The "net carbs" or "effective carb count" has been part of the Atkins plan for quite a while (established by Dr. Atkins). All that means is that fiber (which you can't digest unless you are a ruminant animal) can be subtracted from the total carb count and what's left are the carbs that can actually impact blood sugar and insulin production and should be counted towards your daily total. This can be a good thing in that it allows a person to eat more veggies, nuts and fruits than if they were counting the fiber towards their daily total as well. Where is gets questionable is whether or not sugar alcohols and glycerin behave in the same manner as fiber (which the promotors of the bars that contain them maintain) and can be subtracted the same as fiber. That part becomes a YMMV (your mileage may vary) type of thing since some people seem to be able to eat them without impact and others can't and the only way to know which camp you fall in is to try them and see what happens with your weight loss.
Going off low carb because you don't like what Atkins Nutritionals has done with the plan is a little like cutting off your nose to spite your face, IMO.



50% of the calories may be fat, but are 50% of the calories saturated fat? That's the only part that they are now changing to make it more palatable to doctors and nutritionists; they're not recommending less fat, but less saturated fat (something I don't agree with BTW).