http://www.lowcarbmonster.com/carb/using-a-carb-counter.html Using a carb counter doesn't have to be hard. It all depends on what kind you get. Using a carb counter in book form is probably the easiest, but if you're technically savvy, there are other options as well. en-us Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:27:55 EST Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:27:55 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 When you're on a low carb diet for the first time, getting used to counting carbs can be tough. You'll need to get a carb counter and you'll need to know how to use it. Using a carb counter will eventually become second nature to you. Who knows? Maybe someday you won't need to use it at all! Different Kinds If this is your first low carb diet, we suggest you buy a book that has a listing of almost all foods and their nutritional values. This book will be your reference guide to all things carb. You'll take it with you almost everywhere you go. It will come in handy at the grocery store. But before you take it there, why not get some practice using it by finding out the carb count of the foods you currently have in your kitchen? Obviously, a lot of foods will have the carb count on the label, but do you know how many carbs are in celery? What about grapes? Most low carb diets won't let you have grapes or bananas because they severely restrict what fruits and vegetables you can have. You can also get a fancier kind of carb counter that is similar to a calculator. These come in lots of different varieties. Some only count carbs, while others count calories, carbs and fat grams. Some allow you to enter the number of carb grams you eat each day and automatically subtracts it from the amount you're allowed to have based on where you are in your diet. A step up from that is a carb counter you can download onto your Palm Pilot that has similar features. Finally, you can find all kinds of carb counters on the Internet. Or, if you're having trouble finding a food's carb count, you can find it on the Internet, even if it's not through an online carb counter. Bottom line: Choose the one that's best for you. Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:27:55 EST