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Originally Posted by pdxchix  I thought I was showing 'trace' on my ketostix but I actually think they were more beige than pink at all. I think I am not in ketosis. It's day 4 and I haven't even eaten yet. I'm a bit disappointed. Anyone else had this happen? |
Ketostix are a pretty crappy way to measure ketosis. First because they only detect one of the three types of ketones (acetoacetate), and second because they only measure the concentration of
excess acetoacetate in the urine. If you have no excess acetoacetate left to pee, then you can be in ketosis without the stix changing color. Or you can eat a pound of butter per day and then the ketostix will turn pink or purple, but you probably won't lose weight or even gain. You can also make the stix darker by adding more short and medium chain triglycerides to your diet (e.g. coconut oil), but that won't mean anything either.
The ketostix are just tools and your goal is losing weight, not making your pee change the color of the stix.
Physical signs of ketosis, such as a different taste in your mouth, "funny" smelling urine, sweat and/or breath, increased energy, need for less sleep, reduced appetite, thirst, are a better indicator of ketosis.