Total carbohydrates contain just fibers and sugars? Help!

dyana84 · February 2015

Hi. Im on a weightloss diet. My daily intake was set by MFP at 1200 calories (of course taking in consideration my weight, height, age and how fast i wanna loose weight, which i set it at almost 1 kg/week).

I tried to follow (a doctor's but not nutritionist's advice) the keto diet. He told me MFP usually sets its values in a traditional way (meaning with high carb) and that keto is based on low carb and high fat.

In my case MFP sets automatically Carbs- 150 g (50%), Protein- 60 g (20%) and Fat- 40g (30%). So in order to follow doctor's advices i had to modify MFP settings and set Nutrition goals at: carbs 20% , fat 55% and protein 25% (which showed me it means carbs 60 g, fat 73 g and protein 75g-- somebody help me pls and tell me how MFP calculates this? how is it possible that 25% of a whole accounts for 75g and 55% of the same whole accounts for 73g). And why is it possible to adjust just the percentages at Nutrition Goals? and those just from 5 to 5? Like i can adjust carbs either at 20%, either at 25%, either a 30%...

Going further into Advanced Nutrition Goals, i setted Fiber at 25g and Sugars at 40g (because i didnt want my Total Carbs to stay at 60g but at 65g. And since at the main Nutrition Goals i could only set percentages and not grams, it would always show more or less than 65g. And so it remained like this....Meaning:

Nutrition Goals:
Net Calories Consumed 1200
Carbohydrates 60g 20%
Protein 75g 25%
Fat 73g 55%
.
.
.
Advanced Goals
.
.
Fiber 25g
Sugars 40g

I cannot simply understand the method of calculation here...

What i dont understand is...when i look into my diary at the end of a day at nutrient details, i see for example at Total column, at sugars 29 and at fibers 23 (and im thinking hurrayy im in my total carb daily goal) but at Total Carbohydrates, i dont see 29+23=52g, i see for ex 127g. How come? What am i missing here? Isnt Total Carbohydrates composed of Fibers and Sugars? And if it has some other component, how come MFP doesnt show it? Within the same day, at the same values but at Goal column, i see Dietary Fibers at 27, Sugars at 44 and Total Carbs at 66g. Why??? When MFP was setted for Total Carbs at 60g (although separately i setted fibers 25 and sugars 40).

Total Goal Left
Total Carbs(g) 127 66 -61
Dietary fibers(g) 23 27 4
Sugars(g) 29 44 15

I would really appreciate any info here so i can figure it out how this works.
Coz right now, i loose weight very slow and i cannot understand why.

Thanks in advance!

naveenlb · February 2015

Actually there are 3 types of carbs :
Starches [Complex carbs which are found in whole grains and lots of veggies] Starches converts to sugar very slowly so there won't be spike in the blood glucose level.
Sugar [Milk, fruit, processed foods etc] Digests rapidly
Fibre [Beans,veggies... etc]

Simple answer : Starches digest slowly than sugar. Starches are also converted to sugar.

FYI : 1 gram of protein or carbs = 4 calories.
1 Gram of fat = 9 calories
1 gram of fibre = -4 calories.

Net carbs = Carbs[sugar/starches] - Fibre

1200-1400 calories a day is fine. Most people will completely throw it out the window without doing any research, however if you look at certain studies (Eg: Military study on muscle loss) you'll see that it's completely doable with incredibly minimal muscle loss (especially if you're over 15% Body fat). The only factor that should be influencing your decision should be whether or not you think you are mentally capable of following through with it. I know when I did it (yes, I ate around 1400 calories/day for 1 month) back when I was overweight, I saw very rapid results. I drank 1 liter of water upon waking up in the morning, then 1-1.5 liters rest of the day. Drinking more water makes you hungry, so I was drinking less.

Here's what you should do, I'd recommend you try it out for a few days and see if you can mentally do it. If you have any physical symptoms like dizziness, an abnormal heart rate, or anything out of the ordinary, I'd recommend you stop immediately and up your intake of calories.
Make sure you take a good multi-vitamin if you're going to do this, and some fish oils would be ideal too. Keep the protein high, and your willpower higher.

Brown rice, Chicken, Oats, Whole eggs, Fish, Avocados, Greens/Vegetables would be your best choice. When you are following low calorie diet make sure you depend on solid [Chewable] food. Liquid food or drinks makes you feel hungry soon.

High protein/Moderate Carbs/Low Fat works best.

naveenlb · February 2015

To answer your question.

You goal is to eat less than 60 grams of carbs per day. 100 grams of oats contains almost 70 grams of carbs [starches] including 11 grams of fibre. It won't be the best choice according to your goal. It is better if you eat more protein,veggies,avocados and nuts. By doing this you'll be getting protein, enough fibre, less than 10 grams of sugar and enough fats which supports your goal.

100 grams of avocado contains 9 grams of carbs out of which 8 grams are fibre and 1 gram is sugar. Go with this.

I will give you the sample meal plan which I used before. It is low carb , high fat/protein diet.

8 am - 2 scrambled eggs (large) cooked in 2 pats[10 grams totally] of butter, with any veggies you prefer such as peppers, diced onion, mushrooms, spinach, etc. This meal contains about 260 calories and 14-16 grams of protein.

11 am - Protein shake, 3 fish oil softgels and 3 ounces of strawberries or blueberries. This meal contains about 157 calories and 22-25 grams of protein.

2 pm - 1 piece of regular fat string cheese and one ounce of almonds. This meal contains about 244 calories and 16 grams of protein.

Dinner (post-workout) - 6 ounces of baked, boneless and skinless chicken breast. (187 calories and 39 grams of protein)
Sour cream and salsa topping for chicken breast. Combine 1 ounce of full-fat, natural sour cream with 1 ounce of salsa. (71 calories and 1 gram of protein)

Pre-bed Snack - Casein protein shake and 3 fish oil softgels. This meal contains about 143 calories and 25 grams of protein.

Is protein shake necessary - No, you can swap in any protein foods as long as the calories come to about 120.

Total calories around 1400. You could try this. Good luck.

Sued0nim · February 2015

Did you doctor advise keto because you are epileptic or have a similar medical condition that responds to high fat diet

Because if s/he didn't then that afternoon s/he spent on nutrition has been forgotten amidst dietary hype

Keto works for people who settle on it as their way ...is it yours? Because if not there are other ways to ensure your appropriate calorie defecit that won't make you Ill (in the short-term) or be so restrictive

MoiAussi93 · February 2015

dyana84 wrote: »

Hi. Im on a weightloss diet. My daily intake was set by MFP at 1200 calories (of course taking in consideration my weight, height, age and how fast i wanna loose weight, which i set it at almost 1 kg/week).

I tried to follow (a doctor's but not nutritionist's advice) the keto diet. He told me MFP usually sets its values in a traditional way (meaning with high carb) and that keto is based on low carb and high fat.

In my case MFP sets automatically Carbs- 150 g (50%), Protein- 60 g (20%) and Fat- 40g (30%). So in order to follow doctor's advices i had to modify MFP settings and set Nutrition goals at: carbs 20% , fat 55% and protein 25% (which showed me it means carbs 60 g, fat 73 g and protein 75g-- somebody help me pls and tell me how MFP calculates this? how is it possible that 25% of a whole accounts for 75g and 55% of the same whole accounts for 73g). And why is it possible to adjust just the percentages at Nutrition Goals? and those just from 5 to 5? Like i can adjust carbs either at 20%, either at 25%, either a 30%...

Going further into Advanced Nutrition Goals, i setted Fiber at 25g and Sugars at 40g (because i didnt want my Total Carbs to stay at 60g but at 65g. And since at the main Nutrition Goals i could only set percentages and not grams, it would always show more or less than 65g. And so it remained like this....Meaning:

Nutrition Goals:
Net Calories Consumed 1200
Carbohydrates 60g 20%
Protein 75g 25%
Fat 73g 55%
.
.
.
Advanced Goals
.
.
Fiber 25g
Sugars 40g

I cannot simply understand the method of calculation here...

What i dont understand is...when i look into my diary at the end of a day at nutrient details, i see for example at Total column, at sugars 29 and at fibers 23 (and im thinking hurrayy im in my total carb daily goal) but at Total Carbohydrates, i dont see 29+23=52g, i see for ex 127g. How come? What am i missing here? Isnt Total Carbohydrates composed of Fibers and Sugars? And if it has some other component, how come MFP doesnt show it? Within the same day, at the same values but at Goal column, i see Dietary Fibers at 27, Sugars at 44 and Total Carbs at 66g. Why??? When MFP was setted for Total Carbs at 60g (although separately i setted fibers 25 and sugars 40).

Total Goal Left
Total Carbs(g) 127 66 -61
Dietary fibers(g) 23 27 4
Sugars(g) 29 44 15

I would really appreciate any info here so i can figure it out how this works.
Coz right now, i loose weight very slow and i cannot understand why.

Thanks in advance!

I can easily answer at least one part of this.

i had to modify MFP settings and set Nutrition goals at: carbs 20% , fat 55% and protein 25% (which showed me it means carbs 60 g, fat 73 g and protein 75g-- somebody help me pls and tell me how MFP calculates this? how is it possible that 25% of a whole accounts for 75g and 55% of the same whole accounts for 73g). And why is it possible to adjust just the percentages at Nutrition Goals? and those just from 5 to 5? Like i can adjust carbs either at 20%, either at 25%, either a 30%...

Those percentages are total calories, not total grams. Carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram, but fat is 9 calories per gram. So if you're eating 1200 calories, 75 grams of protein is (75*4)= 300 calories, or 25% of 1200. 73 grams of fat is (73*9)= 657 calories, or 55% of 1200.

It is extremely annoying that it only lets you set these targets in 5% increments. This makes no sense, since it could have easily been designed to let us set 33% instead of having to pick either 30 or 35%. But I didn't design this system, and that is only one of the things I find a bit annoying. You just have to pick the one closest to what you really want and either view it as approximate, or mentally add or subtract a few grams. But I agree...we SHOULD be able to set exact gram targets.

JPW1990 · February 2015

MoiAussi93 wrote: »

dyana84 wrote: »

Hi. Im on a weightloss diet. My daily intake was set by MFP at 1200 calories (of course taking in consideration my weight, height, age and how fast i wanna loose weight, which i set it at almost 1 kg/week).

I tried to follow (a doctor's but not nutritionist's advice) the keto diet. He told me MFP usually sets its values in a traditional way (meaning with high carb) and that keto is based on low carb and high fat.

In my case MFP sets automatically Carbs- 150 g (50%), Protein- 60 g (20%) and Fat- 40g (30%). So in order to follow doctor's advices i had to modify MFP settings and set Nutrition goals at: carbs 20% , fat 55% and protein 25% (which showed me it means carbs 60 g, fat 73 g and protein 75g-- somebody help me pls and tell me how MFP calculates this? how is it possible that 25% of a whole accounts for 75g and 55% of the same whole accounts for 73g). And why is it possible to adjust just the percentages at Nutrition Goals? and those just from 5 to 5? Like i can adjust carbs either at 20%, either at 25%, either a 30%...

Going further into Advanced Nutrition Goals, i setted Fiber at 25g and Sugars at 40g (because i didnt want my Total Carbs to stay at 60g but at 65g. And since at the main Nutrition Goals i could only set percentages and not grams, it would always show more or less than 65g. And so it remained like this....Meaning:

Nutrition Goals:
Net Calories Consumed 1200
Carbohydrates 60g 20%
Protein 75g 25%
Fat 73g 55%
.
.
.
Advanced Goals
.
.
Fiber 25g
Sugars 40g

I cannot simply understand the method of calculation here...

What i dont understand is...when i look into my diary at the end of a day at nutrient details, i see for example at Total column, at sugars 29 and at fibers 23 (and im thinking hurrayy im in my total carb daily goal) but at Total Carbohydrates, i dont see 29+23=52g, i see for ex 127g. How come? What am i missing here? Isnt Total Carbohydrates composed of Fibers and Sugars? And if it has some other component, how come MFP doesnt show it? Within the same day, at the same values but at Goal column, i see Dietary Fibers at 27, Sugars at 44 and Total Carbs at 66g. Why??? When MFP was setted for Total Carbs at 60g (although separately i setted fibers 25 and sugars 40).

Total Goal Left
Total Carbs(g) 127 66 -61
Dietary fibers(g) 23 27 4
Sugars(g) 29 44 15

I would really appreciate any info here so i can figure it out how this works.
Coz right now, i loose weight very slow and i cannot understand why.

Thanks in advance!

I can easily answer at least one part of this.

i had to modify MFP settings and set Nutrition goals at: carbs 20% , fat 55% and protein 25% (which showed me it means carbs 60 g, fat 73 g and protein 75g-- somebody help me pls and tell me how MFP calculates this? how is it possible that 25% of a whole accounts for 75g and 55% of the same whole accounts for 73g). And why is it possible to adjust just the percentages at Nutrition Goals? and those just from 5 to 5? Like i can adjust carbs either at 20%, either at 25%, either a 30%...

Those percentages are total calories, not total grams. Carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram, but fat is 9 calories per gram. So if you're eating 1200 calories, 75 grams of protein is (75*4)= 300 calories, or 25% of 1200. 73 grams of fat is (73*9)= 657 calories, or 55% of 1200.

It is extremely annoying that it only lets you set these targets in 5% increments. This makes no sense, since it could have easily been designed to let us set 33% instead of having to pick either 30 or 35%. But I didn't design this system, and that is only one of the things I find a bit annoying. You just have to pick the one closest to what you really want and either view it as approximate, or mentally add or subtract a few grams. But I agree...we SHOULD be able to set exact gram targets.

There is a fix for this, but you have to use Chrome or Firefox on a computer to do it. Once you set it there, it will carry over to the app, but you still have to use a computer if you have to adjust anything later.

http://karoshiethos.com/2013/08/13/javascript-bookmarklet-for-enhanced-macro-goals-in-myfitnesspal/

That script will allow you to adjust your macros by percent or by grams, to whatever increment you want. I set mine by grams, so it looks like 4/77/18 for percentage. Also, if you do track mainly on a computer instead of the app, this one is very useful, too:
https://github.com/Surye/mfp-keto-userscript

That will automatically calculate your net carbs and display them as a separate column on your diary page (this works if you're using nutritional info that doesn't already deduct fiber from total carbs. US labels don't do that, other countries do, so it's a ymmv thing depending where you live).

dyana84 · February 2015

First of all, thank you all very much for answers. Now, for my reply..
For naveenlb and also rabbittjb: I started the keto diet last year in december the 6th, as i recall. I did not respect 100% those indicators but for sure my level of carb intake was by a lot decreased. Why i chose this diet? I am not epileptic, i am healthy person. The only problem was that i was eating lots of sugar every day (and when i say a lot, i mean it- for example 2 chocolates, each one 100g quantity and containing 40-50g sugars, then other sweets like biscuits or God knows what-i was a big fan of sweets-bombons, candies, cookies, pudding, everything processed) and ended up weighting 85kg at 1,74m. So i decided to follow this diet to loose weight (my goal is to reach 65kg and stay there) and get rid of this bad habit of eating so much sugar. It was a big change for me but i managed it. I had no diziness no nothing, i also train 3 times a week at the gym+ 1 hour walking and walk 2 hours the other days and rarely i have a day per week when i simply just wanna lay there.
The first 5 kg dissapeared 1 each week. Was perfect. Yet, after that it got harder and harder to loose weight. I simply cannot understand why. I loose for example 1kg in 2 weeks now..it all goes so slow...And i feel the desperate need to eat sweets but i dont do it. Well, not like before..
The doctor said it's normal coz the first 5 kg were just the water surplus. Now it's getting tough coz the fat has to go away. Today i stopped colaboration with him and decided to ask for help here.
What i eat: brocoli, tomatoes, carrots, celery, spinach, avocado, green onion, cucumber, cottage cheese, eggs, cauliflower, fish (salmon and atlantic code fish), shrimps, sea fruits cocktail, beans, cabbage, turkey meat, ya...light healthy stuff. Either raw, boiled or fried (fried for fish and turkey or eggs). For fruits i eat bananas, pinneaple, grepfruit, kiwi and also dark chocolate (80 or 90%) and bio honey.

JPW1990 · February 2015

dyana84 wrote: »

First of all, thank you all very much for answers. Now, for my reply..
For naveenlb and also rabbittjb: I started the keto diet last year in december the 6th, as i recall. I did not respect 100% those indicators but for sure my level of carb intake was by a lot decreased. Why i chose this diet? I am not epileptic, i am healthy person. The only problem was that i was eating lots of sugar every day (and when i say a lot, i mean it- for example 2 chocolates, each one 100g quantity and containing 40-50g sugars, then other sweets like biscuits or God knows what-i was a big fan of sweets-bombons, candies, cookies, pudding, everything processed) and ended up weighting 85kg at 1,74m. So i decided to follow this diet to loose weight (my goal is to reach 65kg and stay there) and get rid of this bad habit of eating so much sugar. It was a big change for me but i managed it. I had no diziness no nothing, i also train 3 times a week at the gym+ 1 hour walking and walk 2 hours the other days and rarely i have a day per week when i simply just wanna lay there.
The first 5 kg dissapeared 1 each week. Was perfect. Yet, after that it got harder and harder to loose weight. I simply cannot understand why. I loose for example 1kg in 2 weeks now..it all goes so slow...And i feel the desperate need to eat sweets but i dont do it. Well, not like before..
The doctor said it's normal coz the first 5 kg were just the water surplus. Now it's getting tough coz the fat has to go away. Today i stopped colaboration with him and decided to ask for help here.
What i eat: brocoli, tomatoes, carrots, celery, spinach, avocado, green onion, cucumber, cottage cheese, eggs, cauliflower, fish (salmon and atlantic code fish), shrimps, sea fruits cocktail, beans, cabbage, turkey meat, ya...light healthy stuff. Either raw, boiled or fried (fried for fish and turkey or eggs). For fruits i eat bananas, pinneaple, grepfruit, kiwi and also dark chocolate (80 or 90%) and bio honey.

If you're eating beans and all that fruit, you're not doing keto. Keto is a specific kind of restricted carbs that changes the way your body stores and uses energy (anyone wanting to nitpick that, I'm simplifying it for a reason). Keto means you keep your body in a state of ketosis, for most people that starts with 20-30g of carbs or less. Some can bump it up to 40 or 50 after they've been keto adapted for several months.

Including all those foods that have more than 20g of net carbs in a single serving means your body is never going into ketosis, and never changing from burning carbs to fat. There's also the issue that once you've lost weight, you need to readjust all your numbers to allow for that new, lower weight. Every number should go down, including your total calories for the day.

It is possible you're simply using the word "keto" incorrectly, and all your doctor intended was for you to go on a low carb diet, which can be anywhere from 150g or less on carbs, but still allows some of all those high carb food you've been eating in moderation. If that's the case, you still need to readjust your numbers when you lose weight. You also need to be sure you're weighing all your food and recording it accurately. There are very few foods that you can measure and have it come out to the exact same weight as a suggested serving size.

Mycophilia · February 2015

naveenlb wrote: »

FYI : 1 gram of protein or carbs = 4 calories.
1 Gram of fat = 9 calories
1 gram of fibre = -4 calories.

I thought fiber was a micronutrient? And what is this about -4 calories? Explain and give sources please.

MoiAussi93 · February 2015

JPW1990 wrote: »

There is a fix for this, but you have to use Chrome or Firefox on a computer to do it. Once you set it there, it will carry over to the app, but you still have to use a computer if you have to adjust anything later.

http://karoshiethos.com/2013/08/13/javascript-bookmarklet-for-enhanced-macro-goals-in-myfitnesspal/

That script will allow you to adjust your macros by percent or by grams, to whatever increment you want. I set mine by grams, so it looks like 4/77/18 for percentage. Also, if you do track mainly on a computer instead of the app, this one is very useful, too:
https://github.com/Surye/mfp-keto-userscript

That will automatically calculate your net carbs and display them as a separate column on your diary page (this works if you're using nutritional info that doesn't already deduct fiber from total carbs. US labels don't do that, other countries do, so it's a ymmv thing depending where you live).

Thanks! I do use chrome, and usually track on a computer so these are perfect for me.

dyana84 · February 2015

JPW im not eating all that every day. I talked what i generaly eat. My diary is public. U can take a look if u want. Although im not sure if i have to add u as friend for this? Can u tell me exactly what a person usualy eats on a keto diet? Because im thinking we still need some sort of carbohidrate to have our energy. I eat for ex a boiled egg for breakfast and 100 g of cottage cheese, 100 grams of salmon and 200 grams spinach at lunch plus a light yoghurt and 150 grams of turkey meat and 200 grams of brocoli in the evening. Snacks in the same day: a square of dark chocolate about 9 grams (which has very little sugar) and 20-30 g roasted pumpkin seeds. Is this low carb or keto? If i lower the carbs more than this im gonna faint probably. Also in the same day i do cardio 30 min and pump iron another 20.

dyana84 · February 2015

As i searched, keto is based on the approach that one should get his/hers carbs from vegetables mainly.

JPW1990 · February 2015

dyana84 wrote: »

JPW im not eating all that every day. I talked what i generaly eat. My diary is public. U can take a look if u want. Although im not sure if i have to add u as friend for this? Can u tell me exactly what a person usualy eats on a keto diet? Because im thinking we still need some sort of carbohidrate to have our energy. I eat for ex a boiled egg for breakfast and 100 g of cottage cheese, 100 grams of salmon and 200 grams spinach at lunch plus a light yoghurt and 150 grams of turkey meat and 200 grams of brocoli in the evening. Snacks in the same day: a square of dark chocolate about 9 grams (which has very little sugar) and 20-30 g roasted pumpkin seeds. Is this low carb or keto? If i lower the carbs more than this im gonna faint probably. Also in the same day i do cardio 30 min and pump iron another 20.

I can see your diary, but I'm not sure what language it's in? Of the words I can make out, you have some pretty high carb things on your list, the bananas for one. In your country, are the carbs listed on food labels the net carbs, meaning they've already subtracted the fiber from the total carb count, or are they like US labels, where they list fiber and sugar below the total carb, and you have to subtract them yourself?

I think your best bet would be to print out the last 3 or 4 days of your food diary and take it in to your doctor, so he can go over with you. You have some days where you are dangerously low on calories, especially if you're also working out, and others where you're double or triple the carbs you would have to be in ketosis.

ABrownGrl · February 2015

@dyana84 check out the Keto boards on MFP. You'll find a lot of helpful and useful information. It should help you make an informed decision about making this your WOE. I'd also recommend the book Keto Clarity if you haven't read it yet. Good luck. I've never felt better emotionally, physically, and mentally since going Keto. My body thanks me everyday and it's not as restrictive as some may think.

dyana84 · February 2015

Im in Germany. Ya sorry. I forgot terms there are in german. Yes..i think i should do this.

dyana84 · February 2015

It shows total carbs and under t shows fiver and sugar

blankiefinder · February 2015

Keto, not keto, I can't comment on that, but it still comes down to calories. Do you use a food scale? Input your own recipes for homemade food, or use items in the database? Do you eat back your exercise calories? Plus, you're not that far from goal, that is a fairly aggressive loss rate you're aiming for.

Logging accuracy, consistency, and you're probably eating more than you think.

dyana84 · February 2015

Yes i use a food scale. Yes i weight everything i eat. I barely use home food recipes (one for bread and one for a cake which i rarely eat). The rest are simply colected from the data base. There is nothing complicated about boiled brocoli or turkey steak or raw spinach leaves or almonds etc. And yes, i am aware that when i add them from the database, there is a sliht chance that the calories are not 100% correct. There could always be a marje of error. Thats why i never reach exactly 1200 calories. I reach 1170 or 1100 etc...As for lately, my daily intake went to less than 1000. I dont know for some reason i couldnt eat more those days. Not that i felt sick or anything. And no, i dont eat back my exercise calories. Never. What i noticed was that MFP always yells at me that im eating more carbs than the limit i set. And sometimes, very rare, i eat more than 1200 (1300 for ex). One bad habit is that i have my last snack right before i go to bed

dyana84 · February 2015

ABrownGrl thanks a lot! It doesnt seem impossibly restrictive but the pb is i feel like a junkie who's trying to quit sugar. I crave for sweets. Not every day. Sometimes. Thats why i feel im not strong enough to go through with this. I also feel that if i crave then something is not compatible here. Maybe this diet is not quite for me? Maybe a temporary thing just. Maybe i should try another type of diet.

Total carbohydrates contain just fibers and sugars? Help!

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