Urine analysis

#1

OH I AM SO EXCITED
I am sitting here clutching my chocolate almond milk shake and I bought ketostix today and just checked. And it was this GORGEOUS shade of purple. Not deep dark purple, but it said moderate- 0.4. I think for a beginner on their first week- this is good isnt it? Or is it? Should it be darker? I thought maybe it just takes a while?
The stix also checks for sugars and I am happy to say I have none.

#2
#3

Well burst my bubble! But interesting to know. The thing is, I find it very hard to keep my carb level below 20. Usually i can get it below 26, but that’s about it for now. So of course, that worries me. I guess we are all different in our genetics and lifestyle, so maybe I will have to hit the scale one day to know if I am losing the weight or not. But thx- I needed to know this.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #4

They’re useful in that now you know you’re producing ketones. Perhaps it wouldn’t be as hard to shave off more carbs as you think. 25g can be quite a bit of vegetables and incidental dairy, egg meat sugars. :cowboy_hat_face:

#5

I really have to wrap my head around this upside down way of thinking. So I have to eat LESS veg. OH! Every diet in the world tells you to eat more veg. Isnt this amazing?

(Jane) #6

It is VERY helpful for newbies to get feedback and positive confirmation you are producing ketones since this way of eating is so different from standard “diets”.

And the 20 g is guaranteed to get 99.9% of the population into ketosis - many will produce ketones at higher level of carbs, so your 26 may be fine… or you may want to try and lower over time as your body gets used to running on ketones.

For many, the keto stix stop working over time as your body gets more efficient at producing and using ketones, since only the excess ketones not used and are wasted spill over into the urine and are measured by the stix. For me, they still work after 2 years and everyone is different so don’t get discouraged if down the road they stop turning purple - doesn’t mean you aren’t producing ketones.

#7

Most of the dark green veggies are low in carbs. I tend to eat broccoli, celery, bok choy, zucchini, spinach, kale, asparagus (love this!) and cabbage, but there are others.

I also try hard to stay under 20 carbs total, or very, very close to that each day. After that, I don’t worry much about what I eat. Just eat fatty beef, pork, chicken (not my favorite) and fish. I love salmon! I never go hungry unless I’m fasting and even then I don’t tend to feel hungry.

You are off to a good start! While this diet is easy, it is hard to unlearn all the “eat healthy” advice that is so prevalent out there! Most of that advice is garbage.

Remember, if you make a mistake, just make corrections and stick with it. You can only win on this way of eating! We all keep learning new things.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

If you stick to leafy greens and such cruciferous vegetables as broccoli and cauliflower, while avoiding sugar, grains, and starches, you can eat a fair amount of them and remain in ketosis.

Remember that the goal of a well-formulated ketogenic diet is to lower insulin levels and to promote fat-adaptation. Lowering carbohydrate is an effective way to achieve that goal. Carbohydrates are nothing more than glucose molecules chained together in various ways, and while the body can handle a certain amount of glucose, excess amounts—such as the level of intake recommended by the standard dietary advice—cause damage. Further damage is caused by the excessive amount of insulin required to drive excess glucose out of the bloodstream, so eating too much carbohydrate is a metabolic double-whammy.

As for the upper limit of carbohydrate intake one should stick to, that varies from person to person and also according to how insulin-resistant we are. A highly insulin-resistant person might need to eat almost no carbohydrate in order to get his or her insulin level to drop, whereas a person whose metabolism is less damaged would be able to eat a higher amount of carbohydrate without risking damage. As long as we stay below our personal threshold, however, we are safe. Bear in mind that the body has absolutely no need for carbohydrate in the diet at all; the liver can take amino acids (protein) and turn them into the small amount of glucose that the body actually requires.

On these forums, we recommend a carbohydrate limit of 20 g/day, because that works well for almost everyone. Dr. Westman and Dr. Phinney limit their patients to 30-50 grams of total carbohydrate (including fibre), because this ensures that their net intake will remain around 20 g/day. The point is that if our carbohydrate intake is low enough to allow our insulin level to drop, then our liver will start producing ketones and we will start to feel the benefits of nutritional ketosis. (Insulin is the primary inhibitor of ketogenesis in the liver.) If you are making enough ketone bodies for some to start showing up in your urine or breath, then you are definitely in ketosis.

#9

Oh gosh. I just made a duck in the oven on a bed of broccoli and cauliflower. I like to let the fat of the bird run into the veggies underneath for taste. And this is the first time I have made a fatty duck instead of chicken …and oh man! The fat is so tasty. So I had a few spoonfuls of the “gravy” ( ie fat mixed with spices from the duck) eating it like soup. It is just so hard to believe that this is alright to do?!! ALL my life i was told to remove the skin off the chicken and eating duck fat is deadly. I can’t believe I just ate 3 tbsps of basically fat and its OK?!

#10

The other day I bought some sauerkraut at a health store. It said no carbs so I think I am alright. It has such a lovely sour taste to it. And I ate it with a slice of salmon I fried in a pan. It was SO good together. All of this food is so delicious, and i feel so satiated.

(Chris) #11

We’re all different, but I don’t even count carbs in kale, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, & similar. mostly fiber anyway… I’ll count berries, cucumber, winter squash, cherry tomatoes, etc. Really depends on what it is but in general leafy greens & cruciferous I consider as “free” towards my carbs for the day.

“They make my carbs too high” is a poor excuse to not eat them :slight_smile:

#12

LOL you just reminded me that I bought Brussels sprouts yesterday. I am going to put them in the duck “jus” and bake them tomorrow with the leftovers. Right now I feel so full I could burst. Might just skip all meals for the rest of the day…
Yes- I have to see what works for me. I just started 3-4 days ago, and cannot imagine that I am going to lose weight this way. But I think things like veg and dairy are the tools with which to make diversity in meals. And there is nothing more deadly than eating the same thing every day. So keto becomes more doable with all the variety one can incorporate into meals. I was supposed to take out dairy for the first 4 weeks I was told, if I wanted to get into ketosis quickly. I simply need dairy or veg to make the meals interesting. Otherwise its just fry this meat and fry that. Or like a salad- I cannot eat a salad every day with just oil and vinegar. Sometimes I need a ceasar salad instead to break up the monotony. Monotony is the death of every form of eating, in my book - meaning that it could be a trigger to fall off the wagon.

(Chris) #13

I think it depends on “dairy”… big difference in heavy whipping cream (all fat) vs glass of milk @ 11g sugar.

Have to be away from desk for a while but can put up my super easy Brussels sprouts in heavy cream sauce later. Good & easy to make…

#14

and to think I used to drink skim milk.
Yes- I know that the fattier the better now.
GLAD to see your Brussels sprouts recipe!

(Jane) #15

If you havent seen this monster thread… take a peek. I agree with the monotony being bad. This thread gives me great ideas to try that I hadn’t thought of and some good substitutions for higher carb foods.

#16

of course I love a steak. Chicken and salmon too. I guess I just cant keep with the same old same old preparation every day. I have to jazz it up a bit from time to time. I have actually bought a few keto cook books- I decided if I am going to put in EFFORT which is needed to lose weight, then it will be in the kitchen and not the gym.
I will check out the link. Thx

#17

I agree that the other veggies are fine in moderation. But since I tend to eat a lot of veggies, I do need to keep track. :blush: Berries are nice too, on occasion!

(Chris) #18

So try this…I do for Brussels sprouts, but really is fine for whatever veggie.

Prep fresh sprouts as normal (remove yellowing outer leaves, cut off base, halve or quarter the sprout)

Saute in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat (higher is fine, just can do the sauce at same time on med since requires less attention). Stir/move around the pan often to get a good golden brown - should look like roasted when done.

Cream sauce…

2 tbsp cream cheese left out to get to room temp
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
2 tsp lemon juice

Whisk all that together. Now season it as it’s pretty bland, but that is the base heavy cream sauce. Season to match remainder of meal or just what you like. I do a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of cayenne.

About 1 min before veggies done sauteing, stir in the cream sauce. Let it pick up the left over olive oil & bits of veggies.

That simple & it’s very good. Only prep is processing the Brussels sprouts. Half Brussels, half broccoli florets is good. Simpler is Broccoli + cauliflower florets since no time prepping fresh sprouts. If you’re like me & spouse is NOT keto, you can leave the heavy cream sauce on side so they aren’t taking in all those fat calories for no good reason.

Example meal would be 2 cups mixed Brussels sprouts & broccoli florets with cream sauce, 4 oz roasted salmon, & handful (1oz) almonds. About 600 cal, 75% fat/19% protein/6% carbs (using net carbs for the broccoli & Brussels). I’m a ~200 lbs guy & would feel pretty full on that.

(Bob M) #19

OK, I’m about 200 pounds (less now, as I’m fasting :wink:), but I would be starving after that. I can easily – EASILY – eat one pound of ribeye, about 1,200 calories at a sitting. We made a 5+ pound leg of lamb this weekend, and it was basically gone after a 70+ year old woman, my wife, my 12 YO, my 9 YO, and I ate. I’m sure I ate over a pound of lamb. I had 4+ large pieces. And I ate much more than just the leg of lamb.

Am I the only glutton on this board?

#20

Recipe sounds great. Like the roasted browned look and it sounds delicious Thx. I guess that dab of lemon juice gives it a tang.
And also the fact that one can even BE a glutton and still lose weight. Its like a miracle. I sit here grinning from ear to ear because I am now in ketosis. I had a duck breast and the fatty “jus” with veggies and the veggies were unter the influence of melted blue cheese!! So yummy. I hope I am losing the weight and still find it hard to believe that this is possible.