why am I negative?
 

I just did the stick, it came out negative, I had been doing great, lost 7 lbs in 6 days, then now up 3, I ate too much spinich 2 days ago, but been good since then, had SF jello in the middle of the night, I am drinking regulsr coffee again, WHY? :mad: :confused:

While I don't know the details - From what I understand and I've read on these boards, That Sugar-Free Jello can be a real killer. :confused:

question is.... why are you eating anything in the middle of the night???? You really shouldn't eat anything after 8:00 as I have been told. That could be a problem for you.

I and some others don't place a whole lot of thought on the sticks. I'd be more concerned with the late night eating, no matter what it is.
As for the coffee, it's a big question, as, some do fine with regular, others it stops the loss, ( providing the diet is otherwise being followed properly), it's an easy one to blame.

Try downing some water, if your feeling you need something that late. Hopefully it'll wash it away :p

Mostly if you got up to get something..............STAY in BED, have a glass of water by your bed.

Good Luck, Kathy

Don't worry
 

Just stick to your guns and don't ask why. Your body is more confused than you are. It's a bouyancy thing. You know, when something is dropped into the water it has to bounce around a bit before is settles? Same thing, the way I see it. At the end of every month, I will drop up to three pounds then during the next month it will bounce. By the end of the month my weight drops more. So this " bouyancy" effect is typical. In a few days , I should be down a pound or two :spin: . We will hafta see.

Black57

My first though on the hunger: are you drinking enough water? coffee will add to dehydration. are you eating enough? and, of course, it seems like you might want to stay AWAY from the aspartame jello. Word on the street is that pre-made Jolly Rancher jello is safe (I can't believe that there is a such thing...). You can also make your own with Kool Aid and gelatin.

Ketostix: are you actually keeping track of carbs in fitday (or somewhere?)? If you are then don't worry about those darn sticks.

best,
jinx

Stix
 

As many others have said-forget the stix !
Check out what the Dr. has to say about them. You get get a negative reading and still be in ketosis.
As for the late night snacking ...NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
Your metabolism is what you are going by on this diet, and eating before you go to bed is not a bad thing but a good thing. Also eating when you wake up is the most important thing - why- it gets your metabolism going. Same thing with eating before you go to bed it keeps your metabolism going.
I seriously doubt that it was the Jello, and very few people respond poorly to the nutrasweet, I know several folks that have been on Atkins for years and never had a problem with nutrasweet. Dr. Atkins has no definitive evidence that nutrasweet is any worse than anything else.
Most important thing at this early stage is you are counting carbs accurately. If you have been in ketosis you did it !! I need to keep up with fitday in order to keep them low.
Chin up, you are probably still in ketosis and if not stick with what got you there and keep it up !!
:clap:

Fairchild is right on the ball! Atkin's himself said that just because the strips read negative, doesn't mean you are not in ketosis. It just means that there are no ketones in your urine. If you are losing weight then you are in ketosis!

I noticed that I no longer read dark pink to purple anymore, even though I eat 25 or less, usually less carbs a day. This is the second time I tested and found a negative reading! And I only had 14 net carbs yesterday, so I don't know how I could have knocked myself out. But the fist time the strips read negative, for a couple of days, I lost 2 pounds that week.

I wish I have never found the dam strips ;) I only give me yet another thing to fret over :p When they are gone, I am not replacing them!

Well maybe I will rethink that if I hit a stall.

Thanks so much, as for water, I think I am a fish! gulp gulp all day long, I never go anywhere without my bottle of water in the purse, The in the middle of the night jello replaced oreo cookies and milk! I thought I was way too cool! I have not touched 1 oreo!! this morning my daughter and I went out to breakfast, she let me smell her toast :D :D it smelled great, that did the trick for me, as for calories, I bet I get plenty now, I eat rich foods, butter, meat and cream cheese, like I have never had them before :D Hope for a better day tomorrow!! thanks again :)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MsJinx
[B]. Word on the street is that pre-made Jolly Rancher jello is safe (I can't believe that there is a such thing...).

Yes! Jolly Roger SF Jello is made with sucralose (Splenda) not aspartame, so it's a "safe" treat! I only have one cup (3.7 ounces) about once a week with my homemade whipped cream, and it really satisfies me.

I've heard from other posters it can be hard to find. Luckily, one store in my area (Metro) carries it.

As for the ketostix, I haven't even been using them much lately. I know I am in ketosis though from other things (like my breath, which I have become obsessed with making sure isn't offensive!).

Hang in there! I know people say you shouldn't eat after 8pm, but I don't even get home from work until about 7:30, so until I make dinner, it's usually 8:00 or 8:30. BUT I drink lots of water and don't eat anything after dinner, and I wait at least 3 hours before going to bed.

:wave:

Check out low carb tips
 

link, there's a good article on ketosis and test strips. Very reassuring. Apparently there are lots of reasons why you can test negative while you're in ketosis.