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.

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:
SharonGless · 17/07/2012 10:12

Jacaqueen - don't stress. Today is a new day

Why did you decide to eat crap? Did you give yourself permission as a treat for Being Good p

BIWI · 17/07/2012 10:15

creamtea Here is some useful information

My initial thought was that it could be the water issue again, and therefore an electrolyte issue, but you say you're not drinking so much, so I'm not sure. Have you asked QS on her thread? She's probably a better person to ask!

OP posts:
Jins · 17/07/2012 10:18

Is that a typical day TooImmatureTurtleDoves? I'm loving the two lunches Grin

I guess you're hungry in the evening because your fat and protein intake is relatively low compared to your veg intake which includes some carby items like tomatoes.

Could you have a more protein based breakfast?

In general though I think you probably need more fat and protein

BIWI · 17/07/2012 10:21

And some more

Jacaqueen - it's too easy sometimes, isn't it? Our own worst enemy is often ourself! Dust yourself down and just get back on the wagon. Try a couple of super-strict days to compensate.

Welcome toysoldiers! There are some lovely recipes here to get you started

OP posts:
ZZZenAgain · 17/07/2012 10:43

I'm in. I will miss the bootcamp thread if it goes, got me on track.

I never weigh myself and don't even have scales so can't pass on my weight and my target weight but I am continuing with the hardcare bootcamp for a bit, have got used to it, no real appetite anymore and it is going great

ZZZenAgain · 17/07/2012 10:44

I do eat a lot of tomatoes though because I like them...

BIWI · 17/07/2012 10:45

We will still have Bootcamp chat, ZZZenAgain - just in one continuous, rolling thread.

I don't really want to push my luck/stick my head too far up above the parapet this time, by seeming to draw too much attention to Bootcamp, as it obviously irritates other posters Blush

But I know how much support the threads have been - and hope that they continue to be so.

Glad to hear it's all going well with you!

OP posts:
Thegoddessblossom · 17/07/2012 10:49

marking place.

ZZZenAgain · 17/07/2012 10:49

I like the bootcamp and I saw all that, didn't really get what it was all about. I think try to just glide through it. I appreciate your threads and comments

BIWI · 17/07/2012 11:01

It is hugely supportive. And I have benefited massively myself! Which is obviously why I think we should carry on with just one thread - as they get filled up we can start a new one. At the rate we have been going, that's probably going to be one every 2-3 weeks.

OP posts:
TooImmatureTurtleDoves · 17/07/2012 11:20

Thanks guys. I am conscious of the dairy but I seem to be losing weight okay so I'll stick with it for now. I think yesterday possibly was a bit of a carb creep. I don't always have 2 lunches but I had that tuna mix made up from the day before and there wasn't enough of it for a whole lunch! Actually, I did have 2 lunches that day too, but that was because I had homemade broccoli and stilton soup for lunch and soup on its own never makes me feel full. Blush I will get some eggs on my way home tonight and have those for breakfast tomorrow. I also didn't drink much water yesterday, and more tea than usual. Will try harder today!

B: Greek yoghurt w raspberries (will stop the berries tomorrow, promise!)
L: Prawn salad with seafood sauce made from mayo, paprika and a little tomato puree; broccoli and stilton soup.

D: Don't know - am going to a friend's. She will try to accommodate me and I know chicken will feature in it.

Creamtea1 · 17/07/2012 11:24

Thanks all for influx of replies, thought you had forgotten about me!
Will try some lo salt and ditch the pork products, going to also look at the potassium thing.

Livelongandprosper · 17/07/2012 11:50

Creamtea I'm craving bacon and have worked out it's only the saltier-tasting smoked type I'm after (have never liked bacon before so it took a while to work out which type I was longing for) so I am looking at trying an electrolyte thingy to see if that helps with the bacon craving. Will post if I find anything that makes a difference and will look out for your posts to see if you have had any luck.

I would like to keep on this thread but am not planning to lose any more, I just don't think I can maintain without my fellow losers' support yet!

I am amazed and impressed that I am maintaining so thank you BIWI and everyone on these threads.

My dependance on potatoes and pasta has gone, I really don't miss them at all (who knew??????Smile.) I no longer have the addiction to sugar I had when I started bootcamp but my eyes still like the look of cake and sweeties. When I weaken and try them they don't taste great anymore. This is the part I am still working on, I need to forget the lifetime of sweetie-eating memories I am still carrying with me.

Onwards losers!

WillieWaggledagger · 17/07/2012 12:38

livelong bravo on maintenance

i too am not bothered about bread/potatoes/rice/pasta but i do love cake. colleague brought in delicious-looking homemade cake today and i had to talk myself down, and currently asking myself these questions helps:

  • do you know what this tastes like? (i.e. have you had it or something like it before) - if the answer is yes then it's not going to be a novel experience
  • will you never have the opportunity to eat this again? (in the case of cake, i'm assuming there's not going to be some sort of worldwide shortage, especially now that my consumption has dropped to nil Wink) - so it's not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try something you've never had before

this is in addition to the usual 'you know this will make you feel like crap and crave crap later on' and 'you've done so well up to now, don't sabotage yourself' of course.

NigellasGuest · 17/07/2012 12:44

BIWI sorry to hear you've got a bit spooked and don't want to put your head over the parapet! I have just linked to this thread, from that Chat thread about Dr Briffa. A couple of people over there thought they couldn't join in because it's already on Week WhatEverItIs.

BIWI · 17/07/2012 12:48

.... which is also a reason for not doing it on a week-by-week basis, Nigella. I was conscious that it was putting some people off, plus we had some people on Bootcamp and some on Bootcamp Light and everyone else who was cheating like mad, so it was a bit unwieldy to carry on any further!

OP posts:
BIWI · 17/07/2012 12:49

Sorry if you thought I'd forgotten about you, creamtea! Just a bit of a mad day popping in and out of MN!

OP posts:
BonDepart · 17/07/2012 12:59

I'm here from the Briffa thread, thanks NigellasGuest and Willie.
I'm not sure what level I want to jump in at so I'll have a read of the other thread too.

Thegoddessblossom · 17/07/2012 13:16

breakfast was greek yog and strawbs.

lunch was a boiled egg, cucumber slices, roasted courgette and mushrooms, bit of tuna and coleslaw, some slices of cooked chicken (not processed)some cheese.

I am not doing hardcore bootcamp, as I am maintaining, but have nowhere else where I can bore people by telling them what i am eating, so because I know you are all fascinated and live for my posts detailing my meals, I shall continue here if no-one objects. Grin

Am going to attempt the Zoe Harcombe "fat meal" of seafood curry tonight for tea.

TheRealMrsHannigan · 17/07/2012 13:18

Can I join,

I did join one of these threads a while back, I lost 10lbs, have since put 4lbs on but am determined to stick it out this time! Holiday end of August!

Starting weight is 12st 2lbs

BIWI · 17/07/2012 13:28

Grin @ Thegoddess

Welcome, TheRealMrsHannigan

OP posts:
toysoldiers · 17/07/2012 13:35

OK

I've made a start (after my crumpet breakfast Blush.

I've had a can of tuna, mayonnaise, cucumber, lettuce and mushrooms for lunch. But it was a REAL struggle eating it.

I've bought steak and stir fry vegetables for dinner.

I have no idea how I'm going to get this past DH. He is NOT supportive in such matters, especially if I do something as 'wacky' as give up pasta Hmm

TheRealMrsHannigan · 17/07/2012 13:52

Toy soldiers I had a ham and cheese croissant for breakfast so don't worry we've both had a not so great start Grin

For lunch I had chicken breast wrapped in pancetta, cauliflower flaoured with cumin and some fennel (is fennel allowed?) To be fair that was all before I saw this thread! Since low carbing last time I generally avoid carbs like potato and rice altogether, so this WOE has definitely had an effect on me :)

BIWI · 17/07/2012 13:52

Why was it a real struggle, toysoldiers? If it's something you don't like, there's no point in eating it.

And why is your DH not supportive? Can we help with the arguments you may need to appease him?!

OP posts:
toysoldiers · 17/07/2012 14:08

It was nice to start with, but then became quite difficult to eat. Maybe more mayo was needed. Wink

DH has very set ideas about what he likes to eat, and I think would quite like us to get old and fat together! He does most of the cooking, hence we eat a lot of pasta and potato in various forms.

But I'm going on holiday in 4 weeks and would like to be a little less wobbly.

Breakfast and lunch will be OK, just meals I share with DH which will be a problem Blush