Question on maltitol, please. I bought a candy bar manufactured for Carbolite, Inc.---it says it has 0 carbs but after I ate it, it shows it has total carb 14g less fiber .8g less maltitol 13g = 0.2g net effective carbs. Someone once told me if it sounded too good to be true, it probably is!!! Please advise. I have been back on the Atkins plan for about a month and have only lost 10 pounds and have really been trying to be 100%---but after eating this, I'm not so sure. Thanks.

Malitol is a sugar alcohol. They either go right through you (in which case they can cause gas and rushing to the loo if you eat too much), or they are absorbed very slowly so they don't do much damage.

Some people say sugar alcohols make them stall. Others are OK with them. I have them as a treat from time to time.

'Too much' sugar alcohol is more than about 25g at one go for most people. Your bar with 13g is OK - but don't eat two or three of them at one sitting!

Another caution is that candies and ice cream treats sweetened with sugar alcohols taste very much like real sugar, much more so than artificial sweeteners such as Splenda or aspartame. For persons with sugar or carb addiction problems, these foods can trigger serious cravings, and some suggest they might even trigger insulin release as an indirect response to stimulation of the sweet taste receptors on the tongue.

Proceed slowly, and as Robert advised, best to not overdo


Doreen

Thank you so much for your replies. I will definitely take it easy on the "0" carb candy bars and read ingredients more thoroughly prior to eating!! I usually do, but not this time. It's so nice to have help from other low carbers.

I'm sitting here looking at this bar that says it has the maltitol in in - making the bar have 0 effective carbs. Ok, I'm a little leary of this - but want something right now since it's that TOM.

If you feel like that eat it! It's better than eating a 'normal' one.

If you don't get the laxative effect does that mean that you process sugar alcohols like regular sugar?

Because I had 2 of the wafer bars in one day and nothing.....

No, sugar is absorbed very quickly. Sugar alcohols are absorbed very slowly after being broken down by the natural bacteria in your large intestine - if they are not expelled first. It's the breaking down that causes the gas - a bit like when you eat too many beans!

I have terrible side effects with Maltitol! At my local GNC I bought these Carb Slim bites and they had a new sugar alcohol in them called Erythritol. They have Choc PB crunch and Choc Caramel crunch and they are sooooo good! I had no side effects at all with this candy. I'm usually miserable after a choc treat! I would strongly suggest anyone on Atkins give them a try!

Your body gets used to different sugar alcohols -maybe the appropriate bacteria increase? I used to have bad reactions to malitol and sorbitol - now I can eat them no probs.

Wow, I just joined a few minutes ago and have already learned something. I have been wondering why I had such a bad reaction to a Carbolite bar I had months ago. Thanks.

Any advice for those of us who are being really good (20-25 carbs/day) and haven't lost a single pound in the last 10 days?

This is a question that i should have posted yesterday since I searched this forum upand down to find this link which helped about my Ross Dark chocolate bar (it said only one carb)..then after reading i only ate i square. serious sweet cravings afterwards though.
http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips010.html

This CarbSlim bites candy is awesome!! It doesn't have any maltitol and it has 0 carb! The taste is exceptional!! I agree with hc and recommend anyone who is in low carb lifestyle to try it. They are available in most GNC stores and maybe some other places. The product just entered the market a month ago, it's awesome!!

bellern
Since you dont have much weight to lose, it slows down. What stage are you doing? As it has been posted on- Atkins you lose 10% of the total weight you want to lose on induction. After 2 weeks induction you lose 5% of the remaining weight in about a month. Remember too Atkins is in 4 phases and it is not a way to lose weight fast.
Hope this helps.