Do the Keto pee strips work? Or the Keto supplements?

(Vicky Atwood) #1

Hi. I’m looking for what has worked people! I’m thinking about trying the strips that tell me when I’m getting closer to entering ketosis or maybe the supplements I have heard helped some people. Intake?

(Empress of the Unexpected) #2

No need to take keto supplements, you want your body to produce ketones. The strips only work in the very beginning, if at all. If you want to measure buy a blood monitor. But measuring is not necessary.

(Carl Keller) #3

Hello Vicky and welcome.

The pee strips will answer the question “Am I in ketosis?” but will not provide an accurate measure of blood ketones. It’s basically as good as a urine pregnancy test. They will tell you, yes or no, you are or aren’t pregnant, but they cannot accurately tell you how pregnant you are…

There are blood ketone meters (most accurate) and breath ketone meters (more accurate than pee strips) but all of that isn’t real necessary for casual keto.

(Running from stupidity) #4

Yes, it’s about PRODUCING ketones, not showing them on a piss strip by eating them.

Yup, a much better use of money for this purpose.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #5

I have never used either and don’t think it’s necessary. If you’re not eating carbs or sugar over 20g. a day you should be there in a week. I knew when the withdrawal symptoms stopped I had turned a corner.

(Vicky Atwood) #6

David, but shouldn’t you start losing weight in that one week? I don’t and it’s bothering me

(Lazy, Dirty Keto 😝) #7

http://pwop.com/download/TheKetogenicDietInANutshell.pdf

(Empress of the Unexpected) #8

It took me about a month to lose water weight. And the beginning of the actual fat weight dropped off around four months. I’m eight months in and still losing. Keto is a long term project. Keto is about healing.

(Kay baker) #9

I personally will not touch supplements except for Magnesium, Multi Vitamin and Fish Oil daily.

I do think that far too many companies (and health professionals) are getting on the Keto band waggon to make a profit on products that are somewhat dubious even though some of the books I do acknowledge, but only if the info in them is science based.

I think the pee strips are great. Why wouldnt they be, after all they are a medical tool with which diabetics measure their ketone levels. I also have a Blood Ketone Meter which is very accurate but quite expensive. I rarely use the Ketone Meter (because of the expensive strips) so choose the pee test
without thinking of the cost. I hope this helped…

(Running from stupidity) #10

Because if you’re not diabetic, it’s an entirely different playing field.

(John) #11

The urine test strips have always registered dark purple (“80” level, whatever that is) for me since week 1. I rarely test with them now. They were cheap ($12 for a tube of 50). Apparently they show results for some people and not for others. I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic.

The only value for me was to make sure I was in fact producing ketones. My carb intake is low enough. my protein intake is not extreme, and I never have cheat meals or days, so there is no way my body is NOT burning fat for fuel.

Regarding supplements - I take a magnesium supplement, vitamin D, and a B-complex vitamin most days. I occasionally add lite salt (potassium + sodium) to a glass of water.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #12

Stay away from supplements.
First of all, there’s a difference between nutritional ketosis or ketogenesis (the creation of ketone bodies in the liver by following the keto diet) and ketonaemia (the presence of ketone bodies in the blood). Taking EK promotes ketonaemia, not nutritional ketosis.

So when people say “drink this stuff and you’ll be in ketosis”, what they really say is that after you drink EK and measure your blood ketone level after an hour or so, you will see the presence of ketones. However, it doesn’t guarantee that you are in nutritional ketosis and stay there.

It doesnt teach your body at all how to use these ketones to reach fat adaption.
It’s a gimmick.

Pee strips are notoriously inaccurate also and can do as much as tell you how dehydrated you are.

Want to ensure you’re in ketosis? Eat less than 20g of carbs per day.

#13

Not sure what y’all consider supplements in this thread? Supplements that produce exogenous ketones or just supplements in general?

As for regular ones I take a big daily handful of supplements. But while doing an extended fast I limit them to a precious few.