Question:
Do we count the carbs that are in fruit?

Hello im 7 months ost-op tomorrow and im down 72lbs. Im quiete happy with my weightloss, but it could be better. Im a light weight, starting at 260lbs. I love my fruits, but they all have so much carb, i know that they are good carb. What can i do to offset the carbs in fruit that i love. I eat grapes,nectarine,plum,strawberry. I had a bad bout of binging on chocolate chip cookies for he past few weeks and i can tell because i only lost 2lb this month. I dont weigh until tomorrow so i will really know how much i lost because of the binging from the cookies. But im back on track and i don't need to be lectured...thank u all for responding in advance. 260/188/160    — sexysag37 (posted on September 24, 2003)

September 24, 2003
I was wondering the same thing. I was looking through the Atkins site and found this wonderful article on fruit and which ones have less impact on your blood sugar to help avoid cravings: http://atkins.com/Archive/2003/2/10-469820.html. There is another section on the site that lists the net carbs in foods. You can download the document to have a hard copy also. My understanding is that you count the net carbs toward your carb count for the day. Good luck.
   — Yolanda J.

September 24, 2003
Some people only count carbs that don't come from fresh fruits & veggies. If you want to be more diligent and count effective carbs, you should calculate them like this:<p>TOTAL CARBS - FIBER - SUGAR ALCOHOLS = EFFECTIVE CARBS<P>Most fruits and veggies have fiber in them. Broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, and green beans have so few carbs that the fiber in them nearly cancels out the carbs altogether, leaving only about 3 g per cup! I love broccoli and can eat a bunch of it without worrying about my carb consumption. High protein gets tiresome after a while. I swear if I see another egg I'm gonna scream! LOLOL
   — ctyst

September 24, 2003
Sugar alcohols should only be subtracted if you are diabetic. If you are not then they count just as if they were sugar etc. You might not dump off of them but they are still carbs. <p>The funny part is that when it comes to carbs it doesn't matter what they are, they all count the same. The only reason we are told there are good carbs and bad carbs is because of the concern of how we will react to refined carbs and if they will set off cravings etc. Natural sugar may not make you dump as easily as refined sugar but they are still equal in the carb world. So it really comes down to what your body tolerates and how healthy and strict of a lifestyle you want to develop. A veggie carb or fruit carb or sugar carb are all 4 calories! Obviously there are other nutritional benefits to veggies and fruit over sugar. If the cookies were equivalent to the amount of fruit you might of eaten in it's place then you ate no more calories than you would have. If they were on top of what you normally eat, then that would explain the slow weight loss. Filling up on mostly protein will keep you fullest the longest and leave less room for the fruit. You are also very close to goal weight and it's normal to lose 2-5 lbs a month towards the end.
   — zoedogcbr

September 24, 2003
IMHO a carb is a carb is a carb is a carb!! They all add up to calories! So, IMHO, yep, you count them!! I did an article (it is in my profile) about non-impact and impact carbs, but I STILL believe a carb is a carb and should be counted no matter what.
   — Sharon m. B.

September 25, 2003
heya hun.. just thought i would jump in a bit..lol.. a few questions.. what kind of plan are you followin..?..as some.. you have to count carbs..others you dont.. *i know..i know.. carbs are evil..lol.. but..*.. i follow a bit differnt diet plan..so i do not count my carbs..i just avoid what i consider bad carbs..*again..personal choices*.. but if you are followin a plan..like..atkins..then i would say yes..every carb counts.. something that might help..is to get some books for the plan you are following..or maybe look up websites..as many have a good website to go along with the plan..lol.. *has looked at sooo many..lol*.. also..if ya are following the low carb lifestyle..a great site someone recommended to me is www.atkinsfriends.com i found it very helpful..and the chat is usually very friendly.. good luck to ya..feel free to email me..huggles n bb..
   — johanna F.

September 25, 2003
I agree with checking out the atkins site. If you are living a low carb lifestyle whether you are pre or post surgery you would count carbs the same way. With the low carb lifestyle you count net carbs (this is not just a diabetic thing) as carbs impact each of us. With the net carbs you begin with the total carb count and subtract the fiber and the sugar alcohols (not other sugar) to arrive at your net carb amount. Yes, you count the carbs in fruit and veggies and anything else that you eat if you are trying to limit your carb count. Now as a word of caution, some people find that the low carb candy bars do cause them to stall out on their weight loss (this is a pre-surgery experience as I don't know how this translates post-surgery). I believe this is because those little candy bars are small and so very tasty that it is possible to consume more calories than one would normally. So, if you tolerate them, use them wisely. There are some that I can eat and some that I cannot eat, it depends on what the sugar alcohols are based on. I am pre-surgery so at this point have no post surgery experience, but will most likely stick with a modified Atkins once I am post-surgery.
   — Arizona_Sun

September 25, 2003
Thank u all for responding to my post.
   — sexysag37