TheBetty, it seems to me it's not so much the "hidden" carbs as being aware of the carbs in foods we consider to be carb-less. In TSP, Dr. S. gave us wonderful charts of the countable carbs in foods. That's what I use to determine my intake. She tells us how many countable carbs are in cheese and cream, both of which we tend to think of as carb-less, and other foods.

Dr. S. also says that if we are eating a lot of non-starchy veges, that we don't necessarily need to eat carbs from other sources to get our carb "allowance."

I don't "count" carbs, but, using Dr. S's. charts, I keep my track of my carbs and keep within her guidelines. I also am not worrying about my rate of weight loss, which has slowed to about 2 pounds per month. I am much more interested in being healthy.

And I have to add that I don't eat artificial sweeteners or coffee or other caffienated drinks. (BTW: When I cut out tea, which I drank lots of every day, my teeth got whiter )

Just my 2 cents.

;-Deb