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No, I didn't use the strips, as I've read & been told by many long time low carbers that they were unreliable. I was just happy & satisfied my clothes were fitting much looser!!

Thank you for your kind words. You CAN do this!!!

I'v never tested either, I have also heard they are unreliable. Like kim pointed out there are to many other factors that may affect the strips reading. They are also not very sensitive and you are likely still in ketosis, you could be in ketosis and never register on the strips at all. I also go by how my clothes fit, and by loss on the scale. If you are folowing the plan, dont worry about the strips.

I used to test but gave it up, as I found that being in Ketosis usually thwarts my efforts because it makes me feel bad and not want to exercise.

The thing that would get me there the fastest, like within a couple days, is the fat fast in the book. Or at least increasing fat/protein ratio.

I have discovered that the darker I make those strips, the crappier I feel, so now I check them every now and then to make sure I'm getting enough carbs. I get almost all my carbs from vegetables, mostly raw to snack on. Like bell peppers, cucumbers, celery.. eat them all day long and it seems to keep me in the perfect zone.

For me it took about 1 month, but I cant reccomend ketozis , because it is bad for your body, it is bad state, and poisonous.

But it is necesarry to burn fat, I would reccomend more mild versions of diet. SOnoma, or South beach or mediterranian.

I only use the strips first thing in the morning. They almost always have shown mod to heavy ketosis. I have had a few mornings that I would register light ketosis, but don't let it get me discouraged. I recommend them to keep you encouraged because sometimes the scales don't move but you will be in ketosis reinforcing your doing things right, but again, only in the morning. Some people say they never read as ketosis on the strips, but I would at least try and see.

It took me about 3 days for Ketosis to begin in my body and my weight loss has been steady i check my Ketosis state 3 times a day one in the morning after lunch and after dinner just to see how far in ketosis i am when i awake and during the rest of the day, i've found i'm futher in ketosis after lunch than in the morning, i've found them to be very useful and motivating i'd recommend them however they're not for everybody as with anything else everybody is different, i purchased mine from walmart @ the pharmacy and the cost was $6.00 i wouldn't keep buying them but since i'm a low carb beginner they've helped me stay motivated and excited about the program!!! i began Atkins 3 weeks ago and i've lost about 13 lbs so far and about 30 more to go!!! Good Luck to u whatever u decide

It took me 2 days and for me it keeps me motivated as I know I'm staying within my daily carb limit....which is good for me since I've only been on Atkins for 1 week and 2 days and have been eating citrus fruits as well (lemons and oranges). In my past experience with Atkins though..I've found that while I'm in mid to high darkness, I seem to lose the most weight, but in any stage of ketosis, my clothes fit looser...so hang in there!

Thank you JerseyGyrl for resonding about ketosis being dangerous. This is another common myth about low carb. And once again, I am going to recommend the book Living the Low Carb Life by Jonny Bowden.

This time around, I have not used the strips at all. The scale dropped two pounds after two days. So, let's say it took two days. However, I have lost 12 pounds in 3 weeks while eating 25-35 net grams of carbs a day. So, I would say I am in ketosis.

The strips can be unreliable. They only test for one type of ketone and your body produces three. If your strip doesn't turn color, it does not mean that you are not in ketosis. Also, as you add carbs for ongoing weight loss, the strips may not turn color any longer. But you will still loose weight and burn fat.

It takes me 3 days if I've had too many carbs to get back into a state of ketotis. Keep in mind that the strip showing pink or purple does not necessarily mean you're burning YOUR body fat but that it's burning fat in general. For example, if you eat a high fat meal such as salmon (with Omega fatty oils in it) or a bunch of nuts and you have eaten way more calories than your body is going to burn that day the test strip will show a darker color because it is burning the fat from the foods you ingested, not the fat from your body. Your body will always use the most readily available fuel first. It took me a while to understand this about those pesky keto strips.

Runnerkim, I want to thank you for that ever important nugget of information that I did not realize about the keto strips & which fat it is burning, that makes absolute sense to me in a light bulb going off in a dark room kinda way, you have helped me more in your 1 reply than anything i've read or heard about keto strips....thank you thank you

ketogenic diets have been around in one form or another since the 1920's to help treat diabetes and epileptic sezures as well as control weight.

Ancient Greeks also used a form of the diet as a treatment for epiliptic seizures around 400 B.C.

This diet has not been proven to be dangerous for those who follow it, in fact it is more beneficial than any side effects one might get such as a headache or constipation may cause.