Carb Question

This has probably been asked before but I was not sure if we count total carbs or net carbs? I am having a hard time staying at around 30 carbs a day with total carbs. Thanks everyone all the advice and information  on OB is so helpful.

I count total carbs and always have. 

If you bother counting them at all (it's entirely optional depending upon your doc's program,) it's your choice whether to go with the net carb or total carb accounting system. Atkins came up with the net carb concept to account for the reality of our dietary need for things like fiber, which tends to get shorted when only counting total carbs. This is why many who go to low on their carbs, and particularly ignoring fiber, wind up constipated.

Considering that our diets during the loss phase are inherently low carb (and low fat) given our protein requirements and caloric restrictions, there is usually little benefit to agonizing over carb or fat counts. Better to concentrate on the quality of the food that we can get on our limited intake budget.

I count all carbs.

Side question...how do you count carbs now when you are in maintenance and you said you don't journal anymore? Do you estimate?

It depends....if I am in maintenance mode, I just don't count them at all.  I eat protein first at almost every meal, but I do allow carbs in and eat them in small doses.  If I am in the losing weight mode, Iike I am now, then I go back to the old way of journaling every carb and weighing my food.

Do you use a my fitness pal type of programme to calculate the carbs or do you write them down with pen and paper like in the good old days? If so, how do you calculate the carbs if there is no label on whatever it is that you are eating? I struggle with this because I do use MFP but most of my foods are really not on there given where I am and what I eat... market fresh stuff. So it's a shot in the dark as far as I am concerned with regard to carb counts in things other than the obvious rice pasta potato type food - even bread I find that it is impossible to calculate the carbs in because if I do have bread which is like once a month maybe a slice - it is a slice from a hand made loaf at the market... so there is no label, there is no recipe, there is no way I can know exactly what is in it and what that works out to in terms of carb count. I know it is not an exact and absolute science but if I am trying to stay under 40 it makes a difference.

Good question, and indeed, it is a struggle.

When I am in the weight loss phase, I am very conscientious about only eating things I can track. I only eat lean dense protein, mostly home cooked and some low carb veggies.  The recipes I use at home, I put through a nutrition counting program (there are many of them out there), but most of the time, I keep my food very simple.   I am extremely strict during the weight loss mode.  You would be surprised at how strict.  If I can't count it, I don't eat it.

Maintenance is a whole different animal for me.  I really only eyeball things and keep a general count in my head.