Fine tuning necessary?

newbies
#1

Good afternoon fellow Ketoers,

I started my keto journey 5 weeks ago following my nutritionist’s advice in an attempt to suppress inflammation in my body, mostly sore joints in the hands associated to diarrhoeas (it seems).

The episodes of sore hands are becoming less frequent and less intense but are still present. I’ve done a fair amount of reading since I started keto and I understand that everybody is different and that it takes time to heal the body but feel that I might need to fine tune what I eat a bit to maximise the benefits sooner than later. I record everything I eat and currently stand at (per day): carbs under 20g, protein around 95g, fat around 120g, and calories around 5000kj. I’m moderately active, about 2 hours of ‘exercise’ per day whether it be mowing, cleaning, walking, pruning, etc. The urine strips keep on indicating a ‘moderate’ level of ketones and I did one test with a meter that indicated 0.8mmol/L. I read that the optimal level for keto to have a good effect on the body is between 1.5 and 3mmol/L. Could anybody shed some light on what I’m doing wrong, why I’m not getting higher levels of ketones after 5 weeks of ketoing?

Many thanks in advance for your answers.

(Allie) #2

Honestly your ketone levels are perfect, please don’t worry. As far as I know the optimal levels referred to are more important to those who are on keto for things like cancer and epilepsy. Some people naturally have lower ketone levels simply because their body is more efficient in making and using them, but 0.8mmol is a very good reading - some never get above 0.2mmol but still get the results they want.

#3

Wow, very glad to read this! Many thanks for your reply. @Shortstuff.

(Running from stupidity) #4

Worrying too much about your ketone levels.

Sounds like the results - which are the important things - are going well.

#5

Ah! Good point @juice, thanks for that… I’ll happilly keto on from now.

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

Be patient because correcting metabolic issues takes time. It sounds like you are doing keto foods in terms of macros right, so that is great.

Also make sure that your fats are good fats and that you eliminate, the best you can, highly processed “industrial” nut and seed oils. Eliminate oils like soybean, corn, canolo and others.

Olive oil, avocado oil, butter, fats from meats are significantly better. Listen to some podcasts from Nina Teicholz and maybe read her book the Big Fat Surprise. She explains the issues with these so called industrial oils clearly.

Also make sure that you are getting enough Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet.

I try to eat something from this list at least 3 times a week (when I’m not fasting)

  • salmon (cooked and smoked)
  • mackerel fish (I get some smoked mackerel at my grocery store)
  • sardines
  • fish eggs
  • krill oil

Dr berry has a good short video on sources of Omega 3 - https://youtu.be/rcTkM5_pGXU

When I went keto (started with lazy keto so got some benefits but not all) My systemic inflammation went way down. Basically I stopped getting ear and sinus infections and colds. It have been more than 3 1/2 years since getting sick with any of these types of illnesses.

In June I went strict keto (<20g) carbs and paid attention to removing processed industrial nut and seed oils from my diet and my arthritis pain started to go down. Then I upped my Omega 3 sources (always had some salmon every week) and my arthritis pain went away. Note that I don’t have real bad arthritis.

Also an apparent side affect is my Blood Pressure is going down. But it is hard to pin down exactly why that is, I do believe that a better Omega 3 to Omega 6 FA ratio is part of my improvement.

I don’t eat anything out of a bag or box and hardly a jar like salad dressings now. The sources of bad fat are everywhere. I eat in a cafeteria at work once and awhile and I take my own olive oil in for salads because their dressings are junk and even the olive oil is crap. I tasted it once by itself and knew that just from the rancid flavor.

I hope this helps.

#7

Urine strips are not accurate, when you start ketosis you liver produces equal amounts of acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate but over time as you get more keto adapted beta-hydroxybutyrate is the most prevalent ketone. So not registering anything at all on the pee stix is not unheard of because they do not register beta-hydroxybutyrate at all.

Knowing this I purchased a blood measuring device. Great but even it was not very accurate because the numbers go up and down like a yo yo. I had 0.4mM at 10am (and I was very disappointed) but then I had 1.3mM at 10PM on the same day.

(I can dig up a paper which measure numbers through the day … but it’s like chasing shadows).

The best thing to do is watch your carb count and check your belt notches - not your pee stix.

#8

So good to read that keto has helped with your arthritis @daddyoh and many thanks for the advice on oils. I only learnt about good and bad oils when I started reading about keto. How come I didn’t know about this before?? Steep learning curve at the moment… Many thanks again for your help and explaining what’s working for you. All the best.

#9

Great! Many thanks @Alex99. I’ll ditch the strips and leave the meter alone for a while. In an attempt to do the right thing to get results quickly and keep motivated, I realise that I might have overdone it a bit. So good to read your comments. This was my first post and I’m glad I asked. All the best and thanks again.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

You’re doing fine. I note that you mention eating 5000 calories a day. As long as this is what your body wants, that’s great; but don’t push yourself to eat more than you really want, and don’t eat less than you want, either. Letting your body set the amount of food is the best and fastest way to metabolic healing. As long as you are seeing improvements you are doing it right. :bacon:

(Running from stupidity) #11

No, kilojoules (real measurements of energy). It’s only 1200 pretend fairy measurement units.

#12

Thanks a lot @PaulL I need to learn / unlearn / relearn so much! I’m used to diets being limiting and with keto, it’s the opposite. I’ve got to learn to listen to my body and relax a bit into the diet. And yes, it’s 5000kj! I’m overweight so losing 1kg every other week at the moment suits me. I like your motto ‘stop and eat the bacon’… :wink:

#13

That’s right @juice, that’s what I meant: kj, not cal.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

To misquote Bernstein’s opera, Candide, “I may not be pure, but at least my joules are!”

(Running from stupidity) #15

Again?