Keto Strips
Options
queenidia
Posts: 4 Member
Hi guys so i’m on my second day of doing keto and my strips indicate that i have “moderate” levels of ketones. I’m sticking to these strips for now before i go more advanced with blood testing, but just wanted any input on the strip indications. I’ve heard that tge fewer ketones in your urine indicates that you are utilizing them for energy (fat adaption), so I really would like to know where i should be sitting on the strips???
0
Replies
-
Strips were really helpful my first like 8 days or so of keto. After that, I stopped testing altogether. Unless you're diabetic, or really data driven, then there's no reason to keep testing every day. The urine strips will become useless soon enough anyway. Breath testing can be faulty from what I've read. Some test meters look for the wrong things.
In my experience with keto, keeping carbs below 20g net, you'll be in ketosis faster than you think. Blood testing would be good if you want to know where your ketosis ceiling is, where you will be out of keto from too many carbs or artificial sweeteners. Just give it time and keep the carbs low, hit the protein goal, and eat your fat limit to satiety.0 -
Hi guys so i’m on my second day of doing keto and my strips indicate that i have “moderate” levels of ketones. I’m sticking to these strips for now before i go more advanced with blood testing, but just wanted any input on the strip indications. I’ve heard that tge fewer ketones in your urine indicates that you are utilizing them for energy (fat adaption), so I really would like to know where i should be sitting on the strips???
The strips really don't work past an indication of whether or not you are in ketosis. The color on the strip can be changed by how well you are hydrated, how long it has been since you urinated, etc. They are kinda like a pregnancy test - yes or no, but not much else.2 -
I'd suggest that you don't waste time or money on them once you run out. The pee strips are not very accurate. If you are massively data driven you are better off getting a Keto Mojo but even that isn't needed. If you are dropping the water weight, eating around 20 net carb and you start to experience a big boost in energy and focus you are on the right track.0
-
The color of the strip doesn’t matter. It’s more easily changed by your level of hydration than any level of Ketosis.
Darker doesn’t mean better. Darker doesn’t even mean “more Ketosis”. It could just mean dehydration. Even slightly.
Just think of them as indicating positive or negative and disregard the color.0 -
Being new to Keto I bought test strips to see how my body is reacting and if I’ve reached Ketosis yet. A doctor visit showed “trace” on the 31st, today I’m “moderate” and couldn’t be happier. To me it’s helpful; for about $7 I’ll use them again if for some reason I think I’ve left ketosis with too many carbs to monitor my progress.
I’m curious as to why some are saying not to pay attention to levels/colors though. Are the manufacturers of the strips misleading consumers or not providing the whole truth the causes of differing levels?0 -
The strips detect ketones in urine. Only excess ketones end up in urine. Ketones your body consumes for energy are not accounted for in urine tests. So, you can be deep in ketosis, and active, and have very low ketones in your urine because you are consuming most of them for energy.
In that regard, the urine ketone test is more of a pass/fail. If you have ketones in your urine then you are in ketosis, but the actual quantity does not truly indicate level of ketosis in your body.2 -
Being new to Keto I bought test strips to see how my body is reacting and if I’ve reached Ketosis yet. A doctor visit showed “trace” on the 31st, today I’m “moderate” and couldn’t be happier. To me it’s helpful; for about $7 I’ll use them again if for some reason I think I’ve left ketosis with too many carbs to monitor my progress.
I’m curious as to why some are saying not to pay attention to levels/colors though. Are the manufacturers of the strips misleading consumers or not providing the whole truth the causes of differing levels?
Because they are not designed for keto dieters. They are designed to show type 1 diabetics if they have ketones and the darker they are, the more dehydrated they are which, for them, is indicative of ketoacidosis. Not for you. For them.
Hydration affects the color.
I know you’re happy you reached moderate but that doesn’t actually mean you are burning more fat today than the day you were tested at the doctor. It just means your urine catch has a greater concentration of ketones as compared to water this time. And the degree to which you are making ketones is less likely to be a factor than how hydrated you are. Your sample is just more dilute.
Do an experiment. I did this before.
Stay fasted and start drinking black coffee. Coffee is a diuretic. Test when you wake up. Drink coffee. Test every hour and keep drinking coffee until you feel the diuretic effect happening. You will be eliminating urine so frequently that your samples will show fewer ketones as it continues. But you’re fasted still right? So why would you have fewer ketones? Why would ketones go down just because you’re peeing a lot? They don’t. Just the test sample changes.3 -
I'm one of those people who registers trace or even negative ketones, and have for a few years. The first few months in ketosis it was a bit darker, but the only time I ever showed moderate ketones was if I fasted a few days. This is true now too, and I eat a mostly carnivorous, moderate protein diet, when my carbs are often 5g or below for a day.
0
