I wonder why my old LL used to do sticks before any meeting... pee, then weigh, then group meeting. If we weren't in it is because we'd lapsed, so it did tie in. Everyone losing and sticking to the programme always had pink sticks, although obviously the shade showed up differing levels of ketones and hydration..... or so I thought!
There's lots of folk who don't get a pink stick, even if they don't lapse. Even on LL. I hear about them. I speak with them when they go into panic mode.
You seem to know what you're talking about but I still find them really comforting and they def follow when I'm in ketosis and when I'm not (when I did Atkins it suggested buying them for testing too).
There's a new Atkins book out as much of the research from Dr Atkins days is now outdated and much more is now known about ketosis etc.
They don't recommend the stix any more (I'm told) Neither do they make such a big deal of the ketosis thing.
I can understand you being reassured by the stix, but it's one of those things. Enjoy them if they are showing pink, don't worry if they aren't. Just be concerned with the diet itself. You can get a pink stick even if you lapse...means nothing really. The stix can't tell the difference between stored fat burning and dietary fat. If you lapse, the calories count whether in or out of ketosis. If you are of the Ketosis/hunger reducing benefits brigade you could test to see if you are hungry. Personally, I know if I'm hungry without peeing on a stick
and anyway, lots of people still get hungry moments in ketosis.
You can certainly be in ketosis and get a lovely shade of pink on the stix and gain fat, but that's to do with having too many calories rather than anything to do with ketosis.
The main benefit of ketosis on a diet such as Exante/CWP/LL/LP is the pleasant side effects (for most). Many believe it reduces hunger and cravings (though this is being debated at the moment), the euphoria that some have etc. The fat burning is happening anyway regardless of ketosis as you are in such a calorie deficit. Ketosis also helps reduce the possibility of lean mass loss, but mainly if protein isn't set high enough. It should be even for these VLCDs.
I like my ketone tests
Lol xx
Fair enough...just don't panic if they don't change colour
It can be like the scales you know. Sometimes we burn fat, yet the scales stay the same because of other things that happen with body composition. It's disheartening, and misleading and can throw people off the diet. But fat is still being burnt because you are in such a deficit.
Scales are great when the results are confirming the effort you are putting in, otherwise just got to focus on the diet anyway.
Same with stix. Fab if you get a pink one to confirm that you've stuck to the diet and fat is going like it should, but it wont always confirm it and isn't a direct indicator of whether you've got away with anything
