I'm just wonder about ketosis.

Do some of you notice that some days your in deep ketosis and somedays not?

I notice that inspite of the fact that I havn't changed and put new foods into the mix, that sometimes I'm in it and sometimes I'm not.

As many of you know I'm addicted to the ketosis strips and someday I'm pink and then, I'll be going along week after week, pink, pink, pink then poof I'm not. And I havn't changed anything.

Please don't get into the toss the strips talk, I'm adicted, I've already admitted that.

AND--to many surprise--I have not weighed myself AT ALL not ONCE since starting---or taken meansurments for that matter.

I weighted right before starting at the Dr office and I'm going to weight again next week (pre-surgical exam) I did this because I didn't to get caught up in the up, down, down, down, up, down you know that drill.

Anyway, other peeps have this ketosis experience?

I'm light pink (#15) most of the time and only dark pink(#80-#160) if I workout. If I up my cabrs too much I tend to be at #5.

Dewi

Never used a stick in my life! But I bet depending on the amoutn of carbs it would change I guess

I think it depends on how much water you are drinking. If you are drinking a lot of water your urine maybe so diluted that the ketones don't register.

Any more ideas?

Time of day, how much dietary fat you've eaten, etc.

Probably the best reading would be first thing in the morning from that first bladder emptying.

Probably a million reasons!
Water
Time of day
Exercise
Carbs taken in

I agree with Nancy about the best time of day to test. First thing in the morning, it's not likely to be due to exercise or what you ate, or any of those other variables.

I remember reading here in several posts that you can usually get your darkest reading at night, but if the stix are picking up sugar alcohols or ketones from exercise, well, that doesn't really tell you what's being burned fat-wise.

Morning readings for me are lightest. I like to test the second 'trip' in the morning, because I think the first piddle of the day might be fairly diluted due to the volume of fluid. Does that make sense?

LOL
I don't really understand them either.
I test - I'm beige -
I test a couple of our later...I'm pink
A few more hrs - I'm back to beige....

One of those things that makes you go - hmmmmm

Yes, Ms Sarah that's what I mean! And with out changing ANYTHING, diet, exercise or water--poof I'm beige, then about 2 days later I'm back in the pink.

And it's not just the strips--what I'm trying to understand is, does your body just "take breaks" from ketosis occasionally? I kinda think it must, but I don't know----
And how come I only sometime can taste/smell that I'm in ketosis--like once a week, in spite of everythig being the same.

I don't know that anyone knows for sure, but I think exercise level and amount of water and time of day are 3 key factors.

Exercise means your body says "NEED MORE ENERGY"...(gets them from fat)

Amount of water will dilute the ketones (you're just peeing more with the same amount of ketones).

Time of day....just seems to vary for me too...

since I sarted I have nearly always been in ketosis but sometimes its pink and sometimes its purple, If you eat a meal it willeffect the colour and if you drink alot of water it will also dilute the colour.

Dr atkins claimed that it was stored fat being released but I have my doubts because somtimes I lose no weight even if my strips are still turning but I must be doing somthing right.

I've got a question about ketosis too...

Is there any way that you can check for sure? The test strips seem to be very unreliable. I don't want to go buy another bottle of them, cause it makes me crazy to see beige!! I drink over 100 oz of water a day and now that could cause them to show negative.

I don't think I have Keto breath - I've asked a few people and they don't seem to think I have horrific smelling breath (hopefully they were honest).

So it there a blood test you can do? I know I couldn't do it frequently, but I'm curious if I'm in or out of ketosis.

One thing for sure... I have NO cravings, so I'm assuming I'm in Ketosis from that alone.

Anyone got any ideas?

In my experience (for what it is worth)

When exercising always purple.

Other times it might be light pink, but I always chalk it up to lots of water drinking.

I would think that if you tested just after a meal that you run the risk of being in the beige just because the carbs you eat (even if limited) are being burned, a test 2 hours later may find that body fat is being burned thus changing the color back to pink.

Do they really recommend you test so often?

I only test when my weight loss has slowed or I think I may have over done the carbs by accident while dining out or just not carefully counting.

CindyG...
To answer your question...yes there is a serum (blood) keytone level test that you can have ordered by your doctor...There is also a urine keytone level that a lab can run by doing a regular urinalysis screen...These are more accurate than the strips...