Do I need to switch to total carbs if net carbs are working for me?

newbies
#1

I’ve been doing keto for just over a month and feel great. I have more energy and am down 17lbs (which I know is mostly water weight but still). I recently discovered this forum and the consensus here seems to be that tracking total carbs is better than tracking net carbs. So far I’ve only been tracking net carbs and have even been eating Atkins bars and meals occasionally. Do I need to switch to tracking total carbs if tracking net carbs has been working for me?

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #2

I have always tracked net carbs, but I also only eat whole foods and never eat low carb bars or meals.

If it ain’t broke and all that. Welcome!

#3

I try not to eat processed food and I’m working towards cutting it out entirely but the Atkins bars have been handy when I don’t get a lunch break at work lol. Thanks!

#4

I’ve also only followed net carbs and have managed to lose 15kg (33lbs) in a 2 month period. So it works for me.

But those Atkins Bars probably should be avoided as they’re sweetened with Maltitol which is just as bad as sugar when it comes to insulin spikes.

I recently started a poll on this forum discussing Total vs Net carbs. Loads of people giving their opinions on both. Check it out- Poll: Total Carbs Vs Net Carbs

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #5

If net carbs is working for you, great! No need to change. But if you hit a stall then maybe switching to total carbs would help. And if the bars help you keep going on keto, then use them. But know what they are: junk food.

You can do whatever you want. Knowing what others do just gives you more knowledge and choices. :sunglasses:

(less is more, more or less) #6

Do what works for you. However, as time passes, and the newness of the shift in your regimen changes and relaxes, you may find your definition of what is a “net” carb will become more “flexible.” So many people have let their “net” allowance creep to the point of backsliding off LCHF.

Knowing this, perhaps, you can avoid the mistake?

(Teri) #7

While I’m not doing keto to lose weight, I’ve not gained anything but muscle (run 5-6 days a week and work with a dietitian for my macros)… and I only count net. But I avoid any processed or prepackaged foods, and make a point to focus on the fiber content of the foods I eat that contain carbs. If it has a carb, it must have fiber. That’s a rule I try hard to follow. There are very few exceptions that I make. I will eat sausage once, maybe twice a week, and cashew milk. No dairy as I have digestive issues with it. Other than that some examples of carb/fiber foods are nuts, seeds, veggies, and 90% dark chocolate with 1 net carb (it’s bitter as can be, but I like that).
So I’d say keep going with the net, but definitely try to cancel out your carbs with fiber if you can. And get in vitamins and minerals with those foods. Prepackaged foods, while convenient, aren’t the best source of nutrition. Whole foods give you more bang for your buck.
And water and salt - get plenty of both. Seriously.

(Allie) #8

No you don’t. Many people switch to counting total because net doesn’t work for them, but the majority of keto folks I’ve talked to personally have only ever counted net carbs. If it works for you there’s no need to change

(Robert C) #9

Another tact is to not think of carbs as any sort of allowance.

Get carbs only incidentally from keto friendly vegetables - keep those under 20 total.
If only 6 or 7 one day - don’t seek the rest elsewhere, think of it instead as helping to get you that much deeper in ketosis.

#10

When I’m not fasting via EF, or fudge face-planting on Thanksgiving Day, I restrict my days to a hard ceiling of 10 to 25 total carbs. No net carb counting in my WOE. It’s been painless and very effective.

I began serious LCHF on April 8 and lost 20 pounds in 4 1/2 months. Then I adopted lazy keto principles and dropped another 31 pounds in the last 3 months.

Who knows where I’d go if I got real serious about this keto stuff. Lol.

(Janelle) #11

You will find people (like me) who count whole carbs because we are on a medically prescribed version of keto called “Page 4” by Dr. Westman. We do it because staying under 20 guarantees ketosis. It sounds like you’re doing great though - just be aware that if you do stall (most people do), examine your diet to see if you have “carb creep”.

#12

Keep it to what works for you. If you become dissatisfied with your progress, change things up a bit.

Don’t make life too complicated for yourself.

(Steaks b4 cakes! 🥩🥂) #13

Love this! :heartpulse:

(Pete A) #14

No.

(Sharon) #15

I track net carbs and am 4 lbs away from my goal weight (130 lbs). Sometimes I’ll gross 30 grams of carbs but still under 15 net. Sometimes I’ll gross 10 grams of carbs and less net. It’s working for me. My weight loss has slowed down (but I’m close to goal weight) but I’m still losing about a pound a week.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #16

It really doesn’t matter whether you count total or net. Just do what works. Keeping total carbs under 20 is a safe bet, but many of us have done just fine with net.

(Jessika Nilsson) #17

I do net carbs automatically due to living in Sweden and we have fiber and carbohydrates separated on our nutritional labels. But I prefer to not count net carbs when it comes to produced food and sweeteners/sugar alcohols, and sugar alcohols are listed as carbs here.

I believe you don’t have to think about fiber as long as it’s in a whole food, but if it’s a processed food you’ll want to think of all the ‘carbs’ in there and what their source is. And maybe treat those sweetened things with caution and more as the occasional treat than an everyday thing?

(Jane) #18

Net carbs are fine if it’s working for you.

In another month or so you will be able to skip lunch w/o needing the Atkins bar to get you through it. But for now it’s not too bad if it keeps you on plan.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #19

Fiber doesn’t have a very long shelf-life, which is why whole wheat flour goes rancid long before refined white flour does. It’s also why every processed food is as low-fiber as possible.

Fortunately for us, the less carbohydrate we eat, the less fiber we need.

(Carl Keller) #20

I’ve done both Net and Total at various times in my keto journey and both seem to have the same result. The difference is I can eat more vegetables on Net and I do enjoy that. I am neither less nor more hungry on either limit.