ketone strips
 

How many days did it generally take your ketone strips to start turning colors? I am on the third day of low carbing and still no change in color. Yesterday was the only accident with my salad dressing and it had only 2g sugar, my mom is diabetic and don't have problems with that small amount. Anyone? Am I expecting to much to soon? thanks
Teresa :thdown:

hello
 

hi,

it took me about 4 days to start changing colours.

just keep at it and make sure you are not eating foods with hidden carbs. A sweet red pepper has 13g! so be careful.

if you are peeing a lot and your mouth is dry then you are on the right track.

drink lots of water! Like 4-5 liters. I am having trouble with this, but you have to do it! and so do I !! LOL

good luck baby! and keep us posted!

~Steph :roll:

Everyone is different on this one. It can take some people a couple of days, some people longer.
Usually it takes me about 2 days however last week I had a cheat, woke up the next morning, no ketosis, and then by that afternoon I was in ketosis again. Didn't make sense because I know that cheat had WAY more carbs that I should have (Can you say Mexican food galore?) So that was a strange one for me! But nice!!

Just analyze what it is you are eating making sure that you are sticking to the right things. Also look for things that can cause stalls--artificial sweeteners, processed meats, etc.

Also remember that ketostix are not the absolute word on ketosis. You could be in ketosis and not show up on the sticks. Look for the signs--bad taste in mouth and others.

If you are sticking to your plan and still not in ketosis, Dr. Atkins touches on this in his book. I think he says to cut out salads. I don't remember.

GOOD LUCK!! :bhug:

Still no change today on ketostix but do have excessive thirst and urination so maybe it is working. I also lost 6 lbs which I assume is water weight because I'v e only been on diet since Sunday and its Wednesday that's to much of a loss to soon.

:idea: Another thing that may be affecting your test strips is the quantity of liquids you are drinking a day, the more water or fluid you drink, the less likely you are to have a drastic color change at all..........another tip for your strips. I like to cut mine in half (very carefully so I don't touch the test end) so that they last that much longer!! Sounds like you are off to a good start though!

Keep in mind
 

that you can go out of Ketosis during your monthly cycle.

When I first read Atkins book and started eating Locarb it was psychologically a big boost to see that I was in ketosis.

Now, I check the strips about once a day but I also go many days w/o checking because I have found that if I have indulged in a cheat day, I go out of ketosis for about a day. I also go of of ketosis for about a week, sometimes more, during my period and when I am ovulating so I don't even bother checking then.

I tend to retain water during my period and about two weeks later during ovulation but each successive month, when the water retention disappears, I have noticed that my weight is down by a pound. (Which means that loss is occuring even though the ketostix show no ketones).

Everyone is different of course, but just something to keep in mind with the ketostix.

I still find them to be a psychological boost--especially since I drink a ton of water (6 or more litres a day) so I know when the strips are showing pink or purple that something is really happenin'.

Ciao!