It depends on HOW you're determining whether or not you're in ketosis. If you depend on the strips, ANY change of color means ketosis... you are or you aren't, it's not a matter of degree by the color. Actually, the darker colors sometimes mean you're slightly dehydrated!

Go way to the top of the page, where the green bar is, and click on "tips". It should lead you to where you can find a GREAT article explaining ketones and the test strips in great detail.

Its like getting pregnant, you either are or you are not. You can't be slightly. Ketones is a by product of you burning fats for fuel. Your body is either buring carbs or reverted to the fat burning process.

What potatofree want you to understand is that the strips are not alway the best way to know if you are in ketosis. They are affected by different things, how much you drink, when you last ate, exercise. Dr. Atkins himself said, "if you are losing weight, you are in ketosis."

Cucu-- you'll learn to trust yourself and it will become second nature. Just follow the plan, make sure to get your vegetables (they help a LOT!) and you'll be fine!

Lose the ketostix.

First of all, how much water you drink DOES affect the color of the strips (coming from someone who would check my urine for ketones every time I went to the bathroom)! The Atkins website says otherwise, but I really feel like it is untrue. So if any color shows, there are ketones present. Ketones are also excreted through your skin I think and definitely through your breath.

Also, I noticed that when I ate any really high fat meal (at first I assumed it was just buffalo wings) the next morning my strips were dark. Then on another day, I would eat a lower fat meal (same number of carbs and daily activity) and my strip the next morning would be light or have no color. I really think that if it shows up dark, either your burning a huge amount of body fat (if you have a lot to lose), but if you do not, like me, then your strips turning dark are mainly indicative of burning dietary fat. Or you're possible dehydrated.

I was also informed that if you are consuming too many calories but are still eating low carb, you might show a dark strip but be gaining weight.

I think that people are right when they say to not use ketostix, not to weigh yourself, and just go by how your clothes fit and what your measurements are.

thanks everyone, I am totally relax now about the subject, wow was I so stress about all the details, thanks... I will just wait and see how I do, next week will be a month I started and it will be a good time to weight myself and see how I did in my first month.. thanks.

Cucu, I think what you're seeing with the strips getting lighter is your body becoming more efficient at using ketones for fuel and therefore there are less to "waste" through your urine.
Don't stress about the color of those little strips. If you are losing weight and/or inches, you're doing just fine.

The other thing to remember is that those strips ARE NOT VERY ACCURATE. So don't take them as "the truth". Your ketone level changes during the day, depending on what you ate last, when you ate and how much physical work you are doing.

Besides, more ketones leave by breathing than any other way. Second laregest way of losing them is the intestines. But testing those involves 1) a large expensive testing machine for the breath or 2) is messy. So don't put a lot of reliance on the numbers they do or do not show. ANY is good. And even NONE may be inaccurate.

Losing inches or pounds IS your best measure. And that is free.