General Low Carb Bootcamp Chat

[BIWI]

Although I generally keep a chat thread going at the end of each Bootcamp, I think it would be better to have an ongoing chat thread that isn't linked to a specific Bootcamp.

So here it is. A sparkly new thread, for all things low carb and Bootcamp chat. As well as anything else you'd like to chat about!

Feel free to chat about anything you like here.

@StuntNun 4dc isolating I'm not surprised you need a little drink, well done.
I ordered myself a beautiful litre glass water bottle to help with the water motivation at home but it may take a while as I just got shipping notification and it would appear I ordered it from Austria.
Weight is coming down nicely and I am enjoying the food so much.
Chilled day planned. Going to try and read as I don't read nearly enough anymore and maybe pick my embroidery up.

@batmanladybird my reply was to @AThroneOfLies asking about low carb sources of potassium. However, on a low carb way of eating the low insulin levels stop the kidneys from retaining electrolytes (sodium and potassium are the main culprits but magnesium can also be affected.) This is great from the point of view of reducing water retention and bloating but it can cause headaches, carb flu and fatigue, especially when you first go low carb. There are multiple ways to replace electrolytes. The easiest is to add more salt to your food and you will likely find that you do this without realising in order to replace the lost sodium. It's a good idea to use low sodium salt such as Lo Salt because this contains potassium as well as sodium. An alternative is to sprinkle a little salt and a squeeze of lemon juice (bottled lemon juice or Jif lemon juice is fine) into water. If low electrolytes was causing you to have a headache or feel fatigued then you will feel better straight away as soon as you have the drink. High5 Zero electrolyte tablets are also good but they contain artificial sweeteners so it depends how strict you're being. If you're worried about carb flu then it's probably worth getting a pack of the electrolyte tablets to get you through the first week or two, then as you adapt to eating low carb you won't need them any longer. I prefer the https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SP31TCW/ref=cmswwrcppapiglttfabc1VBRZD49STZDA4QG4MXR??encoding=UTF8&psc=1 electrolyte powder because it's doesn't contain any flavourings or artificial sweeteners. I do a lot of intermittent fasting and extended fasting so I use electrolytes when I'm fasting. Some people experience leg cramps, or pins and needles in their hands and feet, when they go low carb and this is a sign that their magnesium levels are low. The magnesium in electrolyte replacements and multivitamins isn't bioavailable so if this happens it's better to eat magnesium-rich foods or take a high quality form of magnesium supplement such as magnesium glycinate. Magnesium citrate is the most common supplement form but it can cause laxative effects which it's very important to be aware of.

@hapusrwydd

Thanks for that info on dairy *@StuntNun*. I'm a big coffee and cream drinker and hadn't really thought about it impacting on my weight loss. I'll spend the next 10 days reducing my intake so that it's at a manageable level for bootcamp proper.

It's frequency more than quantity that causes issues with dairy. So it's more important to reduce the number of times per day you're having creamy coffee, e.g. one large coffee rather than two smaller ones spread out, or have your coffee with or straight after a meal so there's only one insulin spike. But do watch out for the calories in double cream as they add up quickly. As a general rule I would say not to drink your calories because they don't fill you up in the same way and they don't usually bring a lot of nutrients with them.

Right-o. All family birthdays are out of the way, no more temptations related to celebrations until spring. Time to get my head in the game.

I normally do a 16:8 thing, is that something that's discouraged in bootcamp?

Hello everyone,

Early starter (kind of) here and I am now on day 2. I feel absolutely rubbish this morning but I think it's too many late nights and disturbed sleep from small bedhoggers rather than carb flu/covid.

So yesterday was day one. I fasted in the morning (seasoned intermittent faster), then had 250g or so (1/2 a tub) Greek yoghurt at 2pm and a small homemade ham/cream cheese rollito. Then homemade bolognaise with lots of grated mild cheddar for tea at about 5.30pm and 2l water throughout the day plus multiple cups of tea with milk. Lots of issues with the above - the Greek yoghurt was a bit carby (7.5g per 100g), no FLGV and not enough water. I will fix this - my head is a bit all over the place just now.

So today's plan:-
B:- N/A
L:- not sure yet
T:- turn bolognaise into chilli but without kidney beans. Serve with avo.

Oh sorry, posted before I meant to. I know I need to get some FLGV into my day today.

Has it already started? Or just some started early? I've really pigged out over Christmas and am.still working my way through the final festive chocs - need a kick up the bum to get me back on track and have a shedload of weight to lose. Plus I don't feel good because I'm eating crap!

@Zonder some people have started early; some of us eat this way all the time because we started on an earlier Bootcamp.

@TellMeItsPossible we usually discourage 16:8 in the first couple of weeks while you're adapting to eating low carb. If it's something you're already doing then it's fine to give it a try but if you're hungry in the morning then it's better to have breakfast than try to muscle through.

Plan for today

B - black coffee (with a little salt)
L - possibly a large avacado (if it looks ripe) otherwise I'll continue fasting until dinner and keep the ava for tomorrow (seasoned intermittent faster).
D - two hot smoked salmon fillets, maybe some cheddar if I'm not full afterwards.

I'm a bit under the weather and not been particularly hungry so I'm aiming for small quantities of nutrient dense low carb foods.

[quote StuntNun]@Zonder some people have started early; some of us eat this way all the time because we started on an earlier Bootcamp.

@TellMeItsPossible we usually discourage 16:8 in the first couple of weeks while you're adapting to eating low carb. If it's something you're already doing then it's fine to give it a try but if you're hungry in the morning then it's better to have breakfast than try to muscle through.[/quote]
OK, thanks!

@byebyecarbs

Day 3 of bootcamp light for me today and touch wood the headache has lifted. I wasn't great yesterday food-wise as I was trying to eat myself better to get rid of the headache. Anyway I took on board everyone's suggestions and it all seemed to help.

So today I plan to drink plenty of water and not deviate from the low carb path. Not sure about breakfast yet but have pigs in blankets for lunch (leftover from xmas and been in freezer) and I'll do some sauteed spinach alongside them. Trying to cut back on the caffeine too.

@byebyecarbs glad the headache has lifted!

Just be careful about those pigs in blankets though - check the carbs on the back of the pack first, as some sausages can be very high in carbs.

And beware about the caffeine - withdrawal from caffeine can also lead to headaches. I might leave that till you know you've transitioned successfully into low carbing.

Morning everyone

Definitely better on the waterfront today - drank almost a litre already.

Had two boiled eggs mashed with st agur for breakfast. Planning on the rest of my green soup for lunch and for dinner lamb with chilli and olives which I found on the recipe thread.

Thinking I should have weighed myself earlier this week but will do so tomorrow so I have a baseline.

Well I had a slightly indulgent lunch, had a Xmas Camembert left over so topped with olive oil, garlic and red onion and used celery sticks for dipping, so good! For tonight I’m thinking of doing a carbonara, I’ve some edamame spaghetti that works out about 4g per serving but I’ve only used it with bolognese so far but might give it a go!

Just cremated my leftover butter chicken in the mic. RIP lunch

Whoops!

Going great guns here today and I really know this is working as I've stopped thinking about food to the extent I nearly burnt my pigs in blankets due to forgetting I'd even put them in the oven an hour ago (which is unheard of for me - I'm normally lurking around by the oven desperate for food to be ready!)

I checked the carbs on them @BIWI and they were pretty low but thanks for the heads up.

I'm drinking lots of water and looking a bit less haggard than usual too.

@Prinnny oh wow! where can I buy the spaghetti? I've been substituting with corgettes but I'm still working out how to stop them turning into a soggy mush.

@BuffyTheBuffetSlayer that’s the one I have from Asda, I find it a lot better than courgette. 50g is plenty enough too so just under 6g per serving, well worth it!

Hi everyone, would you mind if I joined in. I'm doing a quick low carb/ minimal before going on holiday next week and then when we get home will be back on it with 5 months till my best friends wedding I've got some post baby / lock down weight to shift and would love to lose another stone/ stone and half by June

I've been thinking a lot today about alcohol and why I find it so hard to give it up. I'm on day 6 of Dry Jan and have found it pretty easy so far but I know something will happen at some point and I'll really struggle to not give in. I'm sure it's habit rather than addiction though tho lots of mumsnetters would probably disagree but I don't understand why this post-work hour is so much better with a glass of wine. I know it's not really, am currently sat in peace in front of a roaring fire with a cuddly dog on my lap - could be a lot worse. Still a nice glass of Malbec would be amazing right now. Not entirely sure what I'm waffling on about TBH, just pondering, so I'll shut up.

Apart from to say:
B: black coffee
L: weird beef mince curry from DD website, cauli rice smothered in melted butter
D: will be chicken stir fry with a spicy Mayo type thing if the dog ever moves - not looking likely.

Enjoying the food so far!

B: scrambled eggs and avocado
L: cabbage and courgette soup
D: shakshuka with chorizo

@AllTheBlackCoffee I'm with you on the wine front. I definitely know that wine before dinner is a real habit, but it's such a nice one!

I've lost the bit of weight that I put on over Christmas already over the last few days of LC eating and have been really enjoying my food. Today has been:

L: Big bacon and egg salad with oily dressing
D: Broccoli with preserved lemon dressing and halloumi
Managed 3 litres of water as well

B black coffee
L bacon and avocado salad with oily dressing
D celeriac and bacon salad

That looks like quite a lot of bacon, but it was more of a flavouring element than a main event!

I'm a member of Zoe Harcombe's site, and this is a really good piece from one her posts back in August, about alcohol:

The most important thing to mention here is alcohol. Alcohol beautifully undermines the calorie theory. Alcohol – as opposed to any other ingredients included in alcoholic drinks, such as grapes or grains – contains approximately seven calories per gram. The calorie theorists think that alcohol will make you fat from the calories it contains. However, the body cannot store alcohol. There is no mechanism by which alcohol per se is turned to body fat. So how can the calories in alcohol make us fat if they can’t be turned into fat?

The issue with alcohol is in fact not its calorie content, but the fact that alcohol impairs the operation of glucagon (Ref 7). The body registers alcohol as a poison and the liver thus prioritises getting rid of the substance ahead of doing the many other jobs that the liver must do. This means that maintaining blood glucose levels, by accessing glucose or breaking down body fat, becomes less of a priority

If you have alcohol in the evening (which is when we tend to consume it), we inhibit glucagon from working for some hours following. Exactly how many hours will depend on how much you’ve had to drink, how quickly your liver gets rid of alcohol and other individual factors. As a rule of thumb, it takes approximately one hour for the liver to process one unit of alcohol. During the time that the liver is getting rid of the alcohol, you won’t be burning fat. Importantly, you won’t be burning glucose either because i) the body will preferentially burn alcohol instead of glucose and ii) the liver is too busy dealing with the alcohol to bother with glucose or body fat

You may have spotted another issue here. Because the body prioritises getting rid of alcohol above regulating blood glucose levels, alcohol drives the munchies. While the liver is processing the alcohol, it is not topping up blood glucose levels and hence they can fall, which makes you hungry. You know this. You know that the greasy takeaway only ever looks enticing when it’s midnight and you’ve been drinking. In broad daylight, leftovers look distinctly unappetising. This is why some alcoholic drinks are called an aperitif. They are intended to stimulate the appetite before enjoying a good meal

I’m working from home this week, which is great for controlling my environment, but next week I will be back to travelling around for work, which is going to be a real test.