Get Ready for Summer - Next Low Carb Bootcamp (10 weeks) starts 29 April

[BIWI]

Just to give you a couple of weeks advanced warning, so you can think about it, plan for it, etc.

[BIWI]

Le Touqet, Wand, playing golf!

Re exercise. It might be wiser to wait until you've got through the first couple of weeks of low carbing, so that you aren't feeling weak/dizzy.

Make sure you're eating plenty of sodium, magnesium and potassium. So salt your food, try drinking some hot water with Marmite/Bovril. Salmon, spinach and avocado will all help. And make sure that you really are eating plenty of fat.

[BIWI]

Oh, and twinkle - Sainsbury's Basics tetrapak tomatoes are the lowest carb I've found.

[BIWI]

Wand - sorry not to reply to you but I've been away since Thursday and am only just catching up on the threads.

Remember what I said to you before - you don't actually have a lot of weight to lose, and therefore your rate of loss will be much slower than others.

Exercise is going to really help you to tone up, which should make you look better, but don't forget it will also build muscle so your weight may not go down.

Best way to measure your progress would be by the fit of your clothes as well as the look of your body.

[twinklestar2]

mmmmm I love spinach curry, esp the way my mum makes it. She used spinach and various green veg and loads of butter. Would be great for low carbing (although I think she also uses chickpea flour which I think we're not allowed?)

[twinklestar2]

Thanks I've been reading the recipe thread to get ideas. I have done low carb before but my version which is no bread, rice, pasta or potatoes. I usually end up eating meat with veg on the side. But I want to try it properly.

[WillieWaggledagger]

you can have tinned tomatoes, but (sorry for repetition) check the back of the tin of different brands - they can vary but some can be quite high carb. if i make something with tinned tomatoes in i try to use just one tin between several portions

likewise with onions, i cut down to maybe one small onion, or replace with shallots or leeks, which are lower carb per 100g

there are lots of sauces and curry ideas on the recipe thread

[twinklestar2]

oh no are we not allowed tinned toms?!

[twinklestar2]

Great, thanks everyone for your tips. Will ensure I stick to the plain stuff and jazz up with dressing.

[thenightsky]

Oh... and what Willy says about the chicken being coated in carby stuff... I buy only the plain roasted. The tikka/honey roast stuff is to be avoided.

[WillieWaggledagger]

according to atkins for the induction phase, yes, though some people can tolerate more grams of carbs per day than others. you're trying to control your blood sugar, so ideally those 20g would be spread over the day rather than all in one go

[thenightsky]

twinkle that is exactly how I do my lunches. I take a box of salad from home each day and keep Tesco roast chicken pieces in the fridge at work. I think they are about £5 for two boxes and I eat half a box each day. On the 5th day I take a tin of mackerel in olive oil to add to the salad. I also keep a bottle of creamy ceaser dressing at work too, but you need to check the carbs on the bottle as different supermarket own-brands vary wildly in their carb count.

[twinklestar2]

Is it less than 20g of carbs we are allowed per day?

[WillieWaggledagger]

you'll need to check the carb counts - bought soups tend to be very high carb i'm afraid, as they usually contain quite a lot of onions and carby root veg or potato, flour as a thickening agent, etc

you'd have to check how many grams of carbohydrate you would be having per serving - it could be quite high, but you might find a particularly low carb soup, broccoli and stilton maybe?

again, you would have more control over it if you made your own. could you make enough for several days and leave that in the fridge?

[twinklestar2]

Thanks Willie. I like to buy my lunch out and leave it in the fridge all week at work, I find it much easier then carrying food backwards and forwards.

I love soup for lunch, can I have soup from Pret or the Tesco fresh soups?

[WillieWaggledagger]

that would be fine, twinkle, but do check the carb count on the back as it could easily have a sugary/carby coating. if it's under 2g or so per 100g you're probably ok, but worth checking on your portion size to make sure you're not overdoing it in terms of carbs. it would be quite low fat though, so make sure you're adding fat in terms of an oily dressing or (low carb) mayo

i tend to cook my own chicken pieces roasted in butter at home and then have them for lunch with mayo and salad over the next 2-3 days, as i feel that there are fewer artificial ingredients that way

[twinklestar2]

what can I buy from M&S / Tesco for lunch on low carb? Can I buy those packets of cooked chicken and have it with salad?

[AuntieMaggie]

cider that is the only size 14 thing I can probably get over my boobs! I'm a comfortable 18 really.

I sometimes take bacon, sausage etc and reheat :)

[Ruprekt]

Listen2theradio......I take bacon, sausage, eggs and mushrooms to work. Cook it in the morning and reheat.

Be prepared for comments!

[Ilisten2theradio]

Wel, I do intend to bootcamp but can't start this week as I have a friend coming over to stay for 5 days and life will just definitely get in the way so I will have to delay one week before starting again.
I have been reasonably good up until now bu have lapsed over this weekend , and will need to get back into the swing of it all again.
Im just worrying about what I can eat for breakfast - made at work that will keep me full all morning. we have a microwave, and fridge but that's it. and a bowl of yoghurt just doesn't last long enough, esp with no fruit for the first 2 weeks.
Any suggestions?