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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.

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Autumn Low Carb Bootcamp - The Questions Thread

338 replies

BIWI · 08/09/2013 14:12

Welcome everybody!

As there are lots of us signed up for the next Bootcamp, you will find that the chat thread moves very quickly! It can be the case, therefore, that questions get missed - hence starting this thread. If you have a specific question or issue, please post it here to make sure that it gets answered. I will do my best to check this thread as often as I can - and if others can answer your question then they will do so as well.

I thought it might be a good idea to start off with some FAQs that often get asked, just to help save a bit of time! So here goes:

How many carbs should I be eating per day to make sure that I lose weight?

There are a couple of points to make here. First, Bootcamp is designed to make low carbing as easy as possible. One of the things that I believe puts people off diets is having to weigh, measure and count everything that they are eating - and of course, this is impossible if you are eating out/on the go. If you make sure that you are following Bootcamp rules, then you should lose weight.

Second, we are different in terms of our ability to cope with carbohydrate. Some people can eat more carbs without gaining weight whereas others have to keep their carbs at quite a low level.

The initial 2 weeks of Bootcamp are designed to be sufficiently low carb for the vast majority of people to lose weight by following it. Although Bootcamp Light (for the remaining 8 weeks of Bootcamp) allows more carbs, it is still supposed to be relatively low carb.

Once you have completed Bootcamp and/or you have reached your target weight, then it's time to start to explore how many carbs you can tolerate before the weight goes back on. And the only way to do this is to experiment by re-introducing carbs. A gradual introduction, along with a vigilant eye on the scales/your waistband will soon tell you if you have overdone it!

Will I ever be able to eat carbs again?!

Absolutely you will - see the answer to the above question! However, if once you reach your target weight you revert back to eating the same level of carbs as you were before you started, then you will put all the weight back on. Carbs make you fat!

The best thing to do is to work out a WOE (way of eating) that keeps the carbs at a sufficiently low level such that you maintain your weight.

By the time you reach your target weight, you will also be ketogenically-adapted, i.e. your body has switched from carb-burning to fat-burning, so the odd night off will not do you too much harm.

How hard is it to eat out when you are low carbing?

It's easier to eat out when you are low carbing than if you are trying to count calories or eat a low fat diet. (As long as you don't find yourself in a restaurant that only serves pizza or pasta!)

The majority of restaurants will have something on their menu that is easily adapted for low carb eating. And it's always possible to ask them to substitute something high carb for something lower carb - so if something is on the menu being served with chips, or rice - ask if they will switch those for a salad, or extra veg. I have never been refused when I have asked this, and it is never an issue.

Some types of restaurants are harder to navigate - Thai is very difficult, not only because of the rice/noodles, but because many of their meals use sugar in the sauces as well as thickeners. At an Indian restaurant, poppadoms, rice, chappattis and naan breads are all (obviously!) out. Aim for a dry curry (so a tandoori or tikka dish), and have that with a side curry such as cauliflower, spinach or mushroom.

The best thing is to be prepared - if the restaurant has a website, have a look to see if they have posted their menu, so you have a chance to see what's available, what you can eat. And you could always ring them in advance to see if they can accommodate any particular needs that you have - mostly restaurants are happy to try and accommodate their customers.

Is it really possible to eat so much fat and still lose weight?

Oh yes! Grin Just ask anyone else who has done Bootcamp! Fat doesn't make you fat. When you eat fat, your body does not produce an insulin spike - unlike when you eat carbs. It is the insulin production that causes your body to lay down fat.

We need fat. It is good for our brains and for our skin.

Also, very importantly, eating fat is very satiating. It is what will help to stop you getting hungry. It's actually quite difficult to eat masses of fat, whereas it's very easy to eat masses of carbs.

Here's a very good piece from a site that's well worth following, all about fat and why it's good for us/isn't going to harm us

Do I have to do any exercise on Bootcamp to lose weight?

Not if you don't want to. Exercise, as a means of losing weight, is way over-rated. You have to exercise a lot and frequently to lose a significant amount of weight. For example, I have recently taken up running. My last run saw me burn 390 calories. That's quite a lot - but that was after running for 30 minutes, and for 5km.

On my plan (and on the advice of my osteopath) I am only supposed to run three times a week. That would mean that in the course of a week I have burnt off 1,170 calories. Not that much in the grand scheme of things - but that's a lot of running!

Exercise can help you, but it's not essential.

I do a lot of regular exercise, and I'm advised by my trainer/the gym to eat plenty of carbs and/or to carb load before I run/cycle/train - what should I do if I'm low carbing?

Once you are ketogenically-adapted, you will be able to train quite happily whilst following a low carb diet. Your body will be using fat as its fuel source - and let's face it, most of us have plenty of fat readily available for that. Whereas with carbs, our bodies actually only store a limited amount in our muscles and our liver. Once these have gone, and we have emptied our glycogen stores, that's when you will find yourself 'hitting the wall' or 'bonking'. This is why serious athletes often have to carry various gels and drinks - so that they can replenish their carbs/glycogen very quickly. This won't happen if you are burning fat.

If you're in doubt, there's a very good book called "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance" by Drs Jeff S Volek and Stephen D Phinney. Here is a description of the book from the Amazon website:

"A Revolutionary Program to Extend Your Physical and Mental Performance Envelope. Our recent book 'The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living' was written for health care professionals, championing the benefits of carbohydrate restriction to manage insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type-2 diabetes. In response, our athlete friends asked "What about us?" This companion book is our answer, and it could be titled: 'The Art and Science of Avoiding the BONK'. But actually, it is much much more than that. The keto-adapted athlete benefits from superior fuel flow not only when nearing glycogen depletion, but also during training, recovery, and in response to resistance exercise as well."

OP posts:
Maryz · 19/09/2013 18:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BIWI · 19/09/2013 18:59

That sounds like a perfect way to make scratchings, Maryz.

If it doesn't work, though, you can do it in the microwave. Take the skin off the pork when it's cooked, and put it on a plate and cover with kitchen towel (this is important if you don't want to spend hours cleaning your microwave!)

Cook on high for 30 seconds, and keep doing this until it's puffed up to your liking. It will be soft when you take it out of the microwave but will crisp up as it cools.

[expert in pork fat emoticon]

OP posts:
BIWI · 19/09/2013 18:59

Oh, and "oh fuck it" days are for high days and holidays only.

OP posts:
giraffeseatpineapples · 19/09/2013 20:19

silverangel be carsful with the alcohol I went to a wedding a couple of years ago when low carbing - I cant remember most of the party and what I have been told is pretty Blush

BIWI · 19/09/2013 20:26

isn't, I presume? Grin

OP posts:
giraffeseatpineapples · 19/09/2013 22:37

oops yes 'isn't pretty' thanks Biwi! Blimey I sound drunk now and I've only had a coffee.

JustasmallGless · 19/09/2013 23:57

I can vouch for that. It was my 40th last year and we went to v festival.

Or so I believe.

It also wasn't pretty.

captainmummy · 20/09/2013 08:14

Am sure alcohol affects us more on low-carbing. Hangovers are def worse - and may lead to carb-eating to 'soak it up' - so be careful

giraffeseatpineapples · 20/09/2013 10:09

Please learn from our mistakes then you can enjoy the post wedding breakfast with everyone else without having to hang your head in shame!

janx · 20/09/2013 12:12

Do any of you have problems convincing your other half to buy full fat? Dp is forever coming home with half fat yoghurt etc. Also my dd keeps asking why I am not eating pastaSmile

BIWI · 20/09/2013 12:14

You just have to keep on and on and on and on and on and on ... Grin

Re DD - just tell her you've gone off it/don't like it (obviously depends on how old DD is - you could always tell her why, if she's old enough to understand)

OP posts:
janx · 20/09/2013 12:43

The thing is my dp is tall and lanky and just doesn't put on weightShock
Dd is 9 and super slim too. I have to be really careful with what I say as she is quite body conscious and our last childminder used to talk about diets and all sorts of nonsense.
I am going to tell her pasta gives me a stomach ache.

captainmummy · 20/09/2013 13:02

i just tell my boys i don't eat wheat any more as it bloats me.

JustasmallGless · 20/09/2013 14:10

I also tell my children that it gives me tummy ache. They just accept now that I don't eat it

MrsSnuffleupagus · 20/09/2013 15:19

Silverangel I will also be having an 'oh fuck it' day tomorrow Grin Its my cousins wedding, we don't all get together as a family very often, there will be lots of alcohol...you can see where I'm going with this Grin My only saving grace is that I think they're having a hog roast so I can just eat meat and salad, this may hopefully slightly counter the effects of the alcohol...
I'll get straight back on lc on Sunday and have a super strict week next week I promise Grin

giraffeseatpineapples · 20/09/2013 17:08

Help! I have killed another thread - tips on how to not gain weight after low carb. My response didnt even give any tips - Biwi or someone experienced - please administer first aid Blush

captainmummy · 20/09/2013 19:46

Dunno giraffe - I intend to low-carb forever! It's more beneficial to your health, weight, tastebuds...
I might add in a bit of fruit but will never go back to wheat, or rice,

BIWI · 20/09/2013 20:02

giraffes - sorry!

This is a tricky one. Firstly, you have to accept that eating too many carbs was what contributed to your weight in the first place. So - it stands to reason that if, when you reach your target, you start eating like you did before, the weight will go back on.

This means that you have to accept the fact that carbs will/should never be as prominent in your diet in the future as they are now.

However, on Bootcamp we are very strict about reducing our carbs, and we eat a very low amount. When you reach your target, you need to gradually increase your carbs until you get to a point where you start to gain weight again. This will tell you what you can/can't tolerate.

Unfortunately there is no easy way to do this, as everyone is different in terms of the amount of carbs they can tolerate - you just have to experiment.

I would recommend that you start very gradually by adding carbier veg to your meals and see what happens - possibly the odd slice of bread/toast.

OP posts:
MrsHerculePoirot · 20/09/2013 20:51

I think giraffes was hoping others would post on the thread she mentioned... I may be wrong... I posted earlier giraffes for you - now I'm the thread killer there ;)

Ohfuckohfuckofuck · 20/09/2013 20:53

Just out of curiosity, if Bombay Sapphire Gin has no carbs (which it doesn't) why can't you have it on boot camp?

BIWI · 20/09/2013 20:55

For two reasons:

  • unless you're drinking it neat, you will be having it with slimline tonic, which contains artificial sweeteners, which we are trying to avoid
  • like all alcohol, your body will burn this as a source of fuel before burning anything else, which means that whilst you're drinking alcohol, you will not be burning any fat
OP posts:
BIWI · 20/09/2013 20:55

But good try!

OP posts:
giraffeseatpineapples · 20/09/2013 21:16

Thank you MrsHerculePoirot Grin ! So I guess I should reclaim my title by cutting and pasting Biwi's advice sigh ...

pixiegumboot · 20/09/2013 21:22

pizza base question.?....how carby is this?
3 eggs
1/2 cup of coconut flour.
1 cup of organic full fat coconut milk
2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 baking soda
1 crushed garlic clove

Torrorosso · 21/09/2013 07:40

If I have a large glass of wine when bootcamp is over, can I compensate with extra exercise the next day?

In other words, if the body is looking for carbs to burn first, and I do a bit more to burn off those carbs, would that make it quicker for my body to go back to burning fat?

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