Ketone Strips - What is your experience?
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Thyme4change
Posts: 46 Member
I read about ketone strips last July and decided to give them a try. I have found them to be very useful and a bit addictive at times. Personally I find the little ketone sticks very useful, especially in the beg'ing and when the scale isn't being true to my efforts. In the beg'ing I found that seeing a little pink helped me in my mind know I was on the right track. Plus the big one is like this morning, the scale said I gained, but I know that my intake has been good and the strips hv been showing moderate sometimes small amounts of ketones in my urine.
The scale is doing a great job of notifying me when the water in my body fluctuates and the strips help me to know I am burning fat, which I believe to be called ketosis. They are both just tools to help reassure me that I am heading in the direction I want to be.
My question is..have you used them? And what has your experince been? One more, what reading on the stick seems to work for you? Ok, just one more...How many hours does it take for the stick to reflect an increase in too many carbs from a meal you consumed? (Me about 4 - 6 hrs, depending on the splurge. And recovery from that splurge is 4-24 hrs depending on the size of splurge and my exercise
Can't wait to hear your thoughts, Kim
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For a bit of ketone info I copied and paste from this website.. http://www.livestrong.com/article/302683-ketones-and-weight-loss/ you can go to it for more info. There are tons of info out there on this subject... "When you lose weight, your body gives off substances known as ketones. These ketones can be secreted in the urine and serve as an indicator you are losing weight -- in addition to the decreasing numbers on the scale. However, ketones' presence also can indicate a more harmful condition. Knowing how to tell the difference can help you experience healthy weight-loss results.
SIGNIFICANCE
Ketones are a substance the body produces as a byproduct of fat metabolism, according to the Joslin Diabetes Center. When you are trying to lose weight, your body will use glucose buildup in your fat stores in order to obtain energy from your food, resulting in weight loss. In addition to being produced while weight loss occurs, ketones also are a sign of diabetes. This is because ketones also are present when the body is not able to use insulin to break down sugars in your body. This occurrence can be dangerous to your health because the ketones can spill into the urine."
The scale is doing a great job of notifying me when the water in my body fluctuates and the strips help me to know I am burning fat, which I believe to be called ketosis. They are both just tools to help reassure me that I am heading in the direction I want to be.
My question is..have you used them? And what has your experince been? One more, what reading on the stick seems to work for you? Ok, just one more...How many hours does it take for the stick to reflect an increase in too many carbs from a meal you consumed? (Me about 4 - 6 hrs, depending on the splurge. And recovery from that splurge is 4-24 hrs depending on the size of splurge and my exercise
Can't wait to hear your thoughts, Kim
....
For a bit of ketone info I copied and paste from this website.. http://www.livestrong.com/article/302683-ketones-and-weight-loss/ you can go to it for more info. There are tons of info out there on this subject... "When you lose weight, your body gives off substances known as ketones. These ketones can be secreted in the urine and serve as an indicator you are losing weight -- in addition to the decreasing numbers on the scale. However, ketones' presence also can indicate a more harmful condition. Knowing how to tell the difference can help you experience healthy weight-loss results.
SIGNIFICANCE
Ketones are a substance the body produces as a byproduct of fat metabolism, according to the Joslin Diabetes Center. When you are trying to lose weight, your body will use glucose buildup in your fat stores in order to obtain energy from your food, resulting in weight loss. In addition to being produced while weight loss occurs, ketones also are a sign of diabetes. This is because ketones also are present when the body is not able to use insulin to break down sugars in your body. This occurrence can be dangerous to your health because the ketones can spill into the urine."
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Replies
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Actually, thanks for reminding me of these. I've been feeling a bit bummed because after the massive loss last week, things have slowed. My daughter's fruits and the Easter chocolate are starting to look more and more tempting. I think the keto stick are exactly what I need to remind me that things are still working.0
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I also was addicted to ketone strips. I was using them multiple times a day! lol. I can never get mine past "trace" or "small" no matter how low my carb intake is. Is there a secret to getting a higher reading? I was doing low carb/low fat when I was using the strips along with 14+ glasses of water. Perhaps the high water intake was making the reading lower due to dilution? Or low carb/high fat is the answer? Not sure. I have some strips so maybe I'll experiment a little with them.0
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Personally, I love ketone strips, and I use them once a week on Fridays to make sure I'm still in ketosis.
What really helps me to read positive on the strips is HIGH-FAT intake! Low carb, but high fats. You need to intake fat, to burn fat, and it always works for me on those strips. To track and achieve it, I set my goals on MFP to 65% fat, 30% protein and <5% carbs of calorie intake per day
I got this from lowcarb.ca
"Being in ketosis means that your body's primary source of energy is fat (in the form of ketones). When you consume adequate protein as well, there's no need for the body to break down its muscle tissue. Ketosis also tends to accelerate fat loss --- once the liver converts fat to ketones, it can't be converted back to fat, and so is excreted. "
Hope this helps!
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I haven't had a lot of experience with them, but I do have some at home that I've started using again. I've been reading a lot this past week (as I am just getting back into my healthy low carb eating), and a lot of people say they are very helpful, but I've also read that the most accurate way is to go with a blood ketone monitor. I don't know for sure, but I found a website that is giving away a free monitor and I signed up for that. Apparently it checks your blood ketones and blood sugar at the same time (if I read the website correctly), which is good for me since I have Type 2 Diabetes. So I will wait and see if they actually send it and how it works, etc. I've been reading a lot about the ketogenic diet as opposed to just traditional low carb and I am trying to do that this time around. My ketone sticks indicate that I am doing something right, and I am starting to lose weight, so that's good.0
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Personally, I love ketone strips, and I use them once a week on Fridays to make sure I'm still in ketosis.
What really helps me to read positive on the strips is HIGH-FAT intake! Low carb, but high fats. You need to intake fat, to burn fat, and it always works for me on those strips. To track and achieve it, I set my goals on MFP to 65% fat, 30% protein and <5% carbs of calorie intake per day
I got this from lowcarb.ca
"Being in ketosis means that your body's primary source of energy is fat (in the form of ketones). When you consume adequate protein as well, there's no need for the body to break down its muscle tissue. Ketosis also tends to accelerate fat loss --- once the liver converts fat to ketones, it can't be converted back to fat, and so is excreted. "
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the info. I changed my goals to the ones you mentioned above. I'll try that for awhile. My ketones are at 'small' tonight....I'll check again in a couple days.0 -
Personally, I love ketone strips, and I use them once a week on Fridays to make sure I'm still in ketosis.
What really helps me to read positive on the strips is HIGH-FAT intake! Low carb, but high fats. You need to intake fat, to burn fat, and it always works for me on those strips. To track and achieve it, I set my goals on MFP to 65% fat, 30% protein and <5% carbs of calorie intake per day
I got this from lowcarb.ca
"Being in ketosis means that your body's primary source of energy is fat (in the form of ketones). When you consume adequate protein as well, there's no need for the body to break down its muscle tissue. Ketosis also tends to accelerate fat loss --- once the liver converts fat to ketones, it can't be converted back to fat, and so is excreted. "
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the info. I changed my goals to the ones you mentioned above. I'll try that for awhile. My ketones are at 'small' tonight....I'll check again in a couple days.
You're very welcome! I just tested today again and was at the "Large" Mark. I wish I could post my picture on here, but I do have an instagram, same username: jessicaonketo 0 -
Wow!!! Awesome!!! I checked mine again today....I'm still at "trace". It was at "small" yesterday. I upped my fat intake too. Oh well, at least I'm still losing weight. 0
