Ketosis?

[MsDisney]

I am on day 3 of induction with Atkins and I definitely had less than the 20 allowed carbs the two full days I've been doing this, and today I'm in great shape...anxiously awaiting my rib-eye steak and zuccini dinner tonight!

Anyway, oh, the question I bought some ketostix and gave it a run through and it shows negative right now. So my question, I guess is...how long should it take to get a positive reading? What experience does everyone have with this?

Just curious, I guess I'm a person who likes to SEE that things are happening! I still have trouble believing a person can eat these things (as I smear mayo on a slice of sliced roast beer) and lose weight...I'm afraid I'll start to eat even less if I don't see that it's working.

Thanks for any help or advice!!!
Karen

 

[Castillo Mom]

Trust me, you will lose weight on Atkins. Everyone's body is different, so you may not get a reaction on the Ketostix right away, but then again you're only on day 3. I would suggest going to Atkins.com where you'll find a detailed explantion of what ketosis is, why you're not getting a positive reading yet and what to do.

I know it seems difficult to believe that you can eat things like butter, mayo, eggs, etc. I won't be able to exlain the scientific reasons behind the whole process but you can find it on the website as well. Just hang in there. The first few days or weeks can sometimes be difficult as your body adjusts, but I promise, you'll feel better later on. I'm on my fourth day of the induction phase and I feel a lot better today. My first three days were really bad, and I've been going through sugar withdrawal. Just make sure you're having enough fat in your diet. The Atkins Morning Start bars are yummy, especially apple crunch. It's good for when you have a sweet tooth and you don't have to limit them to breakfast time, just limit yourself to one a day.

 

[Mickey527]

Karen,
I did Atkins for 4 weeks. I went into very light Ketosis on day 4. I went out of Ketosis for the next few days and back in on day 2 of the 2nd week.
Never got back into ketosis for the next 4 weeks.
I decided to do the fat fast. My ketosis stick was so dark it was amost black. I had steak for dinner last night and I am back to dark purple, but at least it shows I am burning.
Make sure you don't do the check in the morning or afternoon. You will get the best results if you check 1-2 hours after your dinner meal.
Everyone told me to not look at the scale and that I was losing inches. My clothes fit the same as they did before, but I lost 12 lbs on the fat fast. Now I am doing Induction again and will fat fast again if I see no results. It was not that bad, I could do it in the summer but not in the winter when I need more comfort foods like soups etc...
Good luck and let us know if the stick changes after dinner. Peggie

 

[dizneegirl]

You can lose weight without ever registering on Ketostix.

You can also have the Ketostix show color, and never lose... they'll register dietary fat, as well as fat that is burning (as in the case of being extremely dark on the fat fast... part of that was the dietary fat registering).

Don't get too hung up on them... you'll probably notice either the scale moving, or your clothes getting looser within a week, even if those sticks never turn color.

 

[*Flower*]

What is a 'fat fast'?

I haven't been doing it long enought to know......

TIA!!

 

[LuvTigger]

I'm not on Atkins, but I am on a program that requires going into ketosis, and I, like you, like to see the results of the ketostix (my program recommends using ketostix). It took about 3-4 days for color to register on the ketostick. I'm at about a medium pink.

But yes, don't let it be a hang up, but it is a terrific feeling when it turns color, and it's a fairly good indicator to ensure that you are continuously in ketosis. I use mine ever morning first thing when I wake up. Sometimes I'll use it at other times of the day just to see what the results are, but I find it easiest to test first thing AM before weighing myself. Just find a system that works for you.

 

[MsDisney]

Thanks everyone!!! Well, the stick showed "trace" last night after dinner as well as this morning.

I know that you can lose and never register and I know that having it register doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I have been sticking to under 20 carbs and I just really wanted confirmation that I was doing something right !

I know that the clothes should start to get looser soon and the scale should show more of a change (I know right now the 3 pounds lost is water, most likely), but I'm anxious to see something, anything...a sign!!! LOL

Anyway, thanks for your help and keep up the great work!!! You guys are AWESOME!!!

Karen

 

[TravelinGal]

Originally posted by *Flower*
What is a 'fat fast'?

I haven't been doing it long enought to know......

TIA!!

You can read about it HERE

It is not for people who are not having problems losing. It is to kick start your metabolism and is pretty drastic.

I did a modified version of it - I ate different foods but kept the calories at 1000 and kept the fat intake at about 80% - I lost 5 lbs in 4 days on it. Mickey 527 stuck to it as written and lost quite a bit more. Now to see if the old metabolism got kick started and the loss continues on induction....

 

[thessaly]

Just a quick warning - ketostix can expire *before* the expiration date. I had a whole bottle go bad for some reason, months before the expy date, and it took me six months and three failed Atkins attempts (due to frustration at not being able to get into ketosis) before I figured out what was going on and bought a new bottle.

When they go bad, the reagent part will look darker than the negative color shown on the bottle. I can't believe how much time I wasted with this.

 

[trustknoone]

FYI Ketostix exp date is for UNOPENED containers. Once opened you have approx 3 months (according to my pharmacy) til they are no good. You can get them in individual foil wrappers that expire on printed date but they do cost more. (DD is diabetic so expirations are important to me)

Hope this helps

Angela

 

[bicker]

Ketostix can also be affected by poor handling during shipping, stocking, etc.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

I lost over a hundred pounds on atkins and NEVER got those darn sticks to go above trace..and very rarely even that.. don't worry about it!

 

[poohraedopey]

Ditch the stix learn the other signs of ketosis and how your body feels in Ketosis and judge that way. I went into ketosis the day I started but I had fasted (not intentionally) about 20 hours before I started and I thinkt hat si why I went in so fast. I'v ebeen on atkins 4 weeks now and I can ALMOST ALWAYS tell if my body is in ketosis or not now. If i am not 100% pos I will use a stick to donfirm but that is maybe 1 day a week if that now. I don't plan to buy more stix when my current batch runs out. Instead i am going to listen to my body and weigh/measure and go from there