BIWI's Two Week Low Carb Boot Camp - starts Monday 16 April

[PaquesJeLeVauxBien]

I've been back low carbing seriously since February and have lost a stone (almost). I have another 1.5 stones to lose.

It's been going well for me, but I have slowed down in the last month and I'm keen to get things back on track and up the speed of my weight loss. To that end, I have devised a strict two week bootcamp.

It will start on Monday 16 April to give anyone who wants to join in time to sort themselves out, get planning and generally get themselves ready to join in.

Who's up for it?

Sorry - forgot to say, this is BIWI in my Easter disguise!

Here are the rules of the two week bootcamp:

1. Eat three, proper meals a day. You must eat breakfast. It doesn?t have to be a lot, but you must have something. For the rest of the day, if you?re eating enough food and you are in ketosis then you shouldn?t be hungry. But if you are hungry, eat something. (Hard boiled eggs make a great snack)

2. Avoid processed food, and focus on pure, natural protein as the basis for your meals ? meat/fish/eggs. Things like sausages, ham, bacon, pre-prepared burgers etc should be avoided as much as possible. Avoid foods marketed as low carb, e.g. Atkins Daybreak bars.

3. Maximise your fat intake. Fry in butter, add butter to vegetables, eat salad with a home-made vinaigrette dressing (not made with balsamic vinegar though), add mayonnaise where you can (just check the carb count on your mayo first). Eat fattier cuts of meat ? e.g. pork belly, roast chicken with the skin on and/or eat the fat off your lamb chops. Absolutely no low fat/light foods of any kind!

4. Make sure you are eating vegetables and salads with your food ? this is where your carbs should come from. But choose only those vegetables that are on the allowed list. You don?t have to weigh/count carbs ? this is one of the great joys of this WOE (way of eating), but if you?re new to low carbing it can be helpful to weigh your portions of veg in the early days, just so that you know how many carbs are in the sort of portions that you like to eat

5. Minimal dairy (apart from butter, which is unlimited). If you are still drinking tea/coffee with milk or cream, try to restrict yourself to max 2 cups per day. You may eat cheese, but only in small amounts.

6. You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day. The more weight you have to lose, the more water you should drink

7. No alcohol

8. No fruit

9. No nuts/seeds

10. No sugar or artificial sweeteners

And this is the allowed list of veg:

Allowed veg

Don?t eat any veg unless it?s on this list, and try and focus on eating those that are under 3g carbs per 100g:

Veg (raw) Carbs per 100g
Mushrooms 0.4
Watercress 0.4
Spinach 0.8
Celery 0.9
Broccoli 1.1
Asparagus 1.4
Cucumber 1.5
Lettuce 1.7
Fennel 1.8
Courgettes 1.8
Cauliflower 1.9
Avocado flesh 1.9
Turnip 2
Pumpkin 2.2
Runner beans 2.3
Swede 2.3
Celeriac 2.3
Bean sprouts 2.5
Carrots 2.5
Green pepper 2.6
Baby sweetcorn 2.7
Aubergine 2.8
Leeks 2.9
Okra 3
Tomato 3.1
Mangetout 3.3
Shallots 3.3
Brussels sprouts 3.5
French beans 4.7
Cabbage 5
Yellow pepper 5.3
Carrots 6
Orange or red pepper 6.4
Ginger (peeled) 7.2
Butternut squash 7.5
Onions 7.9

Right! Who's up for the challenge?

What's ketosis and is there a protein list for vegetarians

Hi BIWI, I totally failed last time I tried this, and slunk off the low carb thread in disgrace. Am I allowed back? I'm in dire straits with my diet! Periods came back eight weeks ago after 15 months off and the magical bf'ing hormones aren't working anymore to dampen down all the bread, cake, ice cream and maltesers I practically inhale!

Any suggestions for supplements that might help with the sugar withdrawal would be very gratefully received. I felt like I had flu last time I tried!

When you are in ketosis your body is burning fat. Here is a brief definition:

"Put very simply ketosis is so named when the body starts to produce ketones (sometimes called ketone bodies), in response to the metabolism of fat. During the metabolism of fat for energy the fat is converted into ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) these are the molecules the cells in the body uses for energy. As part of this metabolic process ketones are produced.

During periods reduced amounts of carbohydrates are eaten the body will in turn produce more ketones as body fat is converted into an energy source your bodies cells and organs (e.g brain) can use. It is interesting that some organs like the heart actually prefer to use energy from ketones.

(from ketosis.org)

Not only does being in ketosis mean that you are burning fat, it also acts as an appetite suppressant. it helps to stop the obsession with food that are almost certainly to have experienced if you've been following a low calorie diet! You know, that gnawing feeling at 11.00am.

Being vegetarian and following a low carb WOE is not easy, since you are likely to be eating more carbs than a meat eater. And I'm not vegetarian so I don't know how to help specifically. I know that there are vegetarian low carb recipe books around, so it's not impossible! Eggs (assuming that you eat those) are a very good source of protein, and also plain yoghurt (full fat). Nuts too - but the issue with nuts is that there are a lot of carbs in the kind of quantities you'd want to be eating.

I'd have to do a bit more research for you to be able to answer your question properly though!

here, gothicmama, this might help as a starter!

Thank you BIWI I will see if I can find some info when not on phone and post here as well if that is ok

Here is a really good, simple explanation of why carbs make us fatter and why eating fat is a good thing:

www.theketogenicdiet.org/does-eating-fat-make-you-fat/

Please do!

The keytosis is interesting I have become aware of the carb craving bubble at 3pm ish that is tough

What happens, typically, in a 'normal' (i.e. high carb diet):

• breakfast of (sweet) cereal/toast - blood sugar levels rise rapidly, then plunge rapidly - around 11.00 - meaning that you start to crave food

• 11.00 ish - 'coffee/tea break', usually with a biscuit or two - blood sugar levels rise quickly again, and drop quickly, by which time it is lunchtime and you will be hungry for your lunch

• lunch - usually a sandwich (possibly a bag of crisps and/or a chocolate snack of some kind) - blood sugar levels rise and fall again - leaving you feeling hungry again at about 3.00pm

3.00 pm ish - need for something sweet! Cue blood sugar levels rising and falling again

... till dinner time, when you're starving hungry again!

Each time your blood sugar rises, the body produces insulin to deal with it. The higher the blood sugar, the more insulin - and it's the insulin which causes fat to be laid down.

(this is a very basic explanation - but probably describes most people's days in terms of food intake!)

one low carb vegie recipe
This looks good

I'm in! I'm away the weekend before so it will be a good re-start for me.

Gothicmama, It may be worth checking out This book I'm veggie and this has been my bible!

I'm in. I've had lots of success with l/c before but always fall off the wagon.

Going to ditch this silly name first though.

Thanks its good to have a recommendation Hope it comes in time for 16th [bugrin]

You forgot to add number 11. on your list

11. No poohing

Fuck off, cyb! [bugrin]

12. Buy Preparation H

13. Sneer at Cybbo when she's plateaued at 13 stone and BIWI is flitting around in a size 6

That's more like it!

BIWI thank you for the links I am in. Do I need to do anything to preparefor 16th Book has been ordered so step one completed.

Oh God I really want to low-carb now... So basically, what do I stock my fridge with? What do I have for dinner? I think I may have to join you all but I've just stocked up on a load of fruit :(

That's why we're not starting until 16 April, EE!

You don't need anything fancy or especially different to do low carbing, to be honest - although meals that were based around pasta/rice like lasagne or risotto are obviously out!

When I cook for the family I don't very often do anything different for me - I just leave out the carb component for me. As an example, tonight we're having roast leg of lamb, with new potatoes, asparagus and salad. I will simply have asparagus and salad. (With butter on the asparagus and a lovely, garlicky, oil-based salad dressing).

Fatty meats are better, and these are often the cheaper cuts, so pork belly is a really good choice. Or chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. Breast of lamb is another one.

I'll try and post a few recipes that might help.

gothicmama - just make sure you have the wherewithal to make low carb meals, and try and get rid of as much carby stuff as possible! Which book have you ordered?