Week 3 - New Year Low Carb Bootcamp - Full Fat or Light?

[BIWI]

So we've completed the hardest part of Bootcamp. Now is the time, if you wish, to relax things a little, and to move on to Bootcamp Light.

On the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness you will - after weighing in, of course - find the rules for Bootcamp Light. However, as I know some people can't access the spreadsheet easily, here they are:

Bootcamp Light

1. Eat when you?re hungry - if you?re not hungry, don?t eat
In Bootcamp, you should have been eating three meals a day. The point of this being to ensure that you got used to eating proper meals, and so that your blood sugar is regulated and stable. Having achieved that, you can now relax this a little bit. If you find you?re not hungry - which often happens, because ketosis suppresses your appetite - then don?t force yourself to eat. But don?t let yourself get so hungry that you make inappropriate choices! Always make sure you have plenty of low carb food to access quickly, if you need to.

2. Avoid processed food
Focus on pure, natural protein as the basis for your meals ? meat/fish/eggs.
You may include processed meats like bacon or (low carb) sausages, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel, gammon - but please don?t have these at every meal or every day. As well as being highly processed they often contain undesirable ingredients, can add unnecessary extra carbs into your diet, and often include sugar.

3. Eat lots of fat
Eating fat helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer. 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 and has too many carbs), 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 the bulk 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.

Beware that some of the veg on the allowed list can be surprisingly high in carbs once you make up a portion of it ? this is because they are denser, and therefore you tend to use more ? compare, for example, 100g of onion with 100g lettuce! Keep your focus on those veg which contain 3g carbs per 100g and use these as the focus of your meals. Use those over 3g per 100g sparingly.

5. You may eat some dairy
You should aim to include plenty of butter on this WOE. Fry with it and add it to your vegetables. And if you know that dairy doesn?t impede your weight loss 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.

If you?ve been cutting out tea/coffee, you can re-introduce this ? but just be careful how much milk you end up drinking. You can end up adding a lot of extra carbs this way.

6. You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day
Even if you?re drinking more tea/coffee than in Bootcamp, this is still a non-negotiable part of this WOE. And the more weight you have to lose, the more water you should drink. Water helps to flush out the ketones that your body will product ? so flushing out the fat. However, drinking this amount of water can affect your electrolyte balance; you need to make sure that you get plenty of sodium, magnesium and potassium. There is less need to worry about restricting salt if you?re eating a low carb diet. Good sources of potassium are salmon and avocado and spinach is a good source of magnesium. You could also consider supplements if you have an issue with this.

7. You may drink some alcohol
But restrict this to once or twice a week max. Vodka with soda is the best thing to drink. Or Champagne, red wine or dry white wine. Absolutely no beer/lager, cider, liqueurs, cocktails or full sugar mixers. You can drink spirits with artificial sweeteners, but bear in mind that we are attempting to avoid all things artificial!

Alcohol is the easiest source of fuel for your body, and it will use this over and above anything else that is available to it. Therefore, even if you?re following the diet absolutely to the letter, including alcohol can prevent weight loss.

8. You may eat some fruit
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and rhubarb are all fine. But please ? only once a day at the very most, and keep an eye on your portion sizes. Just for information ? these are the carb counts:

Rhubarb ? 0.8g carbs per 100g (but don?t forget you will need to sweeten this ? and not with sugar!)
Blackberries ? 4.4g carbs per 100g
Raspberries ? 4.6g carbs per 100g
Strawberries ? 6g carbs per 100g
Blueberries - 6.4g carbs per 100g (although this is a bit controversial - I have had differing carb counts from various sources - some saying as much as 12g carbs per 100g)

9. You may eat some nuts/seeds
Nuts/seeds can make a good snack. BUT it is incredibly easy to overdo it, and you can end up eating your bodyweight in carbs. As an occasional snack they are great, but keep it occasional and keep the portions to a small handful at most.

Macadamias are not only luscious, but they are very low in carbs.

Here are some carb counts ? BUT ? check the back of your packets as I don?t know if these are for raw or roasted nuts:

Pistachios 4.6g carbs per 100g
Macadamias 4.8g carbs per 100g
Pecans 5.8g carbs per 100g
Almonds 6.9g carbs per 100g
Peanuts 7.1 g carbs per 100g
Cashews 18.1g carbs per 100g

10. Avoid artificial sweeteners
The aim of Bootcamp was to help reduce the stranglehold that sugar has on us ? and to curb your sweet tooth. But it does make some things difficult, e.g. desserts at a dinner party, and it is undeniable that it can be enjoyable ? occasionally ? to eat something sweet. However, restrict such goodies. For some people, artificial sweeteners can impede weight loss.

I had a lovely time yesterday! had a back to work meeting of which I was very scared. But did not comfort eat (I find that I have a coffee with real milk but can leave the choc bars which don't hold much appeal for me now).

I went to a meeting in the evening where I could have really nice food (chicken in a creamy sauce - I took as little of the sauce as possible as it might have flour in - and Caesar salad - left the croutons out - followed by cheeses with 5 grapes and a coffee with cream which I savoured). I also drank like a fish. By which I mean lots and lots of water.

One of my colleagues remarked that I looked "very fit". I think he did not mean in the colloquial sense, but overall it was great to see people again and feel good in my skin.

Thank you so much for this thread and the inspiration!

iamaslummy in a sealed container a couple of days

Thank you half!
Who knew I could be so excited about pig skin!

valdeeves rules are on the spreadsheet - link in OP if that helps.

Valdeeves here is the week 1 chat thread, with rules

LavendersBlue

"Made a gorgeous slow cooked mince thing last night with passata, tinned tomatos, aubergine, shallots, courgette, mushrooms and red wine. Added loads of chilli, onion granules, garlic, paprika and a stock pot with a couple of glugs of olive oil. It's really warming and I have made enough for us all to eat it tonight and prob tomorrow too. Was worried it might be a bit carb heavy but so divided up hopefully won't be too bad. Might try it with the courgette pasta I keep reading about."

Do you have any idea how many carbs were in this? To be honest, it sounds like quite a lot, if you've used both passata and tinned tomatoes - as well as red wine and onion granules ...

And onion granules - what are they?! Surely they will be full of artificial ingredients?

If you're drinking loads of water, then you won't see (much) of a change on the ketostix, which is why IMVHO they are a WASTE OF YOUR MONEY! That said, and given my comments above, are you really sure that you are eating sufficiently low carb?

OK - have just checked Sainsbury's website and see there's nothing but onion in the onion granules, so that's OK. But I'm still wondering why they are necessary, if you've already used shallots?!

Morning all, just read this article which was linked to in SoF (still haven't added myself!) and it makes me understand the importance of this forum, talks about why this is hard to stick to - because we live in a high carb world, like exalcoholics living in a pub!

starshaker I'm sorry your GP was rude to you. Actually most complaints are regarding poor communication, a letter might remind this dr to be a bit more empathetic, but don't be surprised when you get a reasonably generic response. (I'm a dr, not a gp)

I would advise all of you NOT going to your dr regarding weight loss, although the tide is slowly turning many medical professionals regard exclusion of whole food groups as faddy and stick firmly to the 'eat less move more' way of thinking. In fact there was a recent BMJ focusing on non coeliac gluten sensitivity, (dr briffa discusses it here). Interestingly, the accompanying editorial basically said lots of people with IBS feel better on gluten free diet, but that it should be a last rather than a first resort! I thought that was crazy, I have non coeliac gluten sensitivity (well never been tested but am almost 100% certain I'm not coeliac) and am much happier eating wheat free, but not having moderate to severe abdominal pain often, despite my symptoms certainly counting as mild medically speaking.

Anyway sorry for the novel! (I actually do work very hard, on a rare couple of child free days off)

I lost 2 - 2 1/2 stone before I went to Uni. I was cycling 6 miles or so per day and eating very little fat and carbs. I was pleased with the result but it was not very sustainable. My weight went up and down in my 20s, especially up when I was stressed, and I also noticed that another medical complaint was becoming exacerbated when I tried to lose weight. I never seemed just to stick at a weight of 9 or even 10 stone without a lot of effort, vigilance and conscious self deprivation. Being on a low cal diet made it hard for me to fight off infections to which I am susceptable.(sp?)

So I put up with a BMI of around 25 as I seemed to be healthier at that weight and gave up dieting as I thought that all this putting on and losing weight surely wasn't good for me. However, my weight crept on up towards a BMI of 30. I was aware also that I had PCOS and a Family history of diabetes and a higher BMI is not good for these things. I have had 2 pregnancies with gestational diabetes and I am now thinking, as an older mum, I want to ward off the spectre of diabetes as much as possible (as I have said elsewhere).

So far, I have gone from almost 14 stone in November to around 12 stone 5lb now. I am very pleased, I can't remember when I was last this weight, it might be as much as 20 years. I do notice though that although I am somewhere between an hourglass and a pear, my waist is considerably bigger than it would have been previously at this weight, but then that is age and children for you! If anything, my legs are slimmer, so swings and roundabouts.

I remember in my real dieting days - my 20s - rather resenting spending money on "boring" food and wanting to buy things like desserts from M and S with my cash (and my calories). I don't have a yen for raspberry trifles now. In fact, the last time I went out to a dinner and got served that sort of pudding I couldn't eat it because it was too sweet and sickly, which is sort of great. I can get treats for my family from time to time without craving them, which makes me (and them very happy). I will enjoy seeing how the rest of the journey goes (hopefully to a BMI of around 23)

Good morning y'all!

And crikey, I really struggle to keep up with this thread!

The baby is dominating a lot of my time as she is a wee bit poorly and needing to sleep on me a lot, meaning that by tea time yesterday I realised I hadn't had anything to drink since breakfast. Not good enough! I'll try and drink more water today.

B: a perfect cheese and onion omlette (I was very chuffed with my skills!)
L: going to a cafe, possibly the steak from a steak baguette!
D: belly pork and cabbage probably.

LATERZ

1lb under target here that'll be the running-around-like-a-mad-fool looking after puppies diet.
I was feeling really annoyed with myself because I've not been eating proper meals at all-but when I analysed what I'd had it was WAAAAAAAAY better than it would have been a year ago in this situation, I'd have lurched from crisps to cake to diet coke to toast to chocolate- and then back again!!!

On this WOE I've grazed on ff yog with a few raspberries, slice after slice of cold leek frittata, celery dipped in pate and blue cheese, left over braised cabbage and macademias and a glass of champagne and a mini bar of 85%chocolate

I felt like I'd been bad...but actually it's better nutritionally than many of my carby days in those dark pre-bootcamp times!!!

Thanks Biwi

Ah ha! Puppies as a dieting aid. That could just take off. :) Your picture is making me all puppy broody again. Mine is now nearly 5 months and getting huge. I'm missing the tiny snugglyness.

Well done on your eating too. It is amazing how decadent this WOE can feel at times.

I don't think UK GPs will encourage LCarb in the present climate. In order to protect themselves in the event of being sued (which is becoming increasingly common) GPs in the UK, have to stick to the accepted NHS / BMC medical advice for health issues.

At the moment the NHS/BMC advice for weightloss is to eat less fat (eat less cakes, chocolate & biscuits too) reduce calories & exercise more. Most GPs (including my sister who is a GP) will readily acknowledge that this advice fails most patients - but she cannot recommend anything else.

However, that said, she is generally supportive of any method of weightloss that works for individuals (apart from VLCDs) but other than note that someone is LCing, she won't ever suggest it for an overweight patient.

I watch Superfat vs Supperskinny with old Dr Christian & I despair at the advice they give & how they bang on & on about fat, when actually it is the refined carbs that should really get the beating.

Don't thank me, cathy - it's all your own work!

herecomesthesun that's great you got such a nice compliment! I too have been told I look 'so well' since I started this three weeks ago. Even by my bosses (yes, both of them) at work!

BIWI - we have a lot to thank you for!

Jaqueen and Willie I am so at your Waitroses. There isn't a Waitrose for miles and miles near here. However - very happily in last few weeks, have discovered Ocado (thought it would help with my meal planning) and now I am back to Waitrose goods galore!

Omellette question:

Someone above mentioned making a lovely omellette. Now this sounds silly, but I have never been able to make 'a lovely omellette'.

I've even downloaded a Jamie O video in desperate attempt to achieve one, but still no banana......

Does anyone have some fail safe tips for a nice omellette?! Mine always just seem so 'meh'.

Oops - 'scuse repeated misspelling of omelette. One of those mornings (afternoons, even)

Im also very jealous of all those who have a local Waitrose, my nearest is about 100 miles away!

Novelty, I ashamed to say I have never made an omlette

Getting fed up of this spotting & bloating :(

Had a gorgeous lunch of crayfish tails & salad - one of myfavourite lunches.

Novelty - omelette - I fry (in butter obviously) mushroom / whatever I am putting in it, add whisked eggs. Cook for a little while. Add cheese and bung the frying pan under the grill - cheese goes lovely and brown and the omelette puffs up.

Cathy those pups are gorgeous. We have 2 labs so I am obviously biased though.

just come on to say..

puppiespuppiespuppiespuppiespuppiespuppies

congratulations c&c and Mum-Lab!

Just changed my planned lunch to scrambled eggs made with cream and butter with smoked salmon trimmings. Oh how cheap yet so yummy! Realise I haven't had anything green with it. What would be nice? Spinach (next time, never buy this) ?

Novelty - sorry I also have a waitrose at the end of my road (built after we moved here, but brilliantly raised our house value!!!) and LOVE IT!. Come and stay sometime...

I too have never been able to make an omlette either. DH on the other hand is a right old dab hand. He tells me that you cook the fillings (eg bacon and mushrooms), then beat the eggs in and pour them over and then keeping the heat not too hot just leave it and DON'T KEEP STIRRING IT AND MESSING ABOUT WITH IT OR PRODDING IT AND STUFF and then whe it is very nearly cooked through sort of flip one half over on the other and serve... Mine still usually end up looking like some sort of mess - but taste alright.

Slatternly I missed a lot of the chat yesterday but I think you were saying about your DS (2)(?) who naturally avoids carbs and eats the insides of sandwiches etc... My DD (just turned 3) has been exactly the same. She always like porridge, but has never, really liked cereal. Scrambled egg, dippy egg, bacon however she has always enjoyed! She didn't eat toast or bread forever (and I never pushed it) but does now eat sandwiches and toast, but tends to have a small amount and asks for extra filling if that makes sense. She does like rice and pasta, but doesn't like potatoes at all, really in any form. If she is served chicken, chips and veg she will eat all the chicken and veg and maybe eat one chip. She does love vegetables and fruit.

Because I have such issues with my weight, eating and food, I have tried so hard not to pass them on to her, or make issues with meals. I have consiously (and manage most of the time) never to make any food a 'reward'. I used to let her have a couple of chocolate buttons everyday with some fruit as a snack so that she would never think of it as something special and to be craved. I have also made the consious decision not to make 'pudding' a daily occurance as both DH and I sometimes feel we should have something after our dinner, but for no reason other than that is what people do. So if she has eaten everything, been offered more and is clearly still hungry then she has something, but more often than not she finishes her tea and then we all get down. I do really worry about her having issues with food as she gets older and have no idea how to avoid them - sorry this has turned into such a stream of consiousness!!!!

I decided that after looking in the fridge i could probably start today. So far ive had avocado (my fav thing in the world) with smoked salmon and mayo
and lunch is bacon and cheese omlette
dinner will be burgers (homemade) but not sure what else to have with them. Any ideas?

Slatternly, hello. That cheeseburger you made sounds really good. So good in fact I've been thinking about it. A lot!

Is there anything other than egg that I could use? I usually make burgers for my dc and use rice flour to help bind it altogether. When I've tried without, they seem to fall apart.

Also, about what you said about your dc who just won't eat certain things. We've been told that children just know sometimes what they don't like because it doesn't sit well with them. It's tricky though as I'm sure it's a fine line between that and fussy eating.

You sound like you're doing so well! I had a bit of a Bleugh week last week with my period and also toothache, so although I didn't fall off the wagon I didn't eat that much either. I'm really looking forward to feeling great so it's great to hear that some of us have got there as it's a real motivator to continue.

Justasmallgless, you're so right! Not being a slave to constantly thinking about food, except of course slatternly's cheeseburger!