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Low-carb bootcamp

Join discussions about low-carb bootcamp plans, meals and progress. Consider speaking to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Bootcamp - the questions thread

798 replies

BIWI · 13/01/2014 07:24

From experience of past Bootcamps, in the first few weeks the chat threads move really, really quickly and it's difficult sometimes to see/answer everything.

So this is a place to post any questions that you might have. Those of us who are old hands at low carbing will check this thread regularly and make sure that we answer you as soon as we can.

OP posts:
MintyCoolMojito · 10/05/2014 16:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

magso · 10/05/2014 20:43

Thanks (for looking up liquorice root tea) Biwi. I think each tea bag (at 1.5 grams max each including the bag) probably means the carbohydrate value is 0.2 0.3. Possibly OK if I limit to one a day.

BIWI · 11/05/2014 11:43

That sounds reasonable!

OP posts:
NeverHadANickname · 11/05/2014 12:02

I had liquorice root tea the other day and it said on the box it was 0.3g when made up.

wombat22 · 11/05/2014 12:08

I have a question please - i am currently doing the boot camp and am 1 week in. When we go onto boot camp light and reintroduce things, such as nuts or berries, won't we instantly gain weight again? Confused

BIWI · 11/05/2014 12:09

If you eat masses of them, then yes! But in moderation, as long as you're following the rest of the rules, it means that you are freed up to enjoy a wider range of foods.

But it's not obligatory - if Bootcamp suits you, nothing to say you can't stay with that for as long as you like.

OP posts:
wombat22 · 11/05/2014 12:15

Thank you. I do miss fruit and would like to try a small portion of blueberries/strawberries after my initial bootcamp. I'll wait and see how it goes. Smile

BIWI · 11/05/2014 12:37

Just be mindful of the fact that fruit is sugar. Remember that we're trying to break the hold over us that sugar and sweet things have.

OP posts:
wombat22 · 11/05/2014 12:41

You're right. I won't make any decision until boot camp is over. I may just try stick to it for longer than the 2 weeks. Thank you BIWI

NeverHadANickname · 11/05/2014 13:07

Yum! I'm not sure how nice it looks in the photo but it was delish. So filling, I couldn't eat all of the pork. I have about 2 portions left for dinners too which is good.

Bootcamp - the questions thread
NeverHadANickname · 11/05/2014 13:07

Ooops, that was meant to go on the chat thread, sorry! As you were.

magso · 11/05/2014 20:19

I don't seem to have lost any weight yet (didn't expect to just yet as I've made a few mistakes), but the tight trousers I usually avoid felt comfy today. I started late then made a few mistakes (I am new to trying to loose weight as opposed to eat healthily). I wondered if it will be slower to loose weight(even once I get things strictly right) if I only have 7-8 lbs to loose?

olivesnutsandcheese · 11/05/2014 20:40

Does anyone know how to / what to do to aubergine so I can use it as lasagne layer in lieu of pasta. I've tried a couple of times but it's always so watery.

Are you supposed to pre-cook it?

Thanks

BIWI · 11/05/2014 20:41

magso - yes, the closer you are to your target, the slower the weight loss will be.

olives - I would slice the aubergine lengthways and fry/griddle it to brown/soften before using it in a lasagne

OP posts:
StuntNun · 12/05/2014 10:14

The Whoosh

On this WOE (way of eating) when your daily calorie intake is lower than required to meet your energy requirements, your body makes up the difference from your fat stores. (NB Whereas on a low fat diet your body makes up the energy difference by decreasing your metabolism.) Fat cells all over your body release some of their stored fat into the bloodstream but they take in an equal weight of water. The theory is that this preserves the size of the fat cell, presumably in case the calorie restriction ends and the fat stores can be replenished.

Now water is more dense than fat (remember oil floats on water) so the fat cells decrease a little in volume and this is why your waist or other measurements decrease sometimes even though your weight hasn't changed. When the whoosh fairy visits, some 'housekeeping mechanism' is triggered and a lot of fat cells suddenly release their stored water and shrink and you see a sudden drop on the scales.

Basically as you low carb your body is steadily using up its fat stores at a rate of 1-2 lb per week but your body's water levels are fluctuating all over the place so your weight varies significantly from day to day. This is why BIWI recommends weekly weigh-ins to follow the overall trend of weight loss. Note that the whoosh theory is just a theory. There is some supporting evidence such as that the water content of the fat mass increases during dieting.

StuntNun · 12/05/2014 10:32

On Weighing

Here are three graphs of my actual weight loss following this WOE over two Bootcamps last year with only minor wielding of BIWI's stick required. If you're on the MN app then you'll need to use a web browser to be able to see the graphs.

The 'daily' graph is every weight I recorded over the five months, not quite every day but probably most days.

The 'weekly' graph is with weekly weigh-ins plotted (there are some gaps when I was away from my beloved scales).

The 'monthly' graph is with monthly weigh-ins plotted.

You can see that with daily weighing, while the overall trend is downwards, there are times when weight loss slowed or weight actually increased which I'm sure was quite distressing at the time. On the weekly graph the downward trend is a lot more obvious but there are still obvious plateaus and gains. This is absolutely typical for weight loss on a low carb high fat (LCHF) diet and this is why BIWI advises weekly weigh-ins rather than daily. If you look at the monthly graph you can see that in fact monthly weigh-ins would probably be the best interval as the downward trend is obvious and you don't see any of the plateaus or temporary gains that can be so disheartening when they occur.

We're in this for the long-haul people so just because you don't see a weight loss every week, remember that it doesn't necessarily mean that you haven't been losing fat.

Bootcamp - the questions thread
Bootcamp - the questions thread
Bootcamp - the questions thread
nappyaddict · 12/05/2014 13:13

DP has fallen off the bootcamp light wagon with all the bank holidays so he is starting again next week. he has just been brushing up on the bootcamp web page and noticed blueberries are no longer on the fruit list. Are they no longer allowed?

Also what is the carb count for olives? Are they allowed?

BIWI · 12/05/2014 13:31

Blueberries should be on there I think! (Although for Bootcamp Light, obviously)

Olives are allowed. From weightlossresources.co.uk:

Olives, in Brine
Calories in 100g of olives
Calories 103.0kcal
Carbohydrate 0.0g
Protein 0.9g
Fat 11.0g
Fibre 2.9g

Other sites disagree with this figure, and say that they do have carbs - but they are still low, so they make a good snack.

OP posts:
nappyaddict · 12/05/2014 15:32

Ah MNHQ must have accidentally missed the blueberries off. Phew! He has them every morning with breakfast.

Fourarmsv2 · 12/05/2014 22:04

Stuntnun Thanks for posting those graphs - a real eye opener. I might plot mine tomorrow :)

antimatter · 13/05/2014 07:08

I found some stuff which may be useful to others too:

Fatigue and Dizziness

As you start dumping water, you'll lose minerals such as salt, potassium and magnesium as well. Having lower levels of these minerals will make you very, very tired, lightheaded or dizzy, give you muscle cramps, and headaches. This is one of the most common of the low carb diet side effects, and it can be avoided for the most part by making sure you get enough replacement minerals.
You can counteract the mineral losses by eating more salt or drinking salty broth, and eating potassium containing foods. (Dairy foods, green leafy vegetables and avocados are high in potassium).

As long as your carb intake is below 60 carbs a day, you will need to continue to eat a moderate amount of salt (5 gram/day which is about the same as the standard American diet provides). However, if you take medicine for high blood pressure, check with your doctor.

In addition, you may want to take 400 mg of magnesium citrate every night before bed. (Check with your doctor first if you have kidney or heart health issues).

It's also really important to eat at least 2 cups of raw green leafy vegetables every day. These vegetables provide potassium and vitamin K, and will also help with hunger.

Craving for sweets = Reactive Hypoglycemia

www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/reactive-hypoglycemia.html

As you lower your carbohydrate intake, you begin a process of retraining your body to burn stored fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. Normally, it takes from 1-3 weeks for the body to adjust the new lower level of carbohydrate intake, and build the enzymes needed to burn stored fat.

Meanwhile, during this adjustment phase, your pancreas is still secreting enough insulin for the older, higher level of carbohydrate consumption. And remember, because insulin levels are high, the body is dependent on carbohydrate for fuel, since stored fat can't be accessed.

Your body hums along with less carb intake for a couple of days because it can tap into the stored carb (glycogen) in your liver and muscles. But eventually, the glycogen runs out, more insulin is secreted than actually needed, and a couple of hours later, you have a severe episode of reactive hypoglycemia.

How to Avoid Reactive Hypoglycemia

In the short term, when first starting a low carb diet, eating more frequently may help.

Long term, the best way to avoid reactive hypoglycemia is to permanently reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat on a daily basis.

This will eventually lower your daily blood sugar and circulating insulin. Once insulin returns to normal levels, your body can then access its fat stores, and quickly switch over to burning fat for fuel when you go without a meal or two.

During the first phases of eating a lower carb, ketogenic diet, it’s a good idea to make sure you eat every 3-4 hours. Until you can retrain your body to burn fat, don’t try to go for more than 4 hours without food.

Paradoxically, some people who experience chronic hypoglycemic reactions report that waiting 5-6 hours before the next meal actually helps reduce the reactions.

nappyaddict · 13/05/2014 18:29

BIWI probably a stupid question but DP can't remember if backcurrantscount as berries for bootcamp light?

nappyaddict · 13/05/2014 18:43

oh and which nuts is it almonds and peanuts?

nappyaddict · 14/05/2014 11:48

Someone has sent me this low carb bread recipe. It uses flaxmeal though. Is that allowed on bootcamp/bootcamp light?