I am doing a keto diet again after several years. I have strips that I have found to be very hard to tell if I am in ketosis or not. For the last 2-3 days I have been coming up about half way through the color on the strips. Not super dark but not no color either. Today I did one and it was super clear, like I was no longer in ketosis. I also ordered a ketone breath meter. I got it today and have tested several times and it keeps coming back 0.
How do I know if I am in or not. I have been keeping carbs rather low.
Best Way To Tell If Your In Ketosis?
XkorndogX
(Tim)
#1
lfod14
#2
Define what youāre calling ārather lowā
If youāre keeping them low and youāve burned off your liver glycogen, youāre in ketosis. Itās a waste of time and money to care about a number that doesnāt even matter, with very few exceptions. 20g/day is the go-to for people starting out since basically everybody will get into ketosis there. Many can handle up to 50g and still be in ketosis most of the day, activity levels come into play a lot there.
Your diet prior comes into play. Our livers can only hold so much stored glycogen, usually not more than 2 days worth, then we start making ketones.
Are you tracking your diet with an app? If not, youāre most likely pretty off with what youāre getting in vs what you think you are.
kib1
(KM)
#3
The strips will go bad. Theyāre not particularly precise to begin with, but after a month or two they can behave as you describe: off color, varying color on one strip, or very little response at all. I like them because they are painless and inexpensive, but they are definitely not the most accurate way of judging your level. And itās true, keep the carbs low enough and ketosis is basically guaranteed.
Pjam
(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat )
#4
Strips donāt work once your adapted. They measure ketones in urine and we use them rather than pee them.
If your carbs are low (or zero) your in ketosis ā¦ unless your dead of course
Shinita
#5
I canāt tell at all. I used to, in the past and many people feel different in ketosisā¦
I just use my old experiences and guess that if my carbs are significantly lower than what
gave me ketosis before, I should be in ketosis 
Not like I track my carbs but I used to and if I eat close to carnivore, I can guess better (my normal guess is horrible).
And I donāt really care about ketosis just being healthy and feeling right. My body often nudges me if it dislikes something, ketosis or not.
If you keep your carbs really, really low (way lower than what I do on carnivoreā¦ I do love my various dairy items), you are probably in ketosis. Itās very individual, some people need to go super low for it but usually 20g carbs works. IDK net or total, my total never mattered at all but it does for many others, apparently.
In the beginning, there were subtle changes when I entered ketosis and a very obvious big one, losing 2kg 
These are individual, many people say they feel VERY different on keto (probably itās more pronounced when one goes to keto from high-carb, I already was low-carb before for years) and not everyone loses 2kg water in the first 1-2 days and then nothing but water weight changes are extremely common. I actually lost those changes when I got fat adapted enough (apparently that is a thing), it took very many carby days to lose that but that happened tooā¦ But usually, you can expect a very apparent water weight change when going into or out of ketosis. I donāt know a better way to tell if you donāt have the right tools, whatever they are (I never even managed to get a strip myself but itās fine, I feel the benefits when I eat right and itās better than just knowing when I am in ketosis as ketosis alone never did much to me - except fat adaptation, I loved that).
clackley
(Cathy)
#6
The only truly definitive way is ketone blood testing.
Itās also important to note (as mentioned above) that as a body adapts to fat burning, there will be less waste ketones, less blood ketones in some cases (because they are being used) and those things are positive. However, in my experience, testing blood ketones is a sure thing.
Janie
(Jane)
#7
Thatās not true for everyone. I am 7 years keto and I can turn pee stick anywhere from light pink to dark purple when fasting and it tracks with my keto-mojo.
But since I am the exception it is good to let newbies know the sticks might stop working so they donāt think they are doing something wrong.
Pjam
(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat )
#8
Oh! I didnāt know. You must be making plenty of ketones if you can afford to waste them
Sticks stopped working for me after only a few weeks.
Pjam
(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat )
#9
I think when you first start low carb you worry about everything, ābut what about fiberā āand vitaminsā āand all this fatā etc etc
The Ketones ā¦or lack of them, just adds to the doubts. It passes
Alecmcq
(Alec)
#10
Eat less than 20g of carbs in a day and you will be in ketosis. But you are missing the point. Being in ketosis is not the goal. Burning fat for fuel is the goal. Ketones are a by-product of the liver burning fat.
clackley
(Cathy)
#11
Ketosis is the point because of the many benefits it provides like weight loss, appetite suppression, clear mind, less inflammation, and on and on. Burning fat for fuel is ketosis. And not everyone can sustain 20g of carbs per day so finding out what that personās carb level is, is useful.
Pjam
(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat )
#12
Many people, myself included, find their brain or mental health feels different, I feel much much happier and my brain seems sharper, I get bored quickly now if not mentally stimulated.
I can only assume itās down to the Ketones. I do of course feel happier at a more healthy weight but my mental change seems more than just a weight issue.
I notice the vegans like to attribute any benetits we get down to weight loss (fat loss) alone, stubborn to acknowledge anything positive from reduced glucose.
ctviggen
(Bob M)
#13
For certain mental illnesses, higher ketones seem to be better. But for most people, the level of ketones might not matter.
I cannot tell if Iām better with higher ketones, but itās also hard to test because (1) I donāt test enough; and (2) Iām not sure what to be looking for. As compared to high carb, where I had mood swings, 3pm sleepies, depression, etc., I have none of that with keto. So, itās doing something, and itās partly related to carbs (no crashes if there are no highs) and Iām sure ketones have an effect. But probably lower inflammation, using a different energy source for a lot, etc., all donāt hurt.
Shinita
#14
Good for the ones who experience this 
Keto didnāt do these to me, getting close to carnivore changed more but I still donāt get energy or fat-loss (I am sure carnivore OMAD with a big focus on leaner meats could do the trick but thatās a bit challenging for meā¦ working on it though) and I donāt want to change my brain from its state on carbs, it worked just fine. It changed nothing so itās quite okay.
But yes, I know many have such changes. Lucky. And there are hunger changes, my fat adaptation gave me that even if it wasnāt powerful enough until the right kind of carnivore-ish. I need some serious appetite AND hunger changes compared to my carbier times to have a slim chance for fat-loss. Just bringing them to zero isnāt enough, I have learned that on ketoā¦ Thankfully most people have an easier time. But some of us need extra rules and lots of time to be successful, itās normal I think.
One common benefit is more energy. I wish I could get it but even carnivore failed there and I get wonderful benefits from it. Just not that one. It must be personal or I do something else wrong. Or I just need to do it better and much longerā¦
So, to me, ketosis isnāt the point at all. Feeling okay and getting benefits is and mere keto was bad at that. Compared to my previous diet, low-carb, not high-carb. Keto beats high-carb, hands down but low-carb did it too. Fat adaptation is nice though, it was the only benefit of keto that I noticed.
Carburetor
#15
Agreed. I like to know my blood ketones / blood glucose. Now that all is going good I measure once a month.
Many say ādonāt chase ketonesā. Well I like mine above 1.5, I like that little āKeto Highā. All cravings for anything are gone. Sugar,beer,cigarettesā¦
I get that with under 10 g carbs / day. Maybe Iām mental?
Pjam
(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat )
#16
Yep, Iād imagine yes. 
But at least you donāt need a decoke
Shinita
#17
If you get that there, you get that there. I donāt think you are mental because of this I have figured out a lot of things where my body does this or that when some numbers go below some limit. Itās just how things work for me. Itās useful to know.
My problematic cravings mostly go away near carnivore even if I eat much carbs, it would be nice if someone could explain it to me one dayā¦ And much meat helps too but if often comes from being near carnivoreā¦ If I could, I would experiment but I am not at self control and I like to use all my fav options on or near carnivore.
Carburetor
#18
Wife wanted to see her ketones. She is not on Keto diet but is avoiding crazy carbs. My guess was that she has 0.25 and voilaā, she had 0.3.
I checked mine while at it,no surprises here:
Carburetor
#19
I might add here that I like my ketones this high for medical reasons. I have heart condition, coronary disease,failure,stent etc.
I feel much stronger with ketones a tad higer than the average weightloser. As if I had much better oxygen efficiency compared to non-keto.
Ketone bodies do provide ārescue fuelā for the diseased heart by affecting its metabolism.
My BP and resting pulse have gone down significantly like 20 % or more - while I have cut my BP meds down to 1/4 of what they were. Nitros are lower,too. Right now,afternoon med time BP 105/70 and pulse 66 bpm. Canāt take any pills to lower those numbers.
Iāve been in the garden all day.
This feels as if I was reversing coronary artery disease but everyone says itās not possibleā¦
Pjam
(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat )
#20
Weāre here to prove them wrong. Science only changes when opinions change ā¦ takes ages.
My Doctor canāt accept diabetes is reversable, yet thousands are doing it.