Is anybody interested in a January Low Carb Bootcamp?

[BIWI]

The last one was pretty quiet, so I'm trying to gauge how many would be interested in a January one - probably starting around the middle of the month.

@stuntnun will be able to answer better but my understanding is that you need to know both cholesterol measurements and their ratio. One is "good" cholesterol and the other arguably "bad", but it's not just as simple as looking at the straight figures, it's about their ratio.

Some GPs are good and understand this and will tell you both figures and others just medicate because "it" is high

... and don't forget how much money there is be to made selling products to lower cholesterol!

I'd like to join please. Have lost 26lbs so far but have a lot more to lose, and low carb is always recommended for PCOS so looking forward to giving this a go!

BIWI I have also seen articles over time about cholesterol. which give me pause for thought. I spoke to my Dr once about it, but she advised I keep on with the tablets. I think I'll try intermittent fasting and low carb and see if that improves things. I'll ask her to retest my levels when I've completed this bootcamp. Thank you for your help and info on this - it's much appreciated.

It's very difficult when you know that there's a financial motive behind certain advice!

If you're interested, have a read of The Great Cholesterol Con by Dr Malcolm Kendrick

... and if you Google 'Zoe Harcombe' and 'cholesterol' you should find some interesting blog posts by her. Here's one of them

Is it possible to do this with fairly low fat protein? I had gallstone issues a long time agio but find high fat food gives me appalling indigestion and makes me nauseous.

I can happily eat kale or lettuce by the bucket and love lean steak, chicken, fish and quite like eggs. But need yoghurt and milk to be reduced fat. And to cut the fat off pork, bacon etc. Would this be OK?

Which tablets are you taking @dogmandu ? There shouldn’t be any reason why you can’t eat a high fat diet. It’s possible to eat high fat but still minimise cholesterol intake if you have high cholesterol.

I'm taking Atorvastatin 20mg. A high fat with minimal cholesterol damage would be perfect for me. I'm going to give this bootcamp a go. I like the communal support.

@dogmandu afaik there's no reason why you can't have a high fat diet with Atorvastatin. If you want to limit cholesterol/saturated fat then opt for monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocado oil and nut oils such as walnut or macadamia) over animal fats such as butter, lard and dripping. Also, it would be a good idea to emphasise oily fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, sardines and mackerel to boost your intake of omega-3s. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about the natural fat found in foods such as chicken skin or the fat on a pork chop, but focus on the added fats used in cooking and preparation. The basis of a low carb diet is that we reduce our intake of carbs and increase our intake of fats (while keeping protein intake more or less the same) but you have a lot of choice over where those fats come from. There's a subgroup of people called Lean Mass Hyper Responders whose cholesterol remains stubbornly high when they switch to a low carb diet. It might be worth checking out their Facebook group if you think this applies to you: www.facebook.com/groups/LeanMassHyperResponder/?ref=share

May I ask what the plan is, what you can or can’t eat?

Sorry, I’ve now answered my question as Ive read back over the past pages, are unsweetened back tea or coffee or decaff coffee allowed. Hot drinks are just such a crucial part of my day I’d find it extra hard to give them up!

@stuntnun
thank you for taking the time and effort to give me this info. I do have olive oil and avocado oil in the houses atm, so will cut down on the butter and rely more on those two. It's hard after years of being scared to death of fats to finally be able to embrace them. I'm not on facebook, but I think I'll try this bootcamp and then see what effect it has on my cholesterol after (hopefully) my dr will do a blood check. I've been on the fringes of doing something similar for a few weeks and it pushed by sugar level right down so I feel good about that.

@dogmandu

Have a read of some of the resources on the Spreadsheet (check out the tabs at the bottom). If you're going to low carb, it's really important that you understand the science behind it, so you understand why being a high fat diet is so important.

BIWI is the spreadsheet now available or will it be available when we start officially?
I have looked up some of the info on youtube about fat and how it's used for energy , but I still have some questions, so will take your advice when the spreadsheet is up. Thank you.

Sorry @dogmandu I forgot post the link! Here is the spreadsheet from the last Bootcamp (with previous posters' names hidden!)

I'll post a new spreadsheet, with all our names on it, when I post the first chat thread of the new Bootcamp.

Quick cheese question before I empty the fridge of Xmas leftovers....

On low-carb, can I have
Wensleydale with ginger and mango?
Stilton with dried cranberries?

TIA

So up for starting this again next week. Not sure why I stopped TBH.

Er ... no! Fruit not allowed in the first two weeks, and those are both very high in carbs.

I don't know where you bought them from, but Waitrose have the Wensleydale, and according to their website, that cheese is 24.1g carbs per 100g which is huge!

I can't find an exact match for the Stilton, but again Waitrose do one similar - Stilton with cranberries and orange, which is 21.7g carbs per 100g.

Sorry. I'd make sure you've eaten them all before we start on 17/1!

waddles in

Hello :)

Managed to shift my post baby weight many moons ago.
I have about 8-10kgs to lose now.
Covid over Christmas probably didn’t help as I kept eating and drinking stuff I meant to share with my friends. The fact that I might be approaching menopause probably doesn’t help either.

I need to lose weight as my joints will let me know soon and I can’t afford the wardrobe next size up.

I love my curries and sourdough but something’s going to give.

Wish me luck :)

Good luck!

@BIWI

Er ... no! Fruit not allowed in the first two weeks, and those are both very high in carbs.

I don't know where you bought them from, but Waitrose have the Wensleydale, and according to their website, that cheese is 24.1g carbs per 100g which is huge!

I can't find an exact match for the Stilton, but again Waitrose do one similar - Stilton with cranberries and orange, which is 21.7g carbs per 100g.

Sorry. I'd make sure you've eaten them all before we start on 17/1!

Thanks for your response. I'll make sure DH eats the remainder. I fell off the low carb wagon last summer so I will make sure I re-read all the guidelines before we start again.

@BIWI

Good luck!

Thanks 🤪 you must be repeat offender or some sort of weigh loss master as I remember you from this board at my first attempt 🙂

I need some discipline,I really let myself go.
Gardening season starts soon so that will be my workout 💪

@dogmandu you can ask any questions here.

@FrenchBoule you can still have curries... sourdough not so much. Tesco and Ocado both sell frozen cauliflower rice (or you can make it yourself from fresh cauliflower in a food processor) that makes a very acceptable alternative to rice for curries. I prefer the frozen one as it's ready prepared and it doesn't have a strong cauliflower flavour (which my DH doesn't like.) Another alternative is cabbage thinly sliced. I prefer white cabbage but all cabbages work well. I microwave it with butter as a curry accompaniment.

I like spinach sautéed in chilli oil as a base for curry. 😋

Hi BIWI, not read the whole thread yet but I'd like to join a January bootcamp! I've started low carbing today, really need it after Christmas

@dogmandu I have inherited high cholesterol and on 20mg Rosuvastatin, my cholesterol went down after low carbing last year for nearly 3 months. I regularly see a lipid Dr who wants to see my cholesterol results after a prolonged period of low carbing. I just need to stick to it long enough

I've found a page on tic tok with amazing recipes!! Would never have occurred to me to fry low carb bread in butter with chopped garlic, fresh thyme and top with fried eggs and avocado. Totally clock watching for my low carb bread delivery today