help help help...

[Eleonore]

It was hard to find ketosis strips here but I managed. The result is negative...completley negative not even light lilac...what do I do? Im really reaching the end of my rope.

[ttdriver]

Re: help help help...

I wouldn't rely on the strips .. in my experience, alot of folk get mixed results from them. I personally never used them .. just stayed on plan .. drank my water .. exercised ..

Measure yourself often; weigh yourself sparingly.

YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SOW!!



Betty

[Elizellen]

Re: help help help...

The ketosticks only register one type of the 3 ketones that are produced when we are burning fat, and if you are drinking your water you might not be making enough of the particular 'urine' ketones to show a reading.

I have never seen more than a slight tinge of colour when I use them, so didnt bother to buy any more when they ran out.

Do you feel any of the other signs of ketosis? different breath or body odour, lack of appetite etc?

[Eleonore]

Re: help help help...

The ketosticks only register one type of the 3 ketones that are produced when we are burning fat, and if you are drinking your water you might not be making enough of the particular 'urine' ketones to show a reading.

I have never seen more than a slight tinge of colour when I use them, so didnt bother to buy any more when they ran out.

Do you feel any of the other signs of ketosis? different breath or body odour, lack of appetite etc?

I dont feel the other signs anymore that is why I looked everywhere for the strips. Im not hungry but the strange taste in my mouth and the "bad" breath are gone.

[ladyinred]

Re: help help help...

If you're not hungry then that's the main thing. Most of the people on this Board who have done really well haven't bothered with the sticks, and some don't get any of the signs of ketosis. If you're not hungry and you're following the plan, you will have success too. Don't get hung up on the other stuff.

[presidentholmes]

Re: help help help...

You don't need them!
Mine never ever changed and now, I never use them.
They may put you off if they don't change colour and they'll really not at all important.
Forget them!

[Heidi3]

Re: help help help...

please do not worry about ketosis! just hang in there stick with the plan move your body and drink water....
those sticks are ok ....but like the scales they can be annoying and frustrating and depending on your monthly cycle they do not pop positive if you are close to your period .. try give yourself a month of freedom and know that
this is really about a lifestyle change that will last forever so relax and enjoy your journey
I promise it is worth it

[ladyinred]

Re: help help help...

Excellent advice from a handsome man who never got stinky breath. lol What more can a girl ask for?

[Moochiecat]

Re: help help help...

I don't recall getting symptoms of ketosis like bad breath and so on, but I obviously must have been in it because I've lost a good chunk of weight.
Relax, follow the Rules and eat correctly from the Acceptable Foods list and you'll be about where you need to be.
I didn't even know about Fitday or anything like that for my first two weeks of Atkins. When I went back in my hand-written food journal and plugged my foods in it turns out I was pretty much on target. Dr. Atkins knew what he was doing when he wrote the plan.

I'm a big fan of Fitday, but it's just a tool to confirm where a person is. The best resource is DANDR.

You have to give it time, Eleonore. You've only been on Atkins for around a month or so, right? I never really noticed any changes until about month three, if you look at my progress pictures.
I promise you that in a year, you'll look back over all these worries and you'll realize that they weren't all that huge in the grand scheme of things.

Relax, follow the book and the results will come.
And save your money on the ketostix...they are notorious for containing duds, and as it was pointed out there's no way of telling whether the ketones are from the fat on your hips or the fat in your belly from the lunch you just ate, so they are a bit deceptive.

[cmcole]

Re: help help help...

Another one who never had any success with them - waste of money in my household.
Follow Moochie's advise and you won't be sorry

[2big4mysize]

Re: help help help...

did you know stinky breath isn't ketones? the only ketone type we exhale is the acetone one and that should smell like ripe apples. the mouth taste is the ketoiones in your saliva being tasted by your tongue ans should be either sweet or metaliclike.

we pee out two types one the stixs test for and one that gives the urine the slight sweet smell. Since the type the stix test for is the fourn burned as fuel youcan be in ketosis burning them for fuel and never have enough excess in your blood stream to spillover and pee out. remember too that stix are a concentration of those ketone bodies so if you had 1000 ml of pee and 50 of those bodies it would be more dilute then if you had 50 of them in 1oo ml of urine. same amount of ketones present just not as concentrated and that is where water drinking can cause your stix not to show any ketones too.

I can't color stix but I lost mega pounds of fat on Atkins