Hello. While I am not new to the idea of low carb I have just returned to the lifestyle after many years away. I have been FAITHFUL every since Monday morning to a very strict level of Atkins induction.

I have had skinless chicken breast, lean pork loin chops, beef steak, 2 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing; celery, baby spinach, bell peppers, onions, 2 tablespoons of sugar free peanut butter, and some real butter to cook with.

That's it! I've had days where I've actually only had fat and protein.

According to the keto sticks I'm not in ANY level of ketosis.

What's up???

I feel better; I look better (already... no bloated stomach); but is this 'normal'? What could I be doing wrong???

Thanks,
Karla

Ketosis is different for everyone, and definitely not the gold standard in how you're doing.

Some people also go into Ketosis relatively quickly and easily, and for others it takes longer, if it happens at all. Some people lose without problems and _never_ show as being in Ketosis.

So don't sweat it. You're welcome to use the sticks if you want, but if they don't help, just put 'em in the back of the cabinet and keep doing what you're doing.

I would also suggest you stick with Atkins induction, and don't try to go more restrictive trying to get the sticks to go purple. It's really not worth the trouble, and can potentially to slow your efforts and leave you feeling less good to boot. You do need your veggies, and the carbs in veggies are generally not the problem for most of us.

I would also suggest if you're a scale-hopper to limit yourself to one weigh-in a week and just focus on clean eating, especially if you're feeling anxious.

Good luck!

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By the way, welcome to LCE, Karla!

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Thanks, Goddess for the 'hello' and the advice. I know that 15 years ago when I first tried Atkins I went into ketosis and was able to stay there. I was very successful, but did not have family support and was 'swayed' by the whole "eat your grains" thing.

I know that Atkins use to say there was a 'golden' window and sometimes coming in and out of low carb would 'blow' that...

But, I can't remember if that means I won't be able to succeed this time.

Karla

No, it doesn't mean you're out of luck. It means that the first time you low carb, many people find their losses are slightly faster than later times; now, if you want it to stick, you have to integrate the eating into your regular life. So, if it takes 3 weeks to lose what it took 2 weeks to lose before, so what? Y'kno?

So no worries there. The basic idea is turning it on and off makes it harder for you to lose overall. Just take a deep breath and do your thing and give it a chance to work.

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Breathing deeply....

Karla

I agree, Ketostix are not all that inportant. I copied and saved the following quote from an online low carb web page which shall be nameless. OK i failed to write down the source.
but here it is just the same.

"not testing positive for ketosis is not proof that you're not burning fat - you may just not be burning enough to test positive, or you may have burned up a lot of your ketones by exercising, or you may have drunk so many fluids you diluted your urine to the point where you tested negative. The point is, ketosis is a useful tool, but not the be-all and end-all of low carb dieting."

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there...doesn't that feel better?

and the quote rob provided you is a great one, with our without the source. the basic idea is that the sticks give you one way to potentially measure progress, but are not to be mistaken for actual progress. sometimes, for a variety of reasons, they just don't show your work.

and if not, that's fine. just look at other ways to tell how things are going for you - i don't have to mention weight, because everybody knows that one. inches? clothes fit? energy levels? appetite? overall health? all these things normally fall in line as you continue to low carb at a level that's a good fit for you.

i know it can be scary wondering if something is gonna work for you, but the only real way to know is working the plan and seeing what happens.

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I agree with all that was said....and to share a personal experience, the first time I did LC way back in the early 90's I was dark purple almost immediately and stayed there and lost great.....Fast forward to early 2000's and I did it again, I had trouble even showing trace amounts but still lost at about the same rate...(not sure what I did different that time)
Now I am doing it again here in 2008 and I started Last Friday and I checked it today...and I am in Moderate ketosis!! So don't go by the stix...sure it is a nice way to boost your focus to keep it in the purple but.....use other means of measuring your success too...the stix are not the be all end all of losing. Keep up the great work Karla!!!

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~Melissa~
sw-253
cw-244 (6-4-08)
Losing it 10 lbs at a time
1st mini goal ~ 240 (4 more to go)