Net carbs vs Total Carbs. How can I tell if I should be doing total carbs instead?

RenaTX

Hey everyone,

I know some people do net and some do total based on various reasons. I know often the advice given is if you are affected by carbs or if it raises your blood sugar you should look at total carbs.

I can't figure out if I'm affected by carbs or not. How do you tell if it affects you?

Alliwan

You will find many here who strongly advocate getting a blood glucose meter and testing. It is really the best, easiest and cheapest way to find out for sure what affects your blood sugar.

That being said, i cant afford it at the moment but would LOVE to be able to one day. I was at 50g total and wasnt losing weight but as I've dropped to 20g net I'm starting to lose again. Calories being the same in both cases. At 20g net, im usually below that, most days ending at 10g net and rarely am I over 30g total for any day. It seems to work better for me.

So if you cant afford or want to test with a meter, then trial and error is your best bet.

kirkor

Also recall that total carbs aren't going to vary by net carbs *that* much unless you're consuming stuff with a lot of sugar alcohols. High-fiber veggies don't give you as much of a free pass with carbs like the engineered stuff, due to their volume if nothing else.

RenaTX

Thank you both! ! I may look into getting one but I noticed that the device is inexpensive but the yest strips.... ouch!!