Correct way to Count Carbs

FK1969
FK1969 Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone else heard of this?

To calculate the net, or effective, carbohydrate content of a food, subtract the number of grams of fiber from the number of grams of carbohydrate. For example, 1 cup of blackberries has 14 grams of carbs, but almost 8 grams of it comes from fiber.

Total Carbs – Fiber = Net Carbohydrate or in our example, 14 grams – 8 grams = 6 grams of net carbs.

I copied this from the following article and I was also told this at MediWeightLoss clinics to do this.
http://ifitandhealthy.com/how-to-calculate-net-carbs-and-what-they-are/

Replies

  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    People on low carb diets do this. Doesn't make much sense unless you have a specific carb limit for some reason.
  • Tw1zzler
    Tw1zzler Posts: 583
    The theory is your body doesn't process fiber the same way it does simple carbs like sugar. Atkins & South Beach follow this idea. To me a carb is a carb.
  • FK1969
    FK1969 Posts: 7 Member
    I am following the MediWeight Loss Clinic plan and I have lost 20 lbs since October. I can have 500 calories of protein per day and 20-25 grams of carbs per day. It works for me. So the apple I just had is my carbs for the day basically.
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
    If a food has 5 or more fiber grams you are allowed to reduce the carb amount by the fiber. Diabetics use this method when counting their carbohydrate allowance for meals.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    That is correct for diabetics. I'm just happy to eat my carbs and let MFP count them as I log.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    That's the way to calculate net carbs -- which is great for whole foods like your blackberry example but it falls short (in my opinion) with processed foods. Manufacturers like to add things like cellulose and sugar alcohols to their products to artificially inflate the fiber content so the products appear to be low carb but they're really not. Here's some examples:

    http://www.dietdoctor.com/category/food/fake-low-carb-products

    Personally, I just keep an eye on my total carbs but I'm not following a specific diet plan with calorie or carb caps so going by total carbs works for me.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    The theory is your body doesn't process fiber the same way it does simple carbs like sugar. Atkins & South Beach follow this idea. To me a carb is a carb.

    Fiber isn't digestible, but it can ultimately provide calories, depending on the type.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I am following the MediWeight Loss Clinic plan and I have lost 20 lbs since October. I can have 500 calories of protein per day and 20-25 grams of carbs per day. It works for me. So the apple I just had is my carbs for the day basically.

    Are you allowed to eat more than 600 cals a day?
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    People on low carb diets do this. Doesn't make much sense unless you have a specific carb limit for some reason.

    Not everyon on a low carb plan does the "net carbs" thing.

    The Dr and Dietician had told me all the net carb thing is, is a license to eat more.
  • SOOZIE429
    SOOZIE429 Posts: 638 Member
    I am following the MediWeight Loss Clinic plan and I have lost 20 lbs since October. I can have 500 calories of protein per day and 20-25 grams of carbs per day. It works for me. So the apple I just had is my carbs for the day basically.

    Are you allowed to eat more than 600 cals a day?

    Your plan is to eat 500 calories of protein? Does that include dairy? How about fats? If you ate all your carbs in one day in your apple do you not eat vegetables?? Not judging, just curious.
  • FK1969
    FK1969 Posts: 7 Member
    That is correct, I can have either 2 vegetable servings or 1 fruit serving per day. I have low fat cheese for dairy. I take calcium, fish oil, and multivitamins. I can have almonds, actually I have to have some almonds every day to keep gall bladder functioning properly. Most every day I have a Kroger CarbMaster yogurt with sliced almonds sprinkled on top. I also have to drink a 32 oz powerade zero every day, refill that container with water about 4 times and drink all that per day.

    It may sound "out there" but I think they have covered all the bases. It is doctor supervised. I go in twice a week, get blood pressure checked and get my vitamin b12 shots.

    I probably end up having somewhere in between 500-600 total calories per day. I tried for 3 years to loose the weight on my own, exercised like a mad woman and nothing was happening. When I have to answer to someone and follow a specific plan, then I make progress.
  • wildfirediva
    wildfirediva Posts: 212
    I count total carbs although I do track fiber to ensure my system is "moving" as it should.

    Remember to read labels....and not just for calories and macro nutrients (Fat/Carbs/Protein) but look at the Ingredients. Work to make what you are eating REAL food. Yogurt should have little more than milk and cultures. Some non fat and low fat products replace the fat with sugars, sodium and fillers....

    Just because it claims to be "Healthy" doesn't mean it's good for you.
  • shirleygirl910
    shirleygirl910 Posts: 503 Member
    I followed the diebetic diet under doctor's order and only ate betweeen 500-600 calories a day, and I lost too. The problem being when I stopped following the diet, I gained it all back. I don't care if it is doctor observed, it's crazy.

    The key to life long sucess is eating healthy (no processed foods) and exercise. Everyone is an individual, so you have to figure out what combo of calories in vs calories out you need. Anyone telling you to eat less than 1200 calories is crazy. Yes you can lose weight fast, but it's not long lasting. Also keep in mind if you do crazy things to your body like depriving it of calories, you can have long time consequences from it.
  • SOOZIE429
    SOOZIE429 Posts: 638 Member
    I followed the diebetic diet under doctor's order and only ate betweeen 500-600 calories a day, and I lost too. The problem being when I stopped following the diet, I gained it all back. I don't care if it is doctor observed, it's crazy.

    The key to life long sucess is eating healthy (no processed foods) and exercise. Everyone is an individual, so you have to figure out what combo of calories in vs calories out you need. Anyone telling you to eat less than 1200 calories is crazy. Yes you can lose weight fast, but it's not long lasting. Also keep in mind if you do crazy things to your body like depriving it of calories, you can have long time consequences from it.

    ^THIS
  • FK1969
    FK1969 Posts: 7 Member
    Well of course if anyone just goes back to the same way of eating, the weight is going to come back.

    When I have reached my goal weight (the maintenance phase), the clinic will determine what my daily intake should be to maintain and my plan will be revised, not just dropped. Since nothing else has worked for me so far, I think I'll stick with what the doctors and nurses are telling me.

    Thanks
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    That is correct, I can have either 2 vegetable servings or 1 fruit serving per day. I have low fat cheese for dairy. I take calcium, fish oil, and multivitamins. I can have almonds, actually I have to have some almonds every day to keep gall bladder functioning properly. Most every day I have a Kroger CarbMaster yogurt with sliced almonds sprinkled on top. I also have to drink a 32 oz powerade zero every day, refill that container with water about 4 times and drink all that per day.

    It may sound "out there" but I think they have covered all the bases. It is doctor supervised. I go in twice a week, get blood pressure checked and get my vitamin b12 shots.

    I probably end up having somewhere in between 500-600 total calories per day. I tried for 3 years to loose the weight on my own, exercised like a mad woman and nothing was happening. When I have to answer to someone and follow a specific plan, then I make progress.

    You do realize there are ways to lose weight without starvation diets right? And probably 20lbs of that 40lb loss has been from muscle or at least pretty close to it which is typical of HCG diets. These diets are only intended to be a few weeks, a month or two at tops. If you do extend periods of VLCD you will kill long term results. Once you get to a normal weight, you and start to eat more, you will have so little muscle mass and your metabolism will adapted that you will immediately gain the weight back plus some.
  • FK1969
    FK1969 Posts: 7 Member
    I am not on an HCG diet. I am not loosing muscle mass. I am loosing fat because it is recorded on the scale at the clinic. The Tanita Body Composition Analyzer tells us exactly where the weight is. My fat, fat %, BMI, BMR, water et cetera are all recorded by the scale. And I'm not starving. I don't feel hungry. I get plenty of food to eat.

    I also tan once a week, use Latisse to grow my eyelashes, and I make sure to run with scissors at least once a day.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I am not on an HCG diet. I am not loosing muscle mass. I am loosing fat because it is recorded on the scale at the clinic. The Tanita Body Composition Analyzer tells us exactly where the weight is. My fat, fat %, BMI, BMR, water et cetera are all recorded by the scale. And I'm not starving. I don't feel hungry. I get plenty of food to eat.

    I also tan once a week, use Latisse to grow my eyelashes, and I make sure to run with scissors at least once a day.
    No matter what diet you are on, if you are eating 600 calories a day, then you will be losing lean body mass. If you want to post your weight and corresponding body fat % I can show you.
  • jdooks
    jdooks Posts: 91 Member
    Has anyone else heard of this?

    To calculate the net, or effective, carbohydrate content of a food, subtract the number of grams of fiber from the number of grams of carbohydrate. For example, 1 cup of blackberries has 14 grams of carbs, but almost 8 grams of it comes from fiber.

    Total Carbs – Fiber = Net Carbohydrate or in our example, 14 grams – 8 grams = 6 grams of net carbs.

    I copied this from the following article and I was also told this at MediWeightLoss clinics to do this.
    http://ifitandhealthy.com/how-to-calculate-net-carbs-and-what-they-are/

    Yup, that is the correct formula. Reason being, fiber doesn't get absorbed in the body so it doesn't turn into anything. It comes out in your number 2s.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    I do this, and try my best to keep my carbs around 150g a day after subtracting my fiber
  • JulieBengt
    JulieBengt Posts: 3
    That worked for me. Lucky loosing 7 pounds got me out of pre-diabetes, but I still have much weight to loose! I continue trying smaller meals throughout the day . . . meals, not snacks.
  • MrsBailey149
    MrsBailey149 Posts: 248 Member
    I just read about that in Bob Harper's The Skinny Rules book. I've never paid much attention to fiber in the past but now I"m going to start. I like the idea because otherwise fruit makes the carb count sky-rocket. If you can subtract the fiber, it doesn't seem so bad when you have bananas, apples, and berries in your diet for the day.
  • JulieBengt
    JulieBengt Posts: 3
    I agree. Once I cut out processed food my blood turned around. If contents indicate more than five items, or words I don't know, I don't buy it.
  • JulieBengt
    JulieBengt Posts: 3
    I've had to watch the sugar in the fruit, size of fruit. The "Little Cuties" work well but I must pass on grapefruit, pineapple and grapes [ouch!] . . . makes me very sleepy. So I eat half a banana in the morning over dry oatmeal . . . cheaper and chewy. Up early to feed the cats, I'll eat white from boiled egg. Curbs hunger till I can sit down for breakfast. . .Bananas are high in potasium, so I weigh that against the sugar and avoid the very ripe.

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