A few thoughts;
There are two schools of thought regarding how to count carbs; 1) count total carbs, and 2) count net carbs.
Total carbs; I’ve heard this approach from Dr. Eric Westman (and his Heal Clinic). I recall hearing in one of his videos that him stating he uses this approach due to the fact he has historically used this approach in the past with success. He stated he recognizes this is a more severe carb restriction, but he is looking to correct severe weight problems with people who are very carb intolerant. An advantage of this method is that the MyFitnessPal app only reports total carbs, if you want to count net carbs some additional work is required. (I don’t know if there are other apps out there that count net carbs, is so maybe someone can include a comment.)
Net carbs: I’ve heard this approach with the line of reasoning that states since the body does not process certain sugars and fibers, that including carbs from these sources against the 20 gram limit is invalid.
I’ve also heard a discussion on the strictness of the 20 gram limit when applied across the population. It was concluded that each person’s limit depends upon the level of carb intolerant of the person. Younger people tend to be more tolerant to carbs, while older tend to be less tolerant. So, if you’re young and more tolerant to carbs then your limit may be (significantly?) higher than net 20 grams. If you’re older, obese, insulin resistant, and intolerant to carbs, restriction to 20 total grams of carbs per day may be better suited to you.
The “bottom line” is to do your best to restrict your carb intake, but judge the appropriate daily carb limit by your results. If your goal is to lose weight, and you are eating 50 net carbs a day, then stay below 50 net carbs. If you’re not making progress toward your goal, you may need to adjust your carb intake to a maximum of 20 total grams a day.
Don’t sweat the exact limit. Keep Calm and Keto On (KCKO)
JMO
