I asked this in another thread before it occurred to me that it would be more appropriate here. So here goes:

My very favorite kind of candy is and always has been gummi bears. No idea why. Anyway...I have found some places that sell sugar free ones. The label indicates they are still high in carbs...about 20g or more. But the description says that the carbs come from sugar alcohols and are not counted toward total net carb intake. I'm still uneasy though. Before snacking on these, I was wondering if anyone is familiar with whether or not sugar free candies are "safe" in moderation? From what I understand, sugar free and low carb are two different things.

Well, I'd say if you aren't on Induction and are only having them once in a while, it's okay in small amounts. However, BEWARE! Some sugar alcohols have ugly side effects! Especially maltitol. Any time I've ever eaten any, serious bathroom issues ensued! NOT GOOD AT ALL! So, all you can do is trial and error. You may eat a few and have a problem, you may eat a few and have no change, or you may eat a few and have a minor change, but feel it is worth it to have that small treat now and then. I think for me, though, I'd rather wait until I got into maintenance to find a way to incorporate the real thing in small amounts.

I found maltitol to stall me out. After doing further research I found out that it's corn based. Totally annecdotal, but I think it still spiked my blood sugar.

I often wondered that! I also wonder if that is why Splenda in more than a couple of doses a day slows me -- the bulking agent is Maltodextrin which is a potato starch! Which is why Splenda does, indeed, have cals and carbs! 92 cals and 24 (TWENTY FOUR!) in a cup!!! Which is why they put the darn serving size so small to trick you into thinking it's zero! Didn't know maltitol was from corn -- good to know! Now I'm going to be doing research on that! LOL All I know is that I get bad side effects from them and could never really use the Atkins products for that reason.

Be careful-it will MESS UP YOUR TUMMY!!!
I learned that lesson the hard way, years ago with "sugar free" M&M's. Oh, boy, was it BAD.

Yep, my husband had the same experience, he ate a whole bag of SF candies and was so sick. I keep a bag of SF hard candies in the cupboard, but so far, I have no desire to have any. For awhile, I was eating just one in the evening. It's more a habit I guess, if I stop eating something I soon forget about it.

I am also on the fence with SF products. While I am diabetic, I find that SF is helpful on holidays with LC desserts and such, but on a day to day basis, I just don't think it is healthy. I recently gave up diet soda for the same reason. I was drinking 2-3 cans a day and realized I was foregoing water and tea (a favourite of mine) for soda pop.

When I am away from the taste of sweets, I stop craving them.