You should be able to download a chart online by brand. My general understanding is that the darker the color, the more ketones being dumped as waste. That means you are making a ton, but not yet efficient at using all of what you make (adapted). It's a good first step stage. That being said, as you adapt, you will "waste" less, and those results will become unreliable at best.

I started using them last week. Started off weak and a few days later was medium - made sense. But now it jumps around from zero to medium without any sense. Today it dropped to almost zero again and that is so wrong - I was not drinking a ton of water.

lodro wrote: »

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

You should be able to download a chart online by brand. My general understanding is that the darker the color, the more ketones being dumped as waste. That means you are making a ton, but not yet efficient at using all of what you make (adapted). It's a good first step stage. That being said, as you adapt, you will "waste" less, and those results will become unreliable at best.

I must say, I do question the "ketostix will get lighter as you become keto adapted" I do believe dumping of ketones continues if your carbs are low enough, so, acetoacetate will also continue to end up in urine. I don't work out like an athlete, so I would never "use" all ketones I make, which means they'll keep ending up in my urine. Which, to me, makes ketostix a fair indicator of ketosis ( am I or aren't I). After a few months of keto I'm still consistently purple I really don't think this is because of poor keto adaptation.

This is an N=1 one thing. Everyone is different. In general, those sticks are indicated for usage for diabetics to prevent ketoacidosis. For most folks, they become more efficient in their bodies making and using similar amounts of ketones, regardless of being and athlete, etc.

I switched to low carbing 1/15/15 and to keto on 2/18/15. I have next to nothing showing up on ketostix the few times I used them. Period. And I've been in full ketosis with the exception of a blip in April and a blip in July. So every single person is different.

Essentially, the rule is, if your carbs are low enough and your protein matched to your needs, you will be in ketosis... If the depth of ketosis is important, your per meal ratios can be measured and estimated. There are breath and blood meters that are more accurate.

But if they continue to work for you, that is fabulous. But for the average person who stays level with food intake/carb intake and activity levels and hydration, your body will eventually become more efficient, and you will eventually create less wasted ketones, and so the performance of the stix will diminish. For the average person staying steady.

There are many discussions on this, but for someone who doesn't know how inefficient the sticks can be for what they test vs. what we actually use them for, it can be VERY disheartening when you think you're in full ketosis or fully keto adapted, yet you show NONE or TRACE on the sticks... Both sides of this equation can apply, and I'm sure a thousand shades of "stick color" in between. Just making sure people know all of the information so they can make a decision to continue using them or not...

For me, a measure of progress on this way of eating is to learn to trust the process and trust my body. I can't do that if I'm trying to use basic arithmetic (sticks) while my body is doing all manner of calculus, physics, chemistry, biology, and all manner of complicated things... It is not only black or white - the body is an amazing thing. Not everyone considers this progress, but as this is a permanent change I must make for my health, I have to find was to make this sustainable.

Weigh your protein and have a target number of grams. This is off the top of my head, but I seem to remember anywhere from .5 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean (subtract your body fat) body weight.

Don't worry about being exact. It is a range, not an exact number.

Oh, and stalls happen. Our bodies are funny things, and we have abused them for so long it takes them time to find a new normal. I've been loosing an average of 2lbs a week since June 1st. Today was the first time I logged an increase - .4 lbs. No big deal. Keep calm and keto on. The scale is a bully. You will stall. Getting through it mentally is the hardest and most important thing.

As folks have mentioned here the ketostix are not as accurate the longer you are in ketosis because they measure acetoacetate, which begins to lessen and is replaced by betahydroxybuterate. A blood ketone test is the only way to measure that at this point.

I don't measure at all. I know if I eat 20 grams or less total carbs, watch carb creep (real foods, no so called "low carb" processed foods) I'll be fine.

Ironically, I will probably begin to measure when I am at maintenance, and then I will spend the money for the blood testing machine and strips. (Too expensive and unnecessary now.) I want to stay in ketosis, and will measure as I begin to add back in certain carbs that I am not eating now. I will be more of a stickler for measuring then than I am now - and I do weigh and measure everything (even though I probably don't need to).

Find your sweet spot - physically and mentally. Then give your scale a bit of a rest and just live for awhile.

Good luck!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/KnitOrMiss/view/how-to-calculate-your-protein-needs-749965

This was a basic protein need explanation I typed up so I could reference it easily. Matches up pretty well to the above explanation, too.

http://www.flexibleketogenic.com/

This link also compares the carb/protein versus fats ratio in a meal/day to determine it's level of ketogenic macros, for lack of a better explanation.

http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

This one helps determine the ranges of levels (and mostly cues up with the explanation in the first link.


But I think @nicintime gave some great advice!!

I find this whole discussion intriguing only because I've honestly never measured my ketosis level, yet I've had tremendous success losing weight whenever I want by putting my body into a state of ketosis. How do I know I'm in ketosis? Because I'm closely monitoring my carb, protein and caloric intake using MyFitnessPal. How do I know it's working? Because I never feel hungry while in ketosis, and I consistently lose at least 1/2 lb per day. I lost 105 lbs while in ketosis, so I must have been doing something right!

I use ketostix. I find them weirdly motivating. I know that the concentration numbers are unreliable but I just use them insure that I am in ketosis. The reading has been consistent for the last few weeks at "moderate" I figure that as long as its not negative, I'm good.

If you are adapted, getting purple again will only mean that you're wasting ketones. Getting purple after adaption can actually be a bad thing. CAN be, not is... Just saying.

I just can't find consistent science with those things, so I honestly disregard them. I keep on dietary plan and I go on with my life... LOL

Maybe it just means you ramped up to full production? I hit my best strides at about 6 weeks and 12 weeks as far as "feeling the Keto love." LOL

Made some adjustments in my eating for the last two days and reduced the carbs in my breakfast - total for day no change. Despite being at a social event last night where I consumed a small amount of chocolate and a small danish - I saw a nice purple medium this afternoon.

I used them in the beginning because they can be motivating. The first time I saw purple I said "I'm a fat burning machine!" And have continued to feel better and better since then. I now know I'm in ketosis from the smell of my urine (sorry about tmi!). When you sense the difference, you know. I have learned that most vegetables knock me out too! Just sayin!

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

If you are adapted, getting purple again will only mean that you're wasting ketones. Getting purple after adaption can actually be a bad thing. CAN be, not is... Just saying.

Why exactly?