I used the Ketostix initially when I started on the Atkins diet induction phase and they showed me that i was
producing ketones and excreting them as waste in my urine but not actually burning them. As soon as I started burning them they very quickly stopped showing up in my wee, which completely "confuddled" me until I did my homework.
You can get dual function glucose monitors which will take both ketone and glucose readings, using different test strips: the ketone strips are very expensive. but also very accurate. (These are the method that insulin dependent diabetics would use to check their ketone levels - e.g. for signs of ketoacidosis.)
What I ended up with was a ketone breathalyser - the Ketonicx - which in its early version used a basic traffic lights colour code to indicate no, low, medium or high levels of
nutritional ketosis, but is not suitable for checking very high (DKA)ketone levels. It's now a lot more sophisticated and a lot more expensive, but still a on-off cost. You can also get similar but very much cheaper breathalysers for checking alcohol levels and AFAIK these can also be used for checking ketone levels. I believe
@bulkbiker may use one of these?
Once you've eaten low enough carbs for long enough, your body makes a chemical change in the way it handles its fuel - i.e. it's now fat or keto adapted, and burns both carbs and nutritional
and stored fats. ( The difference being that on a high carb diet, any surplus fuel from carbs can be stored but
can't be retrieved and used.) Once you are adapted, AFAIK you don't actually have to be in ketosis, you've just got a more efficient (dual) fuel handling system working for you. Our body will now first use any carbs and nutritional fats, and then if required will also start to burn its stored/body fat. So, losing, maintaining and gaining weight is still a balancing act, depending on whether you eat too little, enough, or too much food for you energy requirements.
Robbity
More tweaks on the diet perhaps?
