Keto results on the scale
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http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2013/11/30/Ketosis-Measuring-Ketones
from the text......
"Don't Focus Just on Ketones, See the Big Picture
Recently, I've noticed a growing obsession when it comes to measuring ketones precisely. Although urine detection strips may not be accurate for keto-adapted people, they work for most of those that have just started the ketogenic diet. By the time they become keto-adapted, which takes 3-4 weeks, most of them understand what to eat and what to avoid without any real need to measure the precise level of ketone bodies.
I've been in nutritional ketosis on and off for almost two years and can't really complain about urine strips. I still see low readings but I know the reason is that I'm not in ketosis every single day. I don't personally need to track the exact level because it won't make a difference to me. When I started, I used Ketostix to find out when I was in ketosis and what my net carbs limit should be. These days, my daily net carbs intake varies from 30 to 60 grams depending on how active I am.
My advice is that you should give Ketostix a try and if they don't work for you, use a blood ketone meter or simply listen to your body's signals. In the end, what really matters is not ketones but the effects of ketosis: weight loss and improved health."
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There is a lot of information in this link about the differences between blood ketones and urine ketones, so feel free to read. The fact remains that for those beginning the diet, ketostix is still a valid tool. They should not be discounted out of hand just because the newest theories state that blood ketones are superior. I've been using them for years on low carb as well, to tell whether or not I was in ketosis, which is the main concern here. Keto adaptation comes to those that follow the plan long term, but it takes everyone a different amount of time to get there.
With all the studies and new tech on measuring ketones with a breath meter, the blood meter will be come a thing of the past soon. New tech always comes to the forefront, but it doesn't eliminate the positive uses of the tools from previous tech. I expect that ketostix will still be used long after people get tired of poking their fingers every day and buy the breath analyzers. As a diabetic, I got tired of sore fingertips real fast.
Being a long term low carber of 15 years, I've seen a lot of things come and go. The basics are still the same, and the new programs built upon the research of the past pioneers. I'm not going discount tools that have worked for over a decade because there is a new tool in the workbox. We can quibble about which is a superior measurement, and what should actually be measured, but in the meantime, beginners need a tool that will gives them the encouragement to stay on plan.
I'm not arguing for those just entering ketosis, but as the article/link you quoted states, they are primarily used for determining when you enter ketosis. And I wholeheartedly agree that the best indicators of anything are health/weight loss and all that... There is a whole host of benefits to one's health that come from doing Low Carb, High Fat, and Moderate protein, which is what you are doing if you bounce up to 60 grams of carbs semi-regularly, not Keto. Keto is a form of LCHFMP, but all LCHFMP is not Keto.
My personal experience is that "bouncing in and out of Keto" is harder on my and my body, so I either need to buckle up and stay fully Keto or I need to adjust and stay LCHFMP, but not aim for nutritional ketosis. As a diabetic, if you can slide back and forth more readily between the two, I'm thrilled for you, but for me, it is not a viable long term solution.
Ketogenic eating plans are LONG TERM eating plans. It isn't something you do for a month, then take a month off. Optimal health benefits are obtained after becoming keto adapted, which as you said takes different times for different people The 3-4 weeks the article references is not the general experience of anyone I know. I've hear 6-12 weeks plus. But, most of the people I know doing any form of LC have some form of metabolic disorder.
I'm glad that the way you use the Keto sticks works for you, but please understand that they will not work that way for anyone. I was not trying to tout the perfection of any one system. I was just saying that for Keto-adaption, which is the goal for most folks I know who do ketosis in general, the sticks are not the best tool one can use. I was not arguing that they have zero use.0 -
I appreciate your clarification. I went keto mid-Feb, and feel better than I did on LCHF. I know its working well, because my labwork supports it, and now my doctor does too. However, if it wasn't for the ketostix showing me I was in ketosis day after day, I might have given up low carbing over a decade ago. It was because of those little pink and purple squares lighting up day after day, that I gained the confidence to keep walking the path when the scale wasn't going down. I knew that because of the ketostix that the plan was working, and I was making progress even though I couldn't see it on the scale.
There are a lot of people putting down the usefulness of urine ketone measurement on these boards, and I'd hate for the new person to give up because they couldn't afford the blood ketone meter, and they couldn't tell what their body was doing. Even though I've been on keto since mid-Feb, I'm still dumping ketones in the urine to a high degree, and while I know that doesn't tell the level of ketones I'm truly burning, it gives me the mental boost to stay the course. It has been especially helpful during the three week stall my body decided to take recently. Until I start seeing momentum on the scale again, I need to see that purple or that chocolate chip cookie might get the better of me.
So... I'm a firm advocate of using ketostix for beginners!0 -
I appreciate your clarification. I went keto mid-Feb, and feel better than I did on LCHF. I know its working well, because my labwork supports it, and now my doctor does too. However, if it wasn't for the ketostix showing me I was in ketosis day after day, I might have given up low carbing over a decade ago. It was because of those little pink and purple squares lighting up day after day, that I gained the confidence to keep walking the path when the scale wasn't going down. I knew that because of the ketostix that the plan was working, and I was making progress even though I couldn't see it on the scale.
There are a lot of people putting down the usefulness of urine ketone measurement on these boards, and I'd hate for the new person to give up because they couldn't afford the blood ketone meter, and they couldn't tell what their body was doing. Even though I've been on keto since mid-Feb, I'm still dumping ketones in the urine to a high degree, and while I know that doesn't tell the level of ketones I'm truly burning, it gives me the mental boost to stay the course. It has been especially helpful during the three week stall my body decided to take recently. Until I start seeing momentum on the scale again, I need to see that purple or that chocolate chip cookie might get the better of me.
So... I'm a firm advocate of using ketostix for beginners!
No one's putting down the usefulness. We're clarifying the misconceptions around them. They can be useful, but when they're misunderstood, they cause great confusion.
What would you have done had the color started fading when you were first starting out? Sounds like that would have discouraged you, even though it would have just as likely meant you adapting, and not falling out of ketosis.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »I appreciate your clarification. I went keto mid-Feb, and feel better than I did on LCHF. I know its working well, because my labwork supports it, and now my doctor does too. However, if it wasn't for the ketostix showing me I was in ketosis day after day, I might have given up low carbing over a decade ago. It was because of those little pink and purple squares lighting up day after day, that I gained the confidence to keep walking the path when the scale wasn't going down. I knew that because of the ketostix that the plan was working, and I was making progress even though I couldn't see it on the scale.
There are a lot of people putting down the usefulness of urine ketone measurement on these boards, and I'd hate for the new person to give up because they couldn't afford the blood ketone meter, and they couldn't tell what their body was doing. Even though I've been on keto since mid-Feb, I'm still dumping ketones in the urine to a high degree, and while I know that doesn't tell the level of ketones I'm truly burning, it gives me the mental boost to stay the course. It has been especially helpful during the three week stall my body decided to take recently. Until I start seeing momentum on the scale again, I need to see that purple or that chocolate chip cookie might get the better of me.
So... I'm a firm advocate of using ketostix for beginners!
No one's putting down the usefulness. We're clarifying the misconceptions around them. They can be useful, but when they're misunderstood, they cause great confusion.
What would you have done had the color started fading when you were first starting out? Sounds like that would have discouraged you, even though it would have just as likely meant you adapting, and not falling out of ketosis.
Ironically, I've gotten utterly lazy about testing. My current indicator is that as long as I don't get the headache from any indulging, and I don't get any aspect of the flu from reentering keto and my health factors stay positive, I'm good. I know it is a lazy health approach, but for now it works. When it stops working, I'll reevaluate.
And for me, watching the ketones drop on the sticks without understanding why would have been hugely demoralizing, particularly if I knew I was sticking to my plan like glue. UNDERSTANDING is key to success, no matter what plan and tools you use.0 -
I wouldn't have gotten discouraged if the color changed, because I had done the research. However, I'm one of those people that research the crap out of things before I start, and most people take someone's advice and give it a go. If they read that blood ketone is the only accurate tool, and the cost is $3-5 per test, they may not even give ketosis a real try.
I'm still waiting for a color change, and once it starts to fade, I'll make the investment in either the blood meter or the breath version, because so far the results are promising. I'd rather go for breath, and spend less over the long term.
It doesn't matter to me right now if I'm adapted and the strips aren't as accurate, because I can 'feel' it working and my recent bloodwork proved it. I'm planning on being keto for life, but maybe not at <20 carbs permanently.
Education is the most important part of any eating plan, but we all know people that dive in without being fully aware of all the pros and cons. A good number of them end up doing well, but they are still researching weeks in, and in many cases, had no real idea of what they were doing in the beginning.
Even those of us on low carb plans for decades keep researching constantly, and try new things. If I hadn't kept trying to find something to help me lose weight, I wouldn't be on MFP right now. I was vehemently against tracking for well over a decade because I couldn't believe that I'd be one of the unlucky ones that couldn't just eat under my carb allowance and lose. Ten full years later, and the scale slowly climbing in spite of all the good that low carb was doing, I bit the bullet and started tracking macros. PCOS and insulin resistance sucks.
It was then I started using ketostix every day again, only because I needed the motivation to keep counting calories and forcing myself to eat an extra 500 calories a day. I kept thinking I was going to drop out of ketosis regularly because of all that food, and seeing the purple keeps me on track. Knowing I'm burning fats is enough motivation to keep forcing myself to eat extra food.0 -
Education and learning never ends, until we do. I find the people who never want to learn anything new quite dull! LOL0
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As for keto Macros. If you get to that point and want to give it a try I found recommended ranges were 70-75 fat, 20-25 protein, 5-10 carb.0
