I sometimes get emails from people who have been following Atkins for a few weeks and aren’t getting the results they want and, on closer inspection; it appears they’ve been working out their carb intake incorrectly.

You see, in the USA, they rely on ‘net’ carbs and this is often referred to in earlier editions of the Atkins books; which is where the confusion comes from. This is because, on labels in USA foods, fibre is included in the total ‘Carbohydrate’ count, so our American friends must deduct the fibre to get ‘net’ carbs.

However, in the Australia and New Zealand, fibre is actually shown separately so you don’t deduct it (or anything!) from the Carbohydrate total. So, for an example, if a label says:

Carbohydrates – 5g

Of which sugars – 2g

Fibre – 1g

Then you’d count a total of 5g carbohydrates for this food.

So, if you’ve been deducting fibre then you may have been going slightly over the recommended carb count. Don’t worry though, just make the adjustment from today and continue to enjoy the fantastic weight loss, and other benefits, with Atkins. 

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Posted by Linda O'Byrne
Atkins Nutritionist