wow pattie!!! Your pics look great and you are such an inspiration and YES!!! we are all definately worth it ;);)

Aww thanks!!!! We got this!

As someone else has said - it's like being pregnant, you are or you aren't. The color on the strips doesn't matter at all. They are also notorious for being faulty. When I first started, I had 2 different kinds of ketostix - they would read differently every single time. Go ahead and use up your stix if you must, then don't waste your money - follow the program, and it will work!!

Ketostix, measuring ketones
 

Hi,

I am new to the diet and new to the forum. Wondering: does anybody measure ketones? If so, any comments? I am thinking of buying a combined blood glucose/blood ketone tester.

Annik

- down 11 lbs in my first week!:carrot::broc:

I use the urine keto sticks, but they suck and are inaccurate. The blood ketone tester is the way to go, but the testing strips are really expensive I hear.

Measuring ketones really doesn't serve a purpose in the context of the Ideal Protein diet - it's been mentioned before but for this diet, ketosis is like pregnancy, either you're there or you're not. And if you are following the Phase 1 protocol, your daily carb intake is absolutely low enough to get your body into ketosis. Ketostix (urine tests) are essentially useless because 1) if you're drinking enough water the ketones will be diluted to the point where they barely register on the sticks and 2) after a few weeks your body gets more efficient at using ketones for energy so they will barely register. Spending money on a blood ketone monitor isn't really going to help the process along - again, because ketosis in context of IP is not measured in degrees. Either you're eating low enough carb to have depleted your glycogen stores (and induce ketosis) or you're not.

Save your money for the new clothes you'll be needing soon :)

Ruth and Scorbett: thanks for the speedy and informative replies!

If you've lost 11 lbs that quickly, you are probably in ketosis. Otherwise, ditto what others have said already.

No....throw them away, relax and follow the plan.

I used ketosticks the first 3 weeks I was on ip and measured between moderate and large. I lost 11lbs in the first 2 weeks. I then took a 4 day 'leave', gained 10 lbs and havnt been in ketosis since! But I have lost the 10 I gained back plus 1 more besides. So I have quit checking for ketosis. If I'm lossing weight then I have to be in it. Right?

As your body becomes more efficient, it burns the excess ketones instead of excreting them so they won't show up on the sticks.

That is why everyone here says not to waste your time/money on them

Ketostix register mostly in trace and small for me.

I've been doing LCHF for the past month pretty strictly, and I've done low carb before that for several months. I have not seen any weight loss. Calories are under 2200/day, ratios are 75% fat/20 % protein/ 5% carbs.

That said, I feel better than ever, thinking clearer, more energy, my cravings are gone, and my lipids are optimal. I'm 59 and female. I run an online business so most of my work is at the computer, and I have not had regular exercise for a while. During the summers I am a Dragonboat racer, ride my bike and walk a lot. But when it's cold I almost hibernate.

My biggest problem is my sweet tooth, so I use pure Sucralose powder and make my own liquid Sucralose for my coffee, smoothie drinks and the like. I'm a newbie to this site, and hope to find some answers to losing the weight. I'm at 193 (was 235 and got down to 170 on the pyramid eating plan, but kept craving and ended up gaining 20lbs back).

Hi meow. You posted on the Ideal Protein plan sub forum. IP is a LC/LF plan comprised of whey or soy protein three times daily plus real food

ketostix/ketone test strips
 

hellloooo IP fam. Happy 4th of July!

So....ketostix/ketone test strips. How many of you guys use them?

-How reliable are they, in your opinion?
-And the darker the results are (more ketone bodies in urine), is it better? I've heard that even if it shows just traces of ketone bodies in your urine, you are still in ketosis, which is a good sign. They say it's like being pregnant; you can't be a little pregnant, you either are or aren't. In the same sense, you can't be a little ketogenic, you either are in ketosis or you aren't. I dunno..I just saw that in a video on the IP program video coaching website.

-And for the ladies, have you guys noticed that the ketone test strips are lighter (showing less ketone bodies in urine) while you are menstruating?

I am only a month in, so by no means an expert. I used them the first couple of weeks, but once I got firmly into the program I didn't bother. The bad breath and loss of appetite were signs enough for me! I did notice that dehydration seemed to make them darker - makes sense, I guess, with everything being more concentrated.