Keto Sticks Legit?

(Davy) #1

I’m 9th day into doing Keto. Dropped 5 lbs the first 5 days. Day 7 dropped another 2 lbs…so got and used my newly acquired Keto Sticks. Nothing. Same light pink as pulling it outta the box. I figured I was in full Ketosis. Have been taking MCT oil too, 2 tbsp. a day. Day 9, down another 1 lb. So total of 8 lbs down. Was quite pleased, so tried the Keto stick again. Same thing, nothing, same beginning pink.
What’s the Science? Are these keto sticks not at all reliable? I’m fixin to throw’em away and just enjoy my fat/weight losing.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #2

What are keto sticks? Do you mean the pee sticks? I have never tested for ketones in any way. Or tested anything else. But I have heard the pee sticks can go bad if they aren’t properly stored. Maybe you got a bad box?

#3
(Susan) #4

I have been on Keto since February and I have never bought or used any products to test, and I have lost 57 pounds so far, so it is working, and that is all that matters! Congrats on your progress so far, and best wishes for the rest of your Keto journey.

(Joey) #5

As noted above by @OgreZed, the shortcomings of using urine test strips is well-documented. And even when they work at all (i.e., not beyond the “use by” date), they don’t usually work for any particular individual who is staying on a low-carb diet for very long - as no doubt you are, given your results.

In short: your body - as it adapts to the lack of carbs and starts metabolizing fat for its energy - becomes more efficient in utilizing ketones and stops “wasting” them (literally, as in, through your urine waste).

Therefore, under the best of circumstances, urine strips are a short-lived method of testing for “excess” ketones … since your body stops flushing out excess ketones after a transitional adaptation period.

Personally, I never used “pee sticks” either. For testing I bought a KetoMojo blood test kit … which still runs about $1 per keto test. It also performs blood glucose tests; the glucose test strips are about 1/10th of that cost per test.

But now, after almost 6 months of diligent low-carb eating, the need (and interest) in testing fades a good bit. Currently, it’s something I do roughly once per week - mostly out of habit/curiosity - unless I’m testing for a particular food reaction. In that case, it’s more about the glucose response (to infer insulin reaction) than it is about ketones anyhow. As such, I don’t always spend the $1 for a ketone result.

Now in your situation: Sounds like you’re doing GREAT! Congratulations.

If you’re losing weight, especially around the middle… if you’re feeling better… and you’re not eating all those extraneous carbs (e.g., sticking to roughly 20g/day for now) then you MUST be well into ketosis … otherwise you’d be on a stretcher. :thinking: In other words, you must be getting your energy from somewhere, right? :grin:

Keep up your wonderful progress and enjoy the path ahead!