Carbs vs Net Carbs?

If you're doing a regular IIFYM diet, go with carbs.
if you're on a low carb diet you can choose between carbs, and net carbs.
Basically net carbs is carbs minus fiber.

If I were going to count carbs, I think it would be net carbs, because I adore vegetables and legumes.

Check the ingredient list - sugar alcohols (like erythritol or other -ols) are in Total Carbohydrate but not in Fiber. Some of these aren't absorbed others are, so to be "safe" use the Total.

4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

If you're doing a regular IIFYM diet, go with carbs.
if you're on a low carb diet you can choose between carbs, and net carbs.
Basically net carbs is carbs minus fiber.

yes, and it is pretty much impossible to stay at a low carb target if you are counting total carbs and not net, cutting all the fiber out of you diet will lead to a very constipated and unhappy you

Eh? net carbs doesn't mean cutting all the fiber from your diet, it means counting carbs, SUBTRACTING the fiber, and tracking the final number so if I had 80 carbs, but 30 fibers, I'd say I had 50 grams of net carbs.

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

If you're doing a regular IIFYM diet, go with carbs.
if you're on a low carb diet you can choose between carbs, and net carbs.
Basically net carbs is carbs minus fiber.

yes, and it is pretty much impossible to stay at a low carb target if you are counting total carbs and not net, cutting all the fiber out of you diet will lead to a very constipated and unhappy you

Eh? net carbs doesn't mean cutting all the fiber from your diet, it means counting carbs, SUBTRACTING the fiber, and tracking the final number so if I had 80 carbs, but 30 fibers, I'd say I had 50 grams of net carbs.

I don't think I phrased my point very well, but I didn't say you were cutting fiber with net carbs. If you are counting total carbs towards a low carb goal it is hard to get much fiber in.

Total carbohydrates: the complete number of carbohydrates ingested, including starches, sugars, sugar alcohols, dietary fiber, etc.

Net carbs: generally determined by subtracting fiber from total carbohydrates. For people on a low-carb diet that emphasizes minimizing glucose synthesis in the body, it makes sense to use this number, as fiber will not cause glucose synthesis and the resulting insulin response.

As mentioned above -- sugar alcohols are a bit of a weird issue. Some people display similar glucose responses to sugar alcohols as regular sugar, some people don't have much of a response at all, and for some people, it depends on the specific sugar alcohol. If you're doing low carb, I'd suggest paying attention and seeing how they impact you personally.

soccerkon26 wrote: »

I could never do low carb because I love them so much! I use the amount of carbs MFP has given me and I tend to go over that
I usually use the total amount just to be safe

If you're doing a MFP approach, then go total, definitely.