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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:
CJCregg · 12/09/2013 12:27

Marking place. I have lots of questions Grin

BIWI · 12/09/2013 12:34
Grin
OP posts:
captainmummy · 12/09/2013 13:40

MFP is an american site - so you need to add the column for 'fibre' to your results, and then take off this amount. Should be a bit more reassuring!

I used to use MFP but then i got bored with the RED Fat totals and the shock/horror of 'if you carrying on eating like this you will put on/lose xx lbs in xx days' - I just want the totals, thanks!

Lifeisontheup · 12/09/2013 13:41

I've just been round to a friends for coffee and had coffee with cream and cinnamon, it was lovely and stopped me wanting sugar in my coffee.

Is cinnamon ok or does it provoke an insulin response?

captainmummy · 12/09/2013 13:53

Cinnamon is fine - you can also have it sprinkled over ff greek yog and it's divine

Snatchoo · 12/09/2013 14:05

captain I just had some of that and it was ok.

What else can I have in natural yoghurt? I just can't choke it down with nothing in it. I'm bored of eggs/eggs and bacon/bacon for breakfast, leftovers from dinnertime are used for lunch.

Snatchoo · 12/09/2013 14:09

Also, you can turn off that annoying 'you will lose...' thing on MFP on the iphone app, I'm going to see if you can turn it off on the website....

I'm finding MFP useful as surprisingly, I'm eating well under calorie-wise most days. I'm barely touching calories until dinnertime. Then it goes up Grin

captainmummy · 12/09/2013 15:04

Snatchoo - lots of people use vanilla essence or powder in ff greek yog - I don't cos i like it as it is (too much!)
After the first 2 weeks of bootcamp you can add a few berries?

Snatchoo · 12/09/2013 15:14

Ta. Will try the vanilla tomorrow I think.

PS - can't find how to turn off that annoying thing on MFP online Sad have turned it off on the app though!

Whippoorwhill · 13/09/2013 08:41

I like extra thick double cream with my ff yoghurt. Grin God I love this diet!

pixiegumboot · 13/09/2013 12:47

So if I have a glass or two of red wine tonight will it be bad....

captainmummy · 13/09/2013 12:53

Pixie - you know what BIWI will say! NO alcohol on Bootcamp!

ofcoursethisisanamechange · 13/09/2013 13:11

help- am sooooooooooo tired- just had lovely lunch- quite heavy- beef, cramed spinach and cauliflower, and a little peice of blue cheese. Now I cannot keep my eyes open (at work)- usually would have a milky latte or some pudding for the sugar rush. I don't have things here to make a bulllet coffee- any suggestions??

captainmummy · 13/09/2013 13:48

Doesn't sound too heavy, Ofcourse. Maybe it's just that 'friday' feeling? Grin Fresh air? Normal coffee? Don't reach for the biscuits - they'll make your feel even more tired in half an hour.

janx · 13/09/2013 14:32

Aaaaargh I really want it biscuit!

ofcoursethisisanamechange · 13/09/2013 14:49

went for a walk and had a berocca.... can't handle black coffee.... ugh will be a long afternoon......

pixiegumboot · 13/09/2013 16:22

Right you lot - this is why i need wine, i've just trawled sainsburys tescos and asda. No coconut flour, no coconut oil, no flaxmeal. FFS!!! and its bloody raining!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

pixiegumboot · 13/09/2013 16:45

oh and no liquid bloody egg white either

WillieWaggledagger · 13/09/2013 17:15

pixie, if it helps, none of those things is essential for low carbing by any means - they're more optional extras

pixiegumboot · 13/09/2013 17:23

it doesn't help but thanks anyway. it was for my tea tonight bugger it. if everyone else is having pizza then I want some too boo hoo

WillieWaggledagger · 13/09/2013 17:49

for pizza i use the 'pizza quiche' recipe, which is cheese, egg and cream based:

115g full fat cream cheese
4 large eggs
80ml double cream
130g grated parmesan
2 x 125g balls mozzarella, chopped into small pieces (keep in their separate 125g quantities)
enough passata/low carb tomato sauce of your choice to spread as a topping
additional low carb toppings of your choice

preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. butter a large baking/roasting dish (approx. 13 x 9 in but doesn't have to be exact)

blend together cream cheese and eggs until smooth. add cream, parmesan and 1 of the chopped balls of mozzarella

pour into baking dish. and bake for 30 minutes until edges are just starting to brown and mixture seems 'set'. remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 220C/425F/Gas mark 7

spread the tomato sauce over the pizza base and add your toppings and the other chopped mozzarella ball

return to the oven and cook for 10 minutes or so, until the cheese is bubbling

WillieWaggledagger · 13/09/2013 17:54

some people find it a bit eggy, but i don't, and it's delicious the next day cold!

WillieWaggledagger · 13/09/2013 18:02

btw - it is very dairy-heavy (and makes four servings) - so best not to have too much other dairy on the same day

pixiegumboot · 13/09/2013 18:02

sounds completely perfect thanks very much!!!

halfthesize · 13/09/2013 19:30

Eve, just checking in, another good day but totm has arrived joy!!!!

B-scrambled egg with chilli flakes
L - burger and salad
D - will be chilli beef stir fry

Lots of water also and a couple of coffees.

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