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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:
mummyduff · 18/07/2012 10:12

Morning all

The fish curry sound delicious goddess, I have taken note of the recipeSmile

Heartstart, sorry to hear about your mum, hope things get sorted quickly.

BIWI M&S lighting/mirror's are horrible, just order online and try on at home, much betterGrin

I hope everybody has a better day today and welcome to the newbies!

BIWI · 18/07/2012 10:13

Thank you (twice!) MyLife - and well done for both you and your DH. Now you've broken out of lurking, hopefully we'll see you here more often?

OP posts:
Lorelilee · 18/07/2012 11:21

BIWI Really sorry to see you're feeling a bit down and it must be a b*gger to get so close, but feel so far away!

I really do think I eat enough fat - am having loads of mayo with lunch everyday and then cooking my evening meals in butter. I'm even a bit weird in that I sometimes have a few spoonfulls of double cream as a snack Blush. Can you eat TOO much fat?

Maybe I'll look at having more salmon and avocado - both of which I love!

thanks again

NigellasGuest · 18/07/2012 11:23

my new scales have arrived and I have lost 4 lbs overnight, just from using the new scales! which must be more accurate than the old scales. That was easy Grin

toysoldiers · 18/07/2012 11:35

Nigella, those are the kind of results I like to see Wink

TooImmatureTurtleDoves · 18/07/2012 11:40

I sometimes have spoonfuls of double cream as a snack too, Lorililee! You've reminded me to check the avocados I bought at the weekend to see if they're ripe yet.

Yay for magic 4lb weightloss, Nigella! I know my scales weigh a lb heavy, which is less impressive. Weighed baby on them and thought she was 15lb, but then the HV weighed her and she was 14. It's not enough to make a difference, sadly.

Lorelilee · 18/07/2012 11:44

BIWI - forgot to mention that I weigh 14st 13lb (started 15st 6) and would like to shift @ 4-5 stones, so long way to go!

NigellasGuest · 18/07/2012 11:45

Oh and yes, I also snack on double cream....

TooImmatureTurtleDoves · 18/07/2012 11:49

Since I started this WOE 5 weeks ago (with lots of cheating!), I have lost 2 inches around my tummy (measuring at my tummy button), and an inch off the thinnest part of my waist. Just wanted to share!

Thegoddessblossom · 18/07/2012 11:55

Morning all, welcome to all newbiesthatarenotreallynewbuthavebeenlurking Grin

B: Greek yog with strawbs. Thought about having leftover seafood curry to annoy dh but couldn't face it.

Have swum a mile.

Sitting in a restaurant waiting to meet some friends so its salad of some kind for lunch while I watch others scoff pizza.

TheRealMrsHannigan · 18/07/2012 12:04

Good afternoon all :)

I am starving and cannot wait for lunch, had scrambled eggs made with butter for breakfast but that was 7am so am feeling ravenous, lunch is pan fried mushrooms, brocolli, cold sliced chicken and a bit of cottage cheese.
I am feeling very conscious of keeping up the fat in this diet (which I am finding hard to deal with mentally), had a big dollop of mayo with dinner last night.

Did anyone struggle getting their heads around incorporating fat into this diet? Every other diet has indoctinated me to limit fat so I am finding it difficult not to automatically rule out fatty options and a bit fearful when adding butter, mayo etc?

toysoldiers · 18/07/2012 12:09

That's fabulous about your tummy. Result Grin

I can't believe you have all lost so much already. It clearly works once you get going.

I've just been for 5k run. It was hard work. Can I just ask about exercise? I haven't been exercising long and 5k is my limit. Usually I come back and Hoover bagels. Wink

Today definitely felt harder than usual. Coincidence? Is it just because I'm not eating enough?

BIWI · 18/07/2012 12:09

It is very difficult to get your head around it at first, TRMH. We have been told for so many years now that fat is bad! But it is really, really true. And it's what makes it so lovely!

OP posts:
Jins · 18/07/2012 12:11

I think we all felt like that at the start. The first few days I really enjoyed, vast amounts of cheese, mayo on everything etc then after about a week I started to fret about by arteries :)

You do get over it. I look at bread now in the same way that a calorie counter would look at a chunk of cheese. We went out for a meal last week and I was tutting at someone's plate full of carbs. (Pasta with garlic bread)

mummyduff · 18/07/2012 12:18

Nigella fab weight loss, which scales did you buy? Wink

Breakfast was boiled egg with a little edam cheese
Lunch just cooking lamb steak, will add salad to this.

Had very strange dizzyness yesterday(dont think diet related) but strange and now a really bad headache, never suffer with these!! Probably heyfever related or the tabs I'm taking Confused

MyLifeIsStillChaotic · 18/07/2012 12:54

Yes, you'll see me here more often now :)

My garlicky prawns, courgettes and mushrooms was delicious!

I love this woe because I like fatty meat, always have. I watch my (very overweight) mother pick the skin off chicken, leave the fat off bacon and push fatty bits of meat to the side of the plate and think 'what a waste'! I've always eaten them thinking how 'naughty' it is, but now I can do it with no feelings of guilt whatsoever Grin

My biggest vice is crisps though. I do not miss bread, pasta or rice even remotely, but crisps really are my biggest downfall. Whenever I fall off the wagon, there's the culprit.

BIWI · 18/07/2012 13:29

Try making celeriac crisps - or parmesan crisps (recipe on the Bootcamp recipe thread).

OP posts:
TheRealMrsHannigan · 18/07/2012 13:35

Glad to hear I will get over it, it feels like such a novelty being able to use real butter instead of low fat spreads etc

Lunch ended up being slices of roast beef, mushrooms, salad leaves, cucumber and steamed greens, a little bit random I know :)

Thegoddessblossom · 18/07/2012 13:44

Not salad - had a tapas dish of steal slices with some Parmesan, and the starter dish of antipasto as a main ( slices of ham, mozzarella, roasted veg and olives). Delish.

Toy soldiers it takes about 2 weeks for your body to stop looking for carbs to use as fuel for exercise and start using the fat you are eating.

Thegoddessblossom · 18/07/2012 13:44

Steak not steal!!!!

MyLifeIsStillChaotic · 18/07/2012 13:53

I have tried celeriac once mashed into mashed potato and I hated it. I hate celery...I can't believe I'd like celeriac crisps...would I?

Cheese crisps are good, I should remember that. Have never made them with Parmesan, only mature cheddar so I shall give that a whirl, thanks for reminding me about them.

Lorelilee · 18/07/2012 14:07

I have just one more question, is it possible to eat too much fat on this WOE?

obrigada · 18/07/2012 14:13

Just checking in, had pork chop and mixed veg for dinner, was trying to think how to add more fat in so lathered the veg in butter, was that the right thing to do

vnmum · 18/07/2012 14:18

Hi all, I had a blip today. Been making cakes for nursery party and licked the butter cream bowl Blush but then I decided to make shortbread biscuits as presents for the teachers at end of term. I've never made it before so I ended up having to try one to make sure they tasted right before sending them into school.grr,

Oh well, heavy session at the gym tomorrow for me then to get the carbs back out of my system. It does feel that after my weekend function I can't get back into it 100%.

Anyway. I have been posting on this thread. Anyone fancy backing me up. I am getting fed up of the anti low carbers Smile

BIWI · 18/07/2012 14:28

Lorelilee - I don't think so! Fat is satiating anyway, so you won't be able to eat a huge amount before you realise you've had enough.

obrigada - absolutely it was the right thing to do!

vnmum - that's often the way when you slip off the wagon - it can take longer than you anticipate to get back on it. But I'm sure you'll be fine with all your gym stuff. Will take a look at the other thread.

OP posts: