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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

At last - here it is! BIWI's 2 week Low Carb Bootcamp - starts tomorrow - sign in here

999 replies

BIWI · 15/04/2012 22:36

Lots of you have said you want to do this - now it's time to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak.

Oh, alright, it's free. Grin

The plan is that we have two very strict weeks of low carbing. Which is why, doh, it's called a bootcamp.

There are 'rules of engagement' for the fortnight - but they're different if you're carnivore or a vegetarian. I shall post the rules for us carnivores, and flipflopflap will post the rules for those of you that are vegetarians.

Sign in with your starting weight - in pounds, stones and pounds, kilos or - if you don't want to reveal your weight, with 100 as an index - and what you're wanting to achieve in the two weeks. I know that not everyone is doing this for the purpose of weight loss, so you don't have to do this if you don't want to - but tell us what you want this fortnight to help you achieve.

The Carnivore Rules

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
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. You can have them, but just not every day. Avoid foods marketed as low carb, e.g. Atkins Daybreak bars.

3.Eat lots of fat.

Eating fat helps you to burn fat. Honestly! Fry in butter, add butter to vegetables, eat salad with a home-made vinaigrette dressing (not made with balsamic vinegar though, as this is too sweet), 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, and this is non-negotiable. 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.Be careful about dairy (apart from butter, which is unlimited). It can impede weight loss for some people. 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 don't overdo it. Full fat yoghurt is the best way to include dairy in your diet - but beware, it does contain carbs. Total Full Fat is the best.

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
If you really can't do this - at least try and restrict it to the weekend. Vodka with soda is the best thing to drink. Or Champagne, red wine or dry white wine.

8.No fruit
Really. Seriously. Honestly. None at all. Zilch. Nada.

9.No nuts/seeds
Whilst these are really good to snack on later - it can be too easy to start snacking on these - and before you know it, all your carbs have gone on nuts. Seriously - in bootcamp - don't do it to yourself.

10.No sugar or artificial sweeteners

OP posts:
CheerfulYank · 17/04/2012 16:45

Me! Me! I'm in! I've been low-carbing for a bit and lost over a stone, but have fallen off the wagon as of late.

No sunflower seeds on my salad. Sigh.

Is lemon juice okay on a salad, or should I go with vinegar?

TherapeuticVino · 17/04/2012 17:08

Weighed in this morning and hadn't lost anything BUT I swear my jeans are a teensy weeny bit looser today - less bloated maybe? Felt quite slinky walking round town this afternoon despite having to buy a dress in a size bigger than normal (reality kicks in!)

BIWI · 17/04/2012 17:13

Go with vinegar!

OP posts:
slotrightin · 17/04/2012 17:16

Checking in, only managed to drink about 1.5ltr of water yesterday and today but have been drinking about 2 cups of green tea and 2 cups of peppermint tea - and in the spirit of honesty have also had 4 cups of black coffee and 2 cups of black tea, should I say goodbye to the coffee and tea or just try and cut down?

CheerfulYank · 17/04/2012 17:16

Oh all right. No sunflower seeds and no lemon juice then.

But I have to face my grandmother (who is known secretly as Grandma BitchFace to me and my female cousins, with GOOD REASON) at the end of May and the woman delights in calling me fat, so I really need to lose some before then.

littlemagic · 17/04/2012 17:37

I promise for now on am going to put my heart and sole into it! Feel like have let you all down when you all been good. ILOVE is my inspiration. Your doing brilliant! Well done. I got some haddock from the fishman today. Anyone got any ideas i can do with it? Normally i fry it in breadcrumbs.

BettyBathroom · 17/04/2012 17:40

Wow brilliant blog teaandthorazine really interesting and inspiring and has really helped me deal with my adding fat to food issue - they are so ingrained it's a disgrace!

LackaDAILYcarb · 17/04/2012 17:42

your grandma sounds delightful CheerfulYank

:o @ NouveauRichards. I felt the same earlier, but then he fell over and grazed his nose and the combination of blood, snot and chocolate wasn't too appealing. I shall hold that thought whenever the cravings hit me, though :)

MrsNouveauRichards · 17/04/2012 17:47

:o that should do it LackaDaisy

Daft question, if I am struggling to finish my dinner, don't feel full exactly, just not interested, does that mean ketosis or just fed up! I haven't felt ill at all though.

ToryLovell · 17/04/2012 18:01

In that case I would put it to one side and then eat later if I felt hungry MrsNR

ShirtyKnot · 17/04/2012 18:01

Ooooh. I would pan fry that haddock in butter and oil with some mushrooms and bacon cubes and a swoosh of cream at the end.

KOML - my pork tenderloin was freezer burned and broken so I'm making your curry. It smells of greatness ATM.

GreenEyesAndHam · 17/04/2012 18:03

Hmm... the way I've just snarfled down rump steak with asparagus and spinach and a cream sauce and STILL want something else, tells me I'm not in ketosis just yet Hmm

SharonGless · 17/04/2012 18:04

Was just about to do my coriander seed roast veg - DH still hasnt understood the concept of writing an Ingredient on the shopping list once finished Hmm
I have fennel, cumin or caraway seeds - to go with lamb
Pick one for me pls....had a shite day at work and carb craving now. Done really well all day tooo

smokinaces · 17/04/2012 18:05

Argh I didn't plan. Just put my dinner in the oven and it takes an hour

Ate some cream cheese and pepper on cucumber and a huge pile of olives to stop me attacking the kids leftover chicken goujons.

Dinner will be roasted chicken bits with crispy skin and a variety of veg - celery, mushrooms, cougette etc. But I wish it would hurry up.

And I swear work are going to think I am pregnant. Every hour I was peeing.

NotMostPeople · 17/04/2012 18:23

OMG, omg, omg - can we have olives?

KeepOrfThemCarbs · 17/04/2012 18:25

Ooh I hope you like it shirl.

Am making chicken with lime and coriander wraps (sans wrap for me) with creme fraiche - my aunt cooked it from a low GI cookbook last week and it is delicious.

WillieWaggledagger · 17/04/2012 18:28

having cauliflower cheese from the other thread tonight

have just remembered I'm going to a quiz and chips evening next week, bugger, will have to make sure i eat beforehand!

smokinaces · 17/04/2012 18:29

My jar was 0.3g per 100g so I presume olives are ok.

Am.I going to get shouted at?!?!;! Eek!!

CheerfulYank · 17/04/2012 18:34

I really do need to meal plan more.

Usually I just have some hardboiled eggs for breakfast, and then the rest of the day just throw a mixture of romaine, cheddar, and cucumber with oil and vinegar down my gullet every few hours.

BIWI · 17/04/2012 18:39

[beatific smile]

I believe olives are fine.

OP posts:
LackaDAILYcarb · 17/04/2012 18:42

salmon with leeks and courgettes in a cream sauce, and yet more spinach for me. Ate an avocado this afternoon too.
I blardy love this WOE :o

And I've gone through a 250g tub of lurpak since Thursday....that would usually last me almost a month Shock I've had to start on the spare "family" butter and mark it as my own!! (Realise that sounds weird, but I always have a separate tub to avoid any gluten contamination)

BIWI · 17/04/2012 18:45

Tub of Lurpak? Do you mean the spreadable stuff? Don't buy that - buy the real thing! Now that you're not having it on bread you don't need it to be spreadable.

Spreadable is made so by the addition of vegetable oil, so it's not as good for you as butter.

OP posts:
ilovemyteddy · 17/04/2012 18:46

Just made and eaten the IPD Moussaka (recipe on the recipe thread) and it is gorgeous! Didn't tell DH the sauce was made with cream, and he had seconds Grin

lemniscate · 17/04/2012 18:46

I wish I was one of those organised types who had a drawer devoted to kitchen implements that are a bit daft but indispensable once in a blue moon. Unusually tall thin jar of mayo, only scrapings left at the bottom, and all I have is a sodding teaspoon. Even my finger wouldn't reach.

My chicken salad was mayoey but not as mayoey as it bloody well should have been... Grr.

CheerfulYank · 17/04/2012 18:49

Ooh, are avocados allowed then? I love 'em!