Ok, so I have been looking into subtracting the fibre from the total carbs, up until I asked Deb how to figure it out on fitday, I didn't have a clue it listed the fibre in the totals at the top of the page (doh)
Anyway, I was interested in how many of you actually DO subtract the fibre from the total carbs at the end of each day, and if this seems to work for you? I'm having problems sticking and stalling quite a lot, I am religeous about putting in everything I eat on fitday, and looking back over the past month (I have lost 5 lb in that time) I feel that if I do subtract my fibre, I am actually closer to induction levels, so surely I should be losing a little faster?
Thanks for partaking in the poll.

I did at first, but wasn't doing very well so about a month ago I decided to return to the original, 1972 Atkins that I had so much success on back in the '80s. He didn't subtract fiber back then.

I believe that you can definitely subtract the fiber. It makes sense because it is the part of the food that passes right through you.

Liz

I subtract the fibers.

I see no reason not to subtract the fiber. It passes directly through you. Your body can't get any energy out of it.

I subtract fiber. Not sure if it stalls me or just a normal stall right now?

I subtract the fiber, but not sugar alcohols. Fiber goes unchanged, sugar alcohols are at least partially metabolized.

Well, my feeling is, in the original plan he didn't subtract it and neither did I. So all that means is on the original plan I ate LESS than 20 grams a day on induction. Which makes sense, since I seem to have a very low CCL. So rather than eat, say, 10 net grams of carb a day, I just keep it at 20 and count the fiber.

i subtract the fiber. and i try to find foods with lots of it because it does help the "fullness" factor for me. it also give me a greater allowance with eating carbs that are good for me. I've had great success have a spoonful of psyllium in the morning before breakfast. it really helps to keep me feeling full- which in combination with my focus on hi-protein, and hi-goodfats eating -has helped my weight loss

At first, I did not substract the fiber...which only meant I was eating less carbs than allowed. I lost weight faster, but didn't feel as well. That's when I started eating foods higher in fiber and then started subtracting the fiber, which I knew I needed and was also getting at least 20 carbs per day...give or take a few. I felt much better with more energy and no headaches.

I don't subtract the fiber because even though the fiber passes right through you, who's to say the carbs don't "detatch" some way and get assimilated?

Also, it's just plain easier to count a total. Easier for me, anyway. I am a very plain and simple person that way. It's too much work to go subtracting willy-nilly...

You can never say for sure that at any given moment in time, your body *is* or *isn't* using any particular nutrient or constituent. Bodies are fickle. One person can eat 100 calories and retain water, another can eat 100 calories and lose b/c his/her body feels more comfortable with more calories, another person can say "I ate 1500 calories for 3 days and my body did 3 different things...I don't understand it." Given that, it's also just possible that the body processes different constituents (fat, carbs, protein, whatever) differently depending on a lot of factors you will never be aware of. I just find it a lot safter to know exactly how many carbs went into my body on a given day. I can't say for sure that my body used 100% of those carbs but then I can't say for sure that it didn't. KWIM?

If Mother Nature put the fiber in the food, then I don't count it as part of my carbohydrate intake.

Whether or not it provides any calorie energy, well ... Glendora has a point. Some fiber, especially soluble fiber, *can* be broken down by the good bacteria our colon, through the process of fermentation. Some of the by-products of this fermentation (besides gas ) may be absorbed, but their chemical structure more closely resembles fatty acids, not carbohydrates .. and they don't impact blood sugar or insulin at all.

OTOH .. man-made "fibers" .. I'm not ready to blindly believe the manufacturer's claims that they're "not absorbed". Additives such as polydextrose and maltodextrin are showing up more and more in our foods, and they're often claimed to be "functional fiber". Well, my blood glucose meter tells me these "fibers" make my blood sugar go up after eating them. Just like sugar alcohols, they're a YMMV thing .. so I count as full carbs. But mostly I avoid 'em

Doreen

Since I am doing this primarily for health, not vanity (although I admit that vanity does play a role), I think that not subtracting fiber would be counter-productive for me. Not subtracting fiber would encourage me to eat less of the foods I know I need to eat to be healthy, particularly vegetables. Even if you are losing weight only for cosmetic, not health, reasons, I think that people look better if they are healthier and I think that after a while our bodies respond better and lose weight faster if we are healthier. I don't understand why anyone would want to limit the amount of vegetables they consume by not subtracting fiber.

If you are talking about the fiber in non-whole foods (I gather from the previous post that some of that fiber is man-made?) it might be different, but I never eat those things so I don't know how they react with my body. I pretty much just eat whole foods (vegetables, berries, some nuts, meat, fish, chicken, eggs, etc.) and I know that the fiber in whole foods is good for me. I do have trouble imagining that eating too many lowcarb vegetables because of subtracting fiber is causing anyone's weight loss to stall.

Couldn't eat as many nuts if I didn't subtract fibre. I try to eat fibre (to keep the system working) so counting fibre would be counter productive.

I subtract fiber always. I see no reason not to. It's good for you and passes unused, so it doesn't impact blood sugar. (Not speaking for the man-made kind, which is a good point.)

I do not subtract sugar alcohols when I do have them on occasion. I try to limit them as much as possible, so I can stay natural with my eating.