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Do you count straight carbs? Or net carbs?

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Cash8217
Cash8217 Posts: 6 Member
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I'm new to Keto and my target carb count per day is 20, not net carbs just straight carbs.

How many carbs or net carbs do you all have in one day to remain in Ketosis?
Should I count net carbs instead of carbs?

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

Replies

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    I stay sub-20 net at the moment, but once my current food stocks are gone, I'll like be closer to sub-5 total. More of a preference thing. All of the prep work that goes into making low net-carb keto meals just isn't for me. Much easier to just quickly fry some bacon, 73/27, or melt butter over chicken thighs.
  • anglyn1
    anglyn1 Posts: 1,802 Member
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    90% of the time I'm around 30-35 total carbs or less. Rarely I will go up to around 50. I stay in ketosis.
  • Shadowmf023
    Shadowmf023 Posts: 812 Member
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    Mine so far is between 30-60g. Total I think. Although I am aware of net carbs.
  • LowCarbInScotland
    LowCarbInScotland Posts: 1,027 Member
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    I assess both, I won't go above 50 total carbs, but on days that I'm on the higher end of that limit, around 35-40, I'm making sure those extra carbs are coming from high fiber veggies, they wouldn't come from a piece of toast or a scoop of rice or starchy veg.
  • Shadowmf023
    Shadowmf023 Posts: 812 Member
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    Just a question, is the weekly or daily average more important? For example would it make a difference if one eats 30-40g all week and then eat 60g for one day? Would that put you out of ketosis?
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 6,966 Member
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    Shadowmf023 wrote: »
    Just a question, is the weekly or daily average more important? For example would it make a difference if one eats 30-40g all week and then eat 60g for one day? Would that put you out of ketosis?

    Yes it does make a difference if your personal threshold to remain in ketosis is 50g or less. The 60g would lower the ketone concentration greatly, and you'll be looking at 2-5lb gained overnight in water weight due to glucose storage. So for carbs daily total is what matters. With calories it's weekly average.

  • Carnivorekat
    Carnivorekat Posts: 370 Member
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    I am currently doing ZC (less than 5g), but its a personal choice, when I was counting carbs I tended to go with total carbs rather than Net as it was never easy to work out for me so went with the simplest option.
  • genmon00
    genmon00 Posts: 604 Member
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    Hi! I aim for 30 net carb, try not to go past 50 total carbs. Its been working for me so far. Also, upping my fat has also helped me immensely. Good luck! and Welcome to LC living!
  • DianaElena76
    DianaElena76 Posts: 1,241 Member
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    I'm currently not trying to be in ketosis and have never tested myself to see if I'm keto or not, but I have suspected I am based on indicators such as the smell of my urine and my breath. Sorry if that's TMI. I try to stay under 40g carbs at the present time, although I found 25g daily to yield the best results for me (it's just too restrictive for my life as it is right now, and 40g allows me to maintain if not lose). Total carbs are where it's at, and my reasoning for that is because, first of all, 40g is pretty high for what I'm trying to do as it is, and secondly, counting net carbs is a slippery slope. If I count net carbs, I can have those "low carb" tortillas, which cause me to crave carby foods and gain weight and develop aching joints. Everyone is different, but for me, counting net carbs results in too many foods I know better than to eat.
  • McShorty7
    McShorty7 Posts: 69 Member
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    I'm usually between 15-30 total. Sometimes up to 50 depending on how I load up my salads. I feel no guilt when they come from veggies
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    The idea of counting net carbs came from Michael Eads book Protein Power. He introduced the method so that people would eat more vegetables. He found that people actively restricted veggies when counting carbs and that wasn't his intention so introduced the idea to allow for more vegetables in the diet.
    Then of course, food companies (I'm looking at you Atkins) got hold of the idea and started applying it to artificial sweeteners.
    If you're eating leafy green veggies, you shouldn't have any problem subtracting their fiber for a net count. But, you could just count total still and allow more carbs on days when you're eating more green veggies.
  • genmon00
    genmon00 Posts: 604 Member
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    I do not eat any "low carb" items besides Joseph's Lavash bread once in a great while. I just don't trust them. Especially since i figured out this time around on LCHF that I'm sensitive to sugar alcohols and they spike my sugar levels which defeats the whole purpose why I'm eating this way :neutral:
  • Panda_Poptarts
    Panda_Poptarts Posts: 971 Member
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    When I was doing keto, I was doing net carbs.

    Now that I'm just "low carb", I'm doing total.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    During the main weight loss phase, I tried to do 20-30 net carbs per day. As far as I could tell (I stopped testing a few weeks in) I stayed in ketosis and lost weight well overall. I didn't eat a lot of sugar alcohols, but some; it was mostly subtracting fiber. I didn't want to skimp on veggies (which were mostly non-starchy ones anyway). I would sometimes go into the mid to high 30s (net).
  • Xo_healthylc
    Xo_healthylc Posts: 77 Member
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    I count total. If not it would be easy for me to load up on stuff like Atkins bars and stuff. I try to stay under 30 total a day. ❤️❤️

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