I've been on Atkins 1 week. So's my husband ~ He's almost to the purple top! I'm either at trace or small. A few days ago I was at intermediate. The only thing I've been doing differently than him is drinking 1-2 diet cokes, caffeine-free per day for 3 days now, and one day had 5 oz of cheese instead of 4. I'm doing very well on water intake. I am on Hormones, I've been bleeding heavily and I gave blood on the 27th. Could all this have stopped ketosis?

Susan, if you're registering anything other than negative (i.e. trace/small/moderate whatever!) you're in ketosis. The colour is simply an indication of how diluted your system is; more hydration = lighter colour. Your husband, with the darker colour, may not be drinking enough water. You need the water to hydrate your body and flush out the toxins (including the fat).

Do not let the colour of those little stix control your life; they are not a very good indication of fat burning. When you test, what you've eaten, how much you've been drinking and if you've exercised will all effect the colour you can pee.

HTH,
Nat

Thanks, Nat ~ You've relieved my mind! Jim has been drinking 8+ glasses/day ~ he's also running ~ I start back to Curves for Women on Wednesday ~ let's see how exercising does me better!
Susan
PS: If it's appropriate, what does HTH mean?

*lol* Sorry, Susan. "HTH" had me confused for a while too! "Hope That Helps"

HTH!
Nat

hi Susan,

If you click on Low Carb Tips from the orange menu bar at the top of every page, you'll find a list of helpful articles. At the bottom of that list, you'll see Low Carb Lingo, which is a listing of common abbreviations and acronyms that you'll often find used on our message board, and other lowcarb groups around the web. Took me ages to figure out what was DANDR

Doreen

Thanks, Doreen for your direction ~ I'm off to the tips now ~ FYI, I'm one generation away from being an Ontario citizen! Grew up in the Detroit area! Stay warm y'all! ~ Susan

Do different brands of ketostix work differently? Mine won't turn purple either...it always says trace of 40 mg...
Do you thing vitamins affect the test strip? I drink lots of water too. Also...someone said that exercise affects the color too...does that mean exercise makes them darker...or lack of exercise? I'm curious.