Total Carbs vs. Exchanges
 

A friend and I are troubleshooting her foods/journal. She has been taught to add her carbs doing it the exchanges way. I feel this is probably not accurate enough for weight loss, but I'm no expert. Do you do total carbs or calculate it based on the exchange info?

One additional question: I've never seen anybody lose measurements only and no scale pounds. Have any of you experienced this or at least experienced very little scale movement over a long period of time (hers is at least 6 months).

What are some of your suggestions?

bump, i need some help.

I do not count carbs. I follow Sugarbusters, and eat only whole grains. I do tend to keep my starchy carbs to two or three servings a day, but I am not really strict about it. (maybe I would lose faster if I were... ;) )

Is your friend a diabetic? With insulin resistance, weight loss is often VERY difficult. Raised insulin levels promote fat storage, making it hard to let go of the fat. Before I started on the injections I am on now called Byetta, I could eat perfectly, exercise regularly and see NO weight loss, or inches lost either. This went on for years for me. Some people are just metabolically resistant to weight loss. It is very frustrating. If your friend is a diabetic, there are some meds that help with weight loss, like glucophage and Byetta. Others hinder it.

I hope that helps.

Thanks. She is on insulin and has a new pump she is excited about.

Whether you use the exchange system or not, you are still counting carbs. I was on the exchange system, recommended by my nutritionist and the scale didn't budge. I actually gained a few pounds. It wasn't until I started eating 50-70g a day less than what she recommended that I saw a weight loss. So whether you use the exchange system or not, you need to find the total each day is right for you (and you need to eat the right kinds of carbs).

You can lose inches instead of pounds if you are adding muscle since muscle weighs more than fat. Muscle also helps to burn calories throughout the day. So it can be a very good thing! :)