Atkins and Low Carb Weight Loss
confused by carbs and net carbs, what do we count?
I just started Atkins on Monday and was very happy to see 3 lbs lost in the first 4 days. I'm a little confused by the carbs count vs the net carbs. Someone told me that we have to count all carbs not just net carbs to lose weight with the vsg. Does anyone know anything about this? I've just started reading the Atkins Book and its all about net carbs color me confused :o( jeani
the start of my brand new life was on 5/28/10
Hi there Jeani --
First of all congratulations on getting rid of three pounds so quickly! In general, the initial quick weight loss is an excellent reflection of how far off-track we have been before cleaning up our eating, so I bet that you're also really feeling better right now -- and I do hope that you are!
Here's the low down on total carbs vs net carbs --
The total carbohydrates we eat can be simply divided into two categories (there are many categories, but we'll start with the basic two):
1. What your body can absorb and utilize (calories that give you energy); and
2. What your body doesn't absorb or utilize (fiber that goes right through you) --
This includes A) insoluble fiber (or "roughage" as my mom used to say) and
B) soluble fiber (adds bulk to our poops and helps food move through)
When it comes to eating low-carb, many people measure only the carbohydrates that their bodies use:
TOTAL Carbs - Fiber (both soluble and insoluble) = NET Carbs
The general concensus is that we should start out our Atkins approach with about 20 grams of NET carbs/day. This very quickly gets us into benign dietary ketosis -- burning fat for fuel instead of glycogen -- and generates weight loss and stable blood sugar for most.
Hope this helps!
First of all congratulations on getting rid of three pounds so quickly! In general, the initial quick weight loss is an excellent reflection of how far off-track we have been before cleaning up our eating, so I bet that you're also really feeling better right now -- and I do hope that you are!
Here's the low down on total carbs vs net carbs --
The total carbohydrates we eat can be simply divided into two categories (there are many categories, but we'll start with the basic two):
1. What your body can absorb and utilize (calories that give you energy); and
2. What your body doesn't absorb or utilize (fiber that goes right through you) --
This includes A) insoluble fiber (or "roughage" as my mom used to say) and
B) soluble fiber (adds bulk to our poops and helps food move through)
When it comes to eating low-carb, many people measure only the carbohydrates that their bodies use:
TOTAL Carbs - Fiber (both soluble and insoluble) = NET Carbs
The general concensus is that we should start out our Atkins approach with about 20 grams of NET carbs/day. This very quickly gets us into benign dietary ketosis -- burning fat for fuel instead of glycogen -- and generates weight loss and stable blood sugar for most.
Hope this helps!
Interested in low-carb nutrition? Thinking of trying Atkins? Want to try high-fat and/or high-protein eating? Whether or not you have had (or are thinking about) WLS http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/atkins/
