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Total/Net/Keto carbs

Deena_Bean
Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
edited November 2024 in Social Groups
Out of curiosity - when attempting ketosis would it be a correct assumption that carb calculations are based on total vs. net? I'm a "total" girl, but I sometimes wonder what's better...subtracting fiber today would drop me from 93 carbs to 68 or so. I'm the type, though, if given an out to count something in my favor - it usually backfires. For this reason I don't count exercise in my calorie goals (unless it's some ridiculously high burn and I'm starving).

Replies

  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,227 Member
    For ketosis, net carbs are what count. A lot of people count both. It helps them stay under. The 68 net is still a little high, but that's the number I would be looking at.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    Net subtracts sugar and fiber, correct?
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,227 Member
    No, don't subtract sugar. Just fiber. Also, don't subtract sugar alcohols (unless you know from experience they don't affect you).
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    Sugar alcohols I meant...This is the one some people think may or may not be useful to deduct, right?
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    FIT_Goat wrote: »
    No, don't subtract sugar. Just fiber. Also, don't subtract sugar alcohols (unless you know from experience they don't affect you).

    Good to know, thanks for the help. I haven't decided for sure I want to go the full blow Keto way - I've been low-ish carb so far...contemplating the plunge.
  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
    Deena_Bean wrote: »
    FIT_Goat wrote: »
    No, don't subtract sugar. Just fiber. Also, don't subtract sugar alcohols (unless you know from experience they don't affect you).

    Good to know, thanks for the help. I haven't decided for sure I want to go the full blown Keto way - I've been low-ish carb so far...contemplating the plunge.

    If you're insulin resistant (diabetic or prediabetic), low-carb gurus (Noakes, Phinney) advise that the greater the extent of your IR, the lower you'll need to reduce your carbs to achieve the benefits of a ketogenic diet.

    As to sugar alcohols.... I don't subtract them, precisely because I have no idea whether they affect me. I suppose I could test them on myself with a glucose meter, but that doesn't really sound like much fun - speaking from watery experience, some of them (esp. sorbitol, aka glucitol) can leave you feeling like you just finished a colonoscopy prep! :o

    (FYI, I use liquid sucralose from time to time - not the powdered Splenda, which has fillers you'd need to count).
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    @Deena_Bean I do not back out any fiber. Actually I track my net carb intake results after the fact with a $15 breath analyzer off Ebay. The cheap ones will read out one's acetone levels that lets me know if I am nutritional ketosis and at what relative level. Last night I blew a 0.029 and tonight it was 0.075 and both are OK but I shoot for 0.050 The expensive ones are programmed not go give a false reading when acetone is detected.

    ebay.com/itm/Advance-Police-Digital-Breath-Alcohol-Tester-Breathalyzer-Analyzer-Detector-usa-/272121315206?hash=item3f5bb1bf86:g:w-8AAOSwFqJWqh5K
  • KarlynKeto
    KarlynKeto Posts: 323 Member
    I average 35-45 net carbs, give or take. I find that as long as my total carbs is below 60, and I've made a good effort to eat fiber foods, I stay in ketosis. Sugar alcohol was the only gotcha for me. I consumed upwards of 20 servings in a day recently assuming I didn't need to count them. I was completely knocked out of keto! So now I count them if I have more then a few servings per day, but less than that never caused a problem.
  • LowCarbInScotland
    LowCarbInScotland Posts: 1,027 Member
    @Deena_Bean I do not back out any fiber. Actually I track my net carb intake results after the fact with a $15 breath analyzer off Ebay. The cheap ones will read out one's acetone levels that lets me know if I am nutritional ketosis and at what relative level. Last night I blew a 0.029 and tonight it was 0.075 and both are OK but I shoot for 0.050 The expensive ones are programmed not go give a false reading when acetone is detected.

    ebay.com/itm/Advance-Police-Digital-Breath-Alcohol-Tester-Breathalyzer-Analyzer-Detector-usa-/272121315206?hash=item3f5bb1bf86:g:w-8AAOSwFqJWqh5K

    My husband's nose does the job for me. He's well aware when I'm in ketosis, unfortunately :disappointed:

    Disclaimer: This method is not scientifically proven and has a +/-5% accuracy rating and is just plain embarrassing.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    I've never come back with the results of being IR, but having PCOS it's generally believed that the lower the carbs, the better. I'm probably going to hang out in my low-ish carb range for a while still while I contemplate it.
  • LemonMarmalade
    LemonMarmalade Posts: 227 Member

    My husband's nose does the job for me. He's well aware when I'm in ketosis, unfortunately :disappointed:

    Disclaimer: This method is not scientifically proven and has a +/-5% accuracy rating and is just plain embarrassing.

    The taste/smell of my mouth does it for me....I chew gum as often as I can to keep from grossing myself out! Lol ;). I totally feel your pain.

  • DananaNanas
    DananaNanas Posts: 665 Member
    @Deena_Bean I do not back out any fiber. Actually I track my net carb intake results after the fact with a $15 breath analyzer off Ebay. The cheap ones will read out one's acetone levels that lets me know if I am nutritional ketosis and at what relative level. Last night I blew a 0.029 and tonight it was 0.075 and both are OK but I shoot for 0.050 The expensive ones are programmed not go give a false reading when acetone is detected.

    ebay.com/itm/Advance-Police-Digital-Breath-Alcohol-Tester-Breathalyzer-Analyzer-Detector-usa-/272121315206?hash=item3f5bb1bf86:g:w-8AAOSwFqJWqh5K

    Sorry for the complete ignorance here but how does a breathalyzer test detect ketosis? I'm confused. Is it detecting acetone AND alcohol?
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    @DananaNan clearly you are less ignorant about nutrition ketosis than I was just two years ago.

    ketogenic-diet-resource.com/ketones.html

    Look at Dr. Peter Attia video at the bottom. You can take at face value what he states about Nutritional Ketosis. He have been doing it for years and has a ton of lab work that backs up his findings. Is website is awesome for keto info.

    The above is one link that Google just brought up. It covers the three types of ketones as you will read. Actone is the one of the three (not made in much volume) that never makes it to the brain and muscles but is cleared by the lungs and kidneys. The elcheapo breath detectors do not screen out acetone so basically it gives a False Positive results from the acetone being cleared by the lungs. I do not drink so there is never alcohol by products in my case. At the time my 16 year old son did not want to ride with me after I blew a .075. :)

    Ask any and all of the questions you wish and someone will try to help you. If you want me to see something faster just type @GaleHawkins in the body of your post so MFP will give me a link to your post notification.

    You are going figure all this out just fine. Below is just the gross search results where I found the above article. Google is your best Keto friend you will ever have I expect. :)

    https://google.com/#q=monitoring+ketosis+by+acetone+levels

This discussion has been closed.