I'm confused about ketosis

[KTeacher1]

Today is day 14 and I've only lost 5.5 pounds. I only have about 20-25 to lose all together, but I'm a little discouraged. I used a ketosis strip today and it only registered in the middle, it said "small". Is this normal? I am 48 years old and lost 17 pounds on Atkins about 4 years ago but gained it all back so I'm trying again. Here is what I typically eat - breakfast 2 eggs and 3 slices of bacon with butter; lunch - can of tuna with real mayo; 3 slices of celery; dinner - chicken or beef and a big salad of tomatoes and lettuce with real dressing. That's it! Am I on the right track?

[Carb Addict]

Ketosis is easy to recognize. The smell of your urine and breath will give it away. Don't let your mind play tricks on you and convince you that you cannot do it . If you do all the right things and eat the right things and only the right things, you will get into ketosis. There is a thread around here somewhere that answers all the questions. Have a look around and see what you find. Keep encouraged ! You can do this!!

[LaceyLooWho]

Im pretty new to this but I was wondering how much veggies you are actually eating? How big is that salad? It took me a few days of measuring EVERYTHING before I was able to eyeball what a cup of lettuce or cucumber looked like. I typically eat 2 small salads a day plus 1/4 cup of veggies in my eggs in the morning and thats my veggie limit for the day. You also can only have a small amount of tomatoes on induction. Eating too many could be a problem in induction. I would also check to make sure theres no sugar in your dressing. Otherwise your menu looks good, similar to mine and I have lost 12 pounds in 7 days, granted I have bunches more weight to lose than you do.

[Tomorrow_I'll_Be_Perfect]

Hey K.....any shade of purple on that stick means you're in ketosis. It doesn't have to be really dark to be working. Everyone has different results with that, including not showing purple at all, even though they may be dropping weight like crazy!

5.5 lost when you only have 20-25 to lose is awesome for Induction! That's 20 - 25% overall. I think that's above average actually. Don't even be concerned if you see a small slow down now, as your body adjusts to the new loss.

One thing you might want to try is increasing your fat ratio. I know it's working wonders for me this time around. I never really knew what my percentages were, but I've been working with FitDay. The rule of thumb around here is 65% fat, 30% protein and 5% carbs. Some people find they need a higher fat ratio, but it sounds like you aren't having any trouble losing. In general, the more you need to lose, the higher the Induction loss will be. 10% loss on Induction would be considered great, but 20-25% is amazing.

Keep up what you're doing. If you're finding you have low energy or you're hungry, boost up that fat and you'll start feeling better in no time!

[ssMarilyn]

Tomatoes have carbs and what kind of dressing are you using? Did you check the carb content? I find I get the best readings when I use the strips in the evening. The only time I get stuck on my weight loss is if I eat something I'm not supposed to. Tomatoes throw me out of ketosis.