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Low-carb diets

Share advice and experiences of following a low-carb diet.Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Original poster

Summer Low Carb Bootcamp - The Questions Thread

506 replies

BIWI · 29/04/2013 16:18

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.

OP posts:
decaffwithcream · 06/05/2013 23:19

I want to ask about exercise. Someone linked to this article which has loads of refernces on the health benefits of low-carbing. Very useful.

It says that resistance training is better than cardio on this plan. Would anyone have any idea why that is?

I actually would prefer resistance but would really like to understand the reasons behind it - (understanding the science behind this WOE has really helped me keep to it).

CrabbyBigBottom · 07/05/2013 13:53

Hi I've added myself to the spreadsheet and am starting low carbing today. A couple of questions...

I've seen cabbage mentioned quite a lot on the recipe thread, but on the spreadsheet it lists the carb content as 5, which is too high, no?

When checking labels, does the "of which sugars" part have any bearing on the insulin response? Or is the total cabohydrate part the only part to take notice of? So if something is 15g per 100g total carb, but "of which sugars" is 1g per 100g, it's still bad?

The rules say to cook with saturated fat rather than olive oil. Why is this?

Thanks in advance. I'm sure I'll have lots more wuestions as I go along!

thenightsky · 07/05/2013 17:53

Hi Crabby... its total carbs you want to be taking note of.

Tigglette · 07/05/2013 20:18

Saturated fat is more stable than olive oil which means it doesn't break down upon heating - I'm thinking transfats here but I could be wrong...

prettybird · 07/05/2013 20:52

Craggybottom - when you measure 100g of cabbage, you'll see that it is loads, whereas a 100g of (say) carrots is not nearly as much.

Original poster
BIWI · 07/05/2013 23:18

Crabby - cabbage is on the allowed list so it's fine. Obviously it's not the 3g or less which are ideal for the first two weeks of Bootcamp when you're being most strict, but it's still a relatively low carb veg.

Those asking about exercise, I really don't know the best form of exercise that fits with this WOE, although I suspect that there isn't actually one that all the 'experts' would agree on! I know that Briffa points out that if you exercise more, you are likely to make yourself more hungry and therefore eat more.

And exercise only counts for around 15% of weight loss - the real loss will come from diet. It's very hard to exercise enough to burn up enough calories to see significant weight loss. As an example, my 5K run yesterday (half an hour of running) burnt 385 calories.

There is a book about exercise and low carbing The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance which might be of interest. I haven't read it, though, so can't tell you if it will answer the question!

OP posts:
EwanHoozami · 08/05/2013 13:04

middleagedspread the higher fat intake could account for your pale and buoyant droppings.

middleagedspread · 08/05/2013 15:17

Thanks Ewan, I'm sure you're right, I've never eaten a high fat diet before sadly.
I've increased my green veg quota & its resolving.

VikingLady · 08/05/2013 17:29

Reading through the Week 2 thread, I see some people say flax seed makes them stall - is this the same for linseed? Bought a big bag from Lidl!

CrabbyBigbottom · 08/05/2013 18:18

Thanks all for your answers. Smile

WillieWaggledagger · 08/05/2013 18:52

Flaxseed and linseed are the same thing vikinglady. I expect there would be a difference between eating them whole or ground (iirc we can't digest whole linseed and it just passes straight through... Seems like a waste of money if that's true though!)

Tbh I would avoid them for the first two weeks of bootcamp and then see how you go if you want to move onto bootcamp light

decaffwithcream · 08/05/2013 20:03

Thanks for the information about exercising. That does make some sense. I've done the shred a fair bit over 2 years but always had a layer of fat over the emerging muscle definition - incredibly annoying!

But now the muscle definition is emerging, presumably as the fat starts to melt away. Obviously my diet while shredding - low-fat, higher protein, but full of complex carbs and with some sugar treats, was all wrong for fat-shedding!

VikingLady · 08/05/2013 22:23

Thank you WillieWaggledagger

CrabbyBigbottom · 09/05/2013 10:04

willie health wise I've always been a big fan of linseed - it's a very gentle bulk laxative, so although the whole seeds pass through undigested they take on water, swell and become gelatinous, supposedly absorbing toxins and certainly creating a softer, bulkier stool. The 'cracked' linseed allows to digest all the wondrous omega 3s, but then I don't know the carb content and how it would affect this WOE.

CrabbyBigbottom · 09/05/2013 10:13

Ok I have a question/dilemma.

We're going to friends for dinner on Saturday. They aren't close enough friends for me to demand they create a low-carb menu, and it's the first time we've been there so I really don't want to be one of those "oh I can't eat this, I can't eat that" kind of guests! Also, they're vegetarian, so there'll be no meat for me to fill up on, and it's more likely to be carby, I'd have thought. And then there's the fact that, inevitably, I will drink lots of wine. Sad

Do I just accept that I'm off the diet for the evening, and eat moderately (not vast amounts of fat) during the day, then restart bootcamp the next day?

Will that put me back to square one on the carb withdrawal? Because I've been feeling a bit rubbish - coldy, headachey, low, and would like to come out the other side of that!

WillieWaggledagger · 09/05/2013 10:43

i;ve heard some dodgy things about linseed though wrt hormone imbalances, but i don't know whether that refers to people with existing conditions, or used in large quantities etc

carb-wise i know it's reasonably friendly because the fibre content is so high as to make the 'effective' carb level quite low. i do make some nice flax crackers to go with cheese on special occasions. but it still makes me stall, so...

Original poster
BIWI · 09/05/2013 13:37

Crabby - have they not asked you if there's anything you can't eat/don't like?

If they haven't, and you really can't tell them - you could always say you think you have a wheat allergy and you are 'temporarily' excluding bread/pasta! - then you will just have to go with the flow and accept that you are going to have a carbier day than usual.

Try avoiding carbs totally for breakfast and lunch if you can. That will at least cut down the overall carbs you have consumed. So, boiled/poached/scrambled eggs for breakfast, tuna mayonnaise for lunch, for example

Drink lots of water during the dinner party, and then be ultra strict the day after.

OP posts:
Original poster
BIWI · 09/05/2013 13:41

... and the other thing you could do is to eat something before you go, so that you're not wildly hungry and tempted!

If they put food in dishes to serve yourself from your life will be easier - but if it all comes dished up, much harder.

But it's one of those things that happens. It's called 'real life' and we all have to be able to cope with it!

OP posts:
couch25cakes · 09/05/2013 14:40

Has anyone found a good shop bought blue cheese dressing which is low carb? I'd like not to always have to make it from scratch.

Original poster
BIWI · 09/05/2013 16:33

Very unlikely, couch25cakes - they all use sugar.

OP posts:
INeedThatForkOff · 09/05/2013 16:47

Is low carbing expensive?

WillieWaggledagger · 09/05/2013 17:36

Depends what you were spending before tbh.

I don't find it any more expensive than before, because I'm not buying so many bread/carb products etc, I buy cheap cuts of meat like pig cheeks, breast of lamb etc, and I don't snack very much any more. And that includes shopping for dp who still eats carbs.

If you were already eating very little processed food then you might find it a little more expensive, but I don't think wheat products are very cheap anyway tbh

I don't have a freezer so it's difficult to take advantage of supermarket end of the day offers, but others get some major meat bargains this way

EwanHoozami · 09/05/2013 17:49

President of Coca Cola on PM claiming that sugar isn't addictive. Currently being slayed by Eddie Mair Grin

EwanHoozami · 09/05/2013 17:56

INeed cost was one of my major worries when I started this WOE, having been poor as a church mouse for the last couple of years.

I analysed my food shopping recently and I'm actually spending slightly less now that I did before.

NigellasGuest · 09/05/2013 18:33

Ewan I heard that too!
and all that rubbish about low sugar drinks - they are just full of chemicals

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