the biggest problem I have with diets, any diet, is the slow slipping of the rules. And the same is (has?) happening with Atkins. I went out and got me a box of 50 sticks and I am checking my self every evening. If I get a less then pink, I ask my self what did I eat today that gave me the extra carbs.
This helps me back on trak, and also gives me a totally objective and imidiate feedback on my day to day eating..

I always check in the evening and on days I workout, I get a reading of 80 (dark!) and on a day I dont workout it is a reading of 40 (mg/dL)... and on a day I get a light pink I give myself real $hit.. works for me...


KETONS R US...

Hi Arie...

When in the evening do you check ?...I have just started checking mine and I never changes colour....

Make sure you "catch" your stream right at the beginning b/c drinking alot of water dilutes your urine.

I'm all about Keto sticks! Great motivation. Here's a tip: Go to the pharmacy and ask for the generic brand - they're cheaper and come in packs of 100. For some reason they're not on the shelf (at Walgreen's anyway) and I had to ask for them at the pharmacy.

Purple - my new favorite color!

I don't get this. How is your urine less dilute at the beginning of the stream ?

I check it sometime after dinner (2 hrs later?).. It took me 5 days until the sticks started to change color. This evening I'll be working out and I know I'll be rewarded with a dark dark stick.. The darker it is the more fat I burn (its the other way around really )...

Thanks for the advice....

I will keep trying...Mine don't change at all....Not even a little...I do drink allot of water...I am always thirsty...Is everybody else always thirsty?...Is this normal in the introduction stage?

I didn't find it making a difference what part of the "stream" I sample...

Hey Yall
From everything I've read and heard, so long as your stix change color PERIOD then you know that you are in ketosis.
Dark purple is not necessarily better than light pink and the colors change from hour to hour sometimes & from snack to meal.
I've heard that you obtain dark purple mostly when you are dehydrated & you should drink more water. They are also more dark after consuming a meal containing alot of fat.
I think that what happens is that your body uses ketones as fuel (which we get from burning & eating fat) & the ketones that show up in your urine is the leftover that your body cant use. No matter what shade of pink or purple your stix are, its a GOOD THING!!! You are not STORING FAT!!!
I personally never show much if any color in the am, but at around 5 or 6 pm color starts happening.
I like having the ketositx myself......... its a great tool, but like all tools, use wisely.
Hope you all have a lovely evening........
Kkaye

I have the Ketone sticks that also have an indicator for glucosis that indicates if you are buring significant carbs. I havent had to pay much attention to this as i am always getting good purple on the ketosis indicator and the glucosis has never even shown trace. And i have lost a respecatable amount of weight in the 2 week induction.
However a mate of mine who was also on the diet lost significant weight in only 2 months without ever showing more that trace ketosis on the stick. He stated that he was happy just as long as he wasnt showing ANY glucosis on the other indicator.

Is it a good idea to check the urine in the morning or only in the evening?

So far, I have always checked it in the morning and it was always deep purple ..

Massimo

I've been on Atkins a month but I haven't used the keto stix yet. All your enthusiasm makes me think I shuld go out at lunch and buy a box. What exactly do I buy? (My book's at home.) Thanks for the help.

Good morning everyone! I am confused, even after reading the book. Is the point of the sticks just to tell us we are in ketosis? Because as long as we're losing weight, and staying away from complex carbs, we are in ketosis anyway, right? I am thinking of getting these but wonder how I can use them to my benefit. I continue to lose each day. Thanks for the support~~Annie-Pie~

Arie-
Just a note about checking w/sticks after you work out: The sticks are known to turn darker when you're dehydrated (because you have less fluid in your body your urine and the ketones in them get more concentrated) wich is usally the case right after a workout, no matter how much water you drink.

Jamian