How do you properly use Ketostix?

[hamoverfist]

I am emitting ketone from my body, but wonder if I am in ketosis? Is it as simple as that? How do I know? What reading should I be seeing?

[Gottabringmeback]

I just started using them and they have been helpful. I just take one out, test it, read the color after 15 seconds. Compare it to the colors on the bottle. Always keep the bottle closed tightly.

[MindOverAll]

Well the easiest way is to just pee on it!

Just remember, Ketosis is like being pregnant, you either are or you are not. A deep purple is the same as a light pink. Also, your water content has a lot to do with it.

Just remember after you open the bottle, cover it quickly, light can damage the sticks.

[msanjelpie]

If there is color on the stick then you are in ketosis and burning fat... YEAH!!

[FwL]

Originally Posted by MindOverAll

Well the easiest way is to just pee on it!

Damn! Beaten to the punch line again

[hamoverfist]

Ok, but I have also been told that we always have a level of keytones in our body, so how do you distinguish between what we normally have and whether or not we are in ketosis? Specifically regarding using the ketostix. Am I to assume that a person with a typical carbohydrate diet will not register on the ketostix?

[Elizellen]

Originally Posted by hamoverfist

Am I to assume that a person with a typical carbohydrate diet will not register on the ketostix?

Yes.

In fact not all of us register on the sticks when we are losing either

There are other signs of ketosis that will help you know whether you are there or not too which are listed in the FAQ forum
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...g-ketosis.html (What are the physical signs of being in ketosis?)

[rosewood513]

I just happened to read about this today, first of all, they said you may never show ketosis on the stick which is from light violet to deep violet.
that does not mean you are not in ketosis.
The amount of color on the stick does not mean anything either. They said it is just a guide.
To be honest I don't know why they make them if they may not really work. I have been a steady light color which is #15.
They said as long as your clothes are getting smaller don't worry about it. Sounds rediculous doesn't?

[Slapshot]

Originally Posted by rosewood513

I just happened to read about this today, first of all, they said you may never show ketosis on the stick which is from light violet to deep violet.
that does not mean you are not in ketosis.
The amount of color on the stick does not mean anything either. They said it is just a guide.
To be honest I don't know why they make them if they may not really work. I have been a steady light color which is #15.
They said as long as your clothes are getting smaller don't worry about it. Sounds rediculous doesn't?

No, not really. Ketostix are a good tool to measure whether or not you *may* be in ketosis (because you can be in ketosis, but show negative on the stix). The shades on the ketostix are not important at all. Darker purple means you're likely dehydrated. Lighter purple means you're probably properly hydrated. Any reaction on the ketostix - no matter the color - will demonstrate that you're in ketosis. It's a binary thing - either you're in ketosis or not. There is no "light ketosis" or "heavy ketosis." Think pregnant/not pregnant.

So, in your case, steady light color or #15 means you're in ketosis, and likely been drinking your water.

I find the ketostix a helpful tool early on in induction to confirm that I'm in ketosis, but I've been in ketosis for almost 60 days straight now and don't use them much since I know I'm eating way below my level to get into ketosis. So, the short of it is, they can be helpful if understood for what they can or can't do, but people who don't use them get along just fine without them, too.

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by hamoverfist

I am emitting ketone from my body, but wonder if I am in ketosis? Is it as simple as that? How do I know? What reading should I be seeing?

Adding to what the others have said. You should not test first thing in the morning or after exercising. You will get the most accurate results if you test about two hours after a meal.

As Elizellen mentioned, you can be in ketosis even without changing the color of the stix. Ketones are produced when the poor Krebs cycle is overwhelmed by the amount of acetyl-CoA resulting from the beta-oxidation of fatty acids. These ketones are then transported to other tissues (your brain and heart love them, btw) where two of them -- acetoacetate (this is the one the stix register) and BHB -- are "recycled" into acetyl-CoA and thrown back into the Krebs cycle to produce energy. The other ketone, acetone, can't be recycled so you just pee it, but the ketostix are not sensitive to it. Anyway, so if all the acetoacetate is converted back into acetyl-CoA and used to get fuel, you won't have any left to spill in your urine, so the stix won't change color.

Furthermore, the color will stop changing once you consume more than about 50 net carbs, even though you will still be making ketones.

So the ketostix are just a tool (not even a necessary one) and they do not tell the absolute truth.

Originally Posted by hamoverfist

Ok, but I have also been told that we always have a level of keytones in our body

Yes and no. On what most people consider to be a "regular" diet, ketogenesis only takes place when the body doesn't have carbohydrates available for energy production, like for example while you sleep.

how do you distinguish between what we normally have and whether or not we are in ketosis? Specifically regarding using the ketostix. Am I to assume that a person with a typical carbohydrate diet will not register on the ketostix?

As I've said, the ketostix only measure the concentration of excess ketones (exclusively acetoacetate). The ketones you produce while sleeping are needed for energy, so they will not appear on the stix.