The basic tenet of the Atkins diet is that a state of ketosis helps burn fat deposits its energy. Many people, including those on the low carbohydrate diet, I do not quite understand why it works and ketosis. Most are subsistence allowances reducing calories. They help you lose weight, but some of the weight is fat and some is from lean muscle tissue. While you may have lower on the scale, their metabolism is slower. The more muscle you lose the slower metabolism. This makes it harder to lose weight and gaining weight again even simpler.

The Atkins diet, on the other hand, is restrictive in carbohydrates. It creates a state of ketosis on his body that only burns fat and not muscle. The main source of energy for your body fat in the form of ketones. His liver became fat and ketones can not be turned back. It is excreted naturally.

Ketones are normally effective and efficient source of energy for the human body. They are created in the liver from fatty acids resulting from the distribution of body fat. They appear only when there is an absence of glucose and sugar. In the Atkins plan, you reduce the amount of glucose and sugar that is found in the bloodstream. Therefore, your body produces ketones for fuel. When your body is creating ketones, it is called ketosis. There is a common misconception that the continuation of a diet like Atkins ketogenic is dangerous. The truth is that being in ketosis is a completely natural state. The human body creates ketones to use as fuel in the absence of glucose.

The Atkins diet book, Dr. Atkins suggests the use of ketone test strips to determine their state of ketosis during a diet. These small plastic strips will be held at the flow of urine and contain a pad chemically treated absorption. This pad will change color if they are present ketones in the urine. With the presence of ketones, the band is going to change various shades of pink to purple. There are a range of colour on the label of the bottle to help determine their levels of ketones.

Ketone strips are available at any pharmacy and is among the diabetic supplies. In some stores, they are kept behind the counter so you may have to ask for them. You will not need a prescription to buy them though. Once you open a packet of strips of ketosis which have a shelf life of 6 months. It may be useful to mark the opening of the box.

Ketone strips will let you know if you are progressing correctly on the Atkins diet. If you are following the Induction plan to the letter and aren't seeing purple, don't worry. Some people never show trace amounts of ketones or they may show just above the minimum line. As long as you are losing weight and inches then you are successfully using ketones. Also, if you've just exercised a few hours before using the strips, you may not see purple. Some dieters may mistakenly believe that a dark purple result on the testing strips means that they are losing weight faster. Actually, the darkest purple color is a sign of dehydration. It means that your urine is too concentrated and you need to drink water.

Ketones come from fat in the bloodstream, whether it is fat that you eat or fat that you burn. So if you eat a meal heavy in fat and then immediately use a testing strip, then you'll see a dark purple result. Use the strips as a guide, but don't get hung up on the color. Reaching a state of ketosis is key to success on the Atkins diet and it as simple as eliminating carbohydrates from the diet. Make sure to follow the eating plan correctly and use the ketone testing strips as needed.