2.5 mo. & still not fat adapted, but its ok and here is why


(Carol O'Carroll) #27

Basically Low carb high fat or the keto diet fixes fatty liver.
Your body fights very hard to make itself better. The best thing you can do is to be consistent and keep the carbs low.
Once the liver fixes, your mood will improve because your body is functioning properly.
LCHF fixes it by reversing what made it sick in the first place. The liver processes the glucose and fructose from the crappy carbohydrate foods. Eventually the liver becomes overloaded and unable to work as it should.
This is the non-alcoholic sort of fatty liver. If you haven’t consistently over done the alcohol, then you have NAFLD or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Link below to a study by Dr David Unwin who uses the low carb diet to treat diabetes as well as fatty liver.

Dr Unwin’s study in England is small, but very heartening…

http://vernerwheelock.com/198-more-good-work-from-dr-david-unwin/

Keep calm and keto on!


(Carol O'Carroll) #28

Hi,
exercise can raise the glucose level in your blood. Go have a look at the work of Dave keto

He explains more about exercise and your body.

Plus it is early days yet, you are probably still adapting. Things may not stabilise for a few months.


#29

I’ve been eating like this the better part of a decade and my blood ketones typically suck, don’t let that tell you that your not fat adapted. At 2.5mo there is a chance your not but some people don’t have high levels. I’ve been in the 0.3-0.5 for weeks and lost tons during it. After a while keto will burn one thing into your head REAL good, the rules to our metabolisms are NOT written in stone! Couldn’t tell ya last time I checked ketone’s but rest assured they’re still crap. If your testing that much hopefully you don’t have a Precision! OUCH!


(Msfitnessnut) #30

Thank you Carol. I will stay consistent. No alcohol abuse. My diet, for the most part, has always been good, but I plateaued and couldn’t drop body fat. My hair was dry, my nails breaking (although they always did that) the skin on my legs was getting really dry. Since going keto all those things have improved so much - I am blown away.


(Tim) #31

BB, I think it’s really a newbie thing to assess if this WOE and lifestyle change is actually working. I think the longer you are in this, the less “need” you have to see if you are doing it right as you are more prone to feel it. So, less need to “know” if you are doing it right.

JMHO.

KC&KO Sandra! Sounds like things are working well for you!


(Gill) #32

Hi. I got a little obsessed about my self diagnosed dawn phenomenon and being a an obsessive tester of blood sugar and ketones finally purchased a freestyle libre. On waking my BS is in the 70s. By the time I have got up and visited the bathroom it is up in the 90s or even between 100 and 110 on some days. So I don’t think it is dawn phenomenon just a rise in sugar as a response to getting up and getting going. Please correct me if I am wrong as I am very unsure I have this right but It had made me wonder how many of these early morning fasting tests are artificially elevated.


(Carol O'Carroll) #33

There is a blood sugars topic on this forum that might help with this.
You aren’t the only one and there are lots of good suggestions.

My thoughts:

  • Try intermittent fasting in the evening.
  • Vary your diet. Take notes on what you ate the night before and see if there is a correlation with a certain food. Yes, sorry, back to basics. :wink: Try less carb food in the evenings and see if that helps
  • Try apple cider vinegar before bed (remember to brush your teeth after). See Jason Fung’s Obesity Code for why.
  • Consider your Circadian Rhythms. Cut out blue (computer/phone) light usage at least an hour before sleep. Bill Lagakos blog at caloriesproper.com has a wealth of info about this topic.
  • Are you stressed? try meditation before sleep.
  • Coffee/caffeine intake?

Are you diagnosed as T2D?
This is a nice little explainer about what might be happening -

Look for patterns, not one off reactions. …is it always happening, what is happening night before, etc.

Also, depending on how long you’ve been doing this WOE things might change with time. It took my blood pressure 8 months to normalise. KCKO.


(Carol O'Carroll) #34

Also have a look at this topic


(Gill) #35

Thanks. Not been diagnosed type 2 and won’t be now as after keto with intermittent and some extended fasting for about 6 months my HBa1c will be fine ( my average sugar is about 4.6 mol). Looking at my own sugars I was in the pre-diabetic range but this was mainly based on fasting sugars after rising which I am now a little unsure of as they are ok before the ‘stress’ of getting out of bed. I guess the only way to know for sure would be a glucose tolerance test or kraft test but to be homies I am obese and certainly insulin resistant and I am pretty much with Ivor Cummings in the view that all insulin resistance is diabetes to one degree or other.

I’m Keto for life in any case for all the other health and wellbeing benefits.

Thanks again for all the advice. I will be adding In the vinegar and blue light restriction


(Carol O'Carroll) #36

Not being T2 is fabulous. You’ve done a brilliant job. I like to know as well.

Sounds like you are totally across it. Yes, agree your readings are different when loosing weight. Kraft test would be best. Your average sounds excellent though. If your fasting insulin is good too, then the variation in the morning shouldn’t be a big worry.


(Kudos2Keto) #37

Msfittnessnut,

Hey there, sorry for the late reply! I was on Holiday last week (and stayed keto- this was first time I have ever maintained a way of eating when on vacation!). I am doing well. It sounds like we are sharing a body :slight_smile: I am on the same macros you mentioned here. I don’t do a caffeine pill (need to research that) but I start every day with a venti cold brew, workout or no.

I agree with Carol. Along with DP, my BG definitely spikes with exercise. Additionally, my Ketones drop right before and during my period. These are a couple of things to consider when looking at BG or ketone numbers that don’t seem to add up. I can only conclude there is a hormonal connection…Seems like a “duh” conclusion with everything posted on this forum, but I needed to see the patterns on paper before I could figure that out :slight_smile: The good news is that the week after my period I usually experience a small spike in 0.3 ketones to 1.0, drop in BG and drop 2-3 lbs.

This “Map of Me” project, while certainly on the OCD side, is really insightful. I have noticed that Cortisol (or days when I have higher than normal stress) affect my numbers. Also, if I get above 70g of protein it has an effect on BG and a weight stall. Lastly, I think I can now “feel” when my ketones are higher…so, I may be able to move away from testing all the time. I also wonder if, as I work through my fatty liver, are there are stores that when burned affect my numbers. Do all stores burn the same and are they the same chemical make up. Thes are just my uneducated musings…I need to check out the new links Carol posted here and others I’ve been flagging.

One last thing… in a later post you mentioned brittle nails and hair improving on Keto. Mine have too! I think it also helped that I make my own bone broth each month (packed with collagen) and drink a cup daily. I also added biotin into my supplements. As an non food incentive to stay on plan, I get my nails done every 5-6 weeks. I have noticed I need them done closer to 3-4 weeks now becasue they grow so fast. Even the gentleman who does my nails asked what I was doing, becasue they were looking so healthy. He was convinced I was using a vitamin polish … Gotta love Keto! This, plus slow but consistent weight loss, a reduction in migraines and no Lupus flare for 3 months really helps me stay ketoing on!


(Msfitnessnut) #38

Hi Sandra:
I’m sorry, I went missing too…LOL Well, I am 2 months in and my BG still hasn’t dropped significantly in the 70s (as I heard was ideal). How the heck can one get it that low? I don’t know what I did over the last few days, but I dropped right out of ketosis. I haven’t been drowning my food in butter and maybe eating a bit more dairy than I should. My skin also felt dryer immediately. Of course in my panic my cortisol levels probably shot sky high. I’m ok today, things slowly climbing back up. My goal was to drop my fat intake a bit. I figured my body would use its own fat stores to function, but I was quickly proven wrong. Which, I can only assume, means I am not fat adapted. ?? OY ! I have resorted to the fact that my body just needs more time and I shouldn’t worry about 5% reduction in BF - I need to heal first. Oh, by the way, I am taking Adrenal Stress End. This is a supplement I am taking that I thought may help. Hope that isn’t affecting my adaptation :(- Glad to hear you haven’t had any “spells” or migraines…hope all is well.


#39

please don’t use you glucose concentration to infer if you are fat adapted or not.

do you get hangry? if not you are probably fat adapted. everyone will fat adapt given time and a very low carb diet. otherwise you’d be dead

as far as blood glucose goes, don’t worry about it and especially don’t worry about dawn phenomenon.

your body will keep your blood glucose in homeostasis as best it can, you will upset that homestasis by eating carbs, or possibly too much protein

dawn phenomenon happens to prepare your body for the day by increasing the fuel in your blood supply, unfortunately however if you are insulin resistant it will have some trouble clearing the glucose out of your blood into the tissues

so dawn phenomenon (which is unstoppable) may cause temporary hyperinsulinemia as your body tries to reduce the concentration of glucose

instead of worrying about the numbers in the morning, focus on reducing your insulin resistance by doing high intensity exercise, high intensity interval training, fasting, or low slow aerobic exercise regularily.


(Msfitnessnut) #40

Hi Jason…and TY Whats glucose concentration? Here’s why my BG went from mid to low 80s and my ketones dropped. About 4 days ago I purchased, what I thought was, straight lemon juice (Marianos grocery-fresh squeezed) that I add to my water - turns out it has SUGAR in it. I couldn’t believe it. I ingested, over 4 days, about 1.5 cups of it. OY ! Needless to say I am full force back on track. I do high intensity workouts and I teach Spin class 3x week - can’t get much more intense than that. Maybe you can help me with something else Jason…my fatigue, I discovered, was coming from lack of salt/electrolytes. I purchased the Electrolytes from Dr Berg and they really helped, plus I am a huge salter; just don’t know if I am hitting 5-6g per day. Is the salt intake an ongoing goal, or will I taper off eventually?
Thanks for responding Jason :slight_smile:
Kelly


#41

glucose concentration is the amoutn of blood sugar (glucose) you have in your blood stream.

its crazy that sugar sneaks into everything.

I don’t track my salt intake, but its alot. i use pink himalayan or the grey sea salt and put it on everything.

without it i feel fatigued and cramped. i also take a magnesium supplement. IMO the salt requirement is for as long as you are on a low carb diet.

most people on a standard american diet don’t think they eat that much salt, because they don’t add much to their food. they don’t realize how much is in the process crap they eat.

good luck with everything.


(Pamela) #42

Just make sure if you take the ACV before bed, wait 15 minutes before brushing your teeth. Rinse your mouth with water really well right after and then wait 15 minutes! The acid really softens the tooth enamel immediately. Give it time to harden up again before brushing.


(Becky) #43

I was told I had fatty liver, then after 3 months on Keto, my numbers were normal.


(Kudos2Keto) #44

Hey there msfitness nut,

I am doing well. I, too, am still experiencing the Dawning Phenomenon. I have never gotten my BG below 70, the lowest being 72 once. Jason mentioned the DP is unstoppable in his reply, which appears to be somewhat true. After 4.5 months in I am still higher in the morning. This despite trying things like IF, fat loading before bed and eating most of my carbs for the day before bed, all ideas suggested by others. However, I have seen a slow overall drop in the average of my numbers. I used to average a morning BG of about 110 in the early months of Keto…now its about 95, which is in the average range. I fall into the high 80s in the afternoon. I am happy with this. When I run out of BG strips I think I will stop measuring BG.

I will get the occasional wacky high number. I wonder if that is related to a hormone release during fat burning. As Carol mentions above hormones have an effect. I am really trying to understand the theory of hormones in our fat stores. It appears to be accepted science that when we burn fat we are release some stored form of hormones (e.g. women who thought they were in menopause, start to get regular periods during keto weight loss, or persons with PCOS start to get regular period on keto weight loss). However, I still searching for studies on this.

So, I think my wacky, random “out of left field” number is due to hormones released during fat burning. Which, I am happy to say that I am still losing…an average of 11 lbs a month. I think I am fat adapted now, for much of the month.

I continue to notice the pattern of my BG going up and my Ketones droping dramatically the week before my period. I predictably gain a pound or two, which wooshes away when my period is over. However, my PMS symptoms have gotten bad again. I think it s a combination of PMS and keto flu (being knocked out and then back in in the span of a week). I am going to try and supplement with Ketones during just that week. To see if it really is Keto Flu.

Thanks for the name of Adrenal Stress End. I’ll look into that one!

Hang in there and Keto on!


(Msfitnessnut) #45

You’ve really done well :slight_smile: Thanks for all your help. I’ve lowered my protein a bit and I am getting my leafy veggies in. BG is doing well and stays, like yours, in the 80s. However, after my spin class this morning it popped up to 120. That’s what I get for taking my BG after an intense class. I am trying not to stress on the BG as it will drop when I am healed. Ketones doing great.

Keto strong :slight_smile:


(Carol O'Carroll) #46

Recently heard on the podcast the Dudes mentioned Dr Eades, I think, saying don’t take evening primrose oil. I am a bit confounded by this. @richard this is something women have been using for decades for menstrual problems, if not longer.