question about ketostix and weight loss

[vanzion]

Ive been on extended induction for a while now. without looking i forget exactly how long over a month i know.
When i first started atkins i got into ketosis pretty quick and the ketostix
always read the darkest color possible.It stayed this way for about three weeks give or take. After the third week somehow i gained back like nine pounds i still dont really know why this happened.i got really discouraged
and almost quit atkins,but i stuck with it and the following week saw that i lost the weight i had gained back plus a few extra pounds.
but then i didnt lose anything for almost two weeks and everyday when i checked the ketostix it was very dark.
this past week i have started losing weight again,6lbs this week, but for
some reason the ketostix are now always in the light color (small traces)
This confuses me because one would think you would be losing more when there are more ketones present.
I guess my question is does any of this sound like normal stuff that happens on atkins or am i a rare case. i know my situation is different than most people because my medicine gives me 20grams of carbs from sugar alchohol everyday, but even with this i am losing weight and inches. oh i forgot to mention that in my 2 week stall i did lose inches around my waist and neck so it wasnt a total stall.
if anybody can make any sense out of all this please let me know.

love&peace
cam v.

[Elizellen]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

It sounds normal to me, Cam according to many posts I have seen across several lowcarb boards I visit from time to time.

I have never bothered to buy more than my first pack of keto sticks as I never saw a colour change at all even when I was losing several pounds a week.

Good for you for checking your inches as well as the scales to help remind you that you are losing no matter what those pesky scales say

[Georgiana]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

This confuses me because one would think you would be losing more when there are more ketones present.

The concentration of excess acetoacetate (the stuff ketostix measure) eliminated in urine usually has nothing to do with one's rate of weight loss. I explained this yesterday to someone else, so I'm just giving you the link to the thread where I made the post: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-ketostix.html

I guess my question is does any of this sound like normal stuff that happens on atkins or am i a rare case.

If you are drinking more water for example or exercising more, the color on the ketostix will be lighter although you will be losing more weight.

The bottom line is, if the color changes, you are in ketosis and it doesn't matter if it's pink or purple. Even if the color does not change, you might still be in ketosis.

[jamistar77]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

My ketostix never changed color. They always read negative. I lost 7 pounds in the first week of induction and then after that not a pound has budged in the last 1 1/2 months. I have stayed on induction regardless. According to the DANDR book I have a low metebolic resistance to weight loss, hence the 7 pounds in 7 days. But now, no weight loss in 6 weeks?? I dont know how everyone one has stayed on such an exponential weight loss... I do want to lose 10 more pounds. I'm 5'7" and 140 right now. I would love to be at 130. I do cardio 4 times a week, (running 20 miles a week), and 45 minutes of weight training 3-4 days a week also, which has been my routine for the past 8 years. I have had stalls before with dieting over the years but, not after one week, and normally they resolve after a couple weeks. Maybe Atkins isn't right for me?? I have 5 meals a day. Each meal usually contains about 300 calories, and I have about 20 net carbs a day which almost all those come from veggies. Although I love the Meals, I guess its great for Maintanence and I do feel more "clean" and healthy. I just wish I could drop the last bit of weight, but I should just be happy over the 7 pounds.
Well, Thanks for listening to me vent. Happy low carbing everyone!

[vanzion]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

Are you checking to see if you are losing inches?
because i didnt lose any weight for a couple weeks but i was dropping inches off,which in my book is the most important thing.
for example a few years ago i started working out pretty vigorously and the first week i lost ten pounds but then i started gaining weight
but as i was gaining weight i was also going down in pants sizes and could see my stomach getting smaller.The reason why is muscle weighs more than fat and is much denser so it takes up less room.
i seen a picture somewhere that showed 5lbs of fat and 5lbs of muscle side by side.it was amazing how big the difference was between the two.
but anyway thats my two cents...


cam v.

[liv]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

Cam
-how wonderful that you are still going. It probably was very hard when you were not losing there for a bit. But it looks like it's paying off.

Cannot help you with the stix. Never used them.

[imagood1]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

Cam, how much water are you drinking daily? I rarely have any color to the sticks but it's because I drink enough water daily -- dark color on the stick means you are dehydrated...the more water you drink daily the lighter the stick color will be (even colorless). Make sure you are drinking at least 64 ounces of pure water daily -- nothing added except ice if you want to.

[vanzion]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

i drinks gallons of water. but no seriously i drink about ten or more 16 fl oz
bottles of water. when i started this diet i had to force myself to drink water
and i didnt think i could stop drinking soda pop. but now all i drink is water
ive actually grown to love it. i tried to drink a soda a while ago and it didnt
taste good at all now i cant see myself drinking much of anything but water.




cam v.

[moomoomu]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

Hi

i felt exactly the same i did a week in dark purple then was really naughty one day and threw myself out of it,it took 4 days to show ketones again so im not cheating again.

the ketostix are not as dark as they were before but i know im loosing as my trousers nearly fell down yeaterday.whoop whoop
i just use them now as a bit of incentive to show im not going over my carb allowance.

Regarding the scale not moving and these stalls ive been told on here and read other peoples posts and yes they are all right you can loose inches and not weight,as my scale is moving to much but i like how my clothes are hanging.

Hang in there and your in the right place as whatever your worry everyone here will help.

[Elizellen]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

I do want to lose 10 more pounds. I'm 5'7" and 140 right now. I would love to be at 130.

I don't want to hi-jack this thread but I was wondering why you are extending your induction? With having lost 7 pounds already out of a hoped-for 17 pounds in total isn't it time you moved to the main phase of Atkins (Ongoing Weight Loss) now?
Many people in your situation have found their losses stopped while staying on induction and restarted after upping their carbs on OWL.

[jamistar77]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

I don't want to hi-jack this thread but I was wondering why you are extending your induction? With having lost 7 pounds already out of a hoped-for 17 pounds in total isn't it time you moved to the main phase of Atkins (Ongoing Weight Loss) now?
Many people in your situation have found their losses stopped while staying on induction and restarted after upping their carbs on OWL.

Really...? That sounds fantastic! I'll start making the changes. Thanks Elizellen. I also read on someone elses post that they dropped the Splenda and cream to get things moving again. I'll try that too.

[phillipandjoann]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

The concentration of excess acetoacetate (the stuff ketostix measure) eliminated in urine usually has nothing to do with one's rate of weight loss. I explained this yesterday to someone else, so I'm just giving you the link to the thread where I made the post: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-ketostix.html

If you are drinking more water for example or exercising more, the color on the ketostix will be lighter although you will be losing more weight.

The bottom line is, if the color changes, you are in ketosis and it doesn't matter if it's pink or purple. Even if the color does not change, you might still be in ketosis.

.................................................. ..................................................
So why waste your money on keto rights?

[phillipandjoann]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

.................................................. ..................................................
So why waste your money on ketosticks?

ops! *sticks?

[Georgiana]

Re: question about ketostix and weight loss

ops! *sticks?

Although I find it funny to pee on stuff, I don't use ketostix...

No... for some folks, seeing pink on the ketostix is comforting as it tells them their engine runs on fat. But I've also seen cases in which members gave up because of the ketostix. There are those who go " , I do everything right but the ketostix won't turn pink! HELP!!!" or those who go "my ketostix were dark purple, but now they are only light pink! What am I doing wrong? " or those who assume that just because their ketostix are changing color, they should necessarily lose weight. And they give up thinking that Atkins does not work for them, when in fact they either don't interpret the ketostix correctly or they overeat or eat foods they have an intolerance to. It is a pity that this happens, because these are mistakes/knowledge that could be easily corrected, and they could become very successful Atkinseers.