Ketostix registering trace

ksullivan2050

It's the end of my third week eating low carb (20g net or less per day). I started using keto stix yesterday and am only registering trace. I have used them at different times in the day. It's very discouraging. Have been meticulous about my food intake. I do CrossFit 6 days a week - and sometimes a hike as well. Thoughts about this? Thank you

ladipoet

Ketostix are notorious for being inaccurate. As your body adjusts to LCHF it will be using the ketones it produces more efficiently and eliminating less of them through waste.

scottaking

ladipoet wrote: »

Ketostix are notorious for being inaccurate. As your body adjusts to LCHF it will be using the ketones it produces more efficiently and eliminating less of them through waste.

As ladipoet said, they can be inaccurate. Also, if you're active (which you are), you will show less. Another possibility is too much protein. What are your fats and proteins percentages?

BaconSan2

My husband has been faithfully on Keto the same as me (10 days) but his ketostix show very little. He has only about 10 pounds to lose. He has seen a couple pound weight drop but mainly noticed his clothes fitting differently. We are eating exactly the same thing but show differently. Different metabolism I guess. I'm reading "the 7 Principles of Fat Burning" & in the book the doctor talks about a patient who didn't show anything on her ketostix for 2 months but stuck with the diet than after 2 months began major fat burning & lost a lot of weight.

dmariet116

I used ketostix for the first month just to reassure myself. For the first 2 weeks, I was registering between trace and moderate. After that, it was always barely a trace or maybe nothing.
I'd say that if you get any change at all in color, you're in ketosis . If it goes very dark, it more then likely speaks to your level of hydration.
Also, your liver will change the fat into ketones and you run off of this for energy. There is no way of changing ketones back into fat so we either burn them or release them through urine. Many people show no ketones in urine after they are fat adapted. The only way to accurately measure ketones would be with blood, but the strips are terribly high.

RowdysLady

I also think that when you use them will change when they register. For example - if I use ketostix when I wake then concentration of ketones is heavy. If I use them after 26 ounces of water, it's light...why? Because the water I drink dilutes everything in my urine. Just like when you hear people say "if your urine looks dark drink more water". I've never shown more than moderate on the stix and I don't take it for gospel. I just want it to read something - when it's lighter I can generally sum it up to mid day water consumption. They are a tool not an end all be all.

Sunny_Bunny_

You're feeling discouraged that you're in ketosis.
Really.
That's what you're saying.
I'm not trying to be harsh. I just wanted to simplify it.
Hydration can dilute the strip results.
I can be zero carb, which I am about 80% of the time and the other 20% I probably never exceed 15g total carbs, but if I am guzzling iced coffees all day like I love to do sometimes, then I will show trace because my urine is simply diluted.
So, your strips are showing that you're in ketosis, which is obviously your goal. Congrats! You did it! Being darker in color doesn't mean you're deeper in ketosis or burning more fat. If you were able to have 100% control over your hydration on a daily basis, then maybe the color variations would mean slightly more. But that's really not possible. Look at the strip for what it is. It measures the concentration of acetoacetate in a particular urine sample. But the samples vary widely in concentration all day long.
You want a darker strip. Go without fluids for 12 hours. You'll get it that way a lot easier.

ksullivan2050

Thank you everyone!! Esp Sunny Bunny - I like straight talk. I DO hydrate like crazy and am doing 10/20/70 c/p/f. I was vegan and started eating eggs cheese and fish to accomodate this way of life. I do feel lighter and see benefits - I am going to stop stressing and keep on!! Thank you all

SuesNewImage

You are either in Ketosis or out. The level is not an indicator. However too dark normally means dehydration so you don't want that. Any pink is pink = celebration

Actually on reading your thred name at first I thought you were excited about having a result on the stix. Well I was excited for you as I can easily kick myself out to then be back in a few days.