I’ve started the keto diet again since mid June this year and I’m very committed to making it my permanent diet and lifestyle. I believe around the one month mark, my body has become fat adapted and so the ketostix test has been coming back to me in very very very light shades of pink. Similarly, I still displayed signs of ketosis including feeling full on days and high levels of energy.
However, I did have a trip two weeks or so before today, but it was intentional. I recently bought some carb blockers and wanted to test them out in light of future references so I did have some heavy carbs… Namely 5 slices of pizza topped with Mac n cheese. The carb blockers worked pretty well I believe and things were okay in terms of feeling like I’m still in ketosis. Another week later, I’ve started experiencing keto flu like symptoms again, but it’s not every day that I do. It’s more so the brainfog in the morning and feeling a bit more hungry than I usually would. I’m still eating clean and keto-based foods, I was hoping that the ketostix could give me more information but it’s still that super light pink in colour which makes me want to believe that I am still using up a good amount of ketones.
Just wondering if there are other ways for me to know that I amstill in keto or am I borderline, where a full on fast and run session is needed?
Blood testing likely easiest but does it matter? People slip in and out of ketosis all the time and even if you’ve blown it with the carbs, your body will burn them up and go back to being in ketosis again. Really the best thing you can do is get back on track and not stress about it.
When you don’t eat carbs, you burn off your liver glycogen, then you’re in ketosis. After you ate the pizza, you reloaded it. When you burned that off while not eating carbs again, you were back in ketosis. It’s really that easy. Don’t complicate simple. Don’t concern yourself with In/Out, just eat right 90% of the time and don’t worry about it.
Also, Carb blockers are make believe. There are such a thing as glucose disposal agents (GDAs) which can help to a degree, but when you see something call itself a “carb blocker”, just walk away.
I’m not wanting to complicate simple or anything, I just want to know the status that I am in at the moment. I’m not sure if I’m fully keto or not right now and the ketostix reading doesn’t seem accurate for me. All I want is a clear indicator of whether I am on the right route or not. Thus, what do I need to do, so I can know if I’m in keto or not? I don’t care about numbers, I’m just having symptoms of in and out which is confusing me. Btw, I am also very okay with carb blockers, because I am experimenting with what works and doesn’t work on my own terms, I’m just after more information, that is all.
@Sophie_Wu I think the responses above were on-point and accurate given what you’ve asked and described. But I’ll take a slightly different tack in hopes it helps you out…
Keto urine, blood, and breath tests can reveal some data, but none of them can tell you exactly what’s going on in terms of your body’s production and utilization of ketones. Presumably this is what you’re actually trying to discover, no?
The reason that none of these is a reliable indicator of your production of ketones and your use of them is that they tell you the (momentary) level of ketones in your urine (acetoacetate), blood serum (beta-hydrolybutyrate), or breath (acetone) circulating at the moment of testing - but none can tell you how much is actually being produced nor consumed by your body.
Picture this:
Each of these tests is measuring something akin to the water level in a bucket you fill with a hose while a giant hole at the bottom of the bucket is leaking.
The water level in the bucket at any moment is a function of the flow going in, the flow going out, and the amount of time you’ve been running the water.
In short, you cannot look at the level in the bucket at any particular time and draw reliable conclusions about how much water is going in (your body’s production of ketones) … and how much water is going out (your body’s use of the ketones).
These ketone tests are interesting on some level (many of us have devoted much time to gathering n=1 data on ourselves), but eventually we all reach the point where we conclude they’re not really telling us much that’s useful or particularly actionable.
Of course, one key difference between my water bucket analogy and your body is that, unlike the water bucket, there are a zillion other things going on throughout the day in your body that further complicate things. (Imagine not just water in the bucket, but oil, peanut butter, and multiple holes at various locations, plus the sun’s evaporation, spillage from exercise, drinking from it, … you get the idea).
If you want to play around with “carb blockers,” “exogenous ketones,” and the like then feel free. Go for it. (I personally would recommend avoiding such stuff unless you have a serious medical condition and are working with the guidance of a very well-informed physician).
But in short, asking folks on this forum to help you understand when you are in ketosis, whether you knocked yourself out, when you’ll return, etc., is just inviting people who are experienced with keto to tell you to stop complicating things.
I appreciate this is not the answer you might want to hear, but it’s the most helpful advice most of us can offer given your desire to know the unknowable.
My simple understanding is they are enzymes that get in the way of your body’s ability to break down complex carbs into simple carbs, thereby reducing digestion/absorption.
So you are eating stuff you cannot digest. Now, who wouldn’t want THAT!?
(p.s. - a butt plug is a different kind of carb blocker.)
I only know I am in ketosis when I know I eat very little carbs. I can’t feel it and have no way to figure it out… Good thing I don’t care about ketosis, just feeling good
Some people feel different though. And in the first years my weight changes were a sure way to tell.
If you’re not eating carbs, haven’t in a day or two, and you’re concious, then you’re in ketosis, because those carbs are gone.
No such thing, that entire mindset was invented by the likes of Phinney with his “nutritional ketosis” which is not a real thing. Your ketone levels are meaningless and any context other than people doing keto for medical reasons that require high ketones specifically. As far as all the other benefits, you have them regardless of that level. That’s why the saying “don’t chase ketones” started.
They’re not accurate for anybody, ketostix are for diabetics to see ketoacidosis in progress, they do nothing useful for a keto dieter.
That’s fine, as long as you realize that there not doing anything. If they did, none of us would eat keto, we’d eat the Pizza’s, Cookies and cakes we love and just pop a bunch of those to undo it.
Which is always smart, but first step is ignoring everything that is known not to matter, while tracking what does. Do you track your dietary intake with something like Cronometer? If so look back at the days when you have tons of energy and see what you did the day before and that day as well, then you start putting the pieces together of what works for you.
On the Keto flu symptoms, it’s almost always electrolytes. When it’s after a carb binge, that’s just fallout from eating like crap, that just has to run it’s course. When/if you start eating slightly higher carbs more often, that stops happening as your body doesn’t over react to them anymore.
@Sophie_Wu You’re getting tough love from @lfod14, but it’s heartfelt.
PaulL
(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?)
#15
There are two reasons I can think of for a low level of ketone bodies circulating in the blood stream. One is that we are not in ketone-producing mode, because our insulin has risen above approximately 25 μU/mL and the process of ketogenesis in the liver has been inhibited. The other possibility is that the liver’s production of ketones is being closely matched to the amount required by the various cells of the body. As has been said, if your carbohydrate intake has been below 20 g for the past couple of days, and you are neither in a coma nor dead, then your liver is producing ketone bodies.
Now, you may have a reason for needing circulating ketones to be higher than the liver thinks is necessary, in which case some exogenous ketone esters would possibly be worthwhile. But in the ordinary course of things, a reasonably close match between production and consumption is more efficient, which most people consider a good thing.
Another thought, inspired by something Prof. Benjamin Bikman mentioned in a recent interview: perhaps if your circulating ketones are low, it is because there is not enough fat in your diet to allow more to be made. However, if that were the case, I’d expect you to be feeling signs of a lack of energy and brain fog.
@SomeGuy haha yes, I can feel the tough love there. And I do appreciate it. @lfod14 I think the information was very different to what I was expecting in terms of my experience, but it’s definitely offered me a lot of insight on how to sustain it regarding mindset and ways of perceiving. So many thanks. I think I still believe in carb blockers such as Phase2 and white kidney beans because it has made a difference in order for me to sustain keto; I’ve tried it once but with one pack of noodles and it worked, no brain fog whatsoever. So that’s why I bumped it up to the pizza level, guess it couldn’t deliver. With that said, it’s only going to be a once in a blue moon kind of thing and it enables me to feel great and connected to my culture. I don’t usually have any carb cravings, but coming from an Asian background, carbs have always been something that I’ve known for as long as I can remember. @PaulL Thanks Paul, I appreciate this information. When I first did keto 5 years ago, I lost 10kg in a month, with rigorous dieting and running every day, so I’m honestly basing this time around from the experience of 5 years ago. I tested every day back then and the colour on the strips always came back as pink-purple, so that’s why it kind of freaked me out when I don’t see the same thing again in the same time frame. This time around, I’m aware that I’m not someone who should be losing that much weight (was close to being anorexic at 50kg). I’m 170cm and is currently 52kg so I’m happy to be at this current weight. I’m not starving myself anymore and I eat plenty of fat, so now I’m well over the 30 day mark. I guess since it’s only the 2nd time after 5 years, I’m still trying to understand my own ketosis goal and just information from all of yous.
Haha, I wasted a LOT of time and money the first few years, worried about all the wrong things (and stressed myself out in the process) while ignoring what actually mattered, hate to see others make my mistakes. I think to a point we all do it though.
Save your money and just eat proper keto food, honestly. There’s no longterm success to be found while constantly looking for ways to cheat your own body.
Nah I’m happy with my carb blockers. And I’m not ‘constantly looking for ways’. I just want to have the best of both worlds honestly, and I’ve taken into account of what you’ve said about not caring about numbers, as long as I’m still able to fit into the clothes I like then it’s completely fine right. So to me it doesn’t matter if I fall intentionally off the wagon once per month or second month, as long as I’ve got the right expectations. Please don’t be tizzy about carbs here and cheat days, I don’t feel like it’s undone any of my keto work. I’m just doing keto in my own terms.
