1. I don't know what "5" means -- my ketostixs turn pink to purple when I'm in ketosis.

2. Don't worry about what the ketostix say. They're kinda useful in the beginning, if you're like me and have a lot of painful side effects while your body adjusts, because you can easily track how sick you feel with how deeply you're in ketosis, and you learn that if you're really nauseated & weak, you can just eat some carbs.

Bu the ketostix do NOT closely track weight loss. Many many people reach their desired weight without being in ketosis for mor than the first two weeks.

3. Yes, ketostix expire after teh posted date on the label or if exposed to moisture. They will stop registering ketones. I once did a comparison with some old ketostix and new ones and was shocked at the difference.

Bayrat: You are in ketosis even at trace. It is like being pregnant. Either you are or you aren't. Being in deep purple doesn't mean you are burning more fat...you could be dehydrated and need to drink more water. I drink loads of water and stay between a trace an .05. H doesn't drink his recommended 64 oz a day and stays in purple. Dr. A recommends testing at night at the same time.

Vpeach: Moisture of some kind may have gotten in the bottle. Be very, very careful about keeping an open bottle away from humidity. Take the stick out and then close the bottle before you use the stick, but don't let the stick touch anything wet. Only ketones could have turned the sticks dark purple. Water would keep them looking negative. (I am pretty sure this is right...if not, could someone correct me.)

K..so that means I shouldn't keep the bottle in the bathroom....Oh well...my next bottle of ketostix will go in my desk drawer at home...

The druggist blew the dust off of the box I bought, only one they had. Expiration date 2006.

K..so it must have been the moisture..cuz mine is 8/05....and I didn't know if that meant August 5th or 2005..must have been 2005...

Bayrat & Vpeach: Go to hot links:

Active Low-Carber Forums > Main Low-Carb Diets Forums & Support > Introduction: New Members & Low-Carbers > Newbies' Questions > Hot Links! and scroll down to the Link for the information on ketosis, how to read the sticks, how to keep them without contamination and, for you Bayrat, there is also a thread on the breath issue you have. Lots of good info here, and more accurate than I could be trying to restate it all!

Alright! I went up to 154 after my carb day and period..but I jumped on Bob today(thats my scale..lol) and it said 152.5...yay...hopefully it'll be lower than that on monday! I was at 154 when I did the carb day.

I've lost 8 lb doing "faux" Atkins. Haven't had pasta for a few weeks; still have a few pieces of bread a week, a potato now and then, chocolate bars, dessert, corn, fruit, juice, very frequently. Just can't bring myself to do "induction". (I'm totally addicted to sugar). However, if I know that I can pig out on carbs once every couple of weeks, I may be able to talk myself into it.

I did read the New Atkins book, and am re-reading it so more of it will sink in. I seem to recall Atkins said it wasn't a good idea to "fall off the wagon" as it makes it harder to keep the weight off if you do "fall off" regularly. Would once every couple of weeks be considered regularly??

A few cheats a year is a cheat....a few cheats a month is a habit. That's just my opinion, of course. I tried to cheat once and I could definitely see a habit forming...... so I stopped.

figjam, I really urge you to give Atkins just two weeks of your life. I promise you -- two weeks on induction and the sugar cravings will pass. Seriously. That is the magic of induction.

I can tell you that I used to go to Overeaters Anonymous meeting regularly. I thought I needed a "Higher Power" and the 12 Steps to keep me from compulsively overeating. And that program DOES work if you work it, as they like to say.

But I find Atkins is easier: after induction, I no longer need sugar or starch, and without those foods spiking my blood sugar and making me hungry, I no longer feel compelled to overeat. It's magic. I don't need to pray, or go to meetings, or do service, or work the steps. I just need to eliminate the trigger foods entirely and I'm free. Or at least, have been free for about 3 months now. We'll see if it lasts, I guess.

Isn't that amazing? I thought there was something wrong with me spiritually, emotionally, etc. I thought I needed a closer connection to God. But all I needed was a few very strict weeks of 20 g of carbs per day.

Induction itself can be hard -- I remember thinking it was brutal. But it's two weeks out of your life and it could free you from sugar-aholism permanently.

I have heard about cheating one day and then going back on Atkins. On the Atkins web site it says to NOT do this ever because you can really mess up your body and it's dangerous. It's one thing to do the induction the first time but the website says doing this over and over again can really hurt your body. Besides I have never cheated on this diet and never will. When I did induction I though I had a severe flu for the first 3 days and I'm never going through it again!

i just read that also..now i'm starting to rethink the whole refeed thing is a bad idea....

I've not been losing weight for a little over 2 weeks. I ate a bunch of "regular" snacks a couple of days ago. Then had an LC shake with frozen fruit and flaxseed the next day. The day after that I enjoyed a fresh pear.

Much to my suprise the scale started to move again. I broke my barrier of 234.