I am wondering how people count their carbs. Most low carb diets subtract all the fiber to find the net carbs. I think Bernstein suggests subtracting half the fiber. What works for you? I find that my BS goes up a little too much I use the net carbs in my calculations. Also, I wonder if anyone has better luck with fermented dairy products than I do. I had read that yoghurt, kefir etc. have less usable carbs because the process of fermentation changes them. I respond exactly the same way to yoghurt as I do to milk. Sigh…
For me, carbs are carbs are carbs. Most carby things I eat probably have no more than 5g - 8g of fiber, so I don’t feel there is really any use in subtracting that, and for me, it hasn’t made any difference. I have always heard tho, only to subtract fiber if it is 5g or more.
Libby,
You got your answer from your meter, which is ALWAYS the expert!
Yogurt doesn’t work well for me, either. Rye Crackers and Bran crackers do, and I can ignore the fiber in them. Sugar alcohols except for erithyritol might as well just be sugar.
I learned the same thing in my nutrition class.
Generally, the fiber content in most foods is too low to even subtract from the total carb count, although many nutritionists recommend subtracting fiber only if the fiber exceeds 5 grams or 10% of the total carb count. When I say “generally” I mean that because some foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables, have a higher fiber count, but in processed foods, the fiber content is usually far too small to make much difference.
I usually subtract all the fiber if I have that information. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and most of my meals have 10 or 15g of fiber. The problem is that most nutrition labels don’t tell you what kind of fiber. Soluble fiber is digested like other carbs, but insoluble fiber doesn’t get digested.
My experience is that I have to read labels. I deal with NET CARBs i.e. Carbs less the fiber. The fact is that the purpose of the exercise is to figure out how to make it work for you. What works for me is to do only real food (not diet or low fat) and avoid the really bad stuff (high carbs). No regular bread or pasta. It is difficult to eat any ready prepared food and consistantly avoid mistakes. Since I am lactose intolerant, even a salad bar is hard if the is salad dressing has milk.
I have found after 40 years (well 15 years of being clueless and 25 years of figuring it out) is that by using net carbs and watching my reaction I can adjust the ratio of carbs to insulin to get the desired result. The is no magic formula,there are too many variables. How active was I, how good was the adsorption of the insulin, am I under the weather, etc.
A note about the dietitians, they have lots of good information but they suffer from the same problem that the doctors suffer from – a fear that if they recommend something that is not yet endorsed by the AMA that they will be sued. With reason, see if it works for you. I second the recommendation that the meter is your guide. Just DON’T start a jelly or syrup diet. My BS rises if I just walk past a jar. High fiber with moderate amounts of protein seems to be the gold standard for me.
I ignore fiber - it hasn’t seemed to have made any difference to me at all.
Big ditto to the saying ‘Let the meter be your guide’, that’s really the only way to go 
I use the total carb count (sugar, fiber etc). For me “carb are carbs are carbs”. I always want to get a minimum of 26g of fiber in my daily diet so I eat mostly whole grain foods ( oatmeal, whole grain breads/pastas), legumes, and fruit (blueberries, rasberries) to get my carbs.
I use the meter to see how well I am doing.
I use net carbs … I try and stay as close to 30 carbs a day as possible.
We always subtract the fiber, but we have learned to adjust carb counts of specific foods that bring Griffin unusually low or high. Cheerios for example always leave him low even after subtracting the fiber.
I’ve also been told by my doctors and nutritionists that you subtract if it’s 5g of fiber or more. That typically works for me. I have also been told that many people need to treat high fiber foods like higher fat foods - meaning that you may not need to give yourself all your insulin immediately when you eat because it will take your body longer to digest.
I generally subtract all of the fiber. Small amounts of fiber don’t mitigate the carb load much, but in those cases, I’m hardly subtracting anything anyway. Large amounts of fiber, for me, mitigate the carb load a little bit more than I make up for by subtracting them. In the end, I have better experience erring towards my BG ending up slightly higher than slightly lower.
I count the the total amount of carbs and then subtract the amount of fiber over five grams. But, I only subtract half the fiber. 29 carbs - 9 gms fiber = bolus for 25 carbs.