In/out keto help

(Tim ) #1

Hi all

Just wanting a little bit of reassurance and or some tips.

I have a ketone meter and have been under 20g carbs for 7 weeks now so getting adapted. Haven’t really been using the meter so just started using it out of interest.

Yesterday at around lunch I was 0.4 ketones. Didnt eat all day and no breakfast due to a bit of a cheat Sunday night, felt fine doing this so hoping this means I’m getting fat adapted. At about 5pm I had 3 slices of hard cheddar cheese. In the evening I had a rump steak and some lettuce with olive oil, cooked in a bit of beef fat. Also ate about 2 desserts spoons of marscapone 3 raspberries and 2 squares of dark chocolate (90%)

This morning did a bit of pre breakfast workout (strength low intensity) and had 3 eggs with butter an 4 streaky bacon rashers. (7am)

At 10:50 am my ketones are 0.2

Question is what m I doing wrong?! Or do you get bumped out a little after every meal? Too much protein? Is the cheat Sunday still affecting? Unlikely given I didn’t eat after for pretty much 24hrs and at lunch time ketones were already 0.4

#2

Hi Tim,

Do you measure the macros for everything you eat?

(Running from stupidity) #3

+1

Also, “level of ketones” is pretty much a null event, irrelevant. e.g. You can crank it with exogenous ketones and nothing has really changed except the reading.

(Tim ) #4

Nope, but I was hoping to not get that complicated, if carbs are under 20 then I should be there or there abouts right?

(Tim ) #5

So is 0.2 in ketosis the same as 1? I get I’m either in or out and numbers shouldn’t matter but is aiming for above 0.5 worth it?

(Running from stupidity) #6

But if you’re not tracking, how do you know where they’re at? Also, tracking is good education, and it makes answering questions possible. With no data, every answer would be a guess.

It’s not “the same,” per se, but a reading means you’re in. Which is what you want. People’s levels vary wildly, so “optimum” as declared by some person somewhere might not be reachable by another person due to their physiology, etc… I use a breathalyser (well, rarely, but it’s how I check on the odd occasion), and a reading means good, no reading means I’m not (or that the meter is having an off day and will give me a reading an hour later…)

(Tim ) #7

Yeah I guess the macros I haven’t felt the need to track as it’s mostly been things like,

Breakfast: eggs, bacon,

Lunch, none or some mince beef formed into burgers maybe some cheese

Dinner, something low carb like bolonase or chilli with just one can of chopped toms between two plus a bit of cheese and no beans or anything. Maybe on a bit of a bed of spinach.

Maybe a bit of marscapone and some nuts thrown in. If hungry normal snack on a baby bell or similar

#8

Tim, you REALLY need to count the carbs (better to count fat and protein too), for everything you put in your mouth. Weigh it first so you can be accurate.

Some of the things you’re eating can mount up in carbs, very quickly. For instance, you could be getting 8 - 10g in your 1/2 tin of tomatoes. Some nuts will mount up fast as well. Bolognese and chilli can be a massive amount of carbs unless you’re very careful.

Please start weighing and counting. You might be surprised at what you find.

#9

0.5 - 1.5 ketones in the blood, is recommended for nutritional ketosis.

(Tim ) #10

Yeah it’s a good shout, I did track at the start and had no issue being under 20 so I kind of stoppe but it’s probably good to go back to it

(Jewel ) #11

Hi, Tim- just finished my first 30 days on keto, so I’m still a newbie, for sure! My partner and I cut out dairy for those 30 days as well, and are now testing it back in. Not sure if you’ve tried that, but if you are sensitive to dairy, might it be getting in the way of your ketosis? Maybe someone w more experience here can elaborate… welcome!

(Keto Victory) #12

Hi, Tim. A couple thoughts…

Which meter are you using?

Are you on insulin?

Using a CGM?

I like the suggestions -

  • to carefully track (and weigh) what you eat - it may give you some clues. FYI, Cronometer has much better data than MFP.

  • to try cutting out dairy, which can really affect some people.

Good luck!

(Tim ) #13

Not on insulin, using “on call” blood drop meter

(Edith) #14

It could be that your body used up those ketones for the exercise and after burn and you hadn’t created enough new ketones to bring the level back up.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #15

NOTHING.

This is normal. Once I became fat adapted my blood readings dropped dramatically. It’s quite common for some of us to get low readings, typically because we are so adapted that our body is only making the ketones it requires to keep running and does not need to keep an abundance in the blood stream.
When you exercise, you use those ketones for energy, so naturally after exercise your ketones will always be lower.

I was like you in the beginning. Stop chasing numbers.
Fat adapation means f*ck all on a meter, there’s no point tracking. I don’t even bother anymore.
It takes me two days of fasting to even see 2.1 on my meter.
I’ve been on Keto for almost 6 months now.

(Lynn) #16

I’m 4 months keto and its only been a few wks now that eating something like a piece of bday cake doesn’t take 2-3 days to get my ketones back up. Sounds to me like you need to cut out anything sugar until you’re fully fat adapted and can handle even raspberries. Now if I have anything non-keto, the next day i’m already back in and all set!
Also worth noting…I also had to cut out dairy to get where I am. My ketones (keto mojo) on average are in the 1 range now.

(Jewel ) #17

Lynn, thanks for mentioning dairy- I’ve been curious about how that effects folks as well.