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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.

Original poster

Low Carb Bootcamp - Jan 2016 - the questions thread

215 replies

BIWI · 18/01/2016 07:19

Post here any questions (or concerns) you may have here. The main chat thread often moves very quickly in the first few weeks, so specific questions can get missed!

OP posts:
Nateismine · 21/01/2016 00:49

How much fat is too much? Is there a target amount of fat we should aim to eat each day? For example, my lunch today was 2 hard boiled eggs and an avocado. Should I have had this with or without a big dollop of mayonnaise?

backonthewagon · 21/01/2016 01:25

Any ideas for red cabbage?

backonthewagon · 21/01/2016 01:29

fohamy12 i have a combination of cauli, swede and pumpkin mash depending on what I have in.

StuntNun · 21/01/2016 07:13

Another way to thicken stews is to add some grated swede.

Nate yes add the mayonnaise. This is a low carb - high fat diet so a minimum of 65% of your calories should be coming from fat.

blackteaplease · 21/01/2016 07:27

Urgh. I felt awful this morning very dizzy and shaky when I got up. Is this carb flu?

I ate dinner at 7. 30 and then breastfed baby 4 times overnight so perhaps I just need to eat more.

Original poster
BIWI · 21/01/2016 07:37

Yes - if you're breastfeeding that often during the night, it's worth having some kind of (low carb!) snack for you - StuntNun is the best person to advise you, as she's just had her fourth baby, and low carbed throughout.

But the other thing is to make sure you're getting plenty of salt - are you cooking with it and adding it to your food? Try a hot drink made from Oxo or Bovril, or Marmite.

Also ensure you're keeping your fat levels high.

OP posts:
blackteaplease · 21/01/2016 07:49

Thanks BIWI. I had a pint of water and an apple which helped but isn't low carb.

BeyondBootcampsAgain · 21/01/2016 08:49

Does anyone know if you can buy beef dripping, solid like you would lard? I've never seen it, but have a weird craving for it Grin

Original poster
BIWI · 21/01/2016 08:54

Why not have a chunk of cheese, or a hardboiled egg instead, blackteaplease? And what about the salt?

Beyond as far as I know, you should be able to buy beef dripping in any good/big supermarket. Otherwise, try a local butchers.

OP posts:
mustbemad71 · 21/01/2016 09:23

Beyond Waitrose do pots of fresh beef dripping - in meat chiller cabinet next to the beef.

blackteaplease · 21/01/2016 10:44

I have been salting food and adding butter to everything, I will have some stock to drink later too.

The apple was the 1st thing I could think of that I could eat upstairs.

Jerm123 · 21/01/2016 12:12

Hi, I lost quite a lot the week before boot camp started. 15' 2 down to 14' 9'
Do you think this is the reason it is so slow this week?

I'm 14' 7.5' today, which is a lot less than others are loosing.

Should I be cutting out the snacks if I'm not hungry just being greedy?

Mookbark · 21/01/2016 13:25

Jerm So you have lost 8.5 lbs in 10 days? That sounds fab to me. I've lost similar in 17 days, the vast majority in that first week. Well done Flowers

Original poster
BIWI · 21/01/2016 13:51

Undoubtedly Jerm! You can't possibly expect to continue that kind of weight loss after the first couple of weeks.

The initial 'whoosh' of weight loss is comprised of:

water
using up your glycogen stores
a little bit of fat

After that, weight loss will be fat only

Don't cut out anything at this stage. You know it works, so just keep on keeping on. A weekly loss of 1-2lbs is what we're looking for, as this is the most sustainable in the longer term.

Please don't think you can continue to lose more than this each week as you will only ever be disappointed.

OP posts:
Jerm123 · 21/01/2016 14:45

Thanks, I know. I got so excited when I lost so much the first week, I adjusted my expectations.

This is the first time I've ever attempted a diet. I was plump, but not fat after having a child - until 2 years ago, when I was very ill. Most people loose weight when ill, I piled it on and now have 4.5 to 5 stone to loose. I've grabbed my old life back, and now for the old body.

I'm going to aim for 13' anything (13' 13.9 will do) by 17th Feb. Hopefully, as I am so overweight, I can manage that!

I know I've been a bit greedy re the snacks, as I've not felt hungry after the first 3 days, but it's nice to know I can indulge!

hefzi · 21/01/2016 15:29

I seem to be struggling to get a lot of fat into my diet without doing it through dairy (veggie here): could anyone please clarify for me if avocados count as fat or carb on this WOE?

I'm splashing the oil on my salads, but I'm usually aware of when my diet is high fat (without TMI, my stomach tends to notice it Blush) and despite eating my own bodyweight in eggs and olive oil, I'm not seeming to feel any effect. I see from the other thread people are losing massively, which is fantastic, but I don't dare to check before Monday in case I've put on weight, which would be a huge knock after only a couple of days!

Original poster
BIWI · 21/01/2016 19:50

hefzi - if you're eating low carb, then fat won't make you put on fat. Honestly!

Are you using butter? That doesn't count as dairy, and should be OK as a veggie (unless you're a vegan?).

List out for me what you've been eating (in detail - i.e. how you've cooked/served things) and I'll see if I can help you.

And don't be fooled. Not everyone loses massively - but those who do tend to be the ones who post! Remember that this isn't a competition - it's about all of us, and how we all fare with the WOE.

OP posts:
StuntNun · 21/01/2016 21:23

It will pass in a couple of days BlackTea but definitely keep a snack by your bed for the morning. My DS3 was 7 months when I first went low carb and feeding up to five times a night - when I had low carb flu I could barely stand in the morning.

blackteaplease · 21/01/2016 21:29

Thanks StuntNun, that's exactly what happened to me this morning. I took my 3yo to the loo straight from bed and thought I was going to pass out.

Snack by the bed it is, I haven't done that since dc1 was a newborn.

StuntNun · 21/01/2016 21:29

Jerm weight loss is not linear, the weight will come off but it will do so in fits and starts. Keep following the rules and make sure you eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full. If you want to lose weight faster then you could stay on Bootcamp after two weeks rather than moving to Bootcamp Light.

Hefzi coconut oil is good for weight loss. Mayonnaise is another good way to get more fat into your diet.

hefzi · 21/01/2016 21:42

Aha, I've been counting butter as dairy: thanks, BIWI!

I've been struggling with three meals a day, as for years I've just eaten one (massive Blush) meal in the evening, but this week, I've had:

Monday: B 2 eggs scrambled in butter with spinach
L 3 hard boiled eggs and cucumber
D lettuce, cucumber, celery, tomato + avocado salad with olive oil + white wine vinegar dressing
Snack: yoghurt

Tuesday: B Cheddar and cucumber
L 4 hard boiled eggs, mashed avocado and celery sticks
D salad with feta and dressing
Snack: hard boiled egg

Wednesday: all three meals salad and feta + oil dressing (have a bug, and this was what I fancied, so I went with it!)
No snack

Thursday: B mashed avocado with Tabasco
L four scrambled eggs (in butter) with spinach
D cauliflower and kale made up thing fried in weird oil and butter combo, salad with oil dressing
Snack: yoghurt

I'm not hungry at all (not surprising the amount of eggs I am putting away Grin) but I am craving fruit quite a lot - especially grapefruit, for some reason, which I rarely bought anyway...

Does coconut milk and/or cream count as a fat too?

StuntNun gave me some good links, and I know I need to be eating plenty of fat, but I was just worried that it mainly comes from dairy atm, which I know from your links might not be ideal. I made up vinaigrette dressing on Monday, and figure that I've probably consumed about 3 tbsp so far: I wasn't sure if it was OK to add regular white wine vinegar, but did, mainly because I can't stand the taste of olive oil on its own!

hefzi · 21/01/2016 21:43

Thanks, StuntNun - I picked up a giant jar at the supermarket today, because I've had a bizarre egg mayonnaise/deviled eggs craving! They were out of coconut oil, so I am planning a trawl at the weekend to try to find some - I thought that might be useful to add in to butter for frying etc?

fohamy12 · 21/01/2016 21:49

Thanks BackOnTheWagon for your mash advice, I have always used potatoes previously and it's so nice to use different veggies now. Finally got celeriac and it was so delicious in BIWI'S recipe for shepherds pie mixed with shallots!

Original poster
BIWI · 21/01/2016 22:35

Wine vinegar is perfect! Just avoid balsamic as that is very carby

OP posts:
hefzi · 21/01/2016 22:50

I thought I'd read somewhere that you'd said that - straight balsamic was my previous go-to for a salad dressing, trying to avoid all that nasty fat Blush

Honestly- it really gives me the rage: I feel like I have been misled for years by the blooming diet industry - I am probably consuming less overall, despite eating more of lots of delicious things I wouldn't have previously allowed myself for being "too fattening", but even if I'm not, I actually feel satiated (but not over-full) for the first time in literally years Shock