Why Measure Total Carbs
Its easier to measure total carbs no subtraction necessary!
The benefit of measuring total carbs is most evident when it comes to manufactured or packaged products.
The effect of the natural insoluble fiber found in fruit and veggies is well known and has been well-studied. Its called insoluble fiber because your body doesnt absorb it at all.5
Naturally-occurring soluble fiber is a little different. Soluble fiber forms a gel and increases the viscosity of the digested food. While some soluble fiber may get absorbed, it is more likely that it gets fermented by gut bacteria. Therefore, soluble fiber can contribute a small number of calories, but it doesnt usually impact blood sugar and insulin significantly.
However, the fiber added to packaged food products is often the kind of soluble fiber that can contribute to increases in blood sugar and insulin.
For instance, isomaltooligosaccharide significantly raises blood sugar and insulin levels.6 Food manufacturers often count IMO as fiber and subtract it from total carbs to market a low-net-carb product. Unfortunately, your body will not agree.
Other examples of added fibers are inulin, xanthan gum, tapioca fiber, and chicory root. While none of these will likely cause the same adverse reaction as IMO, we still recommend caution as many of these added fibers have not been extensively studied.
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What Are Net Carbs
Theres more to a food label than just total carbohydrates. That total can also include fiber, sugar and sugar alcohols, which help determine your net carb intake.
What does net carbs mean? Net carbs are the carbohydrates in food that you digest and use for energy.
It might be surprising to hear that your body doesnt use everything you eat. In reality, your body cant completely break down and absorb some types of carbs, like fiber and sugar alcohols. They pass through your body without being digested. Thats why most fiber and sugar alcohols can be subtracted from your daily carb total.
On a keto diet, eating too many carbs can kick you out of ketosis. When you calculate net carbs, youll have a better idea of how many carbs youre actually eating in a day.
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What Macro Is Most Important On The Keto Diet
The single most important macro to track on keto is carbohydrates. To achieve ketosis, most people must eat less than 30 grams to 50 grams of carbs daily.
However, the keto diet also requires that most of your daily calories come from healthy fats, and with protein in moderate amounts to boost metabolism and support lean muscle mass.
Why Do You Need My Gender/age/height/weight
Most people aim for a specific goal on a ketogenic diet. We aim to make sure the results of the calculator are accurate and can be used by anyone.
Our keto calculator uses the Mifflin-St.Jeor Formula which was the most accurate in a few studies. In this formula, the gender, height, weight, and age are needed to calculate the number of calories to consume.
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How Many Carbs Should I Eat Per Day
If youre following a stricter Ketogenic diet, then wed suggest sticking to less than 20 grams of net carbs per day. If youre taking a more moderate low carb route, stick to between 20-50 grams of net carbs per day. If youre wanting to reduce carbs but take a lighter approach, consume between 50-100 grams of net carbs per day. If you have been advised to consume less carbs due to health concerns, always consult with your GP to get their advice.
If youre just starting on your keto journey, why not start with a more liberal amount of net carbs per day and slowly reduce your net carbs until youre following the ketogenic diet. Pay attention to the net carbs you’re having each day and read our beginners’ guide to the ketogenic diet to help get you to where you want to be.
Can You Drink Alcohol On The Keto Diet
Yes. Even though there are carbs in alcohol, you can still drink it in limited amounts, says Keatley. Realize that on days when you do choose to consume alcohol, depending on what you choose, you may have to adjust your carbs from other sources. This may mean making tough decisions, like having a drink but skipping a small amount of fruit or Greek yogurt.
In general, the simpler the better: Spirits are the best choice , followed by wine. Your best bet is to stick with a half drink, says Keatley. Because of their lower alcohol percentage and other ingredients, beer and wine can eat up a lot of your carbs, and they don’t give back in terms of vitamins and minerals. Its a waste of your carbs, he says.
Heres what each alcoholic drink contains, carb-wise:
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Why Am I Getting Fatter On Keto
A few reasons for gaining weight on keto instead of losing it include consuming too many carbs and calories, processed keto foods, not getting enough physical activity, frequent snacking, poor sleep, high stress levels, and an undiagnosed medical condition.
If youre experiencing this, the first thing you should do is figure out why youve plateaued. Then, try strategies like recalculating your macros and adding more exercise into your routine. More importantly, consult with a doctor if you suspect a health condition.
Why Does Mr Skinny Pants Like Low Carb
The keto diet forces your body to burn fat instead of glucose through a process called ketosis. This prevents your body from having to rely on carbs for energy. Your body will break down fat into something called ketones promoting fat loss and potentially improving a host of neurological disorders too.
Ok, so I did promise to tell you about the advanced equation to calculate net carbs. Here you go!
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How Many Carbs Can I Eat And Stay In Ketosis
If you want to maintain ketosis, sticking to 30-50 grams of carbs per day will prevent an increase in your blood sugar levels, deplete your stored glycogen, and then force your body to burn fat to create ketones.
Remember that this is just a ballpark figure it works for nearly everyone. However, its also good to keep in mind thatyour carb intake may be unique depending on your age, activity level, goal, and daily calorie consumption. Also, your carbohydrate tolerance may look different from another persons.
This is why its essential to test your ketone levels to know whether your carb limit per day is sufficient to trigger ketosis.
Why Is Counting Carbs On Keto So Important
When you keep net carbs low enoughtypically under 50 grams of net carbs per dayyour body enters ketosis: a metabolic state where you shift from burning carbs for energy to burning fat for fuel.
Getting into ketosis, and staying there, is the whole goal of keto. When youre in ketosis, you feel lasting energy, a cognitive boost and fewer cravings, to name just a few benefits. Keto can even help you stay at a healthy weight.
The problem is that eating too many carbs can prevent you from reaching ketosis and staying there. Thats why learning how to figure out net carbs is so important.
Go over your carb limit, and youll fall out of ketosis and lose out on all the benefits. If youre not seeing results on keto, our number one recommendation is to look at your macronutrient breakdown . This is true whether you follow clean keto or a dirty keto diet.
Regardless of your diet, a high amount of carbs can also contribute to the following side effects:
- Spikes in your blood sugar
- Disruptive changes to your hormones
- Shifts in your gut bacteria
- Health conditions like obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome
The trick is figuring out what your ideal carb intake looks like.
The reality is, carbs are fine in moderation. But if youre on a strict keto diet, you have to pay attention to every single gram and how your body responds to different foods.
Net carbs are important, but theyre not the whole picture on keto. Keep reading to find out why.
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Do You Count Net Carbs Or Total Carbs On Keto
Theres no single answer on whether to count total carbs vs net carbs on keto. The ideal number of carbs you should consume every day depends on the type of keto diet you follow and your health goals.
Many keto followers consider net carbs a more sustainable way to track macros and this method works well for most people. Counting net carbs also encourages eating more veggies , which we consider a good thing here at Wholesome Yum. However, some people prefer to count total carbs to reach ketosis more quickly or to avoid weight loss stalls.
My recommendation? Start with focusing on net carbs, and only switch to total carbs if you have to. This way, you can enjoy plenty of leafy greens, low carb vegetables, and even keto fruit, all of which are filled with fiber.
If you dont get the results you want, start by reducing sugar alcohols and low carb treats before switching to total carbs. Some people choose to count the carbs in sugar alcohols and sweeteners, but still subtract the fiber from total carbs.
Ultimately, test different counting methods to decide what works best for you! Focus on results such as how your clothes fit, how you feel, and the scale if you need to, but if you want to test the impact on ketosis specifically, you can use a blood monitor or ketone test strips to check if youre in ketosis.
Carbs Vs Net Carbs: How To Count Them For Keto Success
Knowing the difference between carbs versus net carbs is essential for reaping the fat-burning, energy-boosting benefits of the keto diet. Tracking net carbs on keto is critical because net carbs are what impact blood sugar, which can kick you out of ketosis, the ultimate mechanism of the keto diet. Thankfully, calculating net carbs is a fairly simple task: just subtract the fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates .
In this article, you will learn:
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What Are Net Carbs On Keto And How Do You Calculate Them
So youre ready to start the Keto Diet and have no idea how to count net carbs. Its easy! Net carbs is just the Total Carbs minus the Dietary Fiber and minus the Sugar Alcohols such as Xylitol or Erythritol. Do not subtract SUGAR from the total carbs. Sugar and Sugar Alcohols are treated differently.
With the Ketogenic Diet, we dont count Dietary Fiber because theyre a type of carbohydrate that our body cant digest and more than likely will not affect your blood sugar levels. Not all fibers are created equal Fibers such as Chicory Root Fiber or Tapioca Fiber may affect your blood sugar, so tread lightly and make sure to test your Blood Sugar & Ketones
The Keto Diet lets you eat a certain amount of carbs. Keto doesnt mean its zero carb, so allow yourself some vegetable carbs!
How To Calculate Net Carbs For Keto In 2 Simple Steps
KIAH CONNOLLY, MD September 19, 2020
Knowing how to count carbs is a crucial part of succeeding on ultra low carb diets like keto.
Learn what makes total carbs different from net carbs, how many grams of net carbs are in your diet, and why using net carbs can help your health and keep your keto macros where they need to be.
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Net Carbs Vs Total Carbs
Okay, so net carbs are carbohydrates when you remove the sugar alcohol and fiber.
What about total carbs? What are they?
Measuring total carbs is far easier than net carbs. At the end of the day, after youve had your last keto meal or snack, you should calculate all the carbs youve consumed. That number is your total carbs. Theres no need to omit sugar alcohols or fiber here.
Before you can determine what your net carbs are for the day, you need to have calculated your total carbs first. Using a carb tracking app will make it easier to count the precise number of carbs youve eaten.
Common Questions About Net Carbs And Keto:
- How to read food labels?
If you missed our examples head back to the top of this article
- How many carbs should you eat per day on keto?
About 5 percent from carbohydrates which for most people will total of 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates per day, depending on your height and weight.
- How your body handles fiber carbs?
Fiber cant be broken down into sugar so it does not count toward your total carbs. Fiber is healthy in other ways.
- How your body handels sugar alcohol carbs?
Sugar alcohols typically have 1/2 the impact of regular carbs.
- Can you drink alcohol on a keto diet?
Its not the best choice but were human right? So Mr Skinny Pants says yes. Take a peek at our low carb food list which includes low carb alcohol.
- How much weight can I lose on keto?
Weve had people lose 60+ lbs. One person even lost 200 lbs! Read her story If weight lose is your goal, you might enjoy things not to do, if youre trying to lose weight.
- How long do I need to stay on the keto diet to lose weight?
It really varies. We find people start losing weight in as little as 3 days but we find it takes 2-5
- How much protein can I eat on keto?
Typically 15-20% of your total calories can come from protein on the keto diet.
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How Does The Keto Diet The Low Carb Diet Or The Low Carb High Protein Diet Work
Typically, nutrition guidelines state that our daily energy needs should be made up of carbohydrates , proteins and rest from fats. Diets like the keto diet, the low carb diet, or, one of its variations – the high protein low carb diet – reverse these percentages and recommend a higher intake of fats and proteins, reducing carbs intake to 50g per day – around 10% of the energy consumed throughout the day.
This reduced amount of carbs should place your body into a metabolic state known as ketosis. While you’re in a state of ketosis, your body begins to burn fats for energy, not carbohydrates. It is supposed to ease the process of weight loss while keeping you full and satisfied, as the satiety index for proteins and fats is higher than that for carbohydrates.However, despite being praised by its followers and even known as a ‘cure’ for drug-resistant epilepsy , the ketogenic diet is pretty drastic and not safe for everyone – e.g., for people with metabolic disorders. You should consult your physician before attempting a keto diet.
Why Do Calories Matter Isnt A Keto Macronutrient Calculator Useless If I Am Already Limiting Carbs
After hearing about the keto diet and how it helps you burn fat, you may be wondering why we even have a keto calculator. According to many low carb diet proponents, all that really matters when it comes to losing fat is cutting the carbs Isnt this true?
High-quality research studies have been published on this specific topic, and the data clearly shows that regardless if you are on a high carb or low carb diet you will lose weight if you are in a calorie deficit and gain weight if you are in a calorie surplus. For a closer look at the research and why calories matter, check out this article.
Due to the irrefutable importance of calorie consumption for weight loss and weight gain, a keto macro calculator is one of the most valuable tools that you can use to increase your chances of diet success.
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Should I Input Total Carbs Or Net Carbs When Using This Keto Calculator
When you enter your carbohydrates into our keto calculator, always use net carbs. Totalcarbs are the number of carbohydrates when you include fiber. Fiber is a type ofcarbohydrate that isn’t digestible, so it doesn’t affect your blood sugar levels. We don’twant to count these carbs. You get net carbs when you subtract the fiber from the totalcarbs.
Total Carbs – Fiber = Net Carbs
What Is The Best Macro Ratio For The Keto Diet
Ratios change based on your activity levels and a bunch of other factors. This is why the free calculator is so important. It already figures all of that out for you and tells you the ratios based on your answers.
There are some general ratios that most people use. Here is what most people follow on keto:
- 70-80% Fat – 165 grams
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How To Track Your Keto Macros
For tracking your keto macros, a variety of options are available. If youre old school like some of us here at Team Keto, you can simply keep a journal handy and write down how much protein, fat, and carbs you eat throughout the day.
Nevertheless, its the 21st century and technology makes it easier than ever to track your keto macros without having to carry a journal and pen around all day.
One of the most intuitive and user-friendly smartphone apps for tracking your keto macros is MyFitnessPal.
The process of tracking your keto macros is pretty straightforward. For beginners and those new to the keto diet, we strongly recommend that you plan out your macros for each meal/snack ahead of time. From there, you can basically reverse engineer your daily diet by selecting food choices and serving sizes that fit those macros.