I Tried the 28 Day Boost Camp - Here's What Happened Pre Camp

My thoughts | My results | The ups & downs | My likes & dislikes

Hi, I'm Ola. And I'm here to give you a rundown of what I've learnt while participating in the 28 Day Boost Camp.

I recently moved to Australia from Aotearoa, New Zealand. This move is what prompted me to give the camp a go. New country, new me, as they say. 

What is the 28 Day Boost Camp?

In a nutshell, it's a 28 Day online camp that focuses on gut health, teaches you about whole foods, intermittent fasting (which is optional) and how the body reacts to the food we consume.

It doesn't sound like a "here's a meal plan, good luck, and we'll see you in 28 days" type of plan, which I like most. I need guidance and structure, so this 28 Day Boost Camp seems like the perfect option for me.          

A little bit about myself & my eating habits 

• Age: 27
• Start weight: 78 kg [171 lbs] 
• Height: 170 cm or 5’7 inches 
• Sex: Female

Starting off, I was relatively healthy, or so I thought, but more about that later. I worked Monday to Friday from home, and I would eat your standard lunch and snacks during the day. I was also practising Judo and went to the gym during the week. 

My breakfasts, lunches and snacks usually consisted of toast with different spreads, eggs in various forms, fruit, packet pasta, oats, 2-minute noodles with tuna, salads drenched in dressings, and copious amounts of teas and coffees with cow's milk. You know, "healthy" things that were quick and easy to make.  

For dinners, depending on how much I ate during the day, I would either skip dinner or prepare quick-n-easy dishes such as stir-fries, baked pasta, protein and veggies and the odd takeaway when I couldn't be bothered cooking.   

Now, the weekends were when I would let loose a bit. I would go out to dinner with friends, and it would always end with a few too many cocktails. These nights out usually resulted in Sundays being hungover, takeaways being ordered, and snacks such as chips, chocolates and lollies [candy] being eaten. This style of living and eating was common for me. But as I was eating "relatively healthy" and being active during the week, I justified this way of life. 

My sleeping habits weren't fantastic, and I would still feel tired every time I woke up, which would result in me napping quite often. I would feel bloated after eating, but I thought it was just normal as it happened pretty often. My toilet times varied from every 2 to 3 days. 

Knowing what I know now, thanks to all the provided information, I wasn't as healthy as I thought I was.  

Pre 28 Day Boost Camp - weighing and measuring | shopping | meal prepping | overindulging

Fast Forward to the weekend before camp starts. 

Like many campers, I spent my weekend shopping and prepping using the included lists. Now, this part was quite challenging to wrap my head around, and it took me a very long time to finish everything. I would be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about giving up before it had begun. 

Kombu, Tamari, Erythritol? There were so many ingredients I had never heard of before, and in hindsight, I wish I had given myself more time to shop and prepare, as only having two days made it quite stressful.   

Another thing I did the weekend before Boost Camp was completely over-indulge. Being Easter, I ate so much chocolate, cakes, snacks and sweets, and I started eating just for the sake of eating. It's as if I thought I would never be able to eat this sort of food ever again— big mistake.  

TIP: If you're a first-time camper, I recommend shopping and prepping as soon as you receive your starter pack. Try not to leave it to the last minute. There's a lot of work that needs to be done beforehand, and it can be pretty overwhelming for first-timers. If you do become stressed, that's ok. Just breathe, and if you want, ask the Boost Camp FB community for pointers - it gets easier, trust me.  

As much as you're going to want to, try your best not to over-indulge before camp. Your future self will thank you. I learnt that the hard way as I crashed pretty hard my first day.

Saturday morning, I weighed, measured and took photos of myself. Here are my results:              

• Start weight: 77.7 kg [171 lbs] 
• Start BMI: 26.3
• Start measurements: 
• Neck 33 cm [13 inches]
• Hips 106 cm [42 inches]
• Waist 93 cm [37 inches]
• Left thigh 67 cm [26.5 inches]
• Left arm 30 cm [12.2 inches]

Want to continue reading about my journey? Read what happened during week 1 HERE. 

For more information on the next Boost Camp, click HERE  or email boost@bridgetshealthykitchen.com