What is the difference between total carbs and net carbs?

"Total carbs" include the total amount of carbohydrates in a specific food, including fiber, sugar, and sugar alcohol. "Net carbs" describe the number of grams of carbohydrates minus the fiber and the sugar alcohol.  Fiber and sugar alcohol do not have a negative impact on blood sugar or insulin response.

Therefore, they can be removed from the equation when you are calculating your carbohydrate intake. Either in weight loss (Phase 1) or weight stabilization (Phase 4), it's the net carbs that you want to pay attention to.