Sandy701's Journal, 22 January 2013

Typical walking yesterday and today...DH along yesterday and doggies along both days. Today is bright and sunny but COLD!

I had a good long talk with DH yesterday about my WOE struggles lately. I found myself realizing that what I want is more food.....more VOLUME. Of course I can add more volume with veggies, which will keep my calories under control, but those veggies also add carbs.....and there's a limit on that for me.

I've been reading a fair amount of material online and found a slightly different take on fiber and net carbs. Basically, the contention was that fiber, while a good thing on many fronts, is still carbohydrate! It doesn't magically cancel out other carbs, as one might think given the fact that you subtract fiber from total carbs to get net....and net is what one looks at when doing the "new" Atkins. Rather, fiber is STILL CARBOHYDRATE....just a slower-acting carbohydrate that has a slower, or reduced, effect on insulin. Depending on one's own metabolism, it's possible that fiber needs to stay included in the net carb total....or perhaps only subtracted at 50%, rather than 100%. (Example: TC = 10g, fiber = 4g, NC = 8g, rather than 6g, as would be the typical calculation.)

I've also read about the many issues of questionable Nutrition Facts labeling on popular so-called low-carb products. Let's just say that if you're considering Dreamfield's pasta, Quest bars, Jullian Bakery breads, etc., goggle the items and do some reading, then decide for yourself. Some people seem to do wonderfully with these products, but others make compelling cases (some even supported by blood testing) that the NFs are not as they appear. I guess these cases make me all the more convinced that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

Another case in point....the Mission Carb Balance flour tortillas. These are REALLY good! They're DH's favorite, but I'm not convinced they're as good as the label indicates. These tortillas show 19g TC and 13g fiber in just 1 medium tortilla. The tortillas look a LOT like typical flour tortillas and don't really appear like they would have 13g of fiber.

The Tumaro's brand has 7g fiber (11g TC) in the same size tortilla and they LOOK like they have fiber in them....taste like it too. I'd say the same for the Tam-X-Ico's brand and for La Tortilla Factory's as well. With almost DOUBLE the fiber of these brands, those Mission tortillas ought to look chock-full of fiber, but they don't.

I'm sure I'll have the Mission variety from time to time because DH wants them on hand, but I'll always be suspicious of them if my weight stalls a bit, or if I get a little sleepy after a meal with them.

With labeling issues on popular low-carb products PLUS the revelation that one might not be able to subtract ALL the sugar alcohols in a product, I'm more convinced than ever that one can't completely ignore TOTAL carbs, no matter what version of Atkins, or other low-carb WOE, one follows.

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1159 kcal

Fat: 78.38g | Prot: 74.18g | Carb: 33.37g.   Breakfast: chia seeds (bulk), Johnsonville Brown Sugar & Honey sausages, egg, Pieces & Stems Mushrooms, Kraft shredded colby jack cheese. Lunch: cooked ground beef, Peru sweet onions, Heinz reduced sugar ketchup, Sargento colby jack cheese slice. Dinner: Wishbone Light Parmesan Peppercorn Ranch dressing, chia seeds (bulk), romaine, Armenian cucumber, grape tomatoes. Snacks/Other: Jones cherrywood smoked bacon, Sorrento Colby Jack Sticksters, raspberries. more...

1944 kcal

Activities & Exercise: Walking (exercise) - 3.5/mph - 53 minutes, Resting - 15 hours and 7 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...