Whoo hooo... I'm a stripper!
 

I just bought myself some Ketone Test Strips and tested myself today. I'm dark purple. yay. Means something's going on inside.

How often or do you test yourselves?

Cheers,

Jux
:carrot:

Jux,
I never had much luck with those and decided not to torture myself.
No matter what I did they measured low.
I have heard a lot of good and bad things about them. They seem to work for some people and not for others.
If they are working for you that's great! It help to know you're definitely in ketosis i bet!
maggie

I don't use them. But glad to hear they're dark for you :) Keep up the great work!

Congrats to you LOLOL... love the title ;)

If they are very dark doesn't that mean you need more water? BRAIN FART here ~~~

Gosh, I thought this thread was something totally different. Lol, I haven't tried them, but good luck.

LOL I admit I am clueless as to what they are :)

Lol, Misti. They test for Ketones in your urine. The darker color indicates that you are in Ketosis which is a goal for people using Atkins. It is when you are most likely to be losing weight well with Atkins.

What is Ketosis?

Ketones in the Blood

Ketosis is the presence in the blood of abnormally high levels of acidic substances called ketones. Ketones (also called "ketone bodies") are chemicals with a carbonyl unit (a carbon doubly bonded to an oxygen) that has two alkyl or aromatic (hydrocarbon) substituents bonded to the carbon atom. They include acetoacetic acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, and acetone.

What Causes Ketosis?

Ketosis is caused when the body metabolizes body fat for energy purposes, instead of the usual glucose-from-carbohydrates. The ketones are actually produced by the liver from fatty acids, Gluconeogenesis, which result from the breakdown of body fat. As stated, the body doesn't usually metabolize fat for energy: it usually burns glucose which it obtains from carbohydrates. But if there isn’t enough glucose in the bloodstream, (or, in the case of diabetics, if the glucose can't be utilized), the body draws on its alternate energy system, fat stores, for fuel, which causes the appearance of ketones in the blood.

How to Test for Ketosis

Ketone urine-testing strips, also known as Ketostix or "ketone sticks" are strips with a small absorptive pad. This pad contains a chemical reagent that changes color (usually within 15-20 seconds) in the presence of ketones in the urine. The keytone-strips change to varying shades of pink and purple. The ketone-strips' container has a scale on the label, with illustrative blocks of color to help you identify the shade of your ketone-testing strip.

LOL - I should have known lilybelle would be right on top of it. ;)

- Jux

Lol, sorry I was just trying to give Misti a quick idea of what the strips were for . You explained it a lot better.

Hi, I have used the strips, but now I can just feel when I am in ketosis, so I don't bother. I have heard that you can cut the strips in half (making a much thinner strip) to stretch them, as I recall they are a bit pricey. best wishes for your LC success! Sara

Hi! I also use the ketostix. I really love them. They recently helped me determine that the sugar free candies I love knock me out of ketosis. It really helps give me a kick when the scale does not move, but the stick does!

As for the cost, when I first bought them I bought something called thinsticks. They were in the diet section and marketed to dieters. They were like $20 for 25 sticks- or so I can not remember exactly. I also bought a 100 pack for $35 online. Then a friend reccomended looking in the diabetic section and I bought ketostix for $8 for 50. I got the same results for a very different price.

Hope that helps.

Yahoo! I'm strippin' too! :-D

This is my second (and permanent) time on Atkins. I'm only on my fourth day of Induction, and the Ketostick was darker than it ever was at any point during my previous efforts.

I know it's not that I'm not getting enough water, too. MAN am I getting enough water, haha.

But seriously, this is so encouraging!