I screwed up! Hidden sugar and now I test negative!

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  • I am SO upset. I was doing so good, being in ketosis. And yesterday, I went out to lunch with a friend and totally stuck to the low car, not even tempted for anything.

    I went to Ruby Tuesday and had the salad bar (and chose low carb veggies) and ranch dressing (which I generously applied). I had a steak and spaghetti squash (which had a small mount of carbs, but I still had almost a whole days worth, so I could NOT have gone even remotely close to OVER) I even generously guestimated 6 grams just in case.

    I felt great about my meal. This morning, I test my urine and I am completely negative with ketones! I'm in SHOCK.

    So I start pouring over my journal and thinking about yesterday, what could I have eaten that might have had a hidden sugar in it and the only thing I can come up with is the Ranch Dressing. When I first took a bite of it, I immediately thought it tasted somewhat sweet, but I blew it off, because I thought that anything is going to taste sweeter when you cut stuff out. I pushed it out of my head without any REAL thought (I think because I was more distracted that I was out with a friend and talking)

    I am SO upset. I know everyone has set backs. But I have been super, incredibly, crazy strict and careful (because why bother with this diet if you are going to cheat in the first phase - I can't afford to cheat)

    I am totally beating myself up over this. I am CERTAIN that it HAD to have been the Ranch Dressing. I can't have been anything else.

    So from here on out, I am remembering this. If at first bite it even remotely tastes sweet, I will not eat it.

    And I will be bringing my own salad dressings ! LMAO!!!!
  • Ranch dressing, if it is full fat is 1 or 2 carbs PER tablespoon. A tablespoon is not all that big and you said you *generously* applied it. You might have added too many carbs to your meal without realizing it. I've done that in the past.
  • Light ranch dressing may have sugar in it to make up for the missing fat and calories. It definitely could have been that.

    I think it could have been the squash as well, I believe it's a high carb veggie.

    The important thing is to get up, brush yourself off, and keep going
  • canadianwoman is right, I believe you shouldn't get more than 2-3 carbs from dressings. Two tablespoons of the stuff I have is 2 carbs.
  • Quote: canadianwoman is right, I believe you shouldn't get more than 2-3 carbs from dressings. Two tablespoons of the stuff I have is 2 carbs.
    You are right too about the squash. It is a high-ish carb veggie. 4 carbs per half cup and they might have even snuck some sugar into that.
  • I asked about the prep for the spaghetti squash before I had it and they said they did not add anything to it.

    I would say that I likely had two-three tablespoons of the dressing. It was not labeled Ranch, not Light Ranch (there was a light Ranch option, but I knew not to take that) UNLESS the spoons had inadvertently been switched into the wrong containers? I guess I should clarify more on my serving size. I just recently came over from Weight Watchers and I barely had any dressing on my salad. But I also don't like my salad drenched in dressing either. So I was very generous for what my normal is. But I really do think it was approx 2-3 tablespoons.

    But even so, with the servings I came up with, while doing some research online and nutritional content, what I ate yesterday for the whole day, including dinner, came to 16 net carbs.

    I'm not falling off the wagon or giving up. I'm just so irritated that something, somewhere, obviously got by me. Grrrr! I think today will be a deviled Egg kind of day! LOL!! And oil & pressed garlic for my salad dressing!

    Thanks for the input and support!
  • What did you have to drink with your meal. I've ordered a diet soda with a carb free lunch before and walked out of there feeling like I was drunk. My sugar levels shot way up. That means the waitress gave me the wrong drink. Being a diet soda drinker for years I can't tell the diff between reg. soda and diet just by sipping it. Some people can but I can't. I make hubby taste mine from now on. Plus I'll just order unsweetened ice tea with no lemon ( I read there was traces of E. coli in lemons from employee's not washing their hands after using the restroom)
  • Are you getting in enough fats? High protein can actually turn into glucose and knock you out of ketosis if you're not getting enough fat for your body to run on instead.

    Also, your body will cycle in and out of ketosis naturally. Don't depend just on pee sticks. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll continue getting the results you want.
  • Keep going JP, but I do understand your frustration..
  • Quote: came to 16 net carbs.
    I think I might have found your problem. Try just counting carbs and skip the whole 'net carb' thing for a couple of weeks or a month and see what happens.

    I gain when doing net carbs and I know a few people who gain or stall when they do net carbs.
  • Ketones will spill into the urine ONLY when there is more in the blood than is being used as fuel by the body at that particular moment.

    You may have exercised or worked a few hours previously, so your muscles would have used up the ketones as fuel, thus there will be no excess. Did you have a work out session?
  • You know I never got the net carb thing so I just counted carbs.. I do agree a lot of things have hidden sugars etc.. this is why until I reach goal I'm going to preparing my own foods and at least I have control or know what I'm putting in them..

    But I feel your pain JP when something has got the best of you, when you were following plan.. keep on going.. don't stop and you'll probably have a shooosh sometime soon most people experience that. no weight loss for 2 weeks and then a big loss of 4 or 5 pounds..
  • Quote: I gain when doing net carbs and I know a few people who gain or stall when they do net carbs.
    I totally agree with you...I only count carbs in everything I eat. I understand that you are in ketosis if you eat less than 44g of carbs, so I'm pretty sure it was the squash. I've been to Ruby's and had quite a bit of salad with a lot of the ranch dressing, and it's never knocked me out of ketosis.
  • Mistakes are the main ingredient to weight loss.
    Don't beat yourself up over it - just make sure you don't make the same mistake next time.

    Good luck!
  • Quote: Mistakes are the main ingredient to weight loss.
    Don't beat yourself up over it - just make sure you don't make the same mistake next time.

    Good luck!
    Well put Emily. We learn from our mistakes and even though you were careful and asked etc.. sometimes it happens.. but you are keeping on that is the important thing..

    I've lost weight a few years ago on Atkins and and got lazy and gained the weight back so I know f0orm that mistake that losing weight is the easy part keeping it off is the challenge. I know this time that this diet is a life style change and a way of changing eating habits.. that's not to say I want have a burger and fries but not everyday or every month.