Are net carbs just marketing hype?

I have been told by my nutritionist to count net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) vs. total carbs. I've read up on this topic and many experts say that this is just hype by food companies to allow them to market their foods as "low carb".

I am gun shy about eating anything with carbs now - including healthy foods. What is the consensus here?

At 10 weeks post-op, your diet should primarily be protein. That said, I ignore the whole "net carb" thing. Carbs are carbs.

I am almost exclusively on protein right now but am struggling with how to add in healthy foods, like vegetables, that all contain some carbs (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.). Fresh fruit is just out of the question.

My plan is 3 meals a day, with no snacks. I didn't start adding non-protein foods until I could easily make my protein goal with my small meals. That didn't happen for many months post-op. Even now, almost four years post-op, it's not always that I have space in my stomach for non-protein at the end of a meal.

So.. don't feel the need to add in veggies right now. Your body needs protein way more than it needs anything else at the moment.

There is a whole community of people who eat zero carb. That is, only animal products, and nothing but animal products. Some run triathlons eating only animal products. I'm not saying everyone should do this, however it's fundamentally untrue you must eat vegetables and fruit to be healthy. You can be quite healthy without consuming them, in fact. We've actually known for decades that fresh meat has enough vitamin C to prevent scurvy, for instance. Fresh meat is also quite high in B vitamins among other things.

Take antioxidants, too...we don't really need as many of them as you might imagine.

Having said that, if you do eat them again don't stress out over it, either! Just don't worry about not eating them. You will be fine. You do not need to be zero carb. Conversely, you are getting all the nutrition you need if you are getting adequate protein and all your vitamins.

I want to second what Donna said above. I can't remember the last time I ate a fruit or vegetable. My weight is stable, well below goal; my health is better than ever, and my labs are great. I'm not lacking for any nutrition.

It all depends on the person and the plan. I actually don't count carbs as all (well, MFP adds them up for me, but I ignore them). I eat far more carbs than the average WLS person. I eat literally pounds and pounds of veggies and fruit. I try to limit my starchy veggies (corn, peas, sweet potatoes) to a few times a week, although my plan allows a serving a day. I also eat lost of beans, lentils, etc.

However, I eat virtually no refined carbs - no sugar, no pasta no bread. In fact, the only grain I eat at all is steel cut oats, and only in maintenance to keep from dropping too much weight.

This is not the norm, but it is the plan from my surgeon and has worked well for me.

I too have added fruit for the past month- 1-2 small apples, & sometimes 1-2 cups melon as well. 1-2 cups fresh veggies some days. Felt my body really needed it, & I've been doing really well with my weight loss. Other than this, no sugar, no refined carbs. But you have to do what works for you, & what your dr. approves. I do eat beans & nuts, & once a week, sometimes, 1/4 cup barley. I eat protein chips that have 10g carbs per serving, 1-1.5 servings a day.

Net carbs are pure marketing bullsh*&t.

You never see net carbs on the actual Nutrition Information Label. Because it isn't a scientific measurement. You'll find it on the front of the label or on the box -- where the advertising goes.

Fiber is not all the same. The fiber in processed foods is there as a sweetener. It will spike your blood sugar and insulin response, the same as sugar.

Count all carbs.

What Grim Traveller said. It's marketing bull****