Ketostix Results Throughout Day

(Nick) #1

I’ve been on keto for a month now and have struggled to pee positive throughout the day. Most days, I will wake up and pee trace amounts; negative after lunch; and above moderate at night before I go to sleep. I’ve read numerous things about the ketostix and they’re similar to a pregnancy test (positive or negative), so I don’t put much stock into the color (even though my blood testing meter reveals exactly what the pee strip told me). I’m mainly concerned that I’m completely negative at some points in the day I’m not sure what that means for my body. It should at least show trace amounts throughout the day, no?
Is it possible to swing in and out of ketosis throughout the day? What does this mean towards my goal of fat adaptation?

#2

My advice is to toss them because they’re useless. The longer you’re on Keto, the more trace they’ll show, because they can only measure excess ketones. So don’t worry about it.

(Nick) #3

Well I have measured my blood ketones after having a negative result with the pee stick. It showed .01. I know a lot of people say they’re useless but it always matches my blood levels sooo

(mole person) #4

Don’t worry about it, it’s completely normal. I generally only show any color after about 2 p.m. in the afternoon, and even then it’s very low. As you’ve said, by the evening it’s much darker.

Also, I’ve been in ketosis for almost 2 years and my pee stix still show purple every single day that I’m compliant.

#5

Those things are notoriously inaccurate but if you treat them as you say like a pregnancy test, positive or negative and don’t rely on numbers per se then that could be useful Information.

Generally for most people after a few weeks those sticks stop reading anything at all but I know for some people they continue. Maybe something changed there for you?

In my case my blood analyzer started reading near zero. To my great surprise changing the brand of yoghurt pulled that stunt. If I wasn’t measuring my blood I would not have known I had no way other symptoms (except I gained 2 pounds a week and blurry Vision).

So my thoughts are check. then triple check everything you’re eating rightly or wrongly I’m thinking you have hidden carbs in your system somewhere somehow. That’s just my guess

#6

YUP! Many of us do, even when we’re eating right. If you’re not eating the carbs, awake, and not falling on your face, your getting the energy from something right? If you KNOW it’s not hidden carbs than don’t worry about it. Feel free to slap up a day or two’s eating if you’re iffy on that but ketone levels don’t correlate to weight loss and with few exceptions tracking them is more or less pointless. I always have low ketones, very rarely when I used to test did I even hit 1.0 unless I was fasting, lost 100lbs like that, don’t overthink it.

#7

Oops I meant to talk about this point too.

I have found a research paper that measures throughout the day yes the numbers go up and down the highest point is 3 am and I think first thing in the morning?

I use a blood analzyer at 7 am and 8 pm. I was accidentally knocked out of keto twice due to experimentation with various food so I find it handy to measure

(Nick) #8

Thanks for all the responses! It is possible that I am exceeding my carb limit. I eat A LOT of brussel sprouts and also made my own preworkout with beta alanine, l-citrulline, creatine, and a caffeine pill. Besides the preworkout, the only way I would be going over on carbs is the amount of vegetables I eat.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #9

Ketostix and blood testing only lead to anxiety. If there’s nothing in your preworkout that’s carby or insulinogenic, then it’s most likely not Brussels sprouts.

It’s just the flow. It’ll change when you’re fully adapted.