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Ketosis Strips

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kgoodman0108
kgoodman0108 Posts: 158
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I finally bought a box of ketosis strips, and just took my first sample. I'm in heavy ketosis (second to last shade of purple on the bottle). I actually thought I was out of ketosis, based on consuming alcohol and fruit last night.

Is it safe to stay in high ketosis for long periods of time? Should this be my goal? Or should I focus on staying in the light ketosis area? Also, how often should I test?

Thank you all for your advice!

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  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
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    Congrats on getting into ketosis!

    It doesn't really matter what food you eat, so long as your net carbs are under 50g for a few consecutive days (for some it takes longer) ... that will generally get you into ketosis.

    From what I've read, there's no such thing as 'degree' of ketosis but your hydration effects the reading (ie. if you drink less water, the strip gets darker). You're either in ketosis or not.
  • kgoodman0108
    kgoodman0108 Posts: 158
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    That could be why they were so dark - I've drank less water than usual. So as long as I don't go too low on my carbs, I'm safe? I've heard stories of too heavy ketosis leading to ketoacidosis. Being in keto is very new to me.
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
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    I think the only ones who are in danger of ketoacidosis are those with type 1 diabetes.
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
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    If you haven't read it already, this is a really good resource: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq
  • kgoodman0108
    kgoodman0108 Posts: 158
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    Thank you! :flowerforyou:
  • JisatsuHoshi
    JisatsuHoshi Posts: 421 Member
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    I would test again in another 3 hrs and the same thing again after another 3. You may not be in ketosis. When consuming alcohols they are broken down into ketones, But they are not the ketones you're looking for... the ketones you want are the ones made from your body fat/fat sources.

    Alcohol will stall ketosis until all the alcohol is burned off as energy. After that point you'll know wether or not you're still in keto depending on how many Carbs was in your beverage.
  • kgoodman0108
    kgoodman0108 Posts: 158
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    Would it make sense to stay in ketosis 4-5 days, and then knock myself out of it once a week, kind of like a re-feed? I'm insulin resistant, 140lbs and trying to lose another 15-20.
  • JisatsuHoshi
    JisatsuHoshi Posts: 421 Member
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    In terms of insulin resistance if your goal is weight loss then it's better to have a refeed/cheat "meal" every 2 Weeks.

    Getting back into ketosis itself can take days to Weeks to get back into after a refeed. So to maximize weight loss potential you want to stay in keto for as long as possible.

    Also to reduces the chances of fat gain avoid fats as much as possible during refeed. high Carbs + high fats + insulin resistance = guaranteed stored fats!
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
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    I think the only ones who are in danger of ketoacidosis are those with type 1 diabetes.

    that's not true. it can also happen with type 2, the low carb forum had a story about a borderline type two that had it. And with alcoholics.

    I have the keto strips with glucose and keto. I wonder if you're safe as long as you always stay negative on the glucose reading while measuring in ketosis?

    *I just found this http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2010/11/ketosis-or-ketoacidosis.html

    so it looks like if you have any fears at all of possibly being eligible for ketoacidosis it looks like you want the keto strips that measure glucose and keto.

    http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc052709


    my strip readings are almost always the highest moderate or the first large. from what I am reading people who show darker mean that they're not burning fat as well? does that mean I am getting too much protein or I should up my carbs? I already have more carbs that most do on this diet but I've been remaining in ketosis pretty strongly. I've been drinking in between 100 ounces of water a day and 150 ounces.

    as far as I know i am not type 2 diabetic and my doctor hasn't told me I am prediabetic (but my aunt wasn't told she was prediabetic until she became diabetic so you never know I guess)
  • JisatsuHoshi
    JisatsuHoshi Posts: 421 Member
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    If you register you're in keto. It's either you're in it or you're not.

    If you're registering darker shades it could mean you're not drinking enough water (ketogenic diet is very diuretic), If you consume coconut oil usually it's darker.
  • dianasavoy
    dianasavoy Posts: 1
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    Oh, thanks so much for info about water. I'm new (today is day 6) and I have really struggled to get that shade darker. But I drink well over 10 8-oz. glasses of water a day. Other than a morning cup of coffee, water is all I drink. I thought I was doing something wrong.

    My carbs are well below 20 (I ran 10-14-14-15-12 on carbs this week) and my fat/protein/carbs are averaging 65% / 30% / 5%. I really thought I was doing it right, but couldn't figure out why I never went above trace (the 2nd lowest reading). I was starting to get discouraged! I am down 1.5 pounds this week, so I'll hang in there! Thanks again for sharing about water and test strip readings! Whew!

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