Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

[happymomto4]

Hi
Has this happened to anyone on extended induction...if I add any veggies other than the same old boring salad vegetables, I fall out of ketosis. And I'm not talking about a lot of other veggies. I love broccoli and have tried various amounts of it--down to 1/8 cup 2 days ago and ANY amount will knock my ketostick right back to beige! I have also tried adding onions (green ones) and tomato, spinach, and zucchini (all at different times of course, and never over a cup. I can't afford to keep leaving ketosis--I want to keep losing weight. Is this normal? Do I never get to have anything other than protein and salad??? I was congratulating myself that I wasn't metabolically resistant because I'm losing weight--but now after the problems adding new veggies, I'm thinking that I probably am resistant.

Sample Menu
B: bacon, egg
L: tuna, mayo, salad greens 1.5 cups
D: grilled chicken, swiss cheese, salad greens 1.5 cups, 1 Tbl. bleu cheese
Snack if needed: 2 mozzarella sticks or deviled egg

I don't drink anything other than water, I take supplements that do not have any sugar or carbs and I exercise. Am I missing something? I am losing weight, but I would love to have some cooked veggies too.

[loser4ever]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

hmm.... maybe you need to add more fat? have you tried maybe adding some broccoli or spinach to your morning eggs instead of just eating it as is? im not really sure why it would be having that effect on you unless your unknowingly eating more carbs than normal. when you add these veggies are you cutting back your salad veggies to 2 cups instead of 3??

sorry i wasnt much help but i hope it works out for you ... if you need anything send me a message

[IrishIrish]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

You said you are losing weight, so if you are losing weight including the veggies, don't worry about the sticks for now. I spent more money on sticks during early Atkins and guess what? ... they didn't always turn purple and I still lost weight. There are other signs of ketosis which you probably know by now ... a metallic taste in your mouth (I just felt I needed to brush my teeth more frequently), bad breath, stinky urine. Depending on how much water you drink, you may be diluting your urine enough not to register on the sticks.

My message is to trust your weight loss and your body to tell you. Don't rely on the sticks, solely.

[liv]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

Yes I agree with Irish - what happen on the scale is the important part. Some people never get any action on those sticks and still lose. And the fact that they do not turn on you does not mean that you are not in ketosis. I may just mean that you are not spilling any at the time of testing.

[happymomto4]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

Thank you! I guess I have become a bit obsessed with the stix--I cut them in half to make them last longer and then use one EVERY TIME. Yes, I know, obsessed. I didn't think about how drinking a lot of water might be diluting the results. I haven't stalled yet, so I'll go ahead and cut my salad down and add some cooked veggies and see if the weight loss continues next week. Thanks for the input.

[willbethin]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

Hey thanks Happymomto4, I had never thought about cutting them in half. I have notice that water does dilute my results sometimes. Also I have never be able to go over 2 cups of veggies and stay in Ketosis. I think every on has to find there best spot.

[super7]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

ketosis is a b**ch, the only time i get into ketosis is when i also cut my calorie intake by half. if i eat 2000 calories a day (my recomended intake), i hardly go into ketosis. as soon as i cut my calories, my ketostix go off the roof, and i can tell im in it becuase of the sweet taste in my mouth. the last 2 kilos i want to lose are the hardest!

[Georgiana]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

Hey thanks Happymomto4, I had never thought about cutting them in half. I have notice that water does dilute my results sometimes. Also I have never be able to go over 2 cups of veggies and stay in Ketosis. I think every on has to find there best spot.

How do you know more than 2 cups of veggies throw you out of ketosis?

ketosis is a b**ch, the only time i get into ketosis is when i also cut my calorie intake by half. if i eat 2000 calories a day (my recomended intake), i hardly go into ketosis. as soon as i cut my calories, my ketostix go off the roof, and i can tell im in it becuase of the sweet taste in my mouth. the last 2 kilos i want to lose are the hardest!

Ketosis has little to do with the number of calories you eat, but more with what those calories come from. You might want to post a menu. Also, same question as above, how do you know you are not in ketosis?

[super7]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

well i use ketostix each morning and afternoon, i drink water at regular intervals. i know the colour of my pee when i'm dehydrated or when it's diluted. i haven't had a bloat of water in a month. i've stalled on same menu for 3 weeks, even though ketostix showed that i was in high ketosis each day of those 3 weeks. when i dropped calorie count, i started losing weight. so obviouslyt 2000 calories were keeping me steady, so as soon as i lose my last kilo and half, i'll go back to 2000 a day to keep it that way. 2000 calories only kept me losing when i was over 80 kilos and very slowly (a few months), as soon as i hit 79 or so kilos, i started stalling, on reduced calorie count i'm at 76 now after 2 weeks, almost there. i haven't noticed any lost musle as such, i lift the same weights as before,

my diet was usually 4 scrambled eggs with butter and oil + a tomato/cucumber for breakfast, 2x200 gram steaks for lunch cooked either butter and oil with another vegie (coli or 1 tomato salad), and another 400g worth of chicken thighs gain cooked in butter with oil. Varied it with fish a couple times a week or occasional bacon from butcher (subbed the calorie count of meats or eggs) also had some salmon fat supplements depending on how much oil i used for cooking or the way i cooked eggs or chicken (occasional grilled, so i supplemented)

i''m not tired of the diet, i 've gotted to like meats and chicken, when i used to be an all veggie and potato man. iguess i'm just a slow burner

[willbethin]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

[QUOTE=Georgiana;1090272]How do you know more than 2 cups of veggies throw you out of ketosis?

From testing with keto sticks. First day after more than 2 cups I will go to pink and the next day of more than 2 cups I will go out. The only way I get to purple is to do no carbs including no vegetables for two days. Then to stay in ketosis 2 cups or less of Salad Vegetables inculding under 1 cup of Other Vegetables. I really have to be carefull with tomatoes and onions.

[JulieB]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

... ketostix showed that i was in high ketosis each day of those 3 weeks. when i dropped calorie count, i started losing weight.

There is no such thing as "high ketosis" you are either in or out. The colour variation on the stick simply shows how many ketones the stick is measuring. You are either in ketosis or not.

Yes, if you eat more calories than you need, you will not lose, you can even gain - that has nothing to do with being in ketosis or not - you can be in ketosis & gain weight if you eat too much! Are you using Dr. Atkins' rule of eating until you are satisfied, but not full or stuffed? Counting calories works too if you can't tell when you are hungry or have no appetite.

[super7]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

There is no such thing as "high ketosis" you are either in or out. The colour variation on the stick simply shows how many ketones the stick is measuring. You are either in ketosis or not.

Yes, if you eat more calories than you need, you will not lose, you can even gain - that has nothing to do with being in ketosis or not - you can be in ketosis & gain weight if you eat too much! Are you using Dr. Atkins' rule of eating until you are satisfied, but not full or stuffed? Counting calories works too if you can't tell when you are hungry or have no appetite.

i beg to differ, you can have various ketosis levels in your body. there is a rason why ketostix bottle have so many colour strips to compare to.

my bmr is around 1900 calories, judging by a few of online tests. plus daily activity calories. that totally stalled me for 3 weeks.

[imagood1]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

even though ketostix showed that i was in high ketosis each day of those 3 weeks.

there is no such thing as "high keotsis" -- you are either IN keotsis or you aren't. The color of the stick shows many things including dehydration. I show no color on the sticks (never have) and I know I'm in keotsis because of my breath and a strong urine smell. I also loose weight (albeit slowly) and inches. I drink 150 oz of water daily so that has a lot to do with no color on the sticks.

the sticks aren't 100% - they are to be used as a guide.

[super7]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

[QUOTE=willbethin;1090912]

How do you know more than 2 cups of veggies throw you out of ketosis?

From testing with keto sticks. First day after more than 2 cups I will go to pink and the next day of more than 2 cups I will go out. The only way I get to purple is to do no carbs including no vegetables for two days. Then to stay in ketosis 2 cups or less of Salad Vegetables inculding under 1 cup of Other Vegetables. I really have to be carefull with tomatoes and onions.

i cycle carbs too on occasion, if i feel like i've stalled for too long. works for me.

[IrishIrish]

Re: Can't stay in ketosis and eat other veggies

Ketostix were not invented for the purpose of low carb monitoring of ketosis contrary to some individuals's assumptions. They were originally made to measure metabolic abnormalities such as diabetes, renal glycosuria or other glycogen retention and use diseases. Since the way we use Ketostix on Atkins is really and "off label" use, for the purpose of Atkins, any color change reflects ketosis.