High Ketones Since Starting Exercise

[lindaishungry]

Hi, I did try and find this both here and via Google but I apologize if I overlooked this here.

I started keto about 9 months ago (was low carb for a long time leading up to going full keto). I am metabolically healthy and have about 5 lbs to lose. My ketones normally range between .9-1.5 I’m well versed on keto and I know that for weight loss/nutritional ketosis, higher ketones are not important. I’m enquiring more out of curiosity - I definitely like to tune in to my body and like to understand the science.

I feel great and wanted to start exercising. I began incorporating 20 and 30 minute HIIT and tabata Peloton workouts a few times a week and am definitely going all out on the intervals, so I assume my body is treating this as anaerobic. As expected, my ketones drop about a full point immediately following exercise. However, my average ketone level has risen to about 2.5-4 and blood glucose seems to have gone down a bit too, but it’s always been within normal range. Nothing else has changed - not dietarily, not with supplements, etc. I do feel GREAT since my ketones are registering higher. Just curious as to why this might be happening. I would have expected the opposite.

PS - I blood monitor both ketones and BS.

Thanks!

[Callisto]

This happens to me too. I’m not 100% sure of all the causes, but I believe it has (at least in part) to do with the effects of increased glucagon in response to your depleted glycogen stores, which in turn results in gluconeogenesis, but also in a release of free fatty acids from fat stores in order to do all the refueling. I don’t know for sure how long the effect lasts, but in my case the ketone levels stay higher for a while.

p.s. - I just looked it up and glucagon itself has a very short half life. But maybe there are steps farther down the biochemical pathway (from glucagon to increased ketones) that stick around longer and result in the lingering effect. Or maybe there are other non-glucagon pathways that contribute to the effect.

[Callisto]

Oh, here’s a simplified explanation I found, in case it helps.