Ketosis question

[molaurie]

Hi, I'm new here, and I was wondering how you can tell if you get into ketosis. I've been reading some of the threads which mention some type of strip which changes colors. Where do you get these, do they work, what are they, and do they cost much?

Thanks!

[Richt]

Hi, they are called Keto Sticks. They tend to comes in tubes of 50 (well they do in the uk anyway), not sure about the cost of them for people outside of the UK I am afraid, but we get them in chemists (Pharmacies)

Rich

[molaurie]

Thanks, Rich. I'm on day 3 now. I'll look for them today at a pharmacy. You don't need a prescription, do you?

PS You are quite a cutie, if you don't mind me saying so! Good job with the diet and keep up the good work!

[Richt]

I just re-read your original question where you asked if they worked or not. The answer is yes

And no, you dont need a prescription (well not in the UK you dont) I cant believe that you would need them elswhere in the world either.

Rich

ps thanks for the compliment, and good luck with your weight loss.

[joaybear]

The previous responder is right. You can purchase KetoStyx at most drug stores, and I get mine at my grocery store, but sometimes have to ask them to order it. The bigger question you asked, though, is how to get into Ketosis. You get into that state by restricting your carbs enough to start burning fat. Since your body has about a 2 day reserve of glycogen, it takes that long on induction to achieve ketosis. Metaphorically speaking, it is actually the ashes of your weight loss. ( I love that image!) The keto styx are used to verify that we are on track with our carb intakes. If you are like me, a pale pink/lavender color is common because I drink so much fluid during the day. Ketosis has the benefit of suppressing appetite and the fastest way to get there is to do a couple of days of eggs, meat, fish, poultry. You can get pretty dramatic results that way. When I have strayed, either purposefully or by accident (restaurants are famous for denying thickeners in their dishes, so beware!), I revert back to deviled eggs, steaks, chicken salad, and such and usually get back to my usual level in a day or 2. Hope this helps.

[SunnySmile501]

If you are in the USA, Wal-Mart has them in the diabetic supplies. Some pharmacies keep them behind the counter and you have to ask for them. They cost about $10 at Wally World.

They do work for a lot of people, but not everyone. For a non-diabetic, the results can be thrown off by how much or little you drink, the time of day you test, testing after exercise, etc. Testing after drinking alcohol will give you a false-positive. If you get the KetoStix, remember a trace is as good as dark purple--better even. It's like the pregnancy test--either you are in ketosis or you're not.

That said, I was one that never turned the evil stix more than a trace, and most of the time not that, and I did Atkins by the book and lost 102 pounds in 10 months.

There are other ways to tell if you are in ketosis. There's the infamous ketosis breath, loss of appetite and cravings and a surge in energy. My urine smelled sweetish and metallic.

Sunny!

[molaurie]

Thanks Sunny and Joay - it seems I don't necessarily have to have them, at least maybe not quite yet. So far, so good, I'm eating lots of protein, and what a delight to have butter on my broccoli!

Question: is there any limit at all to the amount of protein one can consume? As long as it has no carbs? Because right now, I'm craving something to crunch on, like a big bag of popcorn!!! And I'm wondering if I can just go eat some more meat instead!

[SunnySmile501]

Originally Posted by molaurie

Thanks Sunny and Joay - it seems I don't necessarily have to have them, at least maybe not quite yet. So far, so good, I'm eating lots of protein, and what a delight to have butter on my broccoli!

Question: is there any limit at all to the amount of protein one can consume? As long as it has no carbs? Because right now, I'm craving something to crunch on, like a big bag of popcorn!!! And I'm wondering if I can just go eat some more meat instead!

There is a limit on how much protein you should eat. Excess protein can be turned to glucose by the body and cause sugar spikes. The trick to cravings is to eat a fatty snack like celery filled with cream cheese--you get crunch and filling fat. You can also eat a more fatty meat, like beef, instead of skinnless chicken breast. Or put some mayo on the lower fat meat. Atkins is low carb, high fat and moderate protein. A boiled egg with mayo is a good crave-busting snack.

If you are on induction, I wouldn't worry too much about consuming too much protein, as long as you keep it high fat and stop eating when satisfied and not stuffed. As soon as your appetite and cravings are under control, you can start working on the ratios of fat/protein/carbs that you eat.

[molaurie]

Sunny - thanks! I really like the celery and cream cheese idea. It is hard to get out of the mindset that fat=bad!

Laurie