Ideal ketone levels

(Tony Campbell) #1

I have a question…
It is written, that the ‘ideal’ ketone levels for weight loss are between 0.5-1.5 millimolars and up to 5 millimolars for therapeutic levels.
Whilst I can understand that below 0.5, ‘technically ‘ you aren’t in ketosis, what happens that is different above the therapeutic range? Will being above the ideal weightloss range slow weightloss? Is there reliable evidence to show this, one way or another?

(Karim Wassef) #2

With higher ketones, you could be losing fat so fast that the body starts to cannibalize old weak lean mass as well. Basically, it goes into recycling mode - which is a good thing, but will cause some lean mass loss in the short term.

The good news is that the lean mass gets rebuilt with younger healthier cells later.

In cases of extremely high ketones (extreme medical conditions), it can cause acidification of the blood called ketoacidosis. That is not keto… it’s a medical disorder generally associated with high glucose & ketones. I’ve gone as high as 9.3 with no ill effects…

Higher ketones are actually protective of lean muscle. So while you will lose a little when you’re that deep in ketosis, the ketones actually trigger the body to lose “less” than you would if you were yo-yo dieting with carbs.

(Tony Campbell) #3

Thanks Karim. Although I’m only using keto urinalysis sticks which I understand are very inaccurate, but only because I’m waiting for my blood ketones and glucose monitor to arrive. I know I really don’t need to bother monitoring them, but I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to that kind of thing. I’ll post back with my glucose and ketone levels when I can. I’d be interested to here some comments regarding my readings if anyone can decipher them!

(Karim Wassef) #4

I track blood glucose and ketones multiple times a day… data geek too

(Bob M) #5

That’s old school. Now the thought is that if you have a reading, you’re in ketosis. My ketones are never above 0.5 in the morning, unless I fast multiple days. Fasted 2.5 days and only got a 0.6 by blood in the morning (and 1.6 at 7pm that day). They’ve been 0.2 every day this week in the morning. I’ve been doing this a while though.

(Keto life n' a little hippie ) #6

Getting my ketone meter hopefully next week. The type you prick you finger and measure the blood. I got a little confused ctviggen by your post. What should the level read on my meter?

I plan to measure in the morning and 12 hours later now in the start of keto life just to get a baseline and to better understand what is going on. As a computer nerd those data of course will show up on my charts along with other data, such as intermittent fast length, meal window, body shrinkage on certain body parts as well as weight and fat/protein ratio.

Don’t know how long I will stick to this logging regime but at least now when I adjust to the new keto way of living I feel data logging and displaying those data in charts will help me understand what is going on in my body and how different things affect other things in regard to keto life.

That was a lot of info, but it was for a purpose. I need to fully understand what levels of ketones I should target, and I rather do the correct adjustments now in the very beginning so that I can get good habits established from the start.

(KCKO, KCFO) #7

This is going to vary person by person. Richard and Steve Phinney do great at the lower nutritional levels. When I don’t fast for a long period I hang at those levels as well. But when I’m fasting I can go over the 5.0 level.

Here are the ranges according to Phinney’s research, I feel just fine when I go beyond 5.0, BTW, I just don’t stay there for days on end, usually just a day or so.
IMG_1448

(KCKO, KCFO) #8

Do you do a lot of exercise and getting good results? Richard and Dr. Phinney do lots of bike riding and they both report levels of .4-.5 and I believe they are both doing it right.

(Karim Wassef) #9

Check out my fasting & eating threads, I post all my results… thousands of data points

(Ellen ) #10

I got my ketone strips today. This afternoon I tested an was 0.3. Tonight I’m 1.6. Sounds like a crazy swing in about 6 hours. Is this normal?

(Angela K) #11

Yes, that can happen. Especially if you exercised before the evening reading or if the first test was not long after eating.

(Ellen ) #12

So the key is not to check right after eating. I didn’t exercise but exercise will help elevate my blood ketones?

(Karim Wassef) #13

collect more data
ketone readings are not linear or simple to understand. They’re a dynamic response of the body using historical activities to prepare for your future metabolic needs.
don’t think about it for a few days until you start to see your own pattern emerge.

(Keto butts drive me nuts) #14

I don’t worry to much about tracking ketone levels. I cook all the food that I eat. I’m in ketosis

(Ellen ) #15

Okay, thanks Karim

(Ellen ) #16

Thanks Eric

(Tony Campbell) #17

So, my meter arrived. New toy to play with :slight_smile:
Morning (12 hrs since last food)
Ket…0.9mmol/L
Gluc…6.2mmol/L

So…comments anyone? By the way, my urine sticks say that I’m somewhere in the 1.5-2 range, so a huge variance compared to the blood meter!

(Karim Wassef) #18

looks like a good start :smiley:

here’s a peak at some of my data and how it tracks with my experimentation

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #19

Yeah, you can’t directly compare the pee sticks to the blood meter to the breath meter (Ketonix). Tracking with the blood meter can be handy, especially to see how different foods affect you. Even though they are much cheaper, I wouldn’t rely on the pee sticks.

(Tony Campbell) #20

Thanks karim, I’ll have a look at your data later. I’ve got a gym class in a short while, and I like to do some free weights work before it starts. What is the connection between ketones and blood glucose? What should I be looking for? I hadn’t mentioned in this post, but this is the end of my third week since going keto. I’m staying below 20 net carbs without any issues, so I’m happy with that. I mention it, only in case it has a bearing on the readings I gave you. Thanks again.