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.

Hurrah! Now you know, you can keep eating lots of things do you don't feel like that again!!!

Hi. I am currently calorie counting which is working but I do eat a lot of carbs. I have just ordered a low carb book which means I should be able to start low carbing at the weekend. I am also vegetarian but I am going to try to start eating meat. I also drink a lot of diet drinks but intend to reduce that until I only have thwm occasionally. I do have some questions though.

How long does it take for the weight to start coming off? I am going on holiday with a very slim friend in 6 weeks and panicking a bit. I want to lose at least 9lb in that time.

Are there any side effects when you first start? I can cope with side effects as long as I am prepared.

Will still having diet drinks at the start effect it too much?

And finally will I still be able to eat carbs occasionally without it having a negative impact.

Thanks

Hi Purple! THIS is the latest low-carb chat thread - there is a new bootcamp starting soon tho. At the top of the thread is the speadsheet, with lots of tabs for Rules, information and recipes etc. Have a read of the (Not many, and not complicated) rules and see if you can do it! The bootcamp lasts 2 weeks and is designed to break your addiction to sugar (and sugary drinks - and it is an addiction!) but after that it gets less strict.
Whether you want to go back to eating carbs again afterwards - is up to you. You will need to find a level that suits you -ie you don't immediately put the weight back on!

I've been doingthis for over a year (and lots of us for far longer) and I DO NOT need things like pasta, bread, wheat (in fact wheat makes me (and lots of others) bloated and sluggish) but the great thing is that we eat real food, real full-fat food and we are never hungry!

As for the weight - most people lose quite quickly in teh first few weeks, but this tends to be mostly water, and the emptying of the glycogen stores of fat. After this the weight will still come off, but slowly and safely.

How much do you have to lose?

Thanks MrsHP and Captain I will look out for the Tyrrells pork scratchings.... Ive found some on Amazon as well that look good www.amazon.co.uk/Awfully-Posh-Anglesey-Salt-Crackling/dp/B00BPRGJUW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1377678268&sr=8-3&keywords=pork+scratchings

I rang the helpline my consultants team run yesterday and they weren't keen on the idea of low carbing but looking at other people posts their hcp's aren't keen overall so I think I will just have to try it. the last of my sourdough bread had gone off this morning so I will take that as a sign

witch - those are the ones i meant from waitrose! couldn't remember the name but knew it had 'posh' in it. weirdly in my local waitrose they aren't in the snacks section but in the 'free from' foods section

Willie thanks for the tip where they are as I couldn't find them on Waitrose's website and I wouldn't have thought of looking in the free from section for them

Thanks captainmummy. I have around 22 lb to lose. Ive lost 2 stone calorie counting but I want to stop feeling bloated. The problem is I love pasta, potatoes and bread!

Id love to lose at least 9lb in 6 weeks to be at a weight I will be relatively happy with by my holiday. I am prepared for it to be slow after that.

Purple, I started on Sunday, was a little scared tbh. So far it hasn't been so bad. I had toast cravings one night but didn't give in.

I find posting, and reading, really helpful, and the ladies here are great.

PS - sneaky peak shows I've list 3.5lbs so far. And that's after losing 21lbs calorie counting.

**Lost 3.5lbs so far.

Purple this is the Bootcamp 'proper' thread HERE if you want to join.

9lb in 6 weeks is definitely do-able, if you stick to the rules. And don't worry about pasta and bread. In a few weeks you won't want to eat that cheap filler and starch.

Thank you. The book I ordered should be here tomorrow and I will have a proper look through those threads. Im going to make a real effort to start eating meat. I will start with chicken and turkey. I am really looking forward to changing my diet. Although I hope I can occasionally have pizza and cheesy pasta! I don't have it often now because of the calorie counting but would like to treat myself every couple of months.

Imatot - that makes me feel better about doing it. I can cope with cravings, I am very focused and while calorie counting I've stuck to it even if I feel like caving in.

You asked about the side-effects purple - well (apart from more energy, better skin/nails/hair, loss of weight, better-controlled blood sugars, never felling hungry ) some people get 'carb-flu'; a flu-ey, tiredness as the body switches over to fat-burning. Not everyone gets it, I didn't and I was a carby-queen! As advised to ImaTot - keep your electrolytes and salts up as you will be drinking loads!
Others report 'constipation' - and we deal with that by upping the water and fat, and maybe physalis-husks (from health shops). I find linseeds do the job!

Oh and don't be freaked by the fat and oils we eat - we/you will have been conditioned by decades of 'advice' from goverment health officials to go 'lowfat/ low-cal (I see you have been calorie-counting) and this WOE turns that on it's head. Fat fills you up, it is essential for many bodily functions and your brain and nerve-endings are made form it. (And we are engineered to use fat for energy). SUGAR makes you fat.

Having decided to low-carb, I've just been reading a bit more about the effects. There's one thing I don't get... When you eat carbs, the excess is stored as fat - I understand this. But when you are low-carbing and eating loads of fat, why do you burn body fat rather than burning all the fat you are currently eating? What happens to any excess fat you are consuming?

Our bodies are designed to use fat - that's why, when we eat carbs they are converted to glycogen and then (if not used immediately) into stored fat for use later. If you are not taking in many carbs, your body needs another source of fuel and the easiest fuel for it is fat. That's why we eat fat. If we don't use the fat-intake, it will be stored - but in practice your body converts to using stored fat as fuel in addition to the fat intake. As you get closer to target weight you may need to reduce the fat slightly - but this WOE will not allow you to go too low in body-fat .

If you don't eat fat or carbs, your body will go into 'starvation' mode and hold on tightly to any stored fat and any intake of calories. And don't forget that our bodies actrually need a whole load of fuel just for essential workings, like breathing and blinking and thinking.

That's my understanding of the science.

I have a question. My book didn't turn up but I really want to start low carbing tomorrow. From the little bit I have picked up on here could I have

Greek yoghurt and nuts for breakfast
Cucumber sticks as a snack
Asparagus, chicken and cheese fritata for lunch?

And if so do I have to weigh and measure stuff?

Purple that wouldn't find, watch the nuts, as in just have a few. On strict bootcamp we avoid nuts (unless veggie), but of course for lower carb that is fine! The rules we follow are here and we follow bootcamp for two weeks, then the lighter version for those that want after that. Does that help?

Thank you. I am a veggie but trying to eat meat so I have added a small amount of chicken to my fritata to see how I get on. If I can't eat it I will have to stick to veggie low carb but I would rather eat meat so have more choice.

Hopefully my book will arrive tomorrow so tomorrows food is just a start for the first day then I can go through the book and find some recipes I like and go shopping. Saturday I will start it properly.

I am going to struggle not having diet coke. It may take a while to swop that completely but I will give it a really good try.

Thank you to you all for your help and support in this. Its very daunting for someone with huge food issues.

Yesterday was my son's birthday and I ate a tiny piece of his cake. Is this going to cause a major problem?

oh and another one. DH and I started bootcamp early (this Tuesday). How long should we stay on the initial bootcamp phase? Is it the whole 10 weeks?

purple my last post was supposed to be that is fine!

msinga re the cake - not too much, drink lots of water, be super strict and it should be fine - just watch out for any sugar/carb cravings it might trigger for a day or two, but in the grand scheme of things it will be fine! With the bootcamp question, we tend to do strict bootcamp for two weeks to break the sweet cravings and kick start things, after that it is up to you, there are bootcamp light rules you can follow which allow sighted more things eg some nuts and stuff for example. Some people keep to bootcamp rules the whole time, some move quickly onto bootcamp light and some do a hybrid, eg bootcamp during week and bootcamp light at weekends. See how you are feeling and what thing you want to do!

Thanks Mrs Poirot :)

I have about 4 stone to lose so I think I will stay strict for as long as possible, would we go from bootcamp to bootcamp light? I am really nervous about messing this up. I have had enough of being fat. What happens at the end of bootcamp? Do we just carry on lowcarbing according to BIWIs rules?

Sorry for rambling.

You're not rambling at all! I still have lots to lose and find it easier to stay stricter. Otherwise, for me, carb creep tends to happen. Basically BIWI starts a new thread each week of the 10 weeks and then after that there is an ongoing chat thread for support and general chat. Feel free come and join us on the chatty thread at the moment if you fancy it!

Don't be nervous about messing it up. I have fallen off the wagon numerous times, or had planned cheats or whatever you want to call it. Sometimes for a special occasion (eg birthday cake) sometimes because I let my emotional eating tak hold, or because I hadn't planned properly. When it happens I try not to let a bad meal turn into a bad day or bad week, but instead drink loads of water, plan some of my fave low carb meals and try to get straight back on it. For me, this is how I will eat for life, it is no longer 'different' or a diet, I love it. It was sometimes hard t the beginning to get my head around things, or to feel I was missing out, but now not any more.

Sorry im back with more questions.

Where do you find soy flour at the supermarket. I couldn't find it anywhere!

I have been eating pre cooked chicken (I was veggie as I don't like the thought of meat being a dead body so had to start eating it pre cooked) but I see on the packet it has sugar. That's bad isn't it and should I really be eating chicken I cook myself.

And finally how many carbs should I be eating in a day?
I am struggling a bit with eating more fat. I am so used to eating low fat on a diet. I think if I see results on the scales on Wednesday then I will stop panicking