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from the Atkins website (www.atkinscenter.com)

Quote:

I am unable to get into ketosis even when I consume no carbohydrate. What should I do? Some people do not produce enough ketones to show up in their urine. If you are experiencing a reduction in your appetite and an improvement in well-being and are losing weight or your clothes are feeling looser, there is no need to do anything differently. Remember, the lipolysis testing strips (LTS) are tools; making them change color is not the sole object of the game. If you are not losing weight, you either have a strong metabolic resistance to weight loss or you are consuming “hidden” carbohydrates in the form of sweetened salad dressing, breading, etc. Then follow Induction strictly for five days. If the LTS still haven’t changed even slightly, make sure you are not consuming excess protein and measure your salads to make sure you are not eating too many veggies. Still no change? Try cutting out tomatoes and onions, which are relatively high on the glycemic index. You may also benefit from nutritional supplements such as L-carnitine, hydroxycitric acid (HCA), and chromium—all of which aid in hunger reduction or weight loss. You may also need to step up the frequency and intensity of your exercise program.

What are lipolysis testing strips? Lipolysis testing strips (LTS) measure the ketones—the markers that can indicate that your body is in lipolysis and the secondary process of ketosis—in your urine. The strips will change pink or purple, depending upon how many ketones are there. The more ketones you excrete, and therefore the greater degree ketosis you are in, the darker the color. You don’t have to use LTS, but doing so can be an extremely convenient aid to doing Atkins. My patients often tell me that they find the strips psychologically supporting.

What shade of purple should my lipolysis testing strips be? Will they show different levels at different times of day? Because every person's metabolism is different, the sticks turn different shades of purple or pink for different people. And, yes, results vary depending upon the time of the day, whether or not you exercise and what you last ate. It doesn’t matter whether your strips turn a dark or light color. Some people never even get into ketosis, but still lose weight easily. So don’t worry about the exact level of ketosis shown on your test strips; what is more important is how your clothes are fitting, what the scale says and how you feel.

Bottom line.... don't get hung up on those little plastic strips.... use the pant-o-meter to determine your progress!!