New to Atkins ? about Ketone Strips.

[poe1771]

Hello, my name is Paul. I started the induction phase of atkins last Tuesday. My wife and I are both doing together. I have a question with regards to the ketone strips. I used these strips a few days after starting and was excited to see that I was only 2 away from the top(++40). I just took the test again yesterday and was down to the second or third (trace 5 or +15). I was a little worried but not entirely until I took the test today and discovered that I may be at best the second one (trace 5). The reason for my concern is that I have done everything the same every day. I did not weigh myself at the beginning because I did not have an accurate scale. The scale I have will give you three different weights if you stand on it three times in a row. I know a lot of people say that small or negative doesn't mean that I'm not losing weight. However the fact that I had it going in the right direction and now I've regressed a lot worries me. Any help would be greatly appreciated because I have headaches that are not worth dealing with if I'm not losing weight.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: New to Atkins ? about Ketone Strips.

First off, Welcome to ADBB!

>>the fact that I had it going in the right direction and now I've regressed a lot worries me.>>

There is no "right direction" with the sticks.

The color doesn't relate to much of anything for the purposes of Atkins ... if you turn the stick any color, it means you're "in ketosis".

However, you can be in ketosis and not turn the stick any color.

All it's registering is the amount of excess ketones you're spilling at any moment in time.

There's absolutely no advantage to having one color over any other color.

Check out:

https://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/82407-article-ketostix-color.html

When you run out of them ... save your money and buy a steak!

[Georgiana]

Re: New to Atkins ? about Ketone Strips.

I see you already received great advice, Paul. Welcome to ADBB!

headaches

Did you also give up diet sodas and/or coffee?

Are you sure you are consuming enough calories?

Are over half of your net carbs (not total carbs) coming from vegetables?

Are you eating at least every 6 hours? You might need to eat more often.

Headaches can also occur as your body is transitioning from glucosis to lipolysis/ketosis. If that's the case, they should not last for more than a few days.