Summer Low Carb Bootcamp - The Questions Thread

[BIWI]

If you have any questions, just ask them here. From experience, the chat thread moves so quickly, posters' questions often get missed.

Picking up on some that have already been asked today:

Can we eat dairy in Bootcamp?

Yes you can, but be aware that for some people dairy can impede weight loss. Butter is fine - you don't have to worry about that, and yoghurt is apparently better tolerated than milk, cream or cheese.

Cheese is a great low carb food and it's lovely to not have to worry about being able to eat it on the basis of it being a fat.

Milk can become quite carby quite quickly, so if you're having several cups of tea/coffee a day, you need to keep an eye on this. If you can, it's best to have your tea/coffee black - or to substitute cream (double) for the milk.

Cream can be used in cooking (always double, as it has a higher fat content), but again be aware that it might be an issue for you.

The best way to find out if it's a problem for you is to keep a food diary, and then you will be able to see the impact of dairy on your weight loss.

It takes a bit of getting used to, such different advice to more usual diets. Thanks again

I know! It is totally counter-intuitive. But trust me (and everyone else who is on Bootcamp), it really does work.

Thanks for the advice BIWI :)

I didn't resist the popcorn so arse kicking welcome.....

Another question for you;IF I was to partake in an alcohol beverage or 3 what am I best drinking? I usually drink cocktails, white Zinfandel or shorts like Malibu & ameretto with coke?

Best thing to drink is a clean spirit with sparkling water - then there are no carbs and no artificial sweeteners. So - vodka and sparkling water, with a slice of fresh lime/lemon, or white/golden rum.

If you don't like the thought of those, then something like a gin and slimline tonic (accepting that there are artificial sweeteners in the tonic), or rum/vodka and Coke.

Malibu and Amaretto will both be too carby - they have added sugar/sweeteners in them, so they are out.

Cocktails will definitely be out as they will be full of sugary ingredients (although obviously it depends which cocktail).

Similarly the zinfandel is out - it is a sweeter wine so will be too carby.

If you want to drink wine, stick to dry white, Champagne or red wine.

Sounds like you have a bit of a sweet tooth! Remember, the first two, strict weeks of Bootcamp are designed to help break that. If you keep giving in, you won't see the results that you want!

Hello - apologies if this has been asked before as I have not read the whole questions thread.

On the bootcamp thread there is much talk about coconut oil! Why is everyone having this and adding to their coffee etc? Does it help you lose weight? Is it just another fat and one that is good? Is it recommended for this WOE or just something people like to have?

Thank you!

Here's a quick answer, from this website :

"Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated oleic acid, it is healthy and more stable than PUFA's but it is still not in the same league as CO. CO is one of the highest concentrations of naturally occuring saturated fats there is. It is very shelf stable due to no open bonds. It is much better for cooking at a higher temperature than olive oil as it is less likely to oxidize. Olive oil is best as a dressing, rather than cooking. Also, coconut oil had a decent amount of medium chain triglycerides that are metabolized differently and faster than long chain fatty acids. They give you more of the quick energy of carbs without the insulin response, and they can't be stored as adipose."

Thank you BIWI!

I ( impulsively)weighed myself in Boots soon after my lunch with no shoes on and was shocked that I weighed about 3lb heavier than I expected !
My clothes would only be about 1lb -1.5lb so could the rest be breakfast and lunch , drinks etc ? I usually weigh first thing in the morning before breakfast.

Yes, it would be. No point weighing yourself unless it's first thing in the morning, naked, and after you've been to the loo!

Thanks - will do . Don't know why I was tempted

I am a baker/cake decorator and am absolutely PARANOID about getting diabetes, but literally my sugar cravings are so out of control my mind is saying 'no, do NOT eat that', but I still have this impulse to do so, and feel sick afterwards!! And then I do it again.
I low-carbed in the past and felt SO much better in myself and was put off bread and pasta for life but sadly other carb-aversions haven't stayed with me! So I am determined to get back into it, as a way of life, and this time also hope to understand it more.

I have a few questions, they are probably answered somewhere amongst all the other awesome posts but I'm just going to ask:

What does the high-fat aspect add? E.g. instead of using fatty bacon can't I cut the rind off? Not adding any carbs, but lower fat too. I don't want high cholesterol etc! I get that artificially low fat stuff e.g. low fat butter, low fat yog etc are bad because the manufacturers add sugar etc to make the product taste acceptable, but why is fatty bacon used so often? Surely cutting the rind off can only be good?

Can you recommend a good yoghurt? My fave Yeo Valley Natural Yoghurt (not low-fat, obv) is 6.5ish carbs per 100g and I read on one of these threads that everything you eat should be under 5g per 100g?

Why is milk bad but cream/yog ok?

What is the difference between low GI and low carb?

I'm sure I have soooooo many more questions but that is all I can think of for now!

And I just want to say, BIWI you're a legend... you must spend all your time thinking/writing/advising about low-carbing! Thanks!! :)

Ooh also, are sweet potatoes just as bad as normal potatoes?

Seminyak - sorry I missed your posts!

First - re fat/cholesterol - forget anything you have been told. Fat is good! If you are low carbing it needs to be high fat. (I'm on my iPad now and can't do a long post - but hopefully others will explain why properly!). Cholesterol also not something to worry about.

Total is best yoghurt brand.

Sweet potatoes also too carby!

Am on holiday now but hopefully others will answer your questions more thoroughly

Haha thanks BIWI, enjoy your holiday!!!

Another thing is that I find I need a lot of fibre in my diet - I can't think of any low carb fibrous foods? Any suggestions would be great. Love this thread!

Green leafy veg like Kale and spring greens are great fibrous LC foods. You should be eating lots of green veg from the 'allowed list' and this should, erm, do the necessary.

About saturated fat and cholesterol, BIWI is right. Forget everything we've been told. The Huffington Post published a good concise summary recently debunking the misconceptions about cholesterol:

"- Dietary Cholesterol Isn't Bound to Blood Cholesterol. There is little-to-no relation between dietary cholesterol and higher blood cholesterol levels, nor any legitimate link between dietary cholesterol and the incidence of heart disease.

• The Human Body Makes Cholesterol. Your liver makes 3-6 times more cholesterol than you can get eating eggs and/or other animal products.

• Cholesterol is Vital To Your Body. You need it for the production of steroid hormones like testosterone and also to build & repair cells (which is a perpetually occurring process in the human body)"

and some more in-depth information on why saturated fat is not the enemy

this article also looks at the research about saturated fat and why it should form part of our diet

PS I know that the second link is from Men's Health but I actually really rate their journalism on nutrition.

Fab, very interesting, thanks so much for answering! :)

Marking place to add my questions later!

This is a fabulous thread. Thanks so much for taking the time to start it and answer all the questions! Im sorry if some have been asked before. I've been thinking about low carbing and have been reducing my carbs and definitely see a huge difference in my apetite.

I just had a couple of questions before I start properly- I've heard bootcamp light mentioned- what is that?

Why are nuts and seeds not allowed in bootcamp?

Wrt dairy, is full fat milk (for tea about 3 times a day) and natural yogurt (as a snack once a day) ok?

How about tofu? Is that ok?

And a couple of spoonfuls of oatbran

And there are a couple of processed brand foots that i like- things like quorn that doesn't have added wheat e.g the bacon (I'm pescatarian), the easy bean veg pots, and tofu sausages are these ok?

BeenieBaby

I've heard bootcamp light mentioned- what is that?

Bootcamp starts with 2 strict weeks. After that, it is relaxed a little, hence calling it Bootcamp Light

Why are nuts and seeds not allowed in bootcamp?

Because whilst they are very good to snack on, and provide good nutrition, they are actually very carby in anything other than small quantities. In the first strict fortnight, we are trying to reduce our carbs as much as possible, and make sure that those carbs come mainly from veg/salad

Wrt dairy, is full fat milk (for tea about 3 times a day) and natural yogurt (as a snack once a day) ok?

In principle, yes. Make sure that your yoghurt is full fat, and that the carb count is low - they vary considerably. Total full fat is the lowest, I think. Others talk about Lidl, but I haven't got a Lidl near me so I'm not sure about theirs. However, some people find that dairy can impede their weight, so keep an eye on it. Milk, especially, can also be quite carby, so please make sure that you don't have more than 3 cups of tea if you can

How about tofu? Is that ok?

Not too bad - but it does have carbs in it. Ideally you should be getting your carbs from veg/salad, so keep foods like this to a minimum

And a couple of spoonfuls of oatbran

No. This is way too carby. There are 86g carbs in 100g oatbran! Avoid it like the plague. This is one of the reasons I'm a bit about the Dukan diet claiming it is low carb

And there are a couple of processed brand foots that i like- things like quorn that doesn't have added wheat e.g the bacon (I'm pescatarian), the easy bean veg pots, and tofu sausages are these ok?

To be honest, probably not - look at the carbs per 100g on the back of the pack. If it's more than 4-5g carbs per 100g, then avoid it. If you're going to do Bootcamp, I'd say try and avoid these as much as possible, and rely on fresh/unprocessed protein such as fish or eggs instead

Hope that helps! Ask anything else you like, and come and join us on the Bootcamp chat thread for more support

Hi, I am ebf my 3 month old, is it ok for me to low carb, and can you point me in the direction of threads/websites to read up on low-carbing please. I have read lots of conflicting diet 'rules'😞

Aloe what are good sweet snacks, as I have a very sweet tooth unfortunately

Thanks

As far as I am aware, it is absolutely fine. It's not an unhealthy way of eating, despite what some people will tell you! You will be eating a lot of veg and salad, as well as fresh/unprocessed foods and natural ingredients, so it should be all good!

If you have a look at these pages you'll see a whole load of stuff I've written about low carbing, which should give you a good idea of what it's all about

Sadly, no sweet snacks though. The whole point of low carbing is to break the addiction that we have to sweet things. Sugar is hugely addictive.

Any more questions, just shout

Thanks biwi!

How do you deal with the sugar cravings!?! I've just started reducing my carbs but haven't started bootcamp properly as I want to get through the fruit and milk I've already bought. But I'm already getting sugar cravings and feel the need to eat the fruit and dark chocolate (85%) to get me through the morning! Is it inevitable? Or a sign I'm not eating enough fat?