Veg is so high in carbs, not sure I can do this.

[123Jump]

Hi, and trying to get to grips with this before bootcamp starts on 19th.
But I don't eat meat so eat a lot of veg. But it is all coming out so high in carbs there is no way I can stay under 20g for bootcamp.
I had an omelette with mushrooms and spinach, then noticed the spinach was 4g alone!
For lunch I was going to have cauliflower,sprouts and Quorn sausage. The cauliflower is working out at 11g!!
How can I do this? I know people have mentioned a veg cookbook, can't remember the name but Ive ordered it, but need some more ideas too.

[123Jump]

Meant to add that for dinner am having cod, no carbs, and french beans, 10g!!!

[Delphine31]

I would avoid any diet that encourages you to reduce the amount of vegetables you eat. There are better ways. To me, a way of eating that focuses on eating plenty of good nutrients is healthier and more sustainable than a diet that severely reduces a major food group.

But, I'm speaking out of turn as I'm not fully read up on what this diet entails. I'm sure others will be along shortly and will be more helpful.

[Showy]

I have tried to type out a response a few times, but basically, what Delphine said. Why do you have to low carb? If you're trying to be fitter/slimmer/healthier, then the best way to achieve this is to find a way of eating and exercising which works for the rest of your life. Temporarily restricting your diet, particularly when you like/eat so many vegetables and are suddenly expected to stop, is not healthy and not sustainable.

Getting fitter and healthier is something you should feel positive about, excited and empowered by. Not worried and sceptical.

[FurryDogMother]

I eat more veg when low carbing than I ever do when eating a standard diet - I have never measured my consumption of green leafy veg, cauliflower, mushrooms, salad greens, aubergines, sprouts etc., - I just avoid spuds, carrots and other starchy things. It still seems to work!

[outtolunchagain]

I also eat loads of veg on low carb diet , mostly green leafy also lots of cauliflower ( it makes a lovely mash substitute) the only be avoids are potatoes , carrots , sweetcorn and peas I think .

I would have a look at the low carb recipe threads

[JellyBabiesSaveLives]

I don't know about low-carb diets but I do know about counting carbs - ds2 has type 1 diabetes and we use the carb-count to calculate how much insulin he needs.

The relevant bit - we don't count the carbs in vegetables (except potatoes). Some people count the carbs in peas and sweet corn. But the rest don't affect his blood sugar.

So for a low-carb diet I should think veg is ok / unlimited.

[lljkk]

There are special sources for vegetarians wanting to low-carb. It is tough. I think you'd be better off aiming at 40 grams for your bootcamp.

[Apophenia]

Agree that I eat waaaay more veg when I'm low carbing - it fills my plate.

I just don't eat potatoes!

[123Jump]

Ah, ok this is making me feel much better.
I'm not much overweight, but thinking ahead to Summer and the beach.
DH low carbs, which was hard for him as he loves bread. But he has done so well on it, and seeing all the boot campers gearing up inspired me.
However, you have all made me feel much better. It was bad enough realising I had to give up fruit, let alone veg too!
Thank you all.

[miffy49]

I don't know where you get the idea from that you can't have veg. On all the best low carb plans you can eat as much as you like of veg that grows above ground except for peas and sweet corn. Maybe you are following a counter that is US based. They label food differently from Europe and count fibre as a carb. If that's the case you need to look at net carb values not total carb.

Have you checked out the BootCamp food list? Big veg list there. Another good resource is the Diet Doctor site. Neither requires you to count carbs.

[HumphreyCobbler]

on bootcamp you can eat unlimited amounts of veg as long as it is under 4g carbs per 100g. That is a massive list of vegetables. I also would argue that I eat MORE veg when low carbing than most people ever do.

[MarshaBrady]

I eat loads of spinach and cauliflower. And all the veg on the low carb list.

It's fine. Check out the list on the low carb thread.

[Vagndidit]

You need some veg. I think it's very realistic and unhealthy to just eat pure protein and zero carbs.

Veggies didn't make you fat in the first place.

[Vagndidit]

There's also the belief that the fibre levels help to offset some of the carb counts in veggies. So eat and enjoy!

[123Jump]

I was using MFP.
On the new bootcamp thread BIWI has put some of the rules, and it said no fruit for the first two weeks and 20g carbs in a day.
That is why I was putting everything into MFP and the veg was pushing me well above the 20g.

[123Jump]

Vagndidit I am vegetarian, I eat plenty of veg. I am not eating zero carbs, it is about eating less carbs.

And I'm not fat, although if I was thank you for pointing it out so nicely.
I will admit I ate too many Ferrero Rocher over christmas, but that is a whole other thread....

[nocarbsplease]

I don't count carbs in green veg / salad at all. It still works.

[toffeeboffin]

I low carb, in the sense that I avoid bread (for me the worst culprit for weight gain) pasta , rice, noodles, anything trashy, white and carby.

I eat loads of veg, more protein, porridge, pulses and spuds, but not huge amounts. I think the important thing is increasing veg and protein, and reducing the processed stuff. Works for me. Cutting out alcohol too, unfortunately!

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

I think low carb often works for people who eat few vegetables otherwise - they eat more, and suddenly, the weight comes off! It's very logical, but if you already eat masses of veg, I think might not be the best way.

[SayraT]

There are quite a few vegetarians on the LC bootcamp and they all seem to be fine.

Why don't you, either here or on the bootcamp thread, list your meals for the past few days and we can take a look.

Here are the rules for the vegetarian bootcamp:

1.Eat three, proper meals a day.
You must eat breakfast. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but you must have something. For the rest of the day, if you’re eating enough food and you are in ketosis then you shouldn’t be hungry. But if you are hungry, eat something. (Hard boiled eggs make a great snack)

2.Avoid processed food
Focus on pure, natural ingredients as the basis for your meals. Vegetarian Sausages and Burgers are ok in small quantities, but check the carb count as some can be very high. Avoid foods marketed as 'Low Carb' such as Atkins Daybreak Bars, etc.

3.Eat lots of fat.
Eating fat helps you to burn fat. Honestly! 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), add mayonnaise where you can (just check the carb count on your mayo first). Absolutely no low fat/light foods of any kind!

4.Make sure you are eating plenty of vegetables and salads with your food
This is where most 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

5.Be careful about dairy (apart from butter, which is unlimited).
It can impede weight loss for some people. If you are still drinking tea/coffee with milk or cream, try to restrict yourself to max 2 cups per day. 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.

6.You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day.
The more weight you have to lose, the more water you should drink

7.No alcohol
If you really can't do this - at least try and restrict it to the weekend. Vodka with soda is the best thing to drink. Or Champagne, red wine or dry white wine.

8.No fruit
Really. Seriously. Honestly. None at all. Zilch. Nada.

9.Beware of Nuts and Seeds.
Nuts are a very good way to include more fat and protein in your diet, however some are very high carb (e.g. Cashews). Stick to small amounts of Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Dried Coconut, Walnuts, Seeds and Peanut Butter, but check the ingredients, many supermarket brands have sugar added.

10.No sugar or artificial sweeteners

It doesn't say anything about only 20g carbs on there and as far as I was aware there isn't really a limit, some people can deal with more carbs than others and it is a case of finding out what your own limit is.

The above rules are strict for the first 2 weeks, after that you can move onto bootcamp light when some of the rules are relaxed...for the next 8 weeks. After that you can experiment with adding higher carb veg occasionally/some very occasional sweet things etc.

Here are the changes for bootcamp light:

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."

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. Sainsbury’s sell little bags of roasted, salted Macadamias that work out at around 4g per bag.
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:
Brazils 3.1g carbs per 100g
Walnuts 3.3g carbs per 100g
Pistachios 4.6g carbs per 100g
Macadamias 4.8g carbs per 100g
Hazelnuts 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"

[ppeatfruit]

I lost nearly 3 stone and am maintaining my size 10 (it has to be lifestyle change IMO and E) With Paul Mckenna and a very healthy low carb. diet; I eat fruit on an empty stomach, I eat as many veg as I want, and some fish , a little org. white meat. No dairy or wheat (but rye,spelt toast etc.) Olive oil instead of butter for everything and food combining.

My health and figure are very good and I'm getting on !!

[AntiHop]

When I'm doing low carb, I don't restrict the amount of low carb veg I eat such as lettuce, spinach and mushroom. And it still worked very week for me.

The low carb vegetarian cook book is by rose Elliot.

[Stealthpolarbear]

This is ridiculous surely

[SayraT]

What is ridiculous stealth?

[DurhamDurham]

I'm low carbing and don't eat bread, past, rice or potatoes. I est what ever vegetables I like without worrying about their carb value. I don't feel deprived because everything I eat is so