Ok my keto stix are always in trace or in between trace and small,my question is.As long as it shows something I am in ketosis correct?Like I cant be slightly in ketosis its either you are or you arent correct?Also Ive heard people talk about stalling on losing weight is this due to being out of ketosis or can you stall losing fat even when in ketosis if your eating bellow maintenance calories?

I think it's the same thing as being 'kinda pregnant' you either are or you aren't there is no 'kinda' about it. So I would think that if your keto stix shows trace amounts then you are staying in ketosis.

I'm not sure about the stalling in ketosis, I feel like I'm on a never ending stall so I'm the wrong one to ask.

Thats a great question because i am doing pertty much the same, i am in deep ketosis, so far so good losing steady.

Would be great to have some update on this.

Any color change on the ketone test strips indicates you are excreting ketones in your urine.
What does that mean?
It means that your body is burning fat for fuel. What the ketone test strips can't tell you is whether that fuel is from the fat you ate for lunch or your own body fat.
Folks...the strips are a tool and a not terribly reliable one at that. A better test of how you're doing is this: are you losing weight or inches? If the answer to either is 'yes', then you're doing fine whether the strips turn color or not.

Best time to test with the ketostix is in the morning.

I guess that for some being in ketosis means nothing and there is still some plateau that can happen, or some people just dont lose nothing in ketosis.

A little more to add to that.... you can show deep ketosis on the ketostix if you are dehydrated as well. Showing that you are slightly in ketosis means you are in ketosis.

I am always in the middle cause i drink so much water, and i do go to the bathroom often.

I have been told that its not very good to be really really deep dark ketosis.

I reach that in the morning.

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Humm ... for me its darker pink at night NEG in the a.m. In the book DADR he says most people show in the evenings. Do you drink much water in the evenings-- I always need to make a head call in the middle of the night

You can also show dark purple on the ketone test strips after you've been drinking due to the breakdown of the alcohol.

I always do too,mine shows most in the evenings too after dinner,probably because in the morning I go to the gym and do 45 min of lifting and an hour of cardio after.

Yes i drink a lot of water, nothing else.

Ketostix don't measure all types of ketones produced by your body. Although there are 3 types of ketones (acetone, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate), they only measure acetoacetate. Depending on how long you have been in ketosis, your body produces different types and amounts of ketones and you may not be able to detect acetoacetate when keto-adapted. For more details, check out this post at Ketopia.com.

As you become keto-adapted (3-4 weeks), you will excrete less ketone bodies via urine. This means that you may show high blood ketones and low or none urine ketones.

Also, changes in hydration affect the concentration of ketones. A high water intake may dilute the concentration of ketones in the urine. Because it's important to stay hydrated, you will likely see lower readings.

Other reasons (fluctuations that appear after waking up, after eating and post-workout)

That's a heck of a thread bump! Thanks trishazad

I find that I test a couple times a day because I have been cooking and eating such delicious food lately that I can hardly believe I could still be in ketosis. It's just a comfort thing to me, an actual indicator that I haven't messed up. I have been making lots of low carb bread, english muffins, crepes, and even carb free maple syrup ( erythritol, maple extract, water, and xanthan gum) and I need the reassurance that I am still doing ok because it seems to be too good to be true! Finding so many great recipes has made low carbing so much more intetesting and easier this time around.

LoL....I'm glad to see people taking health care seriously, and I enjoy these forums and blogs for inspiration.