How quickly does the Ketosis stick show you have been kicked out of ketosis? Do I look at today's or yesterday's food when I go from large to trace in 24 hours?

I keep bouncing back and forth and I'm not sure what is causing the fluctuations. I've narrowed it down to two foods and it depends on how long it takes to be kicked out to know which food is the culprit.

So how do I find out what is the cause of me coming out?

I'm in for 3 or 4 days then suddenly out then it takes 3 to 4 days to get back in and then I'm in for 3 or 4 days then out. I have eaten pretty consistently the same things every day as I am staying in the Induction phase until I get on track for a full 2 weeks. I started November 1. My carb counting says I am staying between 0 and 13 carbs a day.

Thanks JerseyGirl, that's good to know. I'm loosing slowly. I've lost 18 pounds since November 1st. I'm still eating less than 15 carbs a day. I've never been back at zero ketones but I go from trace to large and back again every 3 to 4 days. Between the stick fluctuations and talking to others that have done Atkins (that say they lose like a pound a day for the first couple of months) I'm thinking I'm messing up somewhere.

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with powdered garlic, oregano, and 1/4 cup full fat mozzarella cheese.
Lunch: various pieces of meat (chicken breast, turkey, hamburger patty etc) maybe include one stick of string cheese
Dinner: Boar's Head (zero fillers) Deli sliced meat with Boar's Head deli sliced cheese
Snack: Most days Pork Rinds with either sour cream or guacamole some times I'll have SF Jello with homemade whipped cream (Whipped cream recipe is Heavy Whipping Cream with bit of vanilla and Stevia)
I only drink water or decaf tea made with Stevia

Yes. I've been doing Induction until I can stay in Ketosis for 2 weeks straight. I started November 1.

The reason I asked how long it took to come out of Ketosis is that I cheated last Tuesday but I didn't come out of Ketosis until Thursday. Thursday I had the SF Jello with whipped cream. I wouldn't think it was the whipped cream that kicked me out but the whipped cream has been a weekly treat and I'm out so often plus it's rare for me to cheat. November 2nd I had frozen yogurt, I had some dressing, cranberries, and alcohol on Thanksgiving, and last Tuesday I had a glass of wine with 2 tacos in the shell.

Is there a delay between eating a cheat food and coming out of Ketosis? If so, how long does it take to show up that you ate something wrong? If it's 3 or 4 days then I can look for that pattern, if it's instantly or just a couple of hours then I can look for that pattern.

I will increase my veggies. Will this tell me how long it takes to be kicked out of ketosis after I eat it?

One fourth a coup of cheese is 2 ounces and one stick of string cheese is one ounce so that is only 3 ounces....on the days that I eat it.

Alcohol is out....no longer one half glass every 3 weeks.

Out of Ketosis in a day or 2. Good to know. That is the answer to what I originally asked.

Commitment issues? Maybe you're right. Maybe I should quit struggling to figure this out. In the end, I am who I am no matter what my weight is. I think you just gave me my excuse to quit. Thank you. You just made my life a lot easier.

"Losing weight is hard, maintaining weight is hard, staying fat is hard; choose your hard."

I'm pretty upset about this whole thing but I'm not going to quit. It would be easier but I'm going to stick with it. I feel better. I'm sleeping better. I'm never hungry. And I have a lot more energy.

I did go back to the book and reread quite a bit. Just knowing that it takes a day or 2 for it to show up that I've been kicked out of Ketosis makes me look at what I'm eating differently.

The whipping cream is Atkins recipe and he says it alright on Level 1 but I now know for sure it's not the cream. It was the tacos. Levels 2, 3, 4, and 5 are where I keep messing up. I am adding a bit but not just the way he says to add them. The book says to stop the salad if you aren't in Ketosis so I will add those salads back and stop trying to move the next level.

At least for awhile.

just wondering how your doing with ketosis since making changes. i'm new myself and didn't realize some of the things were limited