I´ve been reading in several posts in this forum that a darker color on the keto stick such as violet means that you don´t drink enough water...

well, my sticks are violet and I drink 2,5 to 3 liters of water a day (from day one) and actually feel like a baloon because of that water...

how can that be then?

Hi there Cat,

A dark colour on the stix can mean you are dehydrated, but by no means does it mean you definitely are. It can also mean that you are burning a lot of fat.

I personally think the stix are a waste of time and money. Are you losing weight? I think that is far more important than the colour of a piece of plastic.

Cheers.

Rosebud

On another board, they sent a list of questions to Colleen Heimowitz, a director at the Atkins Centre. She stated that being dehydrated has nothing to do with the color of your sticks. If your sticks read purple, it means your body is producing lots of ketones or the sticks are measuring fat you ingested.

However, some people here, question the dehydration thing because their own experience seems to contradict what the Atkins Centre says.

You will have to decide for yourself which you believe. If you feel you are drinking plenty of water, then don't worry about being dehydrated.

Hope that helps.

Kaillean

Which unfortunately is a load of hogwash.

In my many years of nursing, I've tested many, many urines, and it is a simple, proven fact that dehydration does cause ketones to show in the urine. This is so for folk who are not low carbing. Starvation also causes ketosis. So does drinking alcohol, and eating a fatty meal.

However, as I said before, you can also be showing a dark colour on the stix because you are burning fat. In fact if you are drinking plenty of water and are losing weight, that is almost certainly what is happening. Just remember that the stix are not infallible.

Losing weight is more important than changing the colour of the stix.

Rosebud

Ohhh so that might explain exactly why my stick yesterday afternoon was a dark purple for the first time EVER! I usually get a dark pink.

It was probably due to the fact that I had a small sugar-free vanilla latte made with heavy whipping cream instead of milk!

Eek!

= Meagan