Week 1 Weigh-In - Little Black Dress Low Carb Boot Camp

[WillieWaggledagger]

i know you're all dying to get started on the low carb boot camp, and for those who haven't done this before, here is the link to the spreadsheet where you should record your starting weight for Monday 1st October in column c next to your name. Please don't touch any other columns for now

weight is recorded in lbs, so if you have problems converting from kg or stones, FiddledeFat made a handy widget which can be found in the tab at the bottom labelled 'conversion'

if your name isn't on the spreadsheet then you can add yourself by adding a new line and dragging the formulae down from an adjacent row, or just ask me to add you and I will do so as soon as i can

good luck with the first week of bootcamp!

Morning all, happy to see scales down by 0.8kg, so about 1.5 lbs.
Did well yesterday, had major sugar craving after dinner so just had a coffee with a little sweetener and 2 pints of water, then went to bed early.

Made a lovely spicy pork mince stir fry type of thing with brocolli, was gonna have the leftovers for brekkie but DH gobbled the leftovers after I went to bed.
Will post the recipe to the recipe thread if something similar isn't already on there.

Today had naice ham, tomatoes and cucumber for breakfast. Plus 2 pints of water and 2 coffees.
Lunch is likely to be some form of chicken or tuna salad (work canteen). Maybe chicken, olives, lettuce, bacon, cucumber, caesar dressing, yum.
Dinner am thinking salmon and fennel in some combination, will do salmon and chips and peas for the kids and DH and keep the nice stuff for myself.

Hope everyone doing ok!

Im so fed up, I really need to lose a lot of weight! Please could someone add me to the spreadsheet (im pretty useless at IT). my start weight is way above everyone else, so please add my embarrasing 184lb!!!!

Welcome, milkybarsrus - you might want to change that name though !

ForSale - that caesar dressing - is it pre-made? Go easy on it if it is, as it could have loads of sugar in it.

morning all. 1 1/2lbs down this morning, woo hoo, so back to what i was before my carb binge weekend.

I am seriously not feeling the love for the gym at the moment which is quite unusual for me. I normally go 3x a week plus the odd run but I just can't be bothered at the moment. I am wondering if my body is asking for some rest.

Anyway I feel lazy if i don't do something so I am off into the gaden to do a kettlebell swing workout for something different.

No breaky yet, will eat after workout. I have leftover slow cooked curry in the fridge that no one else will eat so even though it has nuts in (not alot) and cream, I might just have that for lunch with some veg or salad.

Tea is prawn and avocado salad.

cakeme That is quite clever of ocado if they really have figured out you are low carbing.

What is this book Mme? what have I missed?

CakemeI'myours - that's spooky! Maybe someone senior at Ocado is a MNer.

Thanks, BIWI. Just had a small bowl of Greek Yog with some cinnamon and I feel a bit better now. Will run in a bit. BTW someone up thread was saying they couldn't do plain yog. I think it's nice with a sprinkling of cinnamon and it is also supposed to have properties that help it stabilise your bloodsugar - apparently there are clinical trials going on atm to see if it could be used in diabetes.

PS - any ideas for a lowcarb Indian starter? Planning DH's birthday dinner. Main is going to be marinated lambchops with green beans and spicy roast cauli. So don't want to do chicken tikka etc as a bit samey.

BIWI, yes its premade caesar dressing, might skip it and just have balsamic and olive oil instead. Thanks.

Yesterday went well. This morning I have discovered one mushroom with cheese is not half as filling as the two boiled eggs and tomatoes I had for yesterday brekkie.

Re mayo - is that okay? Do I need a specific type? Basically can I have a bowl of tin tuna, mayo and cucumber for lunch one day? Surely not?

forsale beware of the balsamic, it's pretty carby (sorry!) - white wine vinegar is better if available

i know this doesn't help you today at work, but i make dressing in an old jam jar and put in a large tsp of dijon mustard, a tbsp or so of white wine vinegar and 3-4 tbsp olive oil - put the lid on the jar and shake well. this sits on the side in the kitchen for several days. you can add herbs or mix with mayo if you want a creamier dressing

for mayo i use hellman's full fat as it's one of the lowest carb ones around - you do need to check labels - i was shocked at M&S, they must add loads of sugar! i know others have made their own which sounds fab but i haven't tried that

BIWI - thanks for adding me to the list! Yes you're right re the name, I thought of it when I was breast feeding my last baby as I felt like I was a Milk Bar for him! But now he's 6 maybe a name change would be appropriate........just off to see how I do that......

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! STEP AWAY FROM THE BALSAMIC VINEGAR!

It's really carby - go for ordinary wine vinegar, which is zero carbs.

A handy tip - if you go to Sainsbury's website, as if you were going to do an online shop, most products have an information panel so that you can see the carbs.

This mayo is zero carbs

You could always make your own mayonnaise, which is surprisingly easy.

Hi to anyone new - hard to keep up sometimes...
strangeglue - why did you only have one mushroom? that wouldn't have filled me up either!

Mayo must be full fat. Apparently some have a few carbs in but you are definitely safe with Hellmans - though it must be the full fat one. That lunch you mention sounds fine to me -- perhaps BIWI or someone else will give it full verification though.. I'm not exactly an expert myself and have only been doing this since (I think) early summer

StrangeGlue

Re mayo - is that okay? Do I need a specific type? Basically can I have a bowl of tin tuna, mayo and cucumber for lunch one day? Surely not?

Absolutely! This is a perfect low carb meal. As Nigella says, it must be full fat mayonnaise, though.

And I'm also a bit puzzled as to why your breakfast was so small! I did assume you meant a large mushroom, but even still ... There wouldn't have been much protein or fat in that - and those are the things that will keep you feeling full for longer.

I did a sneaky weigh this morning, and down .2 of a kg so pleased with myself.

Managed my 3 litres of water yesterday, felt a bit waterlogged though.

B: fry up - 2 slices bacon, 3 mushrooms and one egg
Snack: chicken wings.
2 x cups of black tea
water: 1.5 litres so far

Wasn't REALLY hungry, just a bit peckish but thought a snack within the guidelines now would be better than risking a craving for something outside the guidelines. Not worrying about snacks until I get over the carb cravings. Have taken 1 ibuprofen as I have a thumping headache - assuming it is from sugar withdrawal. But better to take something for it rather than feel sorry for myself - less likely to cheat if I'm not feeling the need for a 'treat'.

dotty2 - instead of doing a starter, I'd be tempted to do an additional vegetable dish. Here's a lovely one, from "Curry", published by Dorling Kindersley:

Spinach and yoghurt curry (serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
Pinch of fenugreek seeds
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 dried red chillies
10 curry leaves
100g shallots, chopped
3 fresh green chillies, slit lengthways
2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground termeric
salt
100g spinach, chopped
300g plain yoghurt

METHOD

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the mustard seeds. As they beginto pop, add the fenugreek seeds, then add the garlic, dried chillies and curry leaves and saute for 1 minute.

• Add the shallots, green chillies and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots turn brown

• Add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly, then add the spinach and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

• Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the yoghurt, stirring slowly and constantly. Set the pan on a low heat and warm gently for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve warm.

DIYapprentice - why only 1 ibuprofen?! If you've got a thumping headache, take 2.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

I've just realised how much I snack when Im working from home.

Am I allowed to eat butternut squash?

forsale that spicy pork mince stir fry does sound yummy... Ill be looking out for the recipe

dotty2 Here's a recipe that you could use as a starter - this one is from the Idiot Proof Diet Cookbook

Prawn Bhajias (makes 12)

INGREDIENTS

250g raw king prawns
1 teaspoon easy ginger
1 teaspoon easy garlic
1 teaspoon garam masala
juice of one lemon
150g ground almonds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (black onion seeds)
1 fat, fresh green chilli, finely chopped
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
1 egg
100ml double cream
groundnut oil, for frying

METHOD

• Chop the prawns roughly and mix together with the ginger, garlic, garam masala and lemon juice. Allow to marinate in the fridge for an hour

• Mix together the ground almonds, nigella seeds, chilli, baking powder, coriander and egg and add enough double cream to make a thick batter. Beat well. Stir the batter into the prawns

• Heat a thin film of oil in a non-stick saute pan over a low heat. When the oil is hot, use a dessertspoon to dollop the mixture into the pan. Leave the bhajias alone for at least 3 minutes to allow a crust to form - they are very fragile

• Use a spatula to turn the bhajias over and cook for another 3 minutes, or until they are firm and golden brown on both sides

Dotty2 there's a recipe for low carb pakora in the idiot proof diet cookbook or I have a recipe for paneer &herb fritters - both are good but the fritters need soy flour. They may already be on the recipe thread - if not I will restyle if you are interested.

LittleFrieda - butternut squash is 8.3g carbs per 100g, so it's really carby - unless you're only using a little bit, the answer is probably 'no' - sorry!

Thanks for the reassurance 'Tellme" I will put my overnight weight gain down to the fact that I upped my weights at the gym yesterday not the lindt sea salt chocolate and red wine on Sunday nightand my muscles must be swelling up like Popeye's
Have just made hungarian chicken for tonight...it's just chicken, paprika, tomatoes/passata and sour cream...
Anyone know if passata's ok (no added sugar apparently)?

Or you could do tandoori prawns...

Good morning all.

Well I have just read about the butternut squash and M&S mayoinnaise: gutted

I bought M&S full fat mayo and have been eating that as it tastes lovely and satisfies the sweet cravings - mainly. It is sweet tasting and I believe around 7.5g carb/100g (must check)

Am in an independent Department stores restaurant and am the youngest person here by a good 30 years; they have lots of homebaked scones/cakes. I actually salivated

Pot of black tea instead.

Breakfast was olives, feta cheese, Med cold meats and teaspoon mayonnaise.

Everyone is eating toasted teacakes around me; I'm inhaling carbs. Time to go