okay, one more time... net carbs or total carbs?
annalisbeth74
Posts: 328 Member
I started out doing Atkins, counting my net carbs. But the more I've read about the Atkins program versus LCHF, I've decided I want to transition more to the LCHF. Mainly because Atkins tells me to add carbs back to increase my calories in once I reach maintenance, whereas LCHF tells me to add more fat. Carbs got me into trouble in the first place, so I'm going with the latter. (Not that I'm anywhere close to maintenance yet, but you get the point.)
So I'm wondering if I should abandon the whole net carb concept altogether and just limit my total carbs? What do you guys do?
So I'm wondering if I should abandon the whole net carb concept altogether and just limit my total carbs? What do you guys do?
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The theory is that fiber, while technically a carb, is not digestible so you don't count those carbs. So if something had 8g carbs, 5g of which is fiber, it would have 3g of digestible carbs. Be very careful with this though. It's probably fine for things like vegetables, but on 90% of packaging the sugar plus the fiber does NOT equal the total carbs in the item. So you may not be correct in assuming if you minus fiber from the total carbs you will have the correct NET value. Also alot of protein bars claim a low net carb count, but there are certain things they don't count that some people do absorb as carbs, like sugar alcohols. I find it easier to just go by total.
As for maintenance, in my experience when I went back to eating carbs I gained back 12kg in 3 months. Carbs are the problem and will always be the problem no matter how much I weigh, so I won't be increasing them. Bread and pasta has no place in my diet, ever again.0 -
I was just reading an article that said some folks can kick themselves out of keto if they go too high on the fiber (I assume they do so trying to keep their net low). I was just wondering if I should forget the whole net concept altogether and go for low total carbs with this theory in mind.
I haven't tried ketostix to check if I'm in ketosis. Maybe I should try them and see which method works better for me?0 -
I've always done net carbs, whether I'm aiming for high fiber or low (currently low/not aiming for any fiber necessarily). There are some replacement foods (tortillas usually) with absurd fiber counts. I don't trust those, so I don't eat them. But for chia seeds, and real veggies, I'm counting net carbs with stuff like that.0
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It can depend on where you or the food is from. If it's a US product or sold in the Us, the package reflects total carbs and then fiber, and that's subtracted. If it's a European product (EU) it's almost always with the fiber already subtracted, so I always have to adjust products here to reflect total carbs (then let the little macro script do the deduction)0
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I'm usually total, but if I eat fiber I adjust for net carbs.0
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I can tell you that the time I made "bread rolls" out of psyllium husk and almond flour (about 2g net carb) I was horribly bloated and kicked out of ketosis just as if I'd eaten a white bread sandwich.0
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Good to know! Maybe I should get some ketostix and start measuring, just to see?0
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Ketostix will not help this matter. Get a blood meter or a Ketonix breath meter. Ketostix only count WASTED ketones.
I only count net carbs if I'm eating fibrous veggies. I don't subtract sugar alcohols (which traumatize my intestines anyway) or fiber from added breads like Joseph's Flax Pitas (he makes lavash flatbread) or I loosely keep both numbers in my head. Pretty much the veggie fibers don't negatively affect me the way sugar alcohols and/or bread fibers do, so I give the veggie fibers some slack, though I only eat them maybe once ever 2-3 days, if that.0 -
Thank you! Yeah, I wanna cut down on the sugar alcohols. Those Atkins chocolates are just so yummy, but they don't agree with me either.0
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annalisbeth74 wrote: »Thank you! Yeah, I wanna cut down on the sugar alcohols. Those Atkins chocolates are just so yummy, but they don't agree with me either.
Google the "sugar Free gummi bear story" and read about why sugar alcohols are evil. I avoid them like the plague in anything other than Trident gum in super small quantities.0 -
Wow. I had no idea that those... symptoms... I was having was related to the sugar alcohols. I always thought it was the artificial fiber. No more Atkins candy for this girl!0
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Yeah, the hellishness in those stories...OMG, I laugh so hard, but because I had a love affair almost 15 years ago with Atkins chocolate covered almonds, and almost exploded myself like the girl in Willy Wonka. I've done much better this way, getting rid of the fake substitute foods and getting rid of the true cravings! I can make something similar myself with a small carb hit but better for me that the fake stuff if I really want something.0
