ketosis question

[scintillady]

I have been drinking at least 4 liters of sparkling water a day, which means that I have to go to the bathroom a LOT. This means that the urine is very diluted. Do you get a smaller amount of ketones on the test strip if the urine is very diluted, or doesn't it matter?

[Ntombi]

Yes you do. You might register very light or simply negative on the ketostix when you drink and pee a lot. Ignore it.

[Blue Skies]

I have read the ketosis stix are a very debatable tool. They cost you money w/out being able to tell you what you want to know for sure...whether you're in ketosis. It's great when you get the color you want, but freaks people out when they don't, which often doesn't mean you're NOT in ketosis. There are so many factors here.

Then there are those who depend on ketosis symptoms. But for me, sometimes some of those symptoms are there, some time they're not, no matter how well I'm doing on my LC woe.

To add to all that, there's no agreement out there about the # of carbs you can have and stay in ketosis. I have heard everything from under 100 to under 50 to under 20. This is absolutely an issue of YMMV, AND you may never know from moment to moment, day to day, whether you're in ketosis or not, unless you're one of the lucky ones who get very definitive results from the stix all the time, or have very definitive symptoms.

For me, I don't get obsessive about whether I'm in ketosis or not. If it's working it's working, and that shows up when we look at our bodies, in our clothes and eventually on the scale.

[VivaaLaCarlos]

I obsess over ketostix. I feel like I have to be in ketosis to burn fat.

[biancasteeplechase]

I picked up a cheap blood ketone meter and have been testing every few days, gradually adding back carbs until I'd found a point that I liked and that kept me at good levels of ketosis. Blood testing doesn't have the dilution problems that urine testing does. (The strips aren't cheap, though.)

[scintillady]

My ketostix have been showing ketosis since day 2, just varying degrees. Since I started drinking a lot of water I have still stayed at about 10-15 carbs a day, and it seems like the more water I drink the lighter the strips are, although still testing positive. I got some slightly expired ketostix for free, and compared them to the ones I already had, and they are still good, so not expensive for me. Also, to get twice as many ketostix for the same price, cut them in half lengthwise. There is still enough of the test strip to give you a reading and they last twice as long.

[Blue Skies]

Originally Posted by VivaaLaCarlos

I obsess over ketostix. I feel like I have to be in ketosis to burn fat.

When you obsess over ketostix, even though you can read PLENTY about how unreliable they are, and how they cannot track all the factors they need to give you an ABSOLUTE READING, then that's a problem imo.

And really, are you going to strap a bundle of ketostix to you for the rest of your life? Or are you going to find an eating lifestyle that works for you, as evidenced by losing the weight you need to, eventually, and it's a process any way you slice it--- and know it works for you because you can continue it and sustain it.

[VivaaLaCarlos]

Originally Posted by Blue Skies

When you obsess over ketostix, even though you can read PLENTY about how unreliable they are, and how they cannot track all the factors they need to give you an ABSOLUTE READING, then that's a problem imo.

And really, are you going to strap a bundle of ketostix to you for the rest of your life? Or are you going to find an eating lifestyle that works for you, as evidenced by losing the weight you need to, eventually, and it's a process any way you slice it--- and know it works for you because you can continue it and sustain it.

You sir/mam are doing the most. It's not like I have some addiction I just like to know when I'm in or out of ketosis so I can judge how many carbs I can handle. Oh and I don't need you jumping down my throat like I'm your child. Enough said.

[Ntombi]

Originally Posted by VivaaLaCarlos

I obsess over ketostix. I feel like I have to be in ketosis to burn fat.

But one doesn't have to register positive on the sticks to be in ketosis. A false negative is not unusual.

[MtherGoos]

I never register on the ketostix. I can't get the darn things to change color! But I also bought a blood ketone meter and test every days, especially if the scale isn't moving, just to make sure that I'm still in ketosis. It's just peace of mind for me when the scale isn't moving as quickly as I'd like it to.

[VivaaLaCarlos]

Originally Posted by MtherGoos

I never register on the ketostix. I can't get the darn things to change color! But I also bought a blood ketone meter and test every days, especially if the scale isn't moving, just to make sure that I'm still in ketosis. It's just peace of mind for me when the scale isn't moving as quickly as I'd like it to.

When you blood test does it test positive?

[Ntombi]

Yeah, some people who are definitely in ketosis never register on them at all. Some people never get more than a trace reading. That doesn't mean they're not in ketosis, it just means that they're excreting ketones in other ways (breathing, sweating, etc.). And being well hydrated definitely reduces the chances that one will register positive on the sticks.

They're a crapshoot. I'm not saying they're useless, but one definitely should rely on them alone.


I drink a lot of water. Mostly I register trace or negative on the ketostix. If I test my blood ketone levels (very rare, as those rest strips are ridiculously expensive and not worth it for me), I register with the range recommended for nutritional ketosis.

[MtherGoos]

Originally Posted by VivaaLaCarlos

When you blood test does it test positive?

Yes, every time I test I'm ranging from 2.6 - 4.1, which means I'm definitely in ketosis. But I can test at the exact same time with the ketostix and they don't change at all for me.

[VivaaLaCarlos]

Yeah I drink a ton of water.. if my ketostix get too dark then I know I need to drink more water. I really only test the first few days of going into ketosis and when I try some new food. If I'm unsure about a food then I will test a few hours after eating said food. That has helped me avoid certain foods lol. I have a nice lil system that works for me lol!

[MtherGoos]

That's what it's all about.... finding what works for you.

[Blue Skies]

Originally Posted by VivaaLaCarlos

You sir/mam are doing the most. It's not like I have some addiction I just like to know when I'm in or out of ketosis so I can judge how many carbs I can handle. Oh and I don't need you jumping down my throat like I'm your child. Enough said.

I am sorry I offended you.

But like I said, it would be nice if you could count on ketosis stix to give you that definitive answer, but you can't. You can get a clear stick and still be very much in ketosis. Many do. I just think it's too bad when this discourages folks who shouldn't be discouraged.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by VivaaLaCarlos

I obsess over ketostix. I feel like I have to be in ketosis to burn fat.

I can definitely understand this. While I wouldn't say I ever obsessed over ketostix in any real sense (e.g., checking myself 3 times a day at the same time in some ritualistic way [which I don't imagine that's what you meant by obsess :P]), I definitely think they're a great, albeit somewhat unreliable, tool.

I "obsessed" over them when I first started just to get in the habit of helping track myself and to have some indication of where I was at in the process. However, after having some naughty times and kicking myself out of ketosis and then going back in it, the mental changes are just as reliable of an indication for me. So now I only test myself maybe once or twice a week just to see, though I'm less likely to do so if I've been 100% carb compliant. If I have a larger carb day (like 40-50 for some reason), I sometimes test myself the next day or the day following that just to feel better about the splurge or see what, if any, damage has been done.

I consider it similar to my former previous daily weigh-in habit to track how certain foods or ingredients in food impacted my fluctuations. Now I only do a weekly weigh-in to track that aspect and a monthly weigh-in for "real tracking."

I never saw anything indicating your "obsession" sounded remotely detrimental or that there was any grief on your part if you had a potentially wrong reading so I'm not sure why it came up. However, there are some posts on the forums with people feeling very discouraged over a negative or trace results (similar to people letting their daily weigh-ins affect them). Thus, I can understand why someone may be concerned about someone truly obsessing over them if you let it derail your entire way of eating or day. But as a modest tracking tool that works for some (and not others), I don't see any problem as long as it's not making or breaking you.

On a completely different note, I keep reading about some users cutting their strips in half and when I go to use mine, I just imagine those users, sitting down and intricately cutting the strips to double up. I'm in awe of their discipline because I do not think I could sit there and cut those little buggers up.

[VivaaLaCarlos]

I suppose I shouldn't have said obsess. Simply put, I like to piss on a stick if I've felt I ate too many carbs

[Hayek]

Haha, I was just messing around with the term. Do you mind if I ask your height? It looks like we had similar starting stats and you're at where I want to be, which is great encouragement.

[Ntombi]

I'm one who cuts the strips in half. I just take a sharp pair if scissors and sit down while I'm watching TV or something, and it takes under half an hour for a package of fifty.

They're kind of expensive (though nothing compared to blood ketone strips), so halving the price allows me to indulge myself when I want to test. They still last me a long time, because I only test once or twice a week.

[VivaaLaCarlos]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Haha, I was just messing around with the term. Do you mind if I ask your height? It looks like we had similar starting stats and you're at where I want to be, which is great encouragement.

I think I'm 5`8 I still have gut at this size lol, I'm trying to get rid of it.

[Hayek]

I may just give in and try this cutting of the strips... though I'm awful at cutting in a remotely straight line with scissors so I could end up with 1 or 2 usable strips out of 50 lol.

[avid]

couldn't help but jump in here.
For me the issue is not "am I in ketosis?" but rather "am I losing fat?"
I use the scale, the tape measure, and the mirror to answer the question.
And yes, I have been steadily losing fat whild gaining muscle since I went lc
last September....I believe I am in ketosis, but I never tested myself so don't really know.
Like I said. Being in ketosis is not my goal, being trim, fit and healthy is.

[scintillady]

Originally Posted by Hayek

I may just give in and try this cutting of the strips... though I'm awful at cutting in a remotely straight line with scissors so I could end up with 1 or 2 usable strips out of 50 lol.

You don't need to be able to cut straight. Just start on the bottom where the test pad is and cut it in half, then continue up. the rest of the stick is just a handle, and as long as you can hold onto it, it doesn't matter what it ends up looking like.

[momov2boys]

Originally Posted by avid

Being in ketosis is not my goal, being trim, fit and healthy is.