Here are a few easy ways to keep track of your carbs
By Shannon Pierce
With the Atkins Diet, the newly popular Keto diet, or any other low carb diet, counting carbs can seem daunting. However, with a few tricks up your sleeve and a few good smartphone apps, you can be on your way to a whittled waistline in no time.
First off, remember that on nutrition labels, serving sizes are purposely tiny so that manufacturers can manipulate their numbers and make their carb counts appear lower. Simply put, get out your measuring cups. Also keep in mind that even though things like Splenda may be only 1g of carbs, they can really add up if you are using them frequently. When you ace using your measuring cups or food scales, along with being truly honest about your late night snacks, you will be ready to embark on counting your carbs correctly on your phone.
One of the most popular carb counting apps is My Fitness Pal. This app is very basic and you can get the hang of it after a few hours. With this app, or the Lose It app, you enter your goals, say, to lose 5 pounds before the next wedding you attend. When you enter in your physical information, it will give you a daily amount of calories you should consume. When you enter in certain foods it will tell you how many carbs are in a serving. Throughout the day you can monitor your percentage of carbs, fats, and protein you are eating. Don’t panic if you don’t hit your goals on the first day, it takes some work to get your numbers in line. Just a little less oatmeal and a little more protein shake the next day.
Many other apps are very similar to My Fitness Pal, with a tweak or two. Calorie Counter PRO by MyNetDiary is also a recommended app for those watching their carbs. Scan a barcode or manually enter your favorite munchies, then it will track your calories as well as your macronutrients, carbs, net carbs, fibers, sugar, fat, proteins, vitamins and minerals.
The Atkins Carb Tracker even gives you a list of restaurants with low carb options in your area. It is geared more towards the Atkins diet in that it has daily recommended meal plans and refers to the various Atkins phases. It can tell you which foods are permitted in each phase of the diet as well. Happy calculating!
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