok, tired as always < glares at sleeping babyTwit >
Had decaf with cream and a sausage for breakfast, am now, after a busy morning, having leek,cheese,soft cheese and 4 egg omelette thingy. I haven't had enough water yet, but there's still time...
Was planning on belly pork and buttery spinach for lunch but might not need it.
Tea is left overs from yesterday, a sort of lasagna with cheesy eggy sauce and aubergine as the layer. I'll probably have some courgette wedges with it.
What is a bullet proof coffee, sounds scary.

No, I dont exercise as I have mobility and pain issues. I do feel loads better on low carb and the carb bloat has definately gone

Thanks BIWI and Crabby

I have had loads of water and feel a bit better. I have made myself an oxo cube drink as I have been peeing loads so I think I probably need the salt.

I am also making some hard boiled eggs though I don't fancy them much at the moment.

I will definitely stick with it though as I was feeling so much better before this and I'm scared of BIWI's big stick

Daisy chicken - egg whites freeze really well and make a good pavlova (for someone else to eat obv). Extra yolks can go in a (crustless) quiche.

Am making more egg muffins today for DH. And cauliflower rice to go with the beef curry for dinner. I bloody hate cauliflower.

daisy I'm making this tart from the recipe thread Not strictly Bootcamp because of the almonds, but I'm entertaining other low carb folk and this makes a really good centrepiece.

HighJinx glad you're feeling a bit better.

twistyfeet I share your pain - so near and yet so far! I keep getting to 9 stone 3 and can't seem to get below it, yet there is still a definite roll of flab around my torso that tells me I need to drop a bit more. For me, I know that it's because I stop being as strict with myself - too much alcohol at the weekend, too much snacking on nuts and cheese, and portion sizes that are too big, I think.

Atkins would definitely counsel you to look at your calories - which I guess is also about looking at your portion sizes. There is also a school of thought that says you should cut down your fat intake. I'm not really sure about that, but the thinking is that if you're taking in less fat from your food, then your body will be forced to burn more of the fat that it has stored. It could be worth playing around with this for a little.

I would also echo Willie though and ask about exercise - I hear that you have some health issues, but does this rule any exercise out at all? It could be that you need a bit of toning up.