Ketostix? Pros and Cons?

KetoBetsy

Any personal experience and insight on these pee testing strips?

DietPrada

Any trace of pink means your body is secreting ketones. Darker is not better, darker just means a) you're eating too much fat, and b) you're dehydrated. You can also be in ketosis and show negative as your body is using all of the ketones - the ones that spill into your pee are surplus. So they can have some value at least initially when you are switching to a keto diet, but they are not the benchmark by which you should measure how "in ketosis" you are.

phubbartt

What is the benchmark that is measurable?

DietPrada

phubbartt wrote: »

What is the benchmark that is measurable?

This question does not make sense to me in the context of my comment above. I think you misunderstood what I wrote.

To answer what I think you're asking, you're either in ketosis or you aren't - these strips may indicate you're in ketosis or they may not.

knittnponder

I've never heard that having a darker color means you're eating too much fat but I have read several times that it can show you are dehydrated. I know from my own personal experience that can be true. Fat doesn't seem to make a difference for me with them. One thing to note, as your body becomes more fat adapted, it will become more efficient and you won't see the keytones spilling into the urine much if at all over time. Makes us feel better at the beginning but I've been told repeatedly that they're kind of a waste of money and unnecessary. There are a couple of keto groups on FB that are a wealth of information.

nvmomketo

I found them interesting at first but as time went on the did not seem to reflect my level of ketosis. I seem to have really slowed down in the amount of ketones I am spilling into my urine. Unless I am dehydrated, my ketostix rarely show above trace ketones, and I am eating fewer than 10g of carbs per day right now.

I think they are fun, and can be motivating and a bit informative, but not very reliable for telling you if you are deeply in ketosis or not.

kpk54

phubbartt wrote: »

What is the benchmark that is measurable?

Not sure of the question either but if you are asking what is a more accurate or reliable testing method it would be testing blood ketones. I've never tested ketones via any fashion but understand you can buy the meters on line or at Walmart or a drugstore and they're inexpensive. It is the cost of the strips that add up. If you don't mind pricking your finger to get blood, go for it.

KateTii

I like them. I was incredibly sick for the first 5 days of keto while I changed from carbs to no carbs. Then all of a sudden, the sickness went away and suddenly (like being in the eye of the storm) I doubted that I was doing it right. The ketostix gave me enough comfort that I was doing it right and had come through the ketoflu due to adaption, not because I was having too many carbs.

toxikon

Waste of money in my opinion.

If you eat keto for a few days, you'll be in ketosis. That's it. Assuming you're doing everything right, counting calories/carbs on MFP accurately, being aware of what sugar alcohols are safe for keto, it's pretty hard to mess up.

lemurcat12

It seems like it might be useful early on in determining whether a more on-the-cusp intake will put you in ketosis, especially if you don't know what it feels like.