Best way to monitor Ketosis?

(Chris) #1

So monitoring and tracking js big for me I’m a numbers guy. But I’m finding tracking my ketones far tk expensive and discouraging. I’m literally never above .8mmol and I have downed my total carbs below 20 or 30g. I wake up not 3ven in ketosis. .2 or .3. I even fasted 20 hours and checked and it was .5. I heard glucose monitoring mjfht be better? If so why and how is it done?

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

Read this before you get too excited/disappointed:

Some people on this forum mistakenly think acetone is just ‘wasted ketones’ just like the ‘wasted acetoacetate’ detected in urine. This is not the case, however, and in many ways measuring breath acetone or BrAce is a better indicator of overall ketosis and a much better indicator of actual fat burn than blood tests for β-hydroxybutyrate.

To measure BrAce you need a breathalyzer like the Ketonix. Initial cost is higher than a quality blood tester, however, ongoing costs are zero since there are no single-use test strips to purchase. Also, since there is no mess and no pain, you can sample BrAce multiple times per day. Doing so enables you to see very graphically just how dynamic the system really is. Also enables you to correlate with daily activities. I have been very surprised! :relieved:

(Bob M) #3

I have low ketones too. But I’ve been doing this a while. You could just keep your carbs lot and add fasting when you can and not worry about it.

(Bob M) #4

I have a ketonix, first generation. I still use it. After about 1,900 samples over 3+ years using many ketone monitors and blood sugar monitors, I’ve given up on testing. I originally thought I could test things, such as if eating late causes higher morning blood sugar or eating more protein causes lower ketones. Every time I thought I had proved something, I’d later run into an exception. Then another. Then another. Until I no longer knew what I proved.

I think the only givens for me are that over 5.5 years, my general ketone level has gone down, and if I fast for multiple days, my ketone level goes up (though not close to what it did say 3 years ago).

If I had to select one thing to use, it would be a CGM. they tell you data you can’t get with anything else. They are too expensive though.

(Bob M) #5

For instance, this is what happens to my blood sugar eating a real pizza. It goes up for hours. Not sure why.

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This is my blood sugar when I eat one pound of ground beef and 1 can anchovies. So flat, you can’t tell where I ate.

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(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #6

@ctviggen I have a 2019 Ketonix, for about 3 months now. I’ve been tracking BrAce multiple times per day just to see what’s happening. Yes, it’s all over the place. The ups/downs don’t correlate to activity the way I would expect. That is, when I am fairly active and burning something, which is not derived from carbs, BrAce most frequently goes down. While generally my highest levels of BrAce are late at night before going to bed after a few hours of relative inactivity and first thing in the morning upon awakening.

I have no idea, well some developing, of what that all means. But sure is interesting to see the dynamic nature of this system in real time. I have learned that at any given moment somewhere between 30-40% of acetoacetate is spontaneously breaking down into acetone in the blood. Most of the acetone, 70-80%, gets exhaled. So there is some direct correlation between acetoacetate concentration in the blood and BrAce. I think the biggest variable is the quantity of ketones, primarily acetoacetate, being synthesized by the liver at any given moment. I haven’t yet discovered whether or not it is known why the variability occurs and what controls it.

I suspect that the better fat adapted and the more direct fatty acid burn that occurs reduces the amount of ketone synthesis. I have yet to find any evidence that fatty acid burn results in either direct acetoacetate or acetone synthesis without going through liver processing. Although I have read some suggestion that this occurs.

(Diana) #7

Curious what your thoughts are on the Tone device. Developed by Ketogenic Girl. Curious on your thoughts.

Just some background. My goal in using it is to see how protein impacts my keto levels. I suspect I’m more sensitive to it for some reason and thought this would be fun way to test.