Carbs vs. Net Carbs

Can someone explain this to me. I am a bit confused. When counting my carbs for the day I simply look at the total but am beginning to think from reading here and through other research I should be subtracting my total fiber from my total carbs to get my intake for the day. Right?

You will be getting mixed messages here. I don't do it that way. I take carbs right from the label. I'm still in weight loss and would rather undercount than over estimate my carb intake. There are some people who subtract fiber. The issue I have with this is that it depends what type of fiber (soluble v. Insoluble) that negates some carbs. Labels are not usually that specific.

Sorry, I typed that wrong.... I meant to say that I would rather overestimate my carb intake than underestimate!

I subtract fiber to get net carbs. Most don't on here. Your choice.

Keep it simple..... don't get confused.....

The net thing for me was/is a maintenance skill to learn..... and I pretty much don't even buy into it now.....

Better to error on the side of good.....

This is what cracks me up about the net carb thing.... first... I get it......

Here is the deal...... we have no idea how many hidden carbs we are consuming daily..... you think you know cause you read labels.... but do you really know ????

For me...... in WL..... a carb is a carb....... hidden carbs will creep in..... that's the great equalizer for the net carb math.....

frisco

LOL! Hidden carbs... Do they ever exist!

I actually posted about unavoidable carbs recently.

Anyone consuming the BA Chews gets nailed with a whole whack of them. The Canadian packages say 3 g carbs per chew. The US ones are listing 5 g per chew...

And most don't look at things like that.

Its a rather simple concept that is a bit difficult to execute. There are many on here that will say a carb is a carb but that is not true because some carbs we cannot digest. We cannot digest some (not all) sugar alcohols and we cannot digest most (but not all) fiber. So to get a ballpark of how many carbs you are about to digest you take the total carbs and subtract out any fiber and sugar alcohols. If sugar alcohols are not listed then they are not in there. The problem comes from our labeling rules and that says you can call all the sugar alcohols the same and put them on a line item, the problem is some are not digestible and some are partially digestible. So subtracting out ALL the sugar alcohols might not give you an accurate representation. Same goes for fiber. There are two types of dietary fiber, soluable and non-soluable. The soluable kind is digestible and some of it actually passes through the membranes of your small intestine during the digestion process. Non-soluable just passes right through. So you can see a carb is not a carb as some would have you believe. Here is a good article that explains it in much more detail:

http://www.mendosa.com/netcarbs.htm

Love this thanks! I love to learn the science behind the choices I am making.

Thank you for your detailed post  Keith! I am on my cell phone when I am posting on here usually and didn't have time or the patience to write all that out. I totally agree with one cavet.....most sugar alcohols are are very digestible from the research I have read. So I count them carb for carb. I believe Erythritol is the only one that isn't digested by our bodies very well. The other sugars vary with Maltol being the most absorbable. But you are right there is not true accurate representation of what carb is absorbed and what is not.

I DO keep it simple....really its not that hard!!! Besides if you follow the 321 plan of eating like I do (protein/veggie/carbs) then you shouldn't have an issue with carbs at all. I have no room for them unless I completely go off plan.

This is how I count fiber carbs: If the nutrition label breaks it down...insoluable fiber is subtracted at 100% and soluble fiber is subtracted at 50%. If it just says fiber then I subtract carbs at 75%. I just count all sugar alcohols as a carb for now.

Example:

Label says 6 g carbs, 2 are insoluble fiber and 2 are soluble fiber. My net carbs are 6 - 2 - 1 = 3 net carbs

Label says 6 g of carbs, 4 g fiber. My net carbs are 6 - 3 = 3 net carbs

I understand Frisco when he says keep it simple, especially during WL stage but if you are keeping your carbs super low like alot of us do (under 40) then you need to know how your body absorbs carbs properly. Also WL stage can be a year or more. That's a long time to go without knowing what you are truly absorbing or not. you could be waaaayy undereating your carb goal daily and that can be seriously bad in the long term. Just my two cents!

I have absolutely no argument for you or Keith or even Ruggie who counts net carbs.......knowing is always the best....

Here is the trap for a lot of people...... giving them selves the room for more carbs with an exact or close to a target carb amount what ever that may be...... not the point......

Hidden carbs are "EVERYWHERE"....... sure if you eat at home with un-processed foods 100% of the time.... your pretty dialed in and this does not pertain to you........and that may be like 2% of this forum......

The reality is that most of us are eating food from stores or restaurants and making what we think are proper food choices and for the most part we are.....

My point is that if your going to count net carbs...... you better be putting hidden carbs into your math......

If it's a little sweet..... it's sugar of some sort..... if it's a sauce or soup..... and it is the least bit thick..... flour or corn starch......salad dressing......sugar and starchy emulsifiers......

If you think your not consuming hidden carbs.........just go with that .......

Just a little "food" for thought.......

frisco