Ketostix wont turn purple!

[marilynp]

Okay, so I have only been on plan for 3 days, but have followed all the rules, when will they turn purple? It scares me a little to be eating more fat that I normally do if I am not doing some part of this right? I dont want to find out at the end of 14 days that I never made it into Ketosis, so all those extra cals just meant gain! Any advice?????

[Georgiana]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

It's difficult to give advice if we don't know what you are eating. You can post your menu in the 'Review my menu' forum and then everyone can take a look. I suspect you are eating some hidden sugars.

It is not very probable, but there are some people for which the sticks never turn pink. So maybe you are just one of them.

[cleverusername]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

Hi there! I'm new but not to atkins.

Sometimes when you go into induction it can take more than 3 days to detox from the carbs to get into Ketosis. Hang in there. I find that if it takes a couple days, I'll be in for one hungry day. It's like my body's last ditch effort to get me to eat naughty.. like it is saying, "Really? Really? We are RUNNING out of it here.. insert some NOW!" To which I just pile a chicken breast on my plate.

Another thing to consider is how many carbs you are taking in, watching to make sure that there are no hidden carbs like in lunch meats and such.

Lastly, when the stick is purple, it's not gauranteed weight loss.. just gauranteed ketosis!

[marilynp]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

Thank you for your replies! I have been writing down all of my food, so my menu is easy to track. Although my carbs are coming from cheese rather than veggies at this point, I have been around 20 gm. everyday. I do think I was on carb overload before beginning, so perhaps it will take me a little longer. I am not at all discouraged, just looking for insight. I actually feel great, and am surprised that I do not feel withdrawel from the sugar etc? That is part of what made me buy the stix and check. I didn't think I should feel this good. Perhaps it is from years of low cal. dieting and always feeling deprived. Eggs w/bacon, cheeseburgers, etc. seem like a constant treat for me!

[Georgiana]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

Just a remark, you are allowed at most 4 oz of cheese during induction.

[momtomany1]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

Remember, it is the ratio of high fat to low carb that gets us into 'fat burning mode.' It is weird at first taking in butter, cream, bacon, olive oil to get us into this process, but that is what it takes. Make sure you are getting enough to do this. You might benefit greatly from logging food into 'fitday' for a day or too to make sure you are getting your 65 percent of your calories from FAT sources. Too little fat, no ketosis, really.

And go buy and eat some veggies! try one of my favorites, radishes saute'd in bacon with a sprinkle of onions.

[Lyssie]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

To add to what everyone else has said, if you drink a lot of water, or if you take vitamins, ketostix can come up with strange things. A lot of times, my stix won't turn purple unless I'm dehydrated, or have just finished a workout... usually mine stay light pink as long as I am drinking all my water.

[Zarabelle]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

I agree with Lyssie, the only time I get purple is first thing in the morning or if I haven't drunk enough water. The ketones are watered down in the urine if you are drinking like you're supposed to so they generally only turn pink which is fine. You're either in ketosis or you're not. It doesn't matter how purple they go, as long as they go pink x

[marilynp]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

So good to know, thank you....I have been drinking a ton of water! Hopefully everyhting is working just right!

[spectro]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

I dont want to find out at the end of 14 days that I never made it into Ketosis, so all those extra cals just meant gain! Any advice?????

It took me 5 days to get into ketosis so you should be ok.

I read somewhere the presence of ketones is stronger after a meal so you could try that (add an extra tbsp of oil to your salad to make sure ). In my case it always show dark purple when I test 1 hr after dinner.

[LSU2001]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

According to Dr. Atkins in his book there are several things to consider when using ketostix.

1. Is there any type of color change? ie. Is the stick even a little pink?
2. Some people never get ketostix to change color but this does not mean that they are not in ketosis/lipolisis. This just means that your body may be burning fat but not producing enough ketones to induce a color change.

3. Don't obsess on color change but closely watch weight and measurements to determine if fat is disappearing.

My advice: watch but don't worry keep the faith and trust in the process.

JMHO,
Tim

[mitzimarie]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

Although my carbs are coming from cheese rather than veggies at this point, I have been around 20 gm. everyday.

A few points/comments/questions...

Why in the world are you shunning veggies?! How are you going "potty", since you are getting no fiber?

Since cheese is approximately 1 carb per ounce, and we are allowed 3 to 4 ounces of cheese per day, how are you getting 20g per day?

As cleverusername pointed out, ketosis is no guarantee for weight loss. I've lost weight while not in ketosis, and I've been in ketosis and not lost weight. There's more involved, than just being in ketosis.

It takes me at least 5 days to show ketosis on the sticks. Personally, I don't use them. The one time I bought a bottle, I found that most of them were faulty. On a whim, when the sticks kept showing no ketosis but I was sure that I was, I went ahead and used about a dozen at one time... out of that dozen, one of them showed I was in ketosis, and the other 11 didn't. My best advice is to just follow the plan to the letter, and forget the sticks.

A little reminder - in any given phase of Atkins (from Induction all the way through Lifetime Maintenance), most of your net carbs should come from veggies.

The Atkins eating plan emphasizes the benefits of protein and natural fats - AND nutrient-rich carbohydrates. The crux of the matter is in limiting carbohydrates and in selecting the right carbohydrates, those most full of nutrients and fiber and those with the lowest impact on your blood sugar. So, not only is it important to choose foods with low carb counts, it is also crucial to select the most nutrient-dense carbohydrate foods.

The goal is to eat as many "good" carbohydrates as your body can tolerate without interfering with weight loss or getting your blood sugar out of whack. You should choose healthy, satisfying whole foods, ones that provide nutrients and fiber.

Vegetables, in general, contain "good" carbohydrates, although some are very high in carbs and not as high in nutrient value, and some are the reverse. Most vegetables provide fiber and many healthy phytonutrients (phyto means "plant"), those magical substances found in plants that help us ward off disease. Fortunately, the vegetables that are most dense in nutrients happen also to be those lowest in carbs.

Good luck!

[marilynp]

Re: Ketostix wont turn purple!

Thank you so much for all of your input. I think I was on the right track just didn't know it. My salad at lunch and serving of broccoli with dinner did accunt for most of my carbs. I just am not used to eating cheese everyday, so mentally I questioned myself. The sticks are purple, I have tons of energy, feel good, and have officially completed my first week of induction with a loss of 7 pounds!