Ketosis and Ketone Strips on Atkins

I am on my third day of Atkins and have been following the diet strictly. I bought ketone strips today and took my first reading and I came up negative. I have lost a pound a day so far but am worried I am not in ketosis. Am I doing something wrong? I am staying at 20 net carbs daily and am drinking plenty of water.

Hi Sam, 20 nc daily is important, but then so it the ratio of protein, fat, and carbs in your diet, as well as how many of your nc are coming from veggies. Without seeing your diet calendar, I can't really asy if you aren't eating the rigth things, but it is also possible that your body wasn't showing ketosis or not yet, or that the ketone strips just weren't correct. I've seen in several places that they are more of a guideline than an actual "for sure" way of knowing if you are in ketosis or not. Some people say the way they tell they are in ketosis is whether or not they are hungry (i.e. lack of hunger= burning fat for energy= ketosis)

Ketosis happens on second or third day of carb restriction (20-30 net carbs daily). How much you drink will affect the amount of ketones in your urine. If you drink large quantities of water, it's likely the urine is too watered down to show the true level of ketones you're peeing out. If your breath is bad in the morning or you have a metallic or copper taste, then you know ketones are coming through more than just urine.

It wasn't until the 4th day and the strips are a dark purple now for me.