Carb counting

[Jodes]

Just a quick question or two.

In the book the good doc does not count the carbs in eggs but I have noticed that some people do - should I be counting these?

Also I have noticed that the carb count on some foods in the book is different to the package nutritional label - should I be using the books carb counter or what the nutritional label states?

Am I correct with this calculation; flaxseed has more fibre than carbs so it has a zero count for carbs?

Thanks very much
Jodes

[Desertthorn]

Flax meal or seeds are one of thoes foods that no one can agree on. Some say it's a seed and should wait until the nut and seed level of OWL. Others say because it is sooooo good for you and sooooooo low in carbs, nearly none, you can eat them anytime. My package said they are equal so I could it as 0
When in doubt, I use FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal for my carb counts. It seems pretty accurate to me

[Georgiana]

Hi Jodes,

Originally Posted by Jodes

In the book the good doc does not count the carbs in eggs but I have noticed that some people do - should I be counting these?

I do count eggs and I think they should be counted. A large egg has something like .6 carbs, so you have to eat a lot to go significantly over the maximum carb allowance for the phase you are at... but for your peace of mind, it's better to have *everything* written down.

Also I have noticed that the carb count on some foods in the book is different to the package nutritional label - should I be using the books carb counter or what the nutritional label states?

I always use the nutritional information from the label if it differs significantly from the info I find online. The label is, for most foods, more accurate.

Am I correct with this calculation; flaxseed has more fibre than carbs so it has a zero count for carbs?

It is impossible for any food to have more fiber than total carbs since this would imply a negative number of net carbs. Flax seeds have about 1 net carb in 1/2 cup (20.9 g carbs, out of which 19.8 g are dietary fiber). Dr. Atkins recommends flax seeds during induction only for constipation issues. But, to be honest, I used ~2 tbsp of flax every other day during induction just 'cause I loved having a few crackers or a muffin for breakfast.

[Jodes]

Thanks for the input - it is confusing if you read the book and then read the forums. Everyone has so many different ideas.

I think I will stick with the book and not count eggs (I rarely go over 18g a day anyway, so if I include a couple of eggs, I should still be under).

I will have some flax every couple of days - it does help lots in the regularity department.

I will use the nutrition label for calculation unless it does not have one and then I will use the books carb counter.

Just as an example the flax seed I bought has total carbs of 5.8 and fibre of 5.5, so would be .3g per serve
Atkins Advantage shake has total carbs of 2.6 and fibre of 3.1, so that would be 0 carbs?
Whey Protein Isolate has less than 1g of carbs, so I count that as 1.

Our wheat bran (and i have not used this yet) states on the nutritional panel that total carbs are 6.1g and fibre is 22.35g per serve - so this would be 0?

I had a good loss the first week and I am at a stand still this week and I know from reading that this is 'normal' but I really want to get it right...

Cheers
J

[Georgiana]

Right... so you must live somewhere in Europe. Here, what is listed as carbs is in fact net carbs and the dietary fiber is listed separately.

So...
... FLAX -- ~0.3 net carbs per serving, 5.5 g dietary fiber ==> 5.8 g total carbs
... ATKINS SHAKE -- 2.6 net carbs, 3.1 g dietary fiber ==> 5.7 g total carbs
... WHEAT BRAN -- 6.1 net carbs per serving, 22.3 g dietary fiber ==> 28.4 g total carbs

Atkins shakes are known stallers for many people, especially after the first "easy" pounds are gone. They contain ingredients like milk and soy, both of which are not allowed during induction (despite what is written on them... the Atkins company cares more about their sales than about people's weight loss).

[Jodes]

No I am in Australia.

No the first figure I gave was the TOTAL carbs figure on the nutritional panel on the back of the tin and packets, then the fibre total.

I thought net carbs was the total carbs - the fibre count???

This is so confusing.

I have not had the shake yet - I bought it because I thought if I had a chocolate craving I might make one to get me through but so far, no cravings at all. Then again I just come from a good carb, low GI, low calorie plan where I lost 10kg. But my weight loss stopped before Christmas and has not moved since - Atkins was recommended my a friend and I am really enjoying it so far. Just a bit confused as to counting some stuff and not counting others (as per the book or the forums). Seems everyone does it differently

[Georgiana]

I'm afraid I have no clue how the labels look like in Australia, but the total carbs you wrote are definitely net carbs.

I thought net carbs was the total carbs - the fibre count???

In theory, yes. That is also how they appear on the American labels. However, for some strange reason, in Europe (and apparently Australia, too) they use "total carbs" for "net carbs".

To avoid the hassle when you are not sure about certain foods, it is best if you use something like thedailyplate.com or fitday.com. I believe it is easier than doing it on paper anyway.

[Jodes]

Ah right, now I understand - I wonder why the labels do that here in Australia...

Thanks for that, I will go back to using the books carb counter or use the carbs on the back of the labels as the net carb figure.

The problem with fitday is that when I look up a generic thing on the plan it has a totally different calorie and carb number than what I have on the labels here at home.

Sure I will stick with the book and the labels.

[Elizellen]

In most countries outside the USA fibre is not counted as being a carbohydrate at all, therefore has not been counted in the 'total carb' bit of our labels.

The clue is where it is listed in the label

Here is a UK type of label - you will see the fibre is listed in a seperate section of t he nutrition panel from the carbohydrates. I am fairly sure Australian labels follow the same rules as ours.



And here is a USA type label where the fiber is listed among the carbohydrates



BTW Dr Atkins did mention the carbs in eggs and in the list at the back of DANDR had an egg as having 0.6 net carbs.

As for the shakes, they tend to be high in protein as compared with their fat content and so might throw your ratios out by overloading you with protein. So once you are at the OWL rung that allowa ALL the ingredients and decide to use them you will probably need to add fat to balance them and get your 65% fat/30% protein/5% carbs percentages for induction. These percentages are not mentioned in DANDR but were arrived at by a Dukes University analysis of the menus for induction in DANDR.

[Jodes]

Thank you so much Elizellen - I can see the difference in the labels now.

I was on another Atkins forum but for some reason the last week the web site has gone and that is where I found out that some did not count eggs - so had not been.

I will from now on though. I am only using small eggs (40g each, our large ones are 60g each), so I will check the nutritional label here... Only using small eggs because I will only buy free range eggs (refuse to support the cage egg industry) and for some strange reason, they only come in small eggs...

Cheers