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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.

Two Week Low Carb Bootcamp Bonanza Challenge! All welcome.

969 replies

BIWI · 16/07/2012 08:11

For those of us who have been here since the beginning, these are the last two weeks. And it seems like a good idea to finish with a couple of strict weeks, seeing as there has been a fair amount of slippage!

For anyone who wants to join - you are more than welcome! These two weeks will get you off to a great start if you are wanting to lose some weight.

So. Who wants to sign up for two weeks of strict Bootcamp? If you want to join/continue, put your name on the list and we can see who is there. We have a fabulous Spreadsheet of Marvellousness to track weight/weight loss, which I will also post a link to.

Here are the rules - for carnivores and then the veggie version:

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

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
Mushrooms0.4
Watercress0.4
Spinach0.8
Celery0.9
Broccoli1.1
Asparagus 1.4
Cucumber1.5
Lettuce1.7
Fennel1.8
Courgettes1.8
Cauliflower1.9
Avocado flesh1.9
Turnip2
Pumpkin2.2
Runner beans2.3
Swede2.3
Celeriac2.3
Bean sprouts2.5
Green pepper2.6
Baby sweetcorn2.7 (there is some debate about this - carb counts seem to vary according to variety and where you buy from - check the packet to be sure)
Aubergine2.8
Leeks2.9
Okra3
Tomato3.1
Mangetout3.3
Shallots3.3
Brussels sprouts3.5
French beans4.7
Cabbage5
Yellow pepper5.3
Carrots6
Orange or red pepper6.4
Ginger (peeled)7.2
Butternut squash7.5
Onions7.9

Veggie Rules

Only slightly adapted from BIWI's but best to take notice of the changes if you're vegetarian.

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 ingredients as the basis for your meals. Vegetarian Sausages and Burgers are ok in small quantities, but check the carb count as some can be very high. Avoid foods marketed as 'Low Carb' such as Atkins Daybreak Bars, etc.

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). Absolutely no low fat/light foods of any kind!

4.Make sure you are eating plenty of vegetables and salads with your food ?
This is where most of 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.Beware of Nuts and Seeds.
Nuts are a very good way to include more fat and protein in your diet, however some are very high carb (e.g. Cashews). Stick to small amounts of Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Dried Coconut, Walnuts, Seeds and Peanut Butter, but check the ingredients, many supermarket brands have sugar added.

10.No sugar or artificial sweeteners

OP posts:
Thegoddessblossom · 20/07/2012 10:11

but isn't ham processed and therefore to be avoided? Confused.....

BIWI · 20/07/2012 10:13

So yesterday for me:

B - pre-gym, full fat yoghurt with vanilla essence/post-gym and pre-work, a leftover, cooked sausage
L - turkey breast, fried in oil and butter, with a green salad, vinaigrette and a few nuts scattered over the top
D - at La Buvette in Richmond - was lovely! Starter was hors d'oeuvres of ham, sliced smoked duck, celeriac remoulade, carrot salad (only a small amount of this thankfully) and hard boiled egg. Main was onglet steak with salad and green beans.

Met up with friend beforehand and we had a large glass of white wine each, then in the restaurant shared a bottle of Champagne between 4 of us and another bottle of white wine. So not brilliant on the alcohol front, but good on the food front I think.

OP posts:
Jins · 20/07/2012 10:38

The pound has stayed off. Hoping for the next one.

We've got friends round for dinner tonight and they will be low(ish) carbing. Tapas is being prepared :)

Tortilla (this will have potato in but I don't eat eggs so none for me anyway)
Kidneys in sherry
Chicken wings in lemon and garlic
Meatballs in tomato, garlic and chili sauce
Prawns in garlic, lemon and chili
Green salad

So they don't realise what I'm up to there will also be a small portio of risotto. Everything is homemade except the risotto. I'm not wasting time cooking rice!

BIWI · 20/07/2012 10:43

Well done, Jins. And menu sounds lovely. I'm liking the idea of stealth low carbing!

OP posts:
Jins · 20/07/2012 10:51

I love going to a tapas restaurant if we go out with friends then I can happily pick the lower carb options without having to choose the meal that means the fewest changes. There are also lots of gluten free tapas options. La Tasca are very well geared up for gluten free eating.

In fact I've just discovered that they do a set menu for £5.95 with salad and two tapas which is pretty good value I think. It's not the lowest carb food you'll find but it's better than a lot of alternatives
click the set menu link

teaandthorazine · 20/07/2012 11:05

Mmm your tapas menu sounds fab Jins. It's such a brilliant cuisine for low carbing - I went to Brindisa in Borough Market a few weeks ago and it was so easy to eat perfectly low carb without making a song and dance about it (did slightly destroy it all with a slice of almond cake after but hey ho!)

sybilfaulty · 20/07/2012 11:20

As a person who does suffer from lavatory issues (sorry), can I second the psyllium capsules from H and B, together with lots of water and lots of low carb veg? I was worried that this WOE would play havoc with me (as Dukan did, though that is more extreme) but all good so far.

Made cakes for school at 7 this am. Didn't lick bowl. Go me Grin.

Have a great Friday.

Littleorangetree · 20/07/2012 11:30

Hello everyone. I'm feeling pretty posiive at the moment and have managed to keep motivated and not succumb to a carb binge! (which is what happened last time I started low-carbing again - think I wasn't ready last time to see the first few difficult weeks through).

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with butter
Lunch: will probably be a chicken salad or something like that.
Dinner: will be a steak with veg/salad

Been manageing to drink plenty of water too, which is quite difficult for me because I don't like drinking (I know, it's weird!). Have stuck to 1 - 2 coffees. I didn't want to cut out coffee altogether straight away.

Going to weigh myself next wednesday.

mummyduff · 20/07/2012 11:50

morning all and well done to all the loosers.

jins your menu sounds yummySmile

Toy sorry things not great with DH at the moment. BIWI glad you had a lovely eve, I will be indulging in some bubbly tomorrow eve, as my sister is home for the weekend.

Weighed in the same this morning, but still pleased!

Breakfast was skipped as out of the house too early to eat, did have a coffee though.
Lunch pork belly roasting as I type, having it with salad and mayo.

Ilovemyteddy · 20/07/2012 12:15

Mmm tapas!!

A friend gave me some size 12 jeans about three months ago. I couldn't get them up my legs. Today they fit me perfectly. For anyone on the thread who has a lot of weight to lose just stick with this WOE. I'm 47lb down now with 30lb to go. There is light at the end of the tunnel Grin

And I've eaten chocolate

Jins · 20/07/2012 12:17

That's amazing Ilovemyteddy I bet you feel fantastic!

Ilovemyteddy · 20/07/2012 12:29

I do Jins. It's crippling my bank balance tho because I'm buying so many new clothes Grin. Charity shops are great though. And I've given them lots of my old clothes #nevergoingbacktothesizeIwas

captainmummy · 20/07/2012 12:34

Re toilet issues - when i was Queen of the carbs i 'went' every 24 hours, almost clockwork. Nowadays it's more like every 2-3 days, and not much IYSWIM.

Lorelilee · 20/07/2012 12:45

That's amazing Teddy - well done! Can I ask a question though (I have roughly the same to lose) - did you have a really good week one and then fall away for a week or so, or was your loss consistent?

jan2011 · 20/07/2012 12:57

oh Jins i think you should come round and cook at my house! that sounds amazing.

i have just done a hardcore workout, my body has had a well needed shock. the second one ive done in about 6 years! question: when exercising should we eat more fat for the energy since our bodies have switched to fat for energy, or take in a little more carbs? after my work out i had both - lol. i had a subway tuna salad with some tomatoes, lots of mayo and olives, and a little milk in my coffee.

Jins · 20/07/2012 13:11

If it goes well I'll stick the recipes somewhere. I've had to do a fair bit of adapting. No breadcrumbs in the meatballs for example

mummyduff · 20/07/2012 13:30

WOW thats amazing Teddy well done youGrin

toysoldiers · 20/07/2012 13:33

Great tales of smaller clothes Grin

Thank you captainmummy, that's reassuring. Although I definitely clogged up. Haven't actually been able to eat much today because I feel so uncomfortable.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. All googled home remedies called for dried fruit or juice of some sort except for one -olive oil. Not content with putting some on some salad, I just drank 2 tablespoons of the stuff which was completely revolting.

Will let you know if it has the advertised 'instant relief'. Actually I'm hoping it's not too instant as forgot about early school pick up Blush

Starting to think this diet isn't for me Sad

Jins · 20/07/2012 13:58

toysoldiers I've been prone to constipation most of my adult life and I know how you feel :(

I actually find this WOE much better for me although I was bunged up for the first few weeks. I have a friend who is a colonic hydrotherapist (Never been to her yet though) and she has much experience in the field of constipation and what causes it. Although she is a vegetarian herself she avoids high carb veg and reckons that wheat was invented by the devil. She thinks fruit needs to be eaten in small doses.

Her experience is that a high starch diet leads to constipation. She told me to think about flour and water paste or soggy bread and imagine it going through my digestive system. Add low fat intake to the equation and you've got potential problems. In her view the only way to overcome problems in a diet like that is to eat a lot of fruit as the natural laxatives in fruit (fructooligosaccharides and inulin if you're interested) will stimulate the bowel.

Now you are in the early days of low carb and you will still have all that gluey starchy by product in your system. Once that has cleared you will probably find that it doesn't reoccur as long as you keep up with the fluid, take supplementary fibre if necessary and eat your greens.

If you are desperate then a huge dose of vitamin c can help by the way. She recommends 1000mg. You can also buy FOS and inulin as a supplement. Look for a prebiotic powder or ortisan.

Lorelilee · 20/07/2012 16:25

FUCK! Have just had Tesco Cornonation chicken sandwich filler for lunch and realised I mis-read the packet, the 3.9g was per 50g NOT the 250g pack. How do I claw this back? Just not have ANY more carbs today?

Finbar · 20/07/2012 16:35

Thanks for all the pointers
Calamari is fried in a pat of herby butter it comes with. Calamari themselves have a slight herby/chilli dressing

am drinking lots of water -promise
No salad with the prawn cocktail - just easier at work

Also bunged up! - maybe its the eggs?!!

BIWI · 20/07/2012 16:48

Lorelilee - what else have you eaten today?

Don't stress too much about it - these things do happen, unfortunately! Drink plenty of water and be super strict tomorrow. It should be fine.

OP posts:
mummyduff · 20/07/2012 17:08

ok its official I have no boobs left, now a 32B, and they dont look that good either after 3 DC and breastfeeding. 40th may need to be a boob job at this rate Wink

emmak86 · 20/07/2012 17:21

Boys just had mc donalds and i... Have stocked my fridge with veg and i love it:) Grin x

BIWI · 20/07/2012 17:22
Grin

mummyduff - that's why push-up/padded bras were invented ...

OP posts:
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