Net Carbs don't work for me

[JPutnam]

Anyone have experience like this: I can eat around 30 carbs a day and register ketosis on the strips. Doesn't matter if it's beer, bread, catsup, whatever, if I limit it to around 30 I'm good. But if I try to do the 'net carb' thing and take it up to 50 or 75 carbs I won't register.....

Also, if something has 18 carbs in it, and 12 grams of fiber and it nets out to 6 carbs, why oh why can't I eat something with carbs in it and then eat a couple Citrucells and zero it out? I don't get that.

I think net carbs are hooey for weight loss. Might be okay for maintenance.... what do you think?

[Kisal]

I think net carbs are fine. They work quite well for me. You don't have a great amount of weight to lose, so you should be eating very close to, but not above, your CCL level, as explained in your Atkins book.

I don't know what Citrucells are, but if they're carb blockers, their effect is probably very small if they even work at all. That's what I've read about carb blockers, anyway. Sorry I don't have a reference to cite for you. Since I already take enough meds as is, adding something like that holds no interest for me. Here's a hint, though. If carb blockers actually worked well, everyone could happily eat high carb diets and never get fat. No?

I can't give you any real advice. I don't know exactly how you have modified Dr. Atkins nutritional plan, or how you're using it. I can't very well give you quotations from the book, because they probably wouldn't apply to your modified version.

[KvonM]

the reason you can't zero out your carbs with the citrucell (kisal, they're fiber tablets) is because fiber is a carbohydrate. adding them to a meal only increases your TOTAL carb count, but it wouldn't do anything to negate the carbs from sugar by increasing the carbs from fiber. so basically, you'd be adding 10g of carbs with the citrucell just to deduct 10g of carbs because the citrucell is fiber... it wouldn't change the 75g of carbs from flour in bread or sugar in a candy bar.

sorry... i wish fiber tablets could negate carbs, but it just doesn't work that way :(.

[Kim8461]

I've lost all my weight following net carbs (subtracting fiber only). I've been on Atkins over 3 years and consume 20-25 carbs a day...mainly veggies & salad.

[CNYMom]

There are people who can't do net carbs. I'm one of them. I have to keep my total carbs (not net) under 20, or I don't lose. It sucks, I know. I'd love to be able to eat some of the things I read about here, and for the occasional treat, I can, but only if I stay pretty much 0-carbs otherwise (basically, M&E).

[ElleH]

I don't use net carbs either, but only b/c it's easier.