Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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:
MrsNouveauRichards · 18/04/2012 06:50

Over 2lbs off this morning (if my scales are to be trusted - which I'm not sure they are!)

Woke up feeling thirsty but not hungry. Quite awake too, seeing as no one else is awake and I don't have to be awake for another half hour.

RatherBeOnThePiste · 18/04/2012 06:58

Morning! I didn't have to wake up in the night to go to the loo!!

Grin

Still in ketosis

And bloody arf BIWI - love the new name Grin

Livelongandprosper · 18/04/2012 07:02

Morning all.
Mrs N Me too. Woke up really thirsty but very perky (unusual for me, I am crabbiness personified in the morning) and am struggling now to eat my boiled egg.

Weighed myself - 4lbs down!

This is great but I think not sustainable, I need to eat a bit more protein as vegetables, cheese, eggs and a great deal of fat are not going to be enough to get me through 2 weeks.
Still, a brilliant start. I can't believe it, given the amount of oil, double cream and butter I've been stuffing down (low carb virgin here)

Livelongandprosper · 18/04/2012 07:06

p.s. The peppermint tea had a laxative effect on the first day and as I had been rather challenged in that department in the run up to boot camp, I think a good couple of pounds of my weight loss were achieved sitting on the loo

noddyholder · 18/04/2012 07:13

Down 2.2 since Monday fab!

BettyBathroom · 18/04/2012 07:20

Up bright and early this morning. No change on weight - but that's good as have gone down 0.7kg in 2 days and fully expecting the scales elastic to spring back again as I'm very close to my final target.

Starting off the day with a couple of very dark - nearly black coffees, will have some vinegary eggs for breakfast after I shoved the kids off to school.

Dh has now lost over 2 kg he hadn't planned to lose, he's not complaining but we need to put a plan in place - somehow to increase his carbs, although surely the beer will sort that out come the weekend. He tried last week to add rice but keep the same portion of everything else -as a consequence he felt hungrier in the evening than he has done in weeks - funny bloody diet this is - but I have seen the light, I believe!

Loving the name change BIWI!

FauxFox · 18/04/2012 07:26

I appear to be 6lb down already Confused I strongly suspect this is water weight that has been shed through not eating processed food/drinking alcohol and drinking so, so much water for a couple of days but i'll take it!

Today's plan is
B: Jarlsburg cheese slices, cucumber and a slice of salami
L: Stir fried veg with egg ribbons - Is Soy Sauce allowed????
D: Salad and mushroom rarebit

When is the first "official" weigh in? Friday maybe??

LackaDAILYcarb · 18/04/2012 07:26

I'm also less crabby this morning (I am usually so grumpy that one word from me sends children running in all directions Blush) and found waking up much easier too, and I was quite late to bed last night as I was delayed at work.

Scales showing 0.8 kg loss....which is good. It's given me a bit of motivation to be more determined today.

I'm struggling to face breakfast though and I am usually starving first thing Confused

And :o at your namechange BIWI

NotMostPeople · 18/04/2012 07:30

Morning all, 2lbs down so am now 11st 12 currently sipping hot water with a slice of lemon and feeling smug.

Love the new name BIWI and thank you for this bootcamp.

cardoon · 18/04/2012 07:41

Lackadaisy, my arm/hand pain has also gone!

It's a miracle!

Does anyone know the science?

LackaDAILYcarb · 18/04/2012 07:46

Not too certain cardoon, but I know that dairy and wheat can aggravate arthritis symptoms. Although the amount of butter,I've consumed is hardly a reduction In dairy :o
I'm going to have a dig round on t'interweb and see what I can find!

Catsmamma · 18/04/2012 07:46

cardoon....afaik the science is this

your body burns fuel to exist, and it will burn the easiest thing first, so carbs/sugars go first and then fats, excess fat is stored on your arse

if you restrict the easy fuel your body has to get on and burn some fat!

hence the thiness!

and hence why trying to lowfat AND lowcarb won't work as the body has nothing to burn!

I dreamt i ate toast last night, and woke up horrified! Just coming to the day gently with a large black coffee and shall go and get ready for breakfast in a bit.

Lovecat · 18/04/2012 07:53

Yay for cold receding! :o Love the new name :)

As of this morning, I have lost 2lb - and, somewhat alarmingly, my boobs seem to have shrunk - they have reduced dramatically within the moulded cups of my bra, which is now standing fraudulently proud of my chest... (sorry if that's TMI!)

DH now away in Liverpool til Friday so I can eat salad in the evening without being subjected to a rendition of the Simpsons' you don't win friends with salad :) Hurrah!

Have had some chicken strips with a teaspoon of pesto and a fried egg for brekky, I do half days on Wednesdays so may have something hot for lunch, and the salmon/crayfish salad for tea. Nom.

lemniscate · 18/04/2012 07:59

Morning all. 1lb less on the scales. Did a hard work out last night (kettlebells) so a bit achey this morning. Having a pint of water now and then fried eggs with ham and goats cheese, this week's favourite breakfast! Planning a smoked mackerel salad for lunch and probably some kind of lamb chop with roasted veg thing for dinner (aubergine, peppers, courgette, mushrooms lurking at the bottom of the fridge). Hoping to go for a run as today is a nursery/work day but I've almost finished my contract so shouldn't take all day to do my work.

WillieWaggledagger · 18/04/2012 07:59

pleased to hear cold is improving BIWI, and that is great re your pain Daisy - would be interesting if it is low carb related

i am 1lb down, which is good as I had a lazy week last week. i ate low carb, but didn't do any exercise as was crazily busy at work after a holiday (excuses...). I find i see the effects of exercise the following week (last week I lost 5lb and I think it was due to the city break we had just before easter where we walked for about 7 hours a day)

alienreflux · 18/04/2012 08:08

guess i cant be in ketosis yet??!! is that possible?? have had headache for first two days, but got up this morning, hot and thirsty, but no headache!! and still a bit hungry, tho not my usual ravenous, REALLY want to weigh myself as need some positive motivation i think. just wish i knew if ketosis had started!!!!

TherapeuticVino · 18/04/2012 08:14

2lb down - yay!! I'm very impressed with everyone who's exercising as well as boot-camping. My only problem with this WOE is I don't have the energy for the gym....

BIWIWhoMustBeObeyed · 18/04/2012 08:47

Wow! Great results everyone - and that's just after two days!

Gym was fine. Trainer lulled me into a false sense of security with a nice gentle start, but then really ramped it up at the end. But I coped with it well, so that is good.

And I noticed I was struggling to get my watch strap fastened today. Couldn't understand why, till I realised I've obviously lost weight round my wrists, so I was actually trying to fasten it on the next hole up! (Never realised I had fat wrists Grin)

lovecat - do you think you need to warn your DH about shrinking boobs before he gets home? Wink

alien - you may well be in reflux. Not everyone gets carb withdrawals; I certainly didn't. If you are less hungry, then that is a good sign. Don't worry about it - and why not get on the scales? Grin

Therapeutic - you don't have to exercise on this woe; although exercise is clearly good for you, it's actually mainly your diet that will facilitate weight loss. Exercise is an 'extra'. And you will find the energy comes to you very soon.

Sleeping well is also another positive I find when I'm properly low carbing (and especially when there is no alcohol).

And LackaDaisy - here is a snippet from the Carblife website about the benefits of low carbing:

"Some of the benefits of low carb dieting are:

Boosts energy levels
Improves sleep patterns
Lowers blood pressure
Lowers cholesterol levels
Less joint pain
Clearer skin"

Hopefully that proves to be the case for us all.

GettinTrimmer · 18/04/2012 09:11

a few lapses here but my carb intake is greatly reduced - and interestingly my.....um....flatulence problem has disappeared!

I am a veggie and haven't researched properly yet (ordering my shopping today).

BIWI interesting about your watch strap, I remember when I got down to under 11.7 stone my rings were looser which I didn't think about.

BIWIWhoMustBeObeyed · 18/04/2012 09:15

Fauxfox - the brand of soy sauce I have in my cupboard (a Chinese one - not as nice as Kikkoman, but the Kikkoman doesn't have a carb count on it) says 6g carbs per 100g, so I would say that it's fine. I can't see you would be consuming vast quantities of it, as it's so salty, so the actual carbs should be pretty negligible.

(But good question - I didn't realise it would have carbs in either!)

FauxFox · 18/04/2012 09:23

Thanks BIWI that's a relief Smile Stirfry without soy would be wrong!!

MrsNouveauRichards · 18/04/2012 09:26

I feel totally knackered! I was awake at 6.30am and feeling quite perky. Started feeling wobbly (need sugar type wobbly) while making breakfast. Have had breakfast and taken dd to preschool, got home and flipped onto the sofa still feeling wobbly. I felt like this on Monday, was fine yesterday, so why would I feel rubbish again today? I don't feel like I need anything though.

ShirtyKnot · 18/04/2012 09:37

Morning All - some brilliant losses!

I had kippers for breakfast this morning. If I ever, EVER say I am going to have kippers for breakfast on a work day again will someone please hit me with one?

bleugh.

bleugh again.

flipflopflap · 18/04/2012 09:39

Onthecouch If it's the dried soya chunks and mince you mean then they are really carby, try and avoid them if possible. I go for supermarket own brand soya mince, in the frozen section. It's usually around 6g carbs for 100g, but I usually use 50g with loads of LC veggies instead.

Jacaqueen · 18/04/2012 09:44

Hi Everyone

I posted on Sunday on the other thread that I was going to join in with you all, but I haven't had the chance to catch up till now.

I did start on Monday and a sneeky weigh in this morning shows I am down 6lbs. Mind you I am much bigger than most of you to start off with.

I have low carbed many times before and considering how good I feel when I am doing it properly, I have no idea why I keep going back to the stodgy carbs.

Went a bit OTT with the greek yog the last few days so I am not buying anymore for a few weeks.

I am using Lactofree milk in my tea. 100ml has 3g carbs but that is enough for 3 mugs.