Our center has ketonsis strips in the bathroom with a chart and a little information on the back of the door. Only one consultant has ever mentioned them and that was just in passing. I do use them from time to time and have found that if I test before drinking my water I usually show "trace" or "moderate" but once I start drinking my water it usually tests as "negative".

While these can be a neat tool if you show a positive result, it can be very heartbreaking if you constantly read "negative". I was told that you do not have to test positive in order to be in ketosis because there are several things that affect the test. A negative is not always really negative (drinking lots of water can give a false negative and the strips only test for 1 type of ketone but there are several that different types your body can release that the strip cannot detect) and if you have recently consumed fats or are dehydrated you can even get a false positive (however if you are eating on plan and drinking your water this is fairly unlikely).

It can be a neat tool to use, but it is important to keep in mind its limitations so that you do not become obcessed with "urinating on a stick".

Mariah

Does anyone take the Fiber Fufill drinks? Just found a box in my pantry and was wondering how many you are supposed to drink per day.

I think on the menus it states that you can have up to 3 per day in addition to your HNS. I never had more than one per day, and usually sporadically (unless I was constipated or trying to change things up to break a stall)

Can you have sugar free jello on any of the menu's as there is not any sugar or carbs?

They never told me that I could or could not have it, so I did eat it sometimes (usually when I'd get an afternoon/just before dinner snack attack. Not very often, though--maybe just a few times a week. It never affected my weight loss.

Does anyone know how long it takes to flush out the salt from your system? I ate out last night and while I made a good choice - it was full of sodium. I weigh in tomorrow and don't want to have water retention so I'm trying to flush my system out today by drinking tons of water.

My center does the ketosis testing too. That's good information about the positives/negatives.

I was also told 3 of the fiber drinks in addition to HNS.

I am also not a veggie eater. I like tomatoes and a few other veggies that are not on plan! Grilling and roasting can bring out some of the less-unpleasant flavors in some things (like asparagus).

I'm still on pre-conditioning and I'm finding that while my energy level is more consistent, I feel weaker. Does anyone know if that's normal and if it will go away when I'm on the regular plan? I'm hoping the additional protein from the HNSes will help. It's especially annoying with a 2 year old running around! I felt so drained yesterday that we just sat around the house all morning.

tkdtara, you asked about the oil and vinegar. All the menus I've seen allow it. You can also make dressings out of cottage cheese and ranch or dill once you get past the first 11 days. They are actually delicious! It will really help me eat more salads. Of courses I like to use lemon juice and spices also.

I have this same issue - no endurance. My workouts suffer because of that, but I've been on a regular plan now for a week and it hasn't changed. I'm going in tomorrow and I'm going to ask about this...

I was pretty miserable during preconditioning, but felt a lot better after a week or so on my actual menu.

Do you consider pre-conditioning to be part of your plan?

Does the center consider pre-conditioning as being part of your plan?

And while I'm trying to be patient and wait until my food class on Friday, I'm wondering how different the plans are from the pre-conditioning menu.

Thanks.

Thanks! I totally forgot that it was mentioned on the top of the menu sheet.


Little Edie - Congrats on your 50 pound loss, as well!!!!

LetHerOut & coarkkayaker - It does get better. Especially as you lose weight, the more energy you will have. I'm doing much better these days keeping up with my 20 month old. And let me tell you, she has a ton of energy.

Hi...
I weighed in today and lost .2 pounds, which I am so thankful for, as I was up +2 after eating out one night. Day after eating out, went on Meta Quick for one day.

This week on maintenance I tried a homemade oatbran muffin and 2 small homemade sausage patties for breakfast That was a treat. I tried that twice during the week.

Also made some yogurt pops. Only yogurt I can eat is Greek Yogurt. I made these with FF yogurt, fruit, stevia.. Last night I had a bad craving. Had one of the yogurt pops, and that chocolate that we use to make the brownies, well, I mixed that to a liquid consistency, dipped yogurt pop in there and refroze for a bit.. Did the trick.

I noticed when signing in, as we go by appts., there was a bottle to check ketosis.. First time at my center.

Only thing I am not sure of, is how long I will take HNS and the MCR-6 & Cortitrim while I am on maintenance. In meantime I am taking them along with fat and carb blocker when I eat out and Phentatrim when I have a bad craving..

Hope everyone has a great weigh in week. Enjoy the day.

Patzi

Aaahhhhhhh! I have to attend a conference for 3 1/2 days next week. I am NOT looking forward to it because I will be eating out or at the conference luncheons/dinner the entire time. I'm currently on pre-conditioning and go for my food class on Friday and will discuss this upcoming conference with them and see what suggestions they give. I also need to check on the hotel site and see if they have a free breakfast that includes eggs and fruit. Wish me luck!

Welome all the newbies!

@coarkkayaker .. I believe your body retains salt for 2-3 days. I can usually tell when a restaurant uses too much salt. My fingers start swelling.

@luv2read79 .. Drink lots of water while you attend the conference. Most of the conferences I attend serve side salads at lunch. I will usually ask for 2-3 side salads. The breaks are usually a killer for me. They usually serve warm cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc. That's when I continually have a cup of decaf coffee in my hands. I will bring either boiled eggs or cheese sticks w/melba toast to eat for breakfast.


@Patzi .. I started reducing my HNS, MRC-6 and fish oil pills while going thru stabilization. I haven't had HNS for the past 1 1/2 weeks. Last week I lost 2 lbs. When i use up all the MRC-6, I will not get another bottle. However, I will continue to take 3000 mg fish oil and a mult-vitamin daily. I do take the fat & carb blocker when I have that occassional splurge. But I also increase my work-out time on those days.