Does anyone actively chart how many carbs per day they consume total?

Or do you prefer just to keep it trace to none during all but the RM and let the issue of "balance" presumably keep your RM in line?

Finally, how can something with well over 10 carbs per serving be considered "low-carb?" I picked up one of those protein bars only to read that it has 17 carbs per bar. Doesn't that seem excessive???

I noted that quite a few so-called "low-carb" foods actually tally up carbs well into the double-digits.

CAD since 8/18
194/190/140
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do"

WriterMom,

I do not keep track of my carb counts. That's actually one of the reasons why I do CAD/CALP - to free myself from carb counting. I just follow the list of allowed foods during my CMs and let that plus a balanced RM keep me in line.

As far as you next question, "how can something with well over 10 carbs per serving be considered "low-carb?" - the answer to that is they take the total carbs and subtract any fiber and sugar alcohols to get the "Net Carbs" which is what they are touting. The theory is (I think) that fiber doesn't absorb and that the sugar alcohols don't affect blood sugar.

From what I've been reading on this board, subtracting the fiber to get net carbs is all good and fine. But, the sugar alcohols affect some people and not others. I'm one that can use the LC bars and candy just fine. The sugar alcohols don't seem to affect me. So, I use them on occasion but not real often.

Hope this helps.

How are things going for you?

Debby

206.5/164.5/140?
CAD/CALP since 1/12/13

WriterMom,

I don't do the LC bars. I think of them as a "false food" and don't want to rely on them to stay on plan. I do not count carbs at all.

I eat the allowed LC veggies during my CM meals and try to stay balanced during my RM. The idea of this plan is to keep it simple and less work, as far as no calorie and no carb counting.

Ilse

380/304.6(WW)/154
5'7"
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

The first time I did this WOE, back in February, I counted my carbs EVERY day for 2+ months and realized that after my first two weeks, I usually had between 30-50 carbs a day but still lost 17 pounds during that time.

This time, I'm not charting my carbs. Just eating what I ate last time. A mental tally has been doing me just fine but if I had not tried eating this way before, I'd probably have to track.

Hope
141/137/120

______________________
Life is short, even on the longest days - John Mellencamp

I find that my system signals me if I overdid the carbs from the previous RM. I wake up very hungry. If I didn't overdo the carbs, I do not wake up hungry.

Ilse

380/304.6(WW)/154
5'7"
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

In terms of the bars and such, I try to limit myself to only 3 a week and then count the sugar alchols as half instead of subtracting full amount.

For instance, after lunch today I had a real sweet tooth. I ended up giving in to an Atkin's Endulge carmel nut chew bar (which is fantastic BTW). Bar claims 2 grms net carbs. Label has 17 total carbs, 15 sugar alchols, 1 sugar, <1 fiber. I'm counting it at 1 for sugar, 7.5 for alcohols and .5 for the other (giving fiber a .5 benefit of the doubt) So 9 gms total for the bar. Pretty steep on a 30-40 grm range, but sometimes worth it.

I find that my shakes satisfy my sweet cravings.

Ilse

380/304.6(WW)/154
5'7"
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

Re: labeling something as Low-Carb

The government has not set a standard for the designation of Low-Carb. It is expected that it will happen soon. This is the same thing that happened when low-fat and low-calorie food first began to hit the market. Eventually they will standardize the requirements.

Judy

180/144/138
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill

I think you can't go by the name of the product, but actually look at the carbs in the item. A lot of LC candy bars actually have a lot of carbs in them. Some of them cause a problem for people and some of them don't. I don't want to take that chance myself.

Ilse

380/304.6(WW)/154
5'7"
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

writermom,

Those so called "low carb" bars are so loaded with sugar--lots of sugar, natural or refined-- and other un-nameable stuff that I avoid them. Besides, they seem to have more carbs than what the CAD diet suggests. So, during Complementary meals, beware any ingredients like sucrose, lactose, cane juice (that's sugar) and anything else ending in -ose.

-WRITE GIRL
5'6 female, started @ 328 lbs., large boned ancestry.