I decided to try some of the recipes listed in this forum. To make sure I don't go over 20 carbs/day I'm referring to the Hidden Carb Calculator and it has me wondering how it works exactly. I inputted in the stats for philly cream cheese (original). It has 100 calories - 90 of which are from fat. It lists 28g total weight, 9g of fat, 1g carb and 2g proteins. The hidden carb calculator says it actually has 3.12 g of carbs. Now I know fat is 90 calories leaving 10 calories left for the protein and carbs. I thought a good rule of thumb was 4 cals per gram of protein and carbs...hence I don't understand the math of the hidden calc. Can someone please shed some more light on the subject? Also I went to GNC and the atkins breakfast bars, which have been dissed so much, have a disclaimer about the hidden carbs in it. The box states that polydextrose & glycerine are indeed calories but have a "negligible" effect on blood sugar/insulin. I have read many posts about the breakfast bars but I haven't seen one that addresses this aspect. Being new to LC I'm having a hard time accepting everything I hear about the details involved. I know many formerly fat people that lost alot of weight fast on atkins so I have total faith that the concept works. I would just like to know the “why” behind the hidden carbs and breakfast bars more.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read/answer my post

BJ

Hi B_J,

The common formula, 9 calories in a gram of fat, and 4 calories for a gram of protein and carbohydrates is not accurate.

To get the actual lab test numbers, the hidden carbs calculator on our site will let you know what numbers where used for each calculation. The values are based on the USDA databse.

Wa'il

Ok so life isn't at easy as 9cals per fat gram and 4 cals per carbs/pro? I'm totally confused, because I went to fitday.com and saw that a cup of cream cheese is supposed to have between 6-7 grams of fat. In my original post I used philly cream cheese which must be the defacto standard if you live in the U.S.
If the hidden carb calculator is right, then fitday is wrong (or I'm making some assumption that is way off base). Can anyone help clear up the true carb count for one ounce of philly cream cheese (just to use the same example in this thread). Hey I'm a guy, I like all the math involved

BJ

I can't figure out how the hidden carbs thing works, either.

How can Splenda have carbs but not enough calories to support it? What about a TicTac? How does this stuff work?

According to Atkins, the food pyramid that we Americans are supposed to follow is based on the USDA. He doesn't put any credit in it. Nor do any LC groups as they are in opposition to the pyramid. If that is so, why use USDA measurements? Can you tell I'm confused?

Another question: I've read that just tasting something sweet can cause an insulin spike, whether or not it has any significant carb count, such as Splenda. Is this true? Moreover, if it does cause a spike, and there is nothing in your stomach but the sweet substance (TicTac or piece of sugar-free gum), does it matter since there aren't really any calories to store as fat?

Here is something I can answer!!

Yes, it is true. Tasting something sweet, whether it contains sugar or not, can cause a rise in insulin. Diabetics can attest to this by monitoring their glucose levels prior to eating something artificially sweetned.

And yes, matters even if there is no food to be stored as fat. We know that fat cannot be stored in the absence of insulin and that it is stored when insulin is present. Your bodyfat cannot be burned in the presence of insulin. So while you may not be storing any fat, you're not burning any either.

Keep in mind also that the goal of LC is not just fat loss - it is healing the insulin insensitivity which led to the fat gain in the first place.

Nat

USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
is an impartial database of food counts. Since US labels can declare that that a serving has 0 carbs per serving, even if it has .9, it's always better to believe a source that has no vested interest in selling you a product. I've always used it along with Corinne T. Netzer's Complete Book of Food Counts.

The USDA Database is more useful to use because it lists different measurents for food such as grams, tablespoons and ounces.

This is the USDA listing for 1 oz. of generic cream cheese:

Water g 15.238
Energy kcal 98.941
Energy kj 413.910
Protein g 2.140
Total lipid (fat) g 9.886
Carbohydrate, by difference g 0.754
Fiber, total dietary g 0.000
Ash g 0.332

From Corinne T. Netzer's Complete Book of Food Counts, 1 oz. of Philly cream cheese, regular, not fat free soft or whipped is written as: <1

Karen

Thanks for your input Karen. Ok so one ounce is less than 1g. Does that mean the Hidden Carb Calculator doesn't always work?

Also do ALL AS cause an insulin spike (sucralose and stevia in particular)?

BJ

No, it means the label is not accurate.

If they say they have 9 grams of fat, but it's actually 9.8 according to the USDA, then you have 0.8 gram of fat not accounted for, and that's about 7 calories.

The Hidden carbs calculator gives you the worst possible scenario, if the manufacturer is hiding or rounding something (fat, carbs, calories or protein) the calculator will assume all hidden things are carbohydrates. This is the best/safest assumption, since there is no way to figure what part of the label is erronious.

Wa'il

Thanks. I understand now where the hidden carbs can sneak in and I also understand why Splenda and even TicTacs can be dangerous.

Would it be fair to say that if you are using the AS, you should step up your exercise? Or even exercise immediately afterward, if possible, to get the insulin back down to beging burning fat?

That depends entirely on the individual. If you find yourself craving or being drawn to sweet things, it's probably best to avoid them.

You can do your own research on this. The link is here: Doing Your Own Low Carb Research - from holdthetoast.com


Karen