New to Keto - should I count Gross Carbs or Net Carbs?
jaymo602
Posts: 52 Member
I have been reading a bit and following the Keto diet for a week now.
I have tried to keep my carbs under 50 grams, and have not had a problem thus far.
However I had read the other day that some subtract their fiber gram intake against their Carb gram intake, and am wondering if i should consider the same practice?
Thanks
I have tried to keep my carbs under 50 grams, and have not had a problem thus far.
However I had read the other day that some subtract their fiber gram intake against their Carb gram intake, and am wondering if i should consider the same practice?
Thanks
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Replies
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Net carbs.2
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Whatever you do, if it works, stick with that. Fiber and sugar alcohols can dramatically affect some people far more than others! If it's working at 50 grams, total, then stick with that. Don't fix what isn't broken... Playing with too many factors is how most people get off track.2
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I do net
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I count total but at the end of the day I do always figure out what my net carbs are/were simply out of curiosity.3
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I do total.0
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I do 30 total carbs a day.
If I do happen to go over 30, I look back at my diary and see where the extra carbs came from. So far, the very few times(except 1 time) I've been over 30 total was always from extra vegetables I ate that day. So I did net those days! hahaha2 -
That's pretty much my view, too, @Kellryn... I don't worry so much about going over as long as most of it is fibrous veggies.
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I do total 20 carbs or less, for me it's easier doing total carbs, plus I'm diabetic so have to watch blood sugar...luckily the sugar alcohols don't seem to mess with my numbers!0
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I tried to do 20 total carbs, hardly ever could stay under. But then, I LOVE vegetables. I can never stay with 1 serving of them. My stir-frys also tend to be full of a lot of variety, which means more carbs. I hover between 24 and 29 carbs on most days.
I'm also a huge tea drinker, and several of my herbal or green tea blends have 1 carb per bag...0 -
Initially I would count total. I've been keto for a year and always count total, most of the time staying between 20 and 30.
I think it gives you a better baseline and helps you see how you react to different foods.
If you have 100 lbs give or take to loose it won't matter, especially the first 3 or 4 months, the weight generally melts off.
But then there is the dreaded 6 months "stall" and the insidious "carb creep", both of which can take you out.
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Thank you all for the reply back... I am targeting about 30 grams of carbs a day or less, and finding it pretty easy to stay within this. If I get less due to fiber great, and if i have more I will adjust for the next day.
Scale is certainly moving downward at a pace I am happy with (average 2-3 pounds a week) so I am gonna leave this alone for now...
I do question the fact that I have not had any type of KETO flu that I know of, and perhaps I am only low carbing it for now, and thats OK with me as well.
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I never had the "keto" flu....I'm kinda strange cuz my body doesn't react to stuff like most people do! I definitely wouldn't mess with anything if you're losing now if you start to stall you might wanna tweak but until then keto on!1
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I was on Keto for about three years, then came completely out for a vegetarian detox. A year later plus 20 pounds, I am back on Keto this week and over 8 pounds down. My limit is 30 total carbs. I am a diabetic in complete remission now. A few years of strict Keto, no more than 30 total carbs and moderately low protein accomplished that. It feels so good to be back.6
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It's hard to stay under 20 total carbs especially while getting adequate vegetable intake. I stick to no more than 30 total carbs all coming from veggies. I'm doing dairy free.2
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Depending on the source and your gender, the daily fiber intake recommendations are 20-35g. So those of you that are counting total carbs and staying down in the recommended ranges/area for keto either aren't getting enough fiber, or you are dangerously close to or below minimum recommended carb intake of 10-15g to support basic requirements ( hormone support, etc ).
Everything I have read on the subject as it pertains to carb intake is meeting a net carb level consistent with maintaining ketosis. You have to experiment to find your actual threshold level, but most have to get below 50g net to achieve this state.
There is a user created script ( get here : https://github.com/Surye/mfp-keto-userscript ) that will allow you to easily see/track net carbs when using the web portal.
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Fiber is only necessary to help process carbs. If you are eating little to no carbs, you need little to no fiber. In fact, there are a number of folks here who find that their IBS, previously managed only by large amounts of fiber is in fact better and almost no existent by eliminating nearly all sources of fiber. @Sunny_Bunny_ can likely give better examples. In fact, some, like @FIT_Goat, are on YEARS without measurable fiber consumption by sticking to what is called a "zero carb" or "carnivore" dietary plan.
I'd love to see the documentation you have on 10-15 grams of carbs being the basic support requirement - specifically hormone support. Mainly, I'd love to see this, as my hormones start getting all kinds of wacky with anything from 30 grams on up, but I level out quite well at significantly lower carb levels.0 -
Depending on the source and your gender, the daily fiber intake recommendations are 20-35g. So those of you that are counting total carbs and staying down in the recommended ranges/area for keto either aren't getting enough fiber, or you are dangerously close to or below minimum recommended carb intake of 10-15g to support basic requirements ( hormone support, etc ).
Everything I have read on the subject as it pertains to carb intake is meeting a net carb level consistent with maintaining ketosis. You have to experiment to find your actual threshold level, but most have to get below 50g net to achieve this state.
There is a user created script ( get here : https://github.com/Surye/mfp-keto-userscript ) that will allow you to easily see/track net carbs when using the web portal.
Don't forget, everything you read about "daily requirements" is based on the standard high carb diet. In the absence of all those carbs, our bodies have different needs
I used to take fiber supplements and try so hard to get high fiber foods and I honestly did feel better when I did that back in my standard diet days... But since going Keto and not worrying about fiber at all, my symptoms got amazingly better and pretty much immediately.
I did have some constipation issues for a while which I associated with high cheese and protein consumption, but then I tried a carnivore diet for a month and got basically no fiber at all compared to the 10-15g I was getting and felt the best I've ever felt! Went back to daily movements within a few days and no pressure or bloating ever, and was eating a lot of cheese and protein. Now I only experience those symptoms when I get too much fiber and the only source I ever get fiber from is green vegetables or nuts. I never eat protein bars or things where they add it.
It's much more important to listen to your body than follow some arbitrary guidelines Especially when those guidelines are based on a way of eating that we don't practice.5 -
I count total carbs. I found that my epilepsy and tremors don't mind carbs between 20-30, so I'm able to eat veggies without too much worry. I was pretty much a carnivore for awhile and MY digestive system wasn't fond of it- I am actually dropping faster this week after having added veggies and strawberries back in my life. After an initial shock to the system, I'm evening back out.0
