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Weight Loss Forum / Low Carb / March 2004POLL: Ketostrip "colors"
My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate pink while mine trend toward purple. Can I get a few responses from those who use ketostrips, on what color you normally were comfortable with, and if you were a "light color" person, did you experience continued weight loss and benefits? Thanks! Richard 247/231/200 I'm happy with any color. The *amount* of ketones is irrelevent. You're in ketosis or you are not. That's all one needs to be concerned with. If the color is very dark that could indicate that one's urine is not dilute enough and more water should be had. That is my opinion. -- AmyB LC since 12/01/03 238/211/165 > My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are > eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Richard > 247/231/200 RT" <publicNOSPAM@SPAMFREEnucentrix.net> wrote in message > news:40449a85$0$77721$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com... > > My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Richard > > 247/231/200 I used to use them when I first started. I think it was a crutch for me for a while. Like the "daily scale anxiety" that some people feel, I would panic if the strips didn't turn as dark as the day before. I admit, though, that I wanted that affirmation that I was on the right path. An interesting point someone made earlier that I never thought of: the color may have more to do with how well your kidneys are flushed & less to do with the number of ketones being passed. Excellent point. I now find them irrelevant, and most of them are still under the bathroom sink. I don't think I've used them since the first couple weeks. I can now feel the difference in the way my clothes feel, I see the difference in my body, and I love the way food has gone from being the center of my life to being a source of fuel for my body. Like Bear said in an earlier post, "something has changed" and the change is waaaaayyyyyyy good. No test strips can tell you that! Regards, Coff Post less, contribute more. >My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are >eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >Richard >247/231/200 I have never had dark strips. This is my second time with lc, and as before, I bounce between trace and negative - even during induction. It can be frustrating, but life goes on. She may never have dark indicators on the strips. And yes, I am losing. -- Jean M. 348/317/180 - 5'10" Atkins Since 01/28/04 > I have never had dark strips. Me neither. The best I have ever done is light pink or pink. I'm making slow progress. I recently upped my activity level, I think that will help. I have only used the strips a couple of times when I first started 2 and a half years ago...they never turned dark purple, but I have lost 75 pounds. I think they are a complete waste of time and money. Julia 250/175/150 Atkins July 2001 > My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are > eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Richard > 247/231/200 > I think they are a complete waste of time and money. I agree. I have always seen them as a gimmick. Just eat the food already and don't worry about a ketostrip. It's possible to lose weight without them. > My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are > eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate > pink while mine trend toward purple. Can I get a few responses from those > who use ketostrips, on what color you normally were comfortable with, and if > you were a "light color" person, did you experience continued weight loss > and benefits? I tried the strips initially, and was frustrated that they never turned ANY color. I was always negative.....but the weight came off anyways. Don't waste your money..... GT >> My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are >> eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > GT Go biking for about 2 hours in 110 degre heat. If the exercise doesn't get you deep into ketosis, the dehydration will (at least as per the strips). When I'd go mountain biking in AZ and use the strips, they were incredibly purple.  SignatureBob in CT Remove ".x" to reply > Go biking for about 2 hours in 110 degre heat. If the exercise doesn't > get you deep into ketosis, the dehydration will (at least as per the > strips). When I'd go mountain biking in AZ and use the strips, they were > incredibly purple. Heh....I live in Alberta....to go biking in 110 degree heat I would have to move the stationary bike into the sauna. GT >> Go biking for about 2 hours in 110 degre heat. If the exercise doesn't >> get you deep into ketosis, the dehydration will (at least as per the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >GT Now, there's an exercise waiting to happen. :-) > My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are > eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate > pink while mine trend toward purple. Can I get a few responses from those > who use ketostrips, on what color you normally were comfortable with, and if > you were a "light color" person, did you experience continued weight loss > and benefits? For the first couple weeks, I was moderate. I've been trace ever sense. It seems to work for me. Brian 290/228/210 july 8, 2003 > My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are > eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate > pink while mine trend toward purple. The Atkins book is poorly written at several points and this is one of them. It's a source of endless frustration without reason. He should never have used the word "purple". Any change in color from biege is positive. Darker is not better. There is no point in trying to get them to turn darker, so do not try. > > My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are > > eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Any change in color from biege is positive. Darker is not better. > There is no point in trying to get them to turn darker, so do not try. Really??? That's a bummer. I find that the color of my strips is directly related to activity level and carb consumption. If I get ~ 40 minutes or so of good aerobic exercise and less than say 30 carbs, I get really dark purple. If I cut out the exercise I get moderate at best. In light of the fact that the color correlates to activity, I see that I get faster loss with darker strips. I realize the cause is the exercise, and the loss, as well as strip color are the effects. I have lost without exercise and light colored strips, but only about 1 to 2 lbs per week. With exercise I average 3 to 4 per week. Scott > > > My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though we are > > > eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn only a moderate [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > see that I get faster loss with darker strips. I realize the cause is > the exercise, and the loss, as well as strip color are the effects. You're attibuting two things as the cause but that's not needed. The darkness of the sticks is determined by the burn rate of fat. Early on the burn rate is high, so folks on Induction see dark but in about week 3 it tapers off towards trace as the body becomes more efficient. Eating less carbs doesn't increase the burn rate of fat. Once there is too little insulin to suppress ketosis less doesn't mean more ketosis. Both eating more fat and exercise do increase the burn rate of fat. Of course eating more fat to increase burn rate stops working if you over eat, but for the same total calories more fat and less protein mean more fat burned because dietary fat leads indirectly to higher glucagon levels. Exercise increase fat burn rate because more total calories are consumed so more fat is pulled from storage. Doug Freyburger burbled across the ether: >>>> My dear wife is beginning to get frustrated because, even though >>>> we are eating the same things, same quantities, her strips turn [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > glucagon levels. Exercise increase fat burn rate because more total > calories are consumed so more fat is pulled from storage. The color can be affected by your hydration level, and hydration level can be affected by excersize. Eating lots of carbs can cause a dark purple too, because the body switches out of ketosis to burning carbs if it gets enough to do so and dumps *all* the ketones which makes a 'false positive'-- this can happen quickly or as late as 24 hours after the carb overload. The strips don't show burn rate. They only show that you are making enough that they are spilling over into your urine -- they don't show how much you have floating around in your bloodstream, or how much you are using for energy. If she shows anything at all on the strip, then she is in ketosis (a condition similar to pregnancy, you are either in or out of it, there is no "light" "moderate" or 'heavy ketosis") and maybe even if there is nothing on the strip. They only show one type out of four different kinds of ketones, and your urine may have oodles of any of the other three types and hardly any of the one kind the strips test for (or they could be bad, they do go bad after exposure to air for a few months, and you can even get a 'bad' lot right off the store shelf). The strips are only a rough guide, and morale booster. The point of the strips is to verify that yes, you are in fat burning mode and therefore there is a real chance of burning off some stored fat without a mountain of work, but the strips are in my opinion an unreliable indicator. In the end if you or she is losing weight, then all is well. Signaturerevek www.geocities.com/tanirevek/LowCarb.html lowcarbing since June 2002 5'2" 41 F 165+/too much/size seven petite please According to my calculations the problem doesn't exist. My experience has been exactly the same as Scotty. I've stayed at close to induction levels for months and the ketostix color varies directly with how much carb I eat and how much I exercise. For example, on a day when I'm out doing physical work and eat little, the color is dark. On a day with no physical activity and eating more carbs, the color is light. Another factor to be aware of is dilution by water. If the OP's wife is drinking a lot more fluids than he is, then the concentration of ketones in her urine will be less. |
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