Fiber One Bars

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hadababyitsagirl
hadababyitsagirl Posts: 21
in Food and Nutrition
I am still figuring out the balances in my diet. I am trying to reduce carb/sugar. Almost every morning I eat a Fiber One Bar for breakfast...I really love them they are quick and filling in my opinion. My question is, there are 28g carbs in one bar would these be considered "good" carbs (slow to the bloodstream) or sugar spiking carbs? Does it benefit that there are 9g of fiber in each bar as this is why i eat them every morning (regularity). Like I said I am still learning, but doesn't high amounts of fiber slow the spike to the bloodstream when eaten with a carb?

Is there a ratio of carb to fiber to be eaten together to avoid a sugar crash? Sorry, still new to this.. Your opinions are greatly appreciated while I make since of all of this.

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  • Paul76
    Paul76 Posts: 158
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    I know I'm not answering your question, but at this stage in my progress I try not to look two much past the "calorie" row in the nutritional information - maybe "fat" and "sodium", but I just find it's too difficult to eat perfectly and balance all the right components in the right mix. Hopefully as I lose more weight and get comfortable managing the calorie part, I'll start trying to manage the other parts, but I can only monitor so much at a time.
  • hadababyitsagirl
    hadababyitsagirl Posts: 21
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    I am insulin resistant and I NEED to reduce my carb/sugar. I take in way too many carbs everyday and I'm working on that. What I would like to know is, if I eat something high in carbs is there a fiber count that will help the blood sugar spike. I understand that only certain foods cause the sugar spike. I just at this point don't know how to differentiate between them. I understand that whole grains and dairy carbs are slow moving sugar to the blood stream. I certainly understand that sodas and junk food cause sugar spikes.

    Still gaining knowledge. Thanks for your reply pliafatt.
  • nsking83
    nsking83 Posts: 145
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    I know I'm not answering your question, but at this stage in my progress I try not to look two much past the "calorie" row in the nutritional information - maybe "fat" and "sodium", but I just find it's too difficult to eat perfectly and balance all the right components in the right mix. Hopefully as I lose more weight and get comfortable managing the calorie part, I'll start trying to manage the other parts, but I can only monitor so much at a time.

    I'm the exact same way - I'm still *fairly* new to this whole thing, so it's a major change to me to just be watching calories and track my exercise. I'm learning..........but still go over sodium and carbs almost everyday.

    As for the actual question - I eat these too, almost everyday! My opinion is that yes, you're eating a little bit of sugar/ etc (the bad carb), but the granola/ oats in it is GOOD carbs, kind of like a whole wheat bread or something. But maybe that's just my rationalization of eating them, because I love them!

    I'm interested to see what other people have to say!
  • Melanie1967
    Melanie1967 Posts: 238 Member
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    I can't answer you on this, because I don't know anything about the good carb/bad carb thing. But, I know what works for me. I do those bars alot for breakfast. My favorite one is the chocolate peanut butter. Being I am in a semi at breakfast time, they are quick, easy, and filling also as you said. I track my calories, carbs, protein, sodium and fiber. Sodium is my downfall. I retain water so bad from sodium. Since coming to MFP, in March, I have lost 41lbs. They must not be to bad for you. Hope this helps some.
  • hadababyitsagirl
    hadababyitsagirl Posts: 21
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    nsking83, you have done great losing over 20lbs so far. I too have lost lots of weight just counting calories and exercising...I'm down 50lbs. But, it's time for me to get deeper in my health and as a TRUE CARB ADDICT I have to do something about it. Especially since I am insulin resistant.

    Our bodies burn carbs for energy first before it even works on the fat. I have to lower my carb intake to get in better shape. Plus, being IR I keep putting carbs in my body and ALL of it gets stored as (belly) fat. It's time for a change!
  • atombud
    atombud Posts: 38 Member
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    I am not an expert either but I would think it is a processed food so the sugar you are taking in is not good for you. Have you tried eating apples in there place, apples are high in fiber and the sugars are natural. Good luck,
  • Johnnyswife
    Johnnyswife Posts: 1,447 Member
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    I am still figuring out the balances in my diet. I am trying to reduce carb/sugar. Almost every morning I eat a Fiber One Bar for breakfast...I really love them they are quick and filling in my opinion. My question is, there are 28g carbs in one bar would these be considered "good" carbs (slow to the bloodstream) or sugar spiking carbs? Does it benefit that there are 9g of fiber in each bar as this is why i eat them every morning (regularity). Like I said I am still learning, but doesn't high amounts of fiber slow the spike to the bloodstream when eaten with a carb?

    Is there a ratio of carb to fiber to be eaten together to avoid a sugar crash? Sorry, still new to this.. Your opinions are greatly appreciated while I make since of all of this.
    For carbs, you subtract the fiber from your carbs, and those are your "net carbs."
    http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/a/netcarbs.htm
  • curlygirl71
    curlygirl71 Posts: 15 Member
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    Hi...I'm a diabetic and can shed a little light here (I think) :-) Typically you subtract the amount of fiber from the carbs and that gives you a "net carb count". The more fiber the better. The fiber and whole grains enter slowly into the bloodstream and will spike less.

    I recommend visiting a nutritionist. My doc sent me to one for education purposes and it was amazing what I learned. Your doc should be able to put you in touch with one.

    Good luck!
  • narna04
    narna04 Posts: 18
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    There's my thought, you should test your blood sugar before you eat the bar then test again 45-60 min later to see if it spiked your blood sugar.Then you will know if this is something you should eat.
  • dclarsh1
    dclarsh1 Posts: 83
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    Have you tried the South Beach diet? If you are insulin resistant, it might not be such a bad idea. It's not that hard and it might help you get your carb addiction under control. My husband and I did it, and I'm even a vegetarian! If you're interested and want some help getting started, PM me and I'd be glad to help you out.

    I personally ditched the Fiber One bars a long time ago because they gave me stomach cramps.

    Diana
  • hadababyitsagirl
    hadababyitsagirl Posts: 21
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    Thanks for the info guys! I will certainly try to get in touch with a nutritionist to educate myself better. More questions: I have learned about subtracting fiber for net carbs...I read that you should only do that if the item is HIGH fiber like 5g or higher...should i be subtracting ALL fiber in an item from the carbs to get net carbs? That's question 1.

    Question 2: If I eat something high in carbs example Cheerios there are 28g carbs and 3g fiber...so if I subtract 3g fiber i get 25 net carbs in my bowl of dry Cheerios. Could I eat something else with it HIGH in fiber and subtract that fiber as well?

    MFP has a goal set for me of 145 carbs daily and 28g fiber. If I take in too many carbs (example) 185 carbs and increase my fiber for the day to say 40g, would i consider my daily intake of carbs "net" back at 145?

    Thanks again for your advice...
  • Supermel
    Supermel Posts: 612 Member
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    i also really enjoy fibre1 bars. I am limiting them now,(or trying to) because I find while they do make me full, they do initially make me crave more when i finish one.. and i often find even a few hours later i'm fighting the urge for crappy carbs or a binge. If i skip it and eat a balanced yougurt and cottage cheese, or something ... i'm full without cravings. I have changed my settings on here, to count my sugar, and the days i have a fibre1 bar, i'm over on my sugar, every time, even with eating amazing the rest of the day. The only other sugary thing i had yesterday was strawberries, and i was over still. I'm finding to keep a good balance, we are eating a lot of quinoa, whole grain rice (great valley kind is amazing) and in very small moderation (once a month if that) ww pasta.I eat my sandwhich at lunch with one piece of bread instead of two. and while my carbs are a bit under each day, they are close to what is reccomended. I am not insulin resistant or have an sugar issues, but i do try to keep carbs to a min after 3;30pm and to zero after dinner (aside from the odd bag of popcorn on a weekend but then i really find i will not see a loss for a few days after doing so). I really try to eat half my body weight in grams of protein, as reccomended to me by a great trainer friend. So if i weighed 100lbs, i should try to eat 50g per day in protein. This is over the MFP reccomendations and i try very hard to drink 10-12 cups of water min per day to help flush the extra protein out of my kidneys (the main concern on too much protein). I am trying so hard to eat clean carbs too, complex and whole grain (not just whole wheat).

    I eat the fibre1 bar for a mid am snack when i do have one on the run, but i wouldn't use it for breakast, as i feel i need to get some good protein in the am, so i usually start my day with a few eggs plus egg whites. Sometimes i will have oatmeal plus an egg or shredded wheat plus an egg too, but always try for the protein. Many do protein shakes too, but i haven't gotten into that, mostly due to cost.
  • Soon2beskinny73
    Soon2beskinny73 Posts: 255 Member
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    Thanks for the info guys! I will certainly try to get in touch with a nutritionist to educate myself better. More questions: I have learned about subtracting fiber for net carbs...I read that you should only do that if the item is HIGH fiber like 5g or higher...should i be subtracting ALL fiber in an item from the carbs to get net carbs? That's question 1.

    Question 2: If I eat something high in carbs example Cheerios there are 28g carbs and 3g fiber...so if I subtract 3g fiber i get 25 net carbs in my bowl of dry Cheerios. Could I eat something else with it HIGH in fiber and subtract that fiber as well?

    MFP has a goal set for me of 145 carbs daily and 28g fiber. If I take in too many carbs (example) 185 carbs and increase my fiber for the day to say 40g, would i consider my daily intake of carbs "net" back at 145?

    Thanks again for your advice...

    Hi ....
    Well I am insulin resistant and I go to a nutritionist and have learned a whole lot. Due to my insulin resistance I gained a whole lot of weight (didn't know I was insulin resistant at that time) . I have been overweight most of my life and I always had a hard time whenever I ate carbs , well I was eating way to many carbs was the problem LOL.

    I got on WW in Jan. 2008 and lost 65 lbs. but I lost it VERY SLOWLY and wasn't sure why!! Well it was because my carbs were way to high but I was losing but it took me two years (Jan. 2010) to lose that 65 lbs which sucked but I thought oh well I am losing. Finally decided to to go a nutritionist in Feb. 2010 to see what in the heck was going on with me. Between my doctor and nutritionist found out I am insulin resistant and the reason why I don't process carbs well.

    Both my doctor and nutritionist told me about Atkins and I have been on that lifestyle plan since the end of Feb. 2010 but didn't actually start full swing on Atkins until end of April 2010 and found this site to help with my calorie count as well and the support here is phenomenal which I love. Any ways I have lost 11 lbs. since the end of April and although it's slow I am losing on average 3 lbs. per week which is good. Any ways to answer your questions ...sorry about the long post ...I like talking to much :blushing:

    1. You should count the fiber no matter if it's 2 grams fiber or 5 grams fiber. That is what I have always been told and read. So you subtract fiber from the carbs and that will give you net carbs. Atkins actually states to subtract the sugar alcohols as well to get a true net carb.

    2. You only can subtract the fiber from carbs in each individual food to get you a total of net carbs. For example your cheerios are 28 g. carbs and there is 3 g. fiber so you would have 25 net carbs for that food. Let's say you eat a snack pack of almonds and the carbs are 6 g. and the fiber is 3 g. therefore you have 3 net carbs in that food. So your total in net carbs for the two individual foods is 28 g. carbs. Hope this makes sense.

    3. The last question you have I am not real sure of , sorry :ohwell:

    The important thing is if you are insulin resistant then you do need to lower your carb intake or you might have issues with weight loss or plateauing. I have struggled through it but FINALLY am right on the carbs I take in and seem to be losing slowly but steadily. I only eat between 20-100 carbs per day and I usually never go up to 100 carbs and I NEVER go over 100 net carbs a day!! I do notice the lower my carb intake the better my weight loss but it all equals out. I am not in a race here and I know it won't take overnight to get all the weight off!! Hope I helped some and good luck!!
  • stressd1mom
    stressd1mom Posts: 151 Member
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    Have you ever looked into taking Fish Oil pills? I did some research on them & it said that while it is good for promoting heart health, it is also beneficial for people with obesity because it stabilizes the blood sugar. I take 3000 mg before supper. If it does nothing else (which I believe it does), at least it is heart healthy!
  • tierre1
    tierre1 Posts: 24 Member
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    I love Fiber One bars too and am trying to keep a diet with low sugar, carbs and fat. Recently I've begin eating the 90 calorie fiber one bars.

    I got this information from http://www.livestrong.com/article/303063-fiber-one-bars-weight-loss/

    Carbohydrates

    If you're following a low-carbohydrate diet to lose weight, Fiber One bars may not be a good choice. An Oats & Chocolate bar has a total carbohydrate count of 29 g, which is 10 percent of the Daily Value for someone following a 2,000-calorie daily diet. Some low-carb diets restrict dieters to far fewer carbs a day. The total carbs are broken into 9 g from dietary fiber and 10 g from sugars.

    Fat

    If you're trying to lose weight by counting fat grams, a Fiber One bar is acceptable to add to your menu. An Oats & Chocolate bar has just 4 g of fat, which is 6 percent of the Daily Value. The bars contain 1.5 g of saturated fat and no trans fat. MayoClinic.com notes that health experts recommend that healthy adults get 20 to 35 percent of their total calories from fat.


    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/303063-fiber-one-bars-weight-loss/#ixzz2RhbMbxWG

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