Hi Steve,

I have never tested my ketone levels. I just meticulously followed
the instructions and after the 10 days started in with the cycling.
I knew it was working because my bodyfat decreased and all the other
positive effects of the plan kicked in.

Out of curiosity I will check out my ketone levels. However, I seem
to remember reading either in the book or in one of his online
articles Rob stating that the ketone levels as indicated by the
ketone indicator paper is not necesarily a good indication of
success in this program.

I'll look around to see where I read that from and will get a
message back here later.


Jim



--- In HormonalFitness@yahoogroups.com, "wrestlerbutter"
<dawrestla@...> wrote:
>
> I bought NHE on the advice of a friend, a swimmer in college, who
> swore that the diet/lifestyle change worked. I found the book to
be a
> fascinating read and I very much enjoy it. I've tried the
metabolic
> shift period of the diet several times, failing each time because
of
> cross-country travel due to work (eating on the road, on any kind
of
> structured diet, is difficult) or not being careful and getting
> nickeled and dimed to death by hidden carbs. The fact that food
> labels can advertise zero grams of carbs per serving when in
> actuality there is <1gram of carb is very misleading, and upon
> further research I've learned it has been my undoing several times
in
> my numerous attempts at the metabolic shift (drinking flavored
water
> or eating meat processed with sugars, for example).
>
> I read about the Atkin's diet, and learned Dr. Atkins recommends
> using Ketosis sticks to keep track of progress during the first
TWO
> weeks of the metabolic shift (as opposed to the NHE's one week).
On
> the Ketosis Sticks bottle, a color exists to help me track my
> progress, with categories that measure ketone elements in the
urine
> at None, Trace, Small, Moderate, and Large. As I'm sure you all
know,
> the more ketones in the urine, the more one is in a fat-burning
mode,
> where None and Large represent the two opposite extremes of the
fat-
> burning specturm.
>
> My first week during the metabolic shift, for the first time, I
was
> 100% certain that I was under 20grams of carbs per day. However,
on
> the morning of the 8th day the Ketones in my urine were still
> measured in the "Small" range, meaning my body was only a "little
> bit" in the fat burning state after following Rob's guidelines.
> According to the NHE plan, I should have been in a fat burning
state.
> So, I decided I'd do it for a second week - figuring maybe Dr.
Atkins
> was right about the length required to make the shift, and Rob was
> wrong. This morning marked the 15th day of me being absolutely
100%
> certain that I ingested less than 20grams of carbs per day, and I
> STILL was only in the "Small" range. What gives? I test every
morning
> when I wake up, and when I first did this 15 days ago - my ketone
> measure was "None" - so I've definitely made some progress.
>
> So, some questions for everyone, and I'd really appreciate some
> feedback. 1) Has anyone here used Ketosis sticks with the NHE
eating
> plan? If so, what were your results? 2) How can I benefit from the
> plan if my body never enters the fat burning mode? I don't
understand
> how it's possible to NOT be a fat-burner after 15 days of less
than
> 20 grams of carbs per day. Do I need to do a full week of NO
carbs?
> At what point do I dabble in "witch's brew", which Rob warns
against?
>
> And so you know, I do high e-intensity resistance training
> thrice/week and moderate volume/moderate e-intensity wind sprints
> twice/week.
>
> I'd really appreciate some feedback, everyone, as this is
incredibly
> frustrating. I've been trying for over a month to do the metabolic
U-
> turn. It didn't work initially because I wasn't careful and got
> nickeled and dimed to death by hidden carbs. Now, when I know I'm
not
> making that mistake anymore, my body simply doesn't want to make
the
> shift. I have the will and desire to succeed, but I don't know how
I
> could possibly fail this time.
>
> Thank you all,
> -Steve
>