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.

[Casmama]

Thank you both, very helpful

[JellyBellyWorkWear]

Is getting into Ketosis something that your body stays in easily? I have ketosticks (I had hyperemesis in pregnancy and they are leftover) and today I started at +++ which surprised me, wasn't strict (twix after lunch....ebf and being cautious) and still + this eve.

[MrsHerculePoirot]

There is lots of conflicting stuff around breastfeeding and ketosis. Some say that breastmilk is 54% fat and therefore breastfed babies are in Ketosis until they are weaned and there is no issue, most places say aim to stay just out of ketosis as they aren't sure, others say as long as you have enough calories it is fine and that ketones only change the taste of the milk rather than any detrimental effect.

Following the advice of any low carb book it seems that staying just out of ketosis is what is advised eg Atkins says use his maintenance phase for example. I would however say that a twix, probably isn't your best choice of food to get your carbs from, if trying to bootcamp/low carb. I found this carbohydrate ladder below somewhere below and think it is helpful - it suggest the order of things to add back in eg have a couple of bits of sweet potato or more carrots and other root vegetables first, seeds and nuts, berries etc... I should think you'd be eating more natural foods this way and therefore still breaking the processed food trap ready for when you are up for full bootcamping/low carbing in the future.

1. more salad and other vegetables on the acceptable foods list
   
2. fresh cheeses (as well as more aged cheese)
   
3. seeds and nuts
   
4. berries
   
5. wine and other spirits low in carbs
   
6. legumes
   
7. fruits other than berries and melons
   
8. starchy vegetables
   
9. whole grains
   

Of course this is just my non-medical opinion you understand!!!!

[JellyBellyWorkWear]

I've been good all week, the twix was a fuck it moment with a 2 and 4 yr old fighting and a baby crying rather than a conscious effort to eat carbs!
I've had TONS of veg, salad the lot. As in 1.5kg of carrots over the week somehow...
I've had
Porridge and flax seeds
boiled eggs, salad, smoked fish
*cough twix
steak and LOTS of salad inc cheese (been veggie for ages, dunno why today but hey)
So as you can see not bootcamp levels at al

[JellyBellyWorkWear]

oh and thank you for such a long post for my benefit!

[WillieWaggledagger]

Unfortunately jelly the porridge won't be helping you either, as it is v high carb and will cause your blood sugar to rise and then fall dramatically, increasing your risk of 'fuck-it' moments

If you don't want to be in ketosis I would include more of 1, 2, 3 and 4 in mrshp's list above rather than straight to whole grains. Have you looked at the bootcamp light rules in the spreadsheet? They might be doable for you. What are your aims with low carbing - weight loss, general health etc?

[BIWI]

Jelly - I missed the porridge! That's really not going to help you I'm afraid. Nor will that amount of carrot - that will have been a huge amount of carbs.

I know you're breastfeeding, so might not want to be as strict as Bootcamp, but you're probably consuming a very high level of carbs, even without the Twix.

And don't bother with the ketosticks. If you're drinking the right amount of water, you will be flushing out the ketones anyway, so would only ever show a small amount.

Sounds to me like you're not drinking enough water and you're eating too many carbs, I'm afraid.

[IWantToGoToThere]

Hi all, I'm a lurker but have been following these threads for the last few months as I had a baby in February and wanted to prepare myself to start this WOE once I had had my 6 week check (which was just after Easter). In the 4 and a half weeks since I started, I have lost 8kg (1 stone 3 pounds) so I am delighted!! I do have another 20kg to lose though, so perhaps it's coming off quicker than some of you who have less to lose.

I am also breastfeeding and did some research before I decided to adopt this WOE to satisfy myself that there would be no issues for my baby. He's completely healthy and happy and at nearly 11 weeks, he's a whopping 13.5lb so he's certainly getting all he needs from me! I keep my fat as high as I can (too much makes me feel queasy though) and I drink 4-5 litres of water a day (according to the guide, I need 3 litres minimum). I decided from the outset that if it appeared my baby was suffering or not thriving on this WOE, I would stop but he is doing very well, and is a happy wee chappy. I am not doing bootcamp lite, but sticking broadly with the bootcamp rules (I do have processed meat like pancetta and parma quite often as it's handy and I also have a 3 year old so often eat on the run).

The point of that longwinded paragraph, is that if you are breastfeeding, it will not necessarily effect your milk supply or cause problems for your baby. My suggestion would be to try it for a week and see how you go - and definitely keep up the water as you should be doing no matter what you are eating when you are breastfeeding.

Also one tip for those who have lots to lose and feel overwhelmed at how much you have to go, I started a table which shows my daily weight (I weigh daily - it's a bit of an addiction!) in kg, stones and pounds, and pounds. That way, I am never far off some sort of scale victory - yay I'm now in the 70kg territory/I'm now in 12 stone territory/I'm now in the 170 pound territory etc etc. It keeps my motivation going as there is always a small goal to aim for and keeps me sticking to the rules whenever the wine bottle sings its siren song.

Anyway, sorry for the lengthy post but thought I'd just weigh in (excuse the pun) on the BF issue in case it reassures anyone who might think they can't follow this WOE to the letter. Losing the baby weight is a bitch! Good luck to everyone.

[BIWI]

What a brilliant post! And well done you.

[CiderwithBuda]

I do that too iWanttogothere - the kg, stones and lbs and pounds. It really helps. I must actually do myself a proper one as it's just scribbled on a bit of paper at the moment.

In fact I might get DS to do one for me - he is doing graphs and stuff in maths at the moment!

[JellyBellyWorkWear]

thanks, I was v strict for a week, then let up. I've lost 11lb in just under 3 weeks so although I wanted to loose weight it seemed a tad fast. My bmi is now 21 so not going for it in extreme, just trying to find a healthy balance really and along term low carb easy to maintain lifestyle.
The goal is simply to get this belly into my work clothes!
Oh and I drink a lot, probably 8 cups of decaff tea (black), couple pints of water and the odd diet fizz.

[JellyBellyWorkWear]

Iwantogo- I may be more cautious, my dinky dot is about 12 lb at 5 months in comparison to yours (prem), until she weans I'm nervous!

[emmief77]

I've added my name to the spreadsheet, is this okay to join in now?

[BIWI]

Of course it is, emmie! Welcome.

[emmief77]

BIWI

I've weighed in this morning , I've added the same weight to this weeks weigh-in column..then I'll be in line with everyone else.. hope this is ok? Starting weight is 192 kgs (I entered as 182 first)

[emmief77]

Please can I have some LC quick breakfast (before work) and lunchbox ideas (at work, have use of microwave)

Thanks

[anchovies]

Hi emmie, just finished my first week and have eaten for breakfast - full fat greek yoghurt with sugar free vanilla essence, smoked salmon and avocado, scrambled egg and mushrooms/spinach, little cold frittata made in advance with eggs, cream, cheese, spinach and bacon. Lunches have been different salads - chicken, cheese, prawn, mackerel, left overs from the night before or homemade soup (made in advance).

My question is that I have had a banging head every day for the last 4 days, particularly in the morning when I wake up. Am drinking lots of water, in fact I seem to be very thirsty. I am adding salt to food and eating salmon etc. Feel very ropey though and am wondering whether I am getting a cold or whether this is due to the diet? Can anyone help?

[emmief77]

Anchovies - thanks for suggestions, at the start of my first week

[thenightsky]

anchovies... I found that the first week I felt very 'fluey'. I find I do get very thirsty if I've had carbs - almost like my body is trying to flush them out.

[BIWI]

anchovies - sounds like carb flu to me. Eat plenty of fat. You should be through the worst by now.

emmie - anchovies has made some great suggestions there. The other thing I would suggest is that you hard boil some eggs - then you can just grab one of those, or mash them with mayo. They make a really quick breakfast.

[middleagedspread]

I've got the most embarrassing question .
My poo is very pale & floating, is that normal?
I've increased my green (spinach, purple sprouting broccoli, rocket intake) to try & improve.

[Lavenderhoney]

Has anyone got a twitchy tummy? I've been lc since 7 jan and in the last week or so and its been very obvious today- I can actually see the movements above my belly button and sometimes slightly to the side.

I am assuming its wind- and if so what's the best way to get rid of it? I haven't eaten anything different to the last few months. My tummy is quite big and round, bloated compared to the rest of me as well, I am skinny really except for there. I am drinking loads of water - but it's sparkling- do you think it could be that? It's really fizzy!

[Tigglette]

Mine did that too - just your body getting used to processing the increased fat content, it should go back to normal over the next week or so. You might find you need to go less often just because there is less to get rid of, IYSWIM, but it should return to a more normal colour.

[Tigglette]

Sorry, that was for middleagespread - not sure about twitchy tummy I'm afraid.

[middleagedspread]

Thanks Tigglette. Dr Google is not my friend, I was preparing to be sent into hospital with Hepatitis, Liver Failure & Gallstones!