Week 1 - Summer Low Carb Bootcamp starts here!

[BIWI]

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).

Morning everyone
Just had a lovely breakfast scrambled eggs with baby spinach and chives.
I have never lc before and do feel a bit headachey etc but I think it's the coffee withdrawal. I can't believe I can feel this upbeat without it actually.

Morning all. I think my scales my have been wrong as I weighed in at 179.25 yesterday and 175.5 this morning. Now I know this WOE is good but I'm not sure you can drop 3.75lb in one day!

B - 2 hard boiled eggs, avocado
L - out for a team lunch at... Frankie and Benny's. Will probably have a bunless burger with a salad instead of chips
D - Pan fried salmon and salad or veg
S - I've got some cucumber and celery sticks and soft cheese

Signed in a day late as I was indisposed yesterday - a post-pub 'flu hangovery thing. So starting in earnest today.

Love some of the food ideas - I'm a rubbish cook so hopefully this will improve my cooking skills too Any recommendations for a low-carb recipe book or website?

Onwards and upwards ...or downwards with the weight loss. I'm excited...

changeforgood another teacher here. I find this woe so much better for me with work. I don't get the dips and tiredness during the day. You have to eat plenty of fat, have lots of snacks in the early days and plenty of water.

Anyone feeling tired is possibly due to not eating enough, not enough fat or not enough water or salt/electrolytes. Seriously add salt and butter to everything! Sea salt crystal butter is the best and you can eat it straight

millie this WOE has seriously improved my cooking skills, especially as i find i make more of an effort with the vegetables, and often create proper side dishes rather than just dump boiled veg on the plate (though steamed/boiled green veg with butter is still heavenly)

the bootcamp recipe thread has lots of fab ideas and links

i like the low carb gourmet book by karen barnaby, and the india knight and neris thomas idiot-proof diet cookbook is another good one (the cookbook that accompanies the diet book) - the IPD one is especially good because it has UK measurements and ingredients. there are quite a few low carb recipes and sites on the internet but i find it annoying having to navigate US measurements and products

this creamy braised cabbage is especially popular on here

ZimboMum - check the carb content of your vinegaraitte. (sp) some are really sugary.

B - Lidl yoghurt.
L - will be homemade vegetable soup
Tea - will be tescos ready meal (lazy) - chicken breasts wrapped in cheese and bacon, very low carb, will have with courgettes.

Weighed in on target this morning (9 2) so very pleased with that - although am going to use Bootcamp to try and lose 2 pounds by 11th as have a VERY unforgiving dress to wear that night.

Morning! Still feeling crap and itchy; think it's an allergy to something, but what, I just don't know

Buuut, in a better frame of mind this morning. Bacon and eggs and a few cherry tomatoes for breakfast; yum yum :)

I have a weird day workwise with meetings from 12 till 6. I have decided to have brunch instead of breakfast as I won't get time for lunch.

Brunch - bacon omelate and veg.
Tea - Stir fry veg and chicken.

I must buy some yoghurts. Am I allowed fruit flavoured yogs as long as they are full fat?

B - Lidl yog
L - Spinach omelette
D - Five spice marinaded salmon with pak choi and cauliflower 'rice'

ok ...... deep breath.... i think i am going to find this harder than I thought at first.
I did not realise how addicted to sugar I am by about 4pm yesterday I was craving something sugary.
Does anyone know how long the sugar craving lasts?
I drank 2 litres of water though and some herbal teas.

today
b 2 boiled eggs
l chicken breast and spinach (left over from last night)
d salmon courgette salad

Can I ask what teas we can drink? Are fruit flavoured teas ok or not? What about things like peppermint?

What do people do about eating out? We have a free train travel weekend coming up. We've planned a packed lunch for one day but the others we'll probably have to eat out for lunch. Do you usually stick to salads?

Attackofthefiftyfootwoman I think I must be odd because I never miss the real sugary treat stuff. I did WW last year and never missed chocolate or cakes or anything. I always miss the bread. Like you I was craving bread all evening yesterday but I'm not bothered about it today. I think I tend to find by Day 3 or 4 the cravings have all stopped (that's what I found with WW anyway)

Morning all. Have added weight to the spreadsheet 168lbs. and as this is the absolute heaviest I've ever been (other than when I was pg but that doesn't count). At least a stone of this has gone on since the end of January - I had a medical then and was weighed by the doc so I know its since then.

Just had breakfast, 3 hard boiled eggs, two sausages and mayo - then read spreadsheet and realised that sausages are no go (I had them yesterday too). Will be checking the recipe thread for these fritata thingys and other ideas of big, filling breakfasts I can make the night before and bring to work with me.

Also, which Lidl yogurt is it that we can eat? Is it the full fat one that comes in the big blue bucket? Hope so as its yum!

Hi Justpoppy I think lower carb sausages (Black Farmer or Debbie and someone Harrogate sausages) are OK, although they are processed so not every day.
0.2lb down for me (although that could be because I trimmed my fringe this morning ) but very indigestion-y so just managed FF total greek yoghurt for breakfast. Chicken mayo salad planned for lunch and meatballs on creamy leeks cut spaghetti style for tea (kids and DH will have proper spaghetti meatballs)
It all seems so much easier with the sun out!

Thanks Cathy. Just googled and it looks like Debbie & Andrews sausages. Will have to keep an eye out for those and the Black Farmer ones next time I'm in Sainsbos. I ususally shop at Lidls so no funky brands there!

PennyHoftstader ...try those fritatas for snacks - a muffin tray full kept in the fridge are great for breakfast, lunches or a go to snack....and simple to cook.

Biwi think I will weigh in daily too - after yesterday's shock weigh in where I seemed to be up by 5lbs from last week - this morning those 5lbs were gone again! A daily monitor with a downward trend will suit me .... of to change spread sheet weight.

B - 2 eggs and butter, coffee & cream
L - Mushroom soup, 1/2 avocado with ham & mayo
D - Pork chop with celeriac chips and green beans
S - couple fritatas

Oops - it might have been Twit who was looking for snacks - and PennyHoftstader who had the dodgy scales like me - sorry

Morning all, ope you're all doing well. Went to our local supermarket and they don't even have Boursin or any other full fat soft cheese anymore so arrggghhh! I wish I'd bought a cabbage and some cream to do the roast cabbage thing mentioned with a couple of the sausages. I don't eat much sausage or bacon but I remember from last time I felt I needed a full English type breakfast or I would drop. A I said, I am a snacker rather than big meals type of person as big meals make my tummy feel uncomfortable.
Startling to feel like I'm sloshing around a bit now

I have put one lb on! Grrrr I think it's a throwover from the weekend... I did go a bit mad as I knew I was going to be strict this week.

I am going to the gym on my lunchbreak and that lb will be gone by tomorrow!

can't remember who asked the questions but:

no to full fat fruit yoghurt - plain or natural or greek only
yes it's the big blue full fat greek yoghurt in Lidl, yummy
picnics/eating out - I take a lunch box to work full of smoked sausage/tuna/ham, lettuce, cucumber, celery/mushrooms and mayo with two HB eggs. I put a layer of salad in then the mayo then anoher layer of salad so the mayp doesn't stick to the lid!

*another
*mayo

justpoppy, the nuremberg sausages from lidl (little ones in a vac pack) are gluten free and lower carb than your usual rusk padded sausage. They are also bloody delicious.

Watch out though as they have normal and low fat ones in the same box, so make sure you avoid the low fat ones.

Yum yum yum. I just had lamb chops, pan fried in butter with some curry spices and a generous handful of spinach thrown in to wilt towards the end. I'd forgotten how good this WOE actually is.

Feeling really headachy and woozy though; not sure of it's carb withdrawals or this blasted rash. I think I might need to go back to the docs.

Hello everyone!! Do you like the name change this time round, not very imaginative but I'm working on the power of positive association!

Waving madly to all old chums from the Oct bootcamp and hello to all you lovely brave newbies! I would agree with the advice posted already for you:
Stick to bootcamp rules. Really stick. No "little slips" or you won't break the sugar cycle and it will all take much longer to work.
Be organised, plan ahead, have snacks to hand at home and to take with you out and about. It's hard to find LC snacks on the go so best to take your own!
Drink the water. Yep, you will pee like an incontinent carthorse for the first week (if you are anything like me, and were very dehydrated without realising it, anyway) but after a while your body learns that the water keeps coming and the toxins are flushing out and so voila fab skin, hair, shiny eyes, flat tummies.

This WOE really changed my life, for the better. Not just the 20lb weight loss but more energy, less mood swings, reduced PMT etc. hope you all stick with it!