Ketone Sticks....What colours Mean!

Ketone Sticks (Ketostix) - What the colours mean

When I bought my Ketone Strips recently, I was provided with a leaflet explaining about Ketosis and the different colours. I thought I would share as I know there has been some confusion...

Ketone Strips are used for Urinalysis of Ketones (Acetoacetic Acid). Ketostix provides a fast, convenient way of testing urine for the presence and concentration of Ketones.

1) A colour change means you are excreting ketones, burning fat and are in Ketosis but it is wise to remember that it is possible to be in Ketosis and NOT lose or even to gain weight. While a positive test means you are burning fat as your promary fuel it does not necessarily mean you are losing weight..

2) The degree of colour chage is NOT important with respect to identifying ketosis - you are either in ketosis or not, the sticks do not accurately measure degree in all people. Different people get different colours and this is completely unrelated to either their degree of weightloss or their adherance to the plan.

3) No colour change does not necessarily mean you are not in ketosis. Some people never see a change. No change just means that the sticks are detecting none of the specific ketones for which it checks in the Urine.

4) A dark colour many indicate that you are dehydrated however, a dark colour may just be normal for you. If you are drinking enough water and it is still dark, do not overload on water as it is probably your normal colour and too much water can be harmful. 

So in Summary:

You are either in Ketosis or not - it does not matter what the colours say..

Dark colours are not dangerous but could indicate you are dehydrated, but if you know ure taking enough water...do not overload.

As long as the stick is showing any colour of pink, you are in Ketosis.

Also, it is worth remembering that not eveyone has side effects when getting into ketosis..many people enter ketosis after day 1 and are unaware!

So being in ketosis simply means that you're burning your fat stores and using them as the source of fuel they were meant to be.  This is where the test strips come in... While they are in no way necessary to the diet, most of us feel more secure with a way to test to know if we are in ketosis at any given time and at what level. The test strips provide a quick and private way to determine that. Simply dip the reagent end of the strip into a urine specimen (collected in a clean cup) and remove immediately. Or alternatively, (the method most of us prefer) — wet reagent area of the strip by passing through the urine stream. Tap edge of strip to remove excess liquid and check color within 10-15 seconds against the color chart provided on all test strip brands' bottles. A beige or cream color indicates NO KETOSIS detected. Any shade of pink/purple indicates some level of ketones in the urine. Some people get very hung up on the fact that their friend's/husband's/daughter's etc strip shows a darker color all the time, etc. We are all different. Some of us lose better (and feel better) at lighter or darker levels. You'll soon learn what feels right for you.

What if your sticks don't "turn"?
A negative result does not always mean you're not in ketosis. If you're keeping your carbs below a certain level (different for different people, but the 20 to 40 carbs per day range is a safe bet), you're probably in ketosis. Some people use their ketones more efficiently, and indeed make fewer of them, hence their lack of "spill" into the urine.

Keep in mind, though, that it's possible to keep your actual carb count low (say at around 30 grams), and still side-step ketosis. The culprits? Most often it's from eating foods that contain even a small amount of "High Fructose Corn Syrup" (HFCS), which can cause a strong insulin spike and halt fat burning. HFCS is far more destructive to your health and your weight loss than regular sugar.