Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - the questions thread

[BIWI]

In the first week or so of Bootcamp, the chat thread tends to move very quickly, so if you have any specific questions, post them here - and then there's more chance that they will get spotted!

fluffy I don't particularly like it either. I just don't have milk. I don't drink proper tea anyway and coffee is just so lovely with cream, so who needs milk?

I only have one 'proper' tea a day, first thing, the rest of the day I have it black or have herb tea, with one cup of filter coffee with cream.

regeneration I use little gem lettuce for things like that. It is a handy wee scoop/spoon.

I often use lettuce as a bread substitute and I much prefer it. Yesterday I had prawns and crayfish tails on little gem, I've also used it as a wrap for things like chicken "fajitas" or for pate.

I wrote "fajita" because I thought that was the wrap part, it's not!

Thanks Sayers, I've had duck with lettuce wraps. IT'S nice. I'll try the baby gems with pate

I'm a low carb lurker thinking of taking the plunge, with a couple of queries;

I'm a condiment fiend, what's best to totally avoid and whats a safe bet to liven up dishes?
Ketchup, mayo, mustard, mint sauce, salad cream?

Any sort of pickle or chutney ok to have with cheese?

And finally, what do we think about splashes of red wine, brandy or sherry in sauces?

No to ketchup and salad cream but yes to full fat mayo. I think mustard is ok since you probably don't use as much, but check the carb counts. I'm not sure about mint sauce.

I suspect no to pickle or chutney but I'm not sure since I don't like them so don't use either, check the carb counts and let me know what they are then I can advise.

Splashes of alcohol in food should be ok.

Anything else just ask, you can join us on the week three thread whenever you want

Ok, two quick questions.
First, can we have pesto? 4.6g Carb per 100g. Hoping the answer is yes as I'm having it in a minute.
Secondly, what is the hot chocolate recipe, please? I think it was dark chocolate, cream and ? And what are the rough quantities? Thanks.

Yes, pesto is ok, especially since you probably won't have a massive amount of it.

For hot chocolate it is cocoa powder and cream usually, I don't like it because it is too bitter for me. You could try with dark chocolate but I reckon you'd need a lot of chocolate to make it taste chocolatey then it wouldn't be LC.

Pesto should be fine - 4.6g per 100g is fine so long as you're not having much of it, so a spoonful isn't an issue iyswim. Likewise mustard is fine for the same reason. Mayo varies quite a lot depending on brand - I have a french brand at the moment with no sugar in it so v low - 0.9g per 100g or something. Some brands have a small amount of sugar in so rather higher.

Thanks Sayrra and Pootle, yes, didn't have much of the pesto but it was lovely with Parmesan on salmon.
Will skip the hot chocolate for now. I'm after a creamy, hot drink for the evenings but needs to be caffeine free. Any ideas?

I have twinnings spicy chai in almond milk (3 mins in microwave) with a dash of double cream.

Lovely, spicy and creamy.

I also love pesto on salmon, though two of the Italian's at my work maintain that we are all weird for using pesto in such a way. They also think it is odd putting it on chicken.

Pickles/chutneys vary enormously - it depends on what fruit has been used, and how much sugar in the pickling process. So you will have to check the labels. But I've found that lime pickle can be pretty low carb - and a good lime pickle goes surprisingly well with a sharp, mature cheddar.

Fluffy and Hunt I found KoKo (yes really!) in Tesco. Dairy free made from coconut milk 2.6 carbs per 100ml and tastes absolutely fine in tea.

Thanks for your help, I guess I have always overdone it on the chutney so much because of the sweetness!

Re. The mint sauce, I looked at labels and most have sugar and carbs of about 20-25g. But I did find a coleman's Mint concentrate which is pretty much just mint and vinegar so was low carb. That will do nicely with lamb for me I think!

Have had a couple of trial days and (apart from slipping up on sugar free squash, balsamic vinegar and red pepper, and not having enough water) it has felt doable and it's just so lovely not to go to bed feeling stuffed knowing I've massively overeaten, but nor have I felt hungry! Do have a stinking headache but guess this is carb flu and to be expected plus know I need to drink more.

Thank, I'll give the spicy chai with that KOKO a go.

Koko is just coconut milk watered down a lot, with some other stuff (e.g. grape juice, which isn't low carb).

I have a splash of Aroy D coconut milk www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/aroy-d/coconut-milk - 2g per 100g of carbs, you need less (Koko is only 8% coconut, Aroy D is 60%) and no crap.

Because it is so fatty, you need to whist it up or stir vigorously to get it to emulsify properly though. I guess they've already done goodness-knows-what to get the Koko stuff emulsified.

I had a spicy chai latte with alpro coconut milk (2.6g. Carbs) and a splash of cream last night. It was lovely, just what I was after, thanks Sayrra

I couldn't find Koko in sainsburys. Got alpro coconut youghurt. Haven't tried it yet. Also got these carb free noodles and rice from Groupon. They were OK. Anyone heard of them? are they ok to eat?

If they're made from Konjac, then yes they're OK. I haven't tried the rice.

The only thing about the Alpro yoghurt is that it's likely to be low fat, so perhaps worth adding some double cream to it?

yes it is. Had the rice last night. Was OK. Think it's the same stuff but just smaller pieces! I have a massive pot of double cream so will add some to the Alpro thanks!

Hello
Can you tell me anything about this diet and Graves' disease? I am being treated for hyperthyroidism and piling on the pounds. I want to lose weight and be healthier in general.

Hello all - can anyone inspire me as am severely sleep deprived so can't think of a recipe for tonight.
What would you do with chicken thighs, chorizo and a slow cooker ?
Thanks if you can help am supposed to be working so daren't browse the recipe thread as I may get lost for hours!
TIA

Sorry - have only just seen this - by now a slow cooker will be way too late!

But this is what I'd do. Saute some sliced shallots with a bit of garlic and the chorizo (diced) in some butter/oil, when the shallots are softened and the chorizo has begun to release its fat, chuck the chicken thighs in (with their skin on) and fry them till they start to take on a bit of colour. Then add them to the slow cooker. Deglaze the frying pan with some water and add that to the slow cooker. You might also want to add some chopped tomatoes.

My question is one that troubles me every time I start a low carb diet and is really the reason I always end up giving up: how much should I or can I be eating? Given I'm not counting calories and that I'm eating foods which are pretty high in calories I find it very hard to judge. I have a big appetite and have always battled with my weight as a consequence so no restrictions on quantity is hard for me. Also I just can't get my head round the calorie thing. I read The " a calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie " post and would love to believe it but can't quite.