I would like to know the basics of what ketosis is. I have been low carbing for a bit, but not on any specific plan. I have just been limiting myself to 30 carbs a day. I have started to get curious about Atkins and I am hearing about Ketosis. Can someone please explain to me what this is? I would really appreciate it.

Hi Smileylady!

If you're staying at 30 grams of carb per day or less, you're probably already in ketosis.
The term ketosis refers to the process of your body producing ketone bodies as a result of fat burning. On a low carb plan, your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs and the byproduct of that fat burning is ketone bodies that your body uses for fuel.
Many people, including health professionals, confuse dietary ketosis with diabetic ketoacidosis. The two are not the same! Dietary ketosis is absolutely harmless where diabetic ketoacidosis is very dangerous and potentially life-threatening. You can't have ketoacidosis unless you also have uncontrolled high blood sugars.
HTH!

Hello.

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents worth. You can tell if you are in Ketosis by a certian distinctive "smell" that is in your urine. The more keotones that you get rid of, the worse it is. Another sign is you tend to have bad breath as well, that too is the ketones releasing from your body. Though this sounds like a bad thing, I look forward to the day when I use the potty and I notice. I then know that what I have been working for is actually producing noticeable results, fat is being burned off.

I was under the understanding that you need to be on a lot fewer carbs to be in ketosis. Since I am new to Atkins in general, what is the amount of carbs that he says to allow in the beginning stages of your diet? Maybe that is what I am thinking of.

What the book calls for is 20 carbs a day or less for the first 2 weeks. After the first 3-4 days you should hit ketosis but for you it shouldn't be all that long because you have been following a lower carb routine anyway so there isn't so much to "flush" out of your system. If you are still having trouble, add a bit of exercise. I have found that not only does it increase ketone loss but also keeps you "regular."

If your strips are turning purple then you are dehydrated. You are going to need to drink alot of water with this WOL to help your body flush out all of the ketones.

You'll most likely lose on 30 carbs a day as well, if your used to eating carbs and now went lower than normal. Most people would lose on a 30 carb intake. You may get more drastic results going to a 20 carb a day intake though.

The strips that are being mentioned.... what are they, what do they do, etc. Also for those of you who are eating 20 g or less.... what is your basic menu? Any ideas to keep things from getting boring?

Hi again, Smileylady!

Those strips being mentioned are called ketone testing strips or Ketostix. You can purchase them at most pharmacies and many grocery stores if they sell diabetic supplies. You dip them into your urine and compare the color change (if any) to a chart on the bottle to see what the level of ketones in your urine is. The problem with those strips, as many have discovered is that they don't make any distinction between your body burning fat that you have eaten and fat that your body is burning from its own stores, so in some cases they may not be a totally accurate way to tell if you are in ketosis or not.
The 20 gram limit in the induction phase of the Atkins diet is to get people quickly into ketosis and also to help detox from a high carb diet more quickly. That doesn't mean that higher levels of carb like the 30 grams (which are still very low) that you consume won't get you into ketosis; it just might take a few days longer. By the time that most people get into the 50-60 grams of carb per day range, then they're probably not in ketosis anymore but some people may still be even at those amounts.
I'm wondering why the desire to switch to lower carbs since by looking at your stats what you're doing seems to be working just fine. If you're under the impression that cutting your carbs back to 20 a day will help you lose even faster, that may not be the case. Even on induction, you are only supposed to stay at that level for 2 weeks and then start gradually increasing your carb intake. If you're looking to do an induction type period to jump start weight loss after a stall (defined as 4-6 weeks without any loss of either weight or inches), it might be worth a try but if you've been losing at your current level of carb intake, I'd advise you to continue with that.

The reason I was asking was indeed because I'm on a bit of a plateau. I've been at the same weight for 5 weeks, now. I am getting a bit discouraged about not losing any more. So, I didn't know if cutting my carbs even more would be what is needed.

Hi Smileylady!

There can be many reasons for a stall, not all of them related to how many carbs you are eating. It could be too many calories or not enough. It could be too many carbs or not enough. It could be because of something that we refer to as "carb creep" where you've been eating more carbs (either consciously or unconsciously) than you think. It could be that your body needs to take a break from losing for a while after a period of fast weight loss. It could also be because of holiday indescretions or occasional "cheats" or even because of foods that are legal but stall some people (like artificial sweeteners, dairy foods or nuts). It could even be that your body is already at a weight that it feels is good for you and will resist losing more.
It might help if you posted some average days' menus so that we can help you spot something that might be causing the problem.
Don't get too frustrated just yet. Those last 10 pounds are the slowest and hardest to get off.

This is for Smileylady, and I tried to read over what you had said and I think you could quickly lose your weight with what Atkins calls induction(the first stage). Induction is never safe for pregnant or nursing mothers.
I have 11 carbs a day(The amount depends on how fast your metabolism is, mine is slow so I have the smaller amount), The most you should have in induction is 12, try to stay under 2000 calories. Some people have 20 or more carbs but my husband, our daughter and I have all at one time or the other been on Atkins and lost weight and none of us in the first stage have gone over 11 carbs a day. I can explain why if you would like it is detailed but its a great plan and it works(post if you want to know more). Also we have no caffeine, 80 to 100 ounces of water per day. It is difficult and you will need to exercise lightly to get going but I promise you will lose your weight, some people starting out can lose 20lbs in 2 to 3 weeks some less. But it requires disipline. Another thing that I have figured out on my own is that net carbs are a joke and the best thing to do is the traditional carb diet, pretend you can only have meat,poultry,fish(etc you get the picture) and your few healthy carbs every day(no junk food). Also you can go back to induction anytime after you get to your desired weight if you need to lose a few pounds or if you slip and gain some and it is recommended for best results that you stay on it for at least 14 days but it is safe to stay on longer.It will go by fast and you will feel better about yourself. Good luck and I hope this helps. I only know what has worked for 3 of us in my family and we have all lost weight. You may just want to get the Atkins book and read it, it's good.