Caffeine and Ketosis

(Cathy) #1

Just after a bit of help please?

I’ve been eating keto since the beginning of January. I have an app that asks me to stay within 25g of carbs which I’ve been doing (on the whole) but 4 weeks in and my keto strips are saying I’m either very mildly in or not at all. ( I know they’re not highly reliable and I’ve ordered a breath monitor but still waiting for it to come).
I tend to be quite sensitive to caffeine so stick to decaff coffee but I do eat quite a lot of chocolate (within my carb limit) - does anyone else find the caffeine keeps them out of ketosis?
Also, since I started eating keto I’ve been really badly itchy. I’m taking electrolytes and plenty of salt so really not sure where this itchiness is coming from - again, anyone else had a similar experience?

(Pam ) #2

When you first start the Keto woe, your body produces acetoacetate as it’s first ketone. That’s what the urine strips test for. However as you progress further into ketosis, your body switches to producing a different ketone (BHB) and that can be found in the blood. So when the urine strips start to show little to no ketones, that’s actually a good thing provided you’ve continued to keep your carbs low.

(*Tame Those Ghrelin Gremlins) #3

Hello there. Personally myself I drink coffee every morning, it hasn’t effected ketones for me. I use a ketone blood monitor, but I always have high readings 2.5 to 3.5 (I’m hoping they go down soon) as that would be a confirmation I’m fat adapted.

So maybe it has to do with the 25 carbs? You also said you eat a lot of chocolate, how much exactly and what kind?

#4

I’ve been keto for a year now and ketones always show on the strips. Same for my husband. I’ve read in several places that this should stop but it never has. I also have a blood monitor which measures BHB. Ketosis using that and on the strips.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

I don’t believe caffeine is an issue. The only discussion I’ve seen on these forums has been about coffee, and tea is never mentioned, which leads me to believe that whatever problem there might or might not be with coffee, it’s not its caffeine content.

As for the itching, do a forum search on keto rash. I never got it, but I do know there are ways of dealing with it.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #6

I recently gave up coffee for my annual blood work in a few weeks and my weight loss stall disappeared and I lost 4 lbs in 1 week. Of course there are many factors that contribute. I use the urine strips and usually show med to strong. I’ve been fat adapted for many months. I was drinking 6+ cups a day (black). I still drink green and black teas.

Sometimes stalls are followed by a whoose weight loss. Could be that and unrelated to coffee intake. I’ve just started another EF (42+ hrs is goal) and we will see what post refeeding weight is and if I lost a lot. I tend to discount post fast weight until 3 days have passed.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #7

Even if I never lose another pound, they’ll have to pry my coffee mug from my cold, dead hands. And I know there’ll be coffee in Heaven, because I believe in a merciful and loving God.

(Cathy) #8

It’s cacao powder that I mix with coconut oil and erythritol to make my own chocolate. I have some every day but not huge amounts. Cacao is low in carbs so it’s good to mix with the oil, I thought of using carob but it’s carb content is much higher.

(Cathy) #9

:rofl::rofl: I hope he’s got chocolate there too!

(Laurie) #10

I drink a LOT of coffee, and some hot cocoa (no sugar, just cocoa powder) as well. When I started keto I used pee strips for the first 3 months or so. I was at 4.0 most days. So I don’t know about caffeine affecting anything.

Good luck!

(Carl Keller) #11

Before keto, I would drink one 12 oz cup of coffee per day because more than that would upset my stomach. But now I am drinking 3x as much without digestive repercussion. I suppose this is a non-scale victory unless you consider I have been buying 3x more coffee. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Thomas DeLauer talks about caffeine in video below. He says caffeine mobilizes fatty acids which is akin to turning on our fat burning light and increases beta hydroxybutyrate production (ketones) even in people who are not in nutritional ketosis. He also says on the negative side, that the moment we take caffeine, it triggers a very brief and small gycogen dump. This does raise our blood glucose but for only a few minutes.

#12

One thing not mentioned here is caffeine causes a cortisol spike. It might not be affecting ketosis but it might stall weight loss.

(Robert C) #13

I think this might be the case of you taking a stress off of your system and your body said “gee, without lots of this this strong widely used highly addictive psychoactive chemical in my system - I can do with carrying around a bit less water”.

I wouldn’t be surprised to find the opposite either. People that significantly increase their coffee intake with the great tasting butter coffee and then write into the forum about how they are adding pounds in the initial days and weeks.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #14

You sound like you may be becoming fat adapted.

(Omar) #15

coffee including decaf made the most significant positive difference when I quit it to my digestion and ketosis. and therefore on my energy level .

coffee has more than 200 substances including lots of pollutants so it is difficult to pin point to caffeine amongst the 200 substances in coffee.

#16

I drink coffee as well. My husband does also. He’s over 10 years in ketosis and I’m approaching 1 year. I’m not sure what could be causing your itchiness or discomfort. I hope you feel better soon.

(Cathy) #17

I hope so!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #18

One useful effect of caffeine, by the way, is that it is a bronchodilator. It belongs to a class of chemicals calle methylxanthines, which all share that property to one degree or another. The standard drugs are theophylline and aminophylline, but caffeine and the theobromine in chocolate can serve in an emergency.

Not really relevant to keto, but a fun fact. :bacon:

(*Tame Those Ghrelin Gremlins) #19

Coffee is life :coffee: :heart_eyes:

(Doug) #20 
                   The Rescued Life

Smack me with your caffeine stick,
Hit me out of the park,
From the sleepy mire thick,
You kindle my life’s spark.

A cuppa joe or just a cuppa,
Breakfast, lunch and even suppa,
Grind your beans into my brain,
Take away the mortal pain.

Decaf - such a dirty word,
I pity those from whom it’s heard,
With a bun or coffee roll,
Bless you, cup, you’ve saved my soul.

Mocha java dirty mud,
I’d rather have you as my blood,
Now that I can actually think,
Do your due, brew me some ink.

Brashly dark, not creamy soft,
Raise my flattened mind aloft,
I take you hot, no need for ice,
Show me shores of paradise.

(Composed in pre-keto days.)