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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.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Week 1 - Summer Low Carb Bootcamp starts here!

797 replies

BIWI · 29/04/2013 10:34

Morning all! There are over 150 of us signed up for Bootcamp, so it?s going to be busy I think. If you haven?t already put your name on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness, here is the link so that you can add yourself:

Just add yourself to the bottom of the list and the lovely WillieWaggleDagger, our SpreadsheetMeister, will ensure that it is re-sorted to remain alphabetised. Don?t touch any of the blue columns!
We work in pounds, but if you are a metric person, there?s a tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet that says ?conversion? which will recalculate from metric to imperial.

It?s up to you whether you choose to enter your actual weight or to index it, i.e. you start today at 100, and for every pound you lose you drop by 1.

You will also see on the tabs on the spreadsheet the rules for Bootcamp, as well as rules for those of you who are vegetarian, and rules for Bootcamp Light, which you can move on to after two weeks of Bootcamp.

There are only 10 rules, and the thinking behind Bootcamp is that it should be as straightforward as possible to follow. If you follow the rules (yes, all of them ? and especially no 7!), you will lose weight.

The idea behind Bootcamp is that we have a strict fortnight of low carbing, to break the addiction that we have to carbs and sweet things. You are making sure that you are switching your body from burning carbs to burning fat, and you will go into what is called ketosis in these first two weeks.

All that this means is that you are fat-burning.

In the first few days of low carbing, especially if you haven?t done it before, you may feel a bit rubbish ? you may have headaches or just feel generally tired and achey. This is known as ?carb flu? ? and it means that you are withdrawing from carbohydrates. Sugar (which is essentially how the body views and uses carbs) is highly addictive, and your body will be craving it. Don?t give in! After a couple of days you will feel much better.

If you are feeling odd or ill, make sure that you are getting plenty of sodium, potassium and magnesium. Add salt to your food and cook with salt. Try making a drink from Marmite/Bovril. Good foods to include in your diet are spinach, salmon and avocado. Drink plenty of water and make sure that you really are keeping your fat levels up. Take some paracetamol if you have a headache (not aspirin or ibuprofen as these drugs can impede weight loss).

OP posts:
rubybricks · 03/05/2013 20:26

Tiglette that is useful to know about the exercise, i have taken a couple of classes on the days i felt ok, but couldn't have contemplated it yesterday or today, look forward to feeling energetic again!

me too Getorf (visible fat on meat) - it's a visceral reaction - really hope i can get my head around this WoE well enough to keep at it.

my cunning plan to avoid temptation in the evenings is to go to bed early - though the huge pile of ironing that awaits me would indicate otherwise...

L: salad leaves, mayo, spring onion, grated cheese, half avocado, smoked mackerel (whole)
D: salad leaves, mayo, spring onion, grated cheese, half avocado, smoked salmon - an imaginative twist on lunch Smile

PennyHofstadter · 03/05/2013 20:33

Evening all, just checking in. According to the scales I dropped another 2lb which is great. Will log my official weight on Monday. Today's menu was

B - 2 hard boiled eggs
L - tuna mayo salad and mozzarella cheese
D - chicken wrapped in Parma ham with creamy braised cabbage
S - small packet of pork scratchings

Am feeling fine so far, had a bit of a headache yesterday and Tuesday but otherwise I'm feeling ok. My stomach is looking a lot less bloated than it did on Monday. Am feeling very happy!

TreeLuLa · 03/05/2013 20:38

Hi all,
Very pleased with myself for staying completely on the wagon during my 2 days away, despite a visit to Pizza Express (I had salad nicoise and didn't eat the dough sticks!)

Home again is wonderful - food I can eat again! According to the scales I am 4 lbs down this week hoorah!

BIWI · 03/05/2013 21:04

Angie - there's loads you can eat from that menu! Don't fool yourself that there isn't, just because you want the pastries

OP posts:
AngieAir · 03/05/2013 21:55

Ah Biwi you're too wise Grin. I hadn't actually looked at the menu, just panicked at the thought of the pastries.

I shall stuff my face and report back, head held high with pride at pastry avoidance.

LackaDAISYcal · 03/05/2013 22:14

Oooh, wish I was coming with you Angie, lots on there that looks lush!

I am struggling a bit this evening; this is the first Thursday/Friday (my "weekend" as I work Sat/Sun) in years that I haven't had wine! Or carbs.

So, I boiled two eggs and mashed them with oodles of butter and pepper and feel much much better. Haven't had that since I was a child; it was lush Grin

But on a positive note, I was at a market research thing today and when we arrived there were pastries (ok, can't eat them anyway due to coeliac disease) but there was a bowl of mixed nuts and dried fruits, and one of strawberries and blueberries, and I resisted. They sent out for sandwiches for lunch, and I got a lovely salad with chicken, olives, parmesan and pistachios in a lovely creamy dressing, and though they got me a gluten free "eat natural" bar, I brought that home for the DC, and even resisted the box of Celebrations that went round!

So apart from the pistachios, and I left most of them, I can shine my halo with pride!

halfthesize · 03/05/2013 22:20

hi all just checking in, exhausted after the elections yesterdayHmm
hope everyone is loving the sun and doing well on bootcampGrin

BIWI · 03/05/2013 22:27

Oooh - LackaDAISYcal - I'm a market researcher! Where were you? Were you doing a group in a viewing facility?

OP posts:
MaryBeardfanclub · 03/05/2013 22:58

B 2 HB eggs with butter
L fried chicken with avocado, mayonnaise and veg in boursin
D butter chicken (a curry from Low Carb Gourmet), fried aubergine, yoghurt mixed with cumin seeds and grated cucumber, cauliflower steak

To go with the curry I made chilli "chapattis" with an egg, tablespoon almond flour, 2 green chillis, big dollop of clumpy cream, fried in ghee. Dp said they were delish, I abstained of course (nuts).

dp has lost 3 lbs - he looks fantastic. he is quite chuffed

LackaDAISYcal · 03/05/2013 22:59

I was, in Leeds! There was no hidden cameras today though, but it was a small focus group (and really well paid Grin), and the market researcher was a woman with mad black hair so not you going by your profile pics!

There was another woman there, who I swear was a MNer from some of the things she said (I'm sure she was low carbing) but I didn't dare ask!

BIWI · 03/05/2013 23:18

Nope. I definitely wasn't in Leeds!

OP posts:
robino · 04/05/2013 06:45

Life has got in the way this week. I did not plan well. So I'm back on track with proper bootcamp as of now and will do the full two weeks from today. Fried mushrooms and fried egg for breakfast. Cup of tea because I don't have the strength to lift our drinking water barrel thing onto the water cooler thing; will have to wait for DH!

ZimboMum · 04/05/2013 07:04

Morning All!

Yesterday:
B: two fried eggs and slice of bacon in butter with mayo
S: 1/2 avocado
L: prawn mayo and salad
S: 1/2 avocado; pepperoni
T: Steak, asparagus and purple sprouting broc with garlic butter and mayo

Haven't lost any more today but plan to measure as was hoping just to go off how my clothes are feeling but want to get a bit more scientific about it!

For whoever was talking about it being difficult to knock coke zero on the head, I agree. I am more proud of the fact that I have drunk nothing but water and fennel and nettle tea for five days than anything else on bootcamp. I used to drink far too much coke but went cold turkey last sunday and haven't really looked back. good luck.

Am so pleased that my shopping list for today starts:
EV olive oil
Butter
Pork belly
Lamb ribs

newlark · 04/05/2013 08:44

Have a tray of mini-frittatas in the oven - they look fab - will have a some for breakfast and snacks then the rest will go on a picnic tomorrow. I used two finely sliced leeks and a finely chopped large flat mushroom fried in butter, 1/2 block crumbled feta and 4 large eggs to fill a 12 hole tray. Am hoping they won't stick to the tray too badly...

Weight loss has stalled for the moment - I dipped down to -5 on Tues but have been stuck at -4 since them.

sammisatt · 04/05/2013 08:48

Just checking in yesterday's intake.
B: 2 sausages one egg
L: chorizo scramble with spring greens
S: cheese
D: pork chop and braised cabbage

newlark · 04/05/2013 09:03

Well, the frittatas stuck badly (and I greased the so-called non-stick tin first) - they are very tasty but next time I'm using cake cases or just doing a big frittata in the frying pan and cutting it into slices... time for some difficult washing up.

BIWI · 04/05/2013 09:14

newlark - your weight loss hasn't stalled! What you are seeing is your body's normal fluctuations. If you are weighing daily then you must prepare yourself for this.

And 4lbs in one week is great. Visualise it - it's 8 packs of lard!

sammisatt - just go easy with the processed meats - sausages and chorizo in one day is quite a lot

OP posts:
warzonemummy · 04/05/2013 09:22

So ladies, I have been on this diet for last week and I have not lost anything.i am not sure what I am doing wrong. I also haven't experienced the carb flu or tiredness. Seems like no effect whatsoever.

I eat omelette with some cheese, green tea and cucumber for breakfast. Lunch is usually meat or fish with greens same is dinner. I have not eaten any carbs or surfers for a week. I was feeling so down that I had a glass of fresh orange juice this morning -I am on holiday since Wednesday in Turkey.

What am I doing wrong? Btw, I am 4 foot11 and weigh 148lb. So p,entry to loose.

Yama · 04/05/2013 09:23

Hello Long Weekend!

I have just had a lovely lie in (dh was up at 5am with ds), then bacon and eggs. I cooked them in butter then poured the hot butter over the plate. I sometimes get flashbacks to the pre-enlightened me who would have been horrified.

As the sun is out I'm about to go for a cycle along the sea front, then we are hosting family.

Nice day ahead. What has everyone else got planned?

Yama · 04/05/2013 09:26

Sorry WarzoneMummy, I don't know why you have lost anything but I do believe that it will happen.

BIWI will be back to reassure you (properly).

BIWI · 04/05/2013 09:27

Well, drinking orange juice will have put paid to any of the good work that you have done so far! Why sabotage yourself like that?

Looking at your menu, I would say there's a possibility that you're not eating enough, and that you are certainly not eating enough fat.

Have you been drinking plenty of water?

Also, what do you mean you haven't eaten any carbs or surfers?!!!

You should be eating some carbs, as these will be coming from your veg and salad.

Not everybody has carb flu - I never did.

And take your measurements - often you lose inches without the scales moving. No idea why, but it's true!

The thing to bear in mind is that low carbing is a healthy way to eat and is much better for you in the long term. Weight loss will come, but it's also about avoiding illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimers.

List out for me, in specific detail, what your meals have been this week, and tell me everything that you have been drinking as well.

OP posts:
twinklestar2 · 04/05/2013 10:09

Lol @ eating surfers!!

middleagedspread · 04/05/2013 11:02

Morning all.
If you're a newbie, like me, its definitely worth looking at the recipe thread. I've found some excellent (and family friendly) meals on there.
Asparagus Frittata sounds perfect for a sunny bank holiday.

BeattieBow · 04/05/2013 11:12

Hello everyone! weighed myself this morning and I've lost 6lb Shock. Admittedly it's been a really really stressful week, and at times i've just not eaten at all but still. Saturday usually my weigh in day because I often relax a bit over the weekend, but I'm trying not to this time. dh often sabotages my diet, and I try to eat with the dcs too, but am trying my best to not undermine my efforts this week.

back 2lb under the weight I finished at the end of the last bootcamp and for the first time in my adult life I'm under 11 stone!

off for a bit of retail therapy now...

GetOrfMoiLand · 04/05/2013 11:50

10 stone 1 dead this morning. So 5lbs since Monday.

I had bouillabaisse last night. And a couple of glasses of wine and a vodka cocktail.

Slightly hungover this morning and longing to demolish the ice cream in the freezer.

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