Bizarre GKI


(Jane- Old Inky Crone) #1

I’ve been on Keto for 3 months this time, since March 6. I stopped a fast at 44 hours yesterday because I felt bad and my GKI was 0.85 and I was alarmed. This evening my GKI is 0.68. I’ve eaten today and don’t feel hungry, should I be concerned?


#2

Can you give us the actual G and K readings?

It does take a while after breaking a fast for the numbers to go back to normal. Did the ketones continue to rise? What did you eat to break the fast?


(Jane- Old Inky Crone) #3

My blood sugar was 62 and ketones 5.1 (on KetoMojo). When I broke the fast they were bs:69 and k:4.5. I ate 2 chicken thighs, bone broth, a package of seaweed snacks, 1 oz of macadamia nuts, a boiled egg, and felt stuffed. Then the next day I ate 2 turkey sausages, 2 cups of green beans, some roast beef, more bone broth (homemade with 25% fat), and again just not feeling hungry, feeling like I’ve eaten too much. This morning my GKI is up to 1.1 with a glucose of 69 and ketones 3.5. I was just concerned because the KetoMojo website says GKI <1 is “Very difficult to achieve without doctor’s supervision.” I took that to mean it was dangerous. On the plus side, I’ve lost another 4 pounds after being stuck for a few weeks.


#4

There’s a huge individual variability on how easy it is to achieve low GKIs. Some people can go very low (under 50) on the glucose side of the equation with no ill effects. Others, like me, seldom see anything below 75 mg/dl of glucose even on EF.


(Cecile Seth) #5

My GKI can go under 1 with a 14 to 18 hour fast. I can feel it though. I bought the Keto mojo because I’d get a particular feeling that was very different. Readings confirm it is ketosis.

I’ve also learned that is a clue I have to be very careful with electrolytes too.

IOverall no Ill effects and lots of healing of an old TBI. FYI I’m not a great faster!


(Jane- Old Inky Crone) #6

It’s great that your TBI is healing, that’s a tough issue to live with.

I am a wimp about fasting. I’ve got several health issues I’m trying to correct, mild TBI, fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s, and osteoporosis, to name a few. I had that feeling you’re talking about and that was why I tested and broke my fast early. I’m just a little concerned because it’s still so low after eating a few meals and more than 24 hours after breaking the fast. I’m regularly in the 1-3 range GKI, and am hoping this is healing my body.


(Cecile Seth) #7

Wow. You’ve got a great deal on your plate. Great call if you feel bad about fasting then it is always a good idea to stop. One time I found out I had an infection I didn’t yet know about.

FYI It was after a year of keto that I noticed the TBI improvements. I’m about 18 months in now. Also they came during a stall of about 9 months. DH and I have a theory that the body does one big change at a time. He lost 80 pounds but the inches and saggy skin also happened during stalls.

I think the key is really listening to your body, which it sounds like you are doing.
We also bring it up regularly with our GP. He knew nothing about keto but was supportive and informative.

Have you heard the ice cube analogy? as you slowly heat it from 15 degrees, to 20 to 25 there’s no change. Only when you hit 32 degrees are the changes apparent on the outside. Also KetoMojo & docs have to put disclaimers out since everyone is so different. A friend has a hypo-thyroid issue and can’t get her GKI any where near mine and she’s been keto 5 years and is a nurse. Another keto friend has Hashimoto’s. KCKO! If you want medical advice beyond your GP the IDM program out of Toronto and Virta Clinic are also great options.

There’s also a great thread about GKI that has a ton of great data and knowledgeable folks. You could also search the forums for more GKI info. KCKO (Keep Calm and Keto On!)


(Jane- Old Inky Crone) #8

@Cecile Thanks for that. Karim_Wassef’s statement: “Funny … my GKI seems to bottom out at 0.4 to 0” made me feel less fearful of the very low GKIs. Mine has been just over 1 since the day I posted this.


(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #9

I’m trying hard to get my GKI back to the 1-2 (or less) range. For some reason my ketones are just not wanting to get very high… sigh I guess I’m going to have to take a serious look at my macros and see how they track against BG and BK (glucose and ketones) to see what may be going on. Of course, stress could have something to do with it…and I’m trying to make a point of hydrating more. I may go back to some kind of keto-aide. Not sure I really want to have lots of Powerade Zero (we keep it around for others in the house).


(Cecile Seth) #10

Stress, sleep. exercise, time outside all make a big difference for me. I swear I hit my big stall because I decided to get “serious” about trying to fast, so I could wear a particular dress to a wedding. (In my husband’s culture family members on the girl’s side can wear their own wedding dress to a family wedding and it was my last Indian niece’s wedding.) So just the “stress” of trying hard to lose weight can keep me from losing weight by sending me (keto) snacking. Would be tough fighting cancer. Hugs!


(Cecile Seth) #11

Seeing @Karim_Wassef’s awesome data really helped me as well .


(Jane- Old Inky Crone) #12

Mine seems to be really sensitive to dairy. I had some full fat Greek yogurt for a couple days (total carbs 6 grams) and this morning my GKI is 4.24. If I stay close to carnivore my GKI seems to stay low. I never use any artificial sweeteners, aspartame gives me seizures and the sugar alcohols make me feel sick. The only sweet thing I ever have is some blueberries in my plain yogurt (28 grams which is 2.7 grams of carbs). I usually keep my carbs below 20 grams a day and still my ketosis readings have been all over the place most of the time. Yesterday I had some smoked chicken and veggies from Wegmans food bar. I’m thinking that might have made it go up this morning. I guess I’m just going to have to keep my nose to the grindstone to stay in deep ketosis until I get the last few pounds off. Then maybe I can go out to eat occasionally. Just my N-1!


(Bob M) #13

My opinion: taking values are useless. After over 3 years and 1,900 samples, I’ve given up. Every time I think I see a pattern, I will then have a sample, some samples, many samples showing that to be wrong. About the only true data I still have is that fasting multiple days means blood sugar goes down and ketones go up. Taking MCT oils seem to help raise blood and breath ketones (maybe, sometimes), but they kill my stomach.


(Joey) #14

I’m thankful for how much I learn reading about the wide range of individual experiences shared by others on this forum. While still very new to LCHF, it’s clear how we each bring unique situations “to the table” - especially given differing body reactions, family genetics, existing conditions, personal habits, etc.

The title of this thread caught my eye so, in the spirit of sharing I’ll offer my initial results with GKI tracking …

My keto-mojo arrived 4 days into the (mere) 2 weeks I’ve been on this LCHF regime thus far, so I don’t know just how long it took to get to this point… but my data captured have been fairly consistent from that point forward:

Having adhered closely to about 20g daily of net carbs, beginning on Day 4, my GKI has ranged between 1 and 2.5 (simple avg 1.8). My GKI even dipped below 1.0 after cardio workout before first meal. These are all pre-meal (“fasting”) measures.

All the while, glucose is typically 80-90 (avg 82) and ketones have ranged mostly between 2.5 to 4.0 (avg 2.6).

So yes, I too worried that my GKI might be too low … based on table descriptions labeling indices below 3 as therapeutic levels for disease - the kind involving physician monitoring, etc. So I fretted that I’m overdoing something or other.

But, as I’ve shared in other recent posts, I feel marvelous and am getting ample fat and protein in my diet. And so - despite having lived most of my adult life on low fat/high carbs - I’ve otherwise taken good care of myself, blessed with good health, quit smoking 25 yrs ago, have exercised daily ever since, blah, blah.

So I’m chalking these surprisingly low GKI figures to good fortune + a small dividend for my OTHER healthy lifestyle choices - ignoring the high carb/low saturated fat advice I’d foolishly taken all these years of trying to do the “right thing.”

Someday, I might want to find Ancel Benjamin Keys’ grave and pee a bit of (untested) urine on it … as a way of expressing profound displeasure at his relentless arrogant arm-twisting to force a low fat/high carb diet on much of the western world. But I’m not bitter :wink: