Investing in a Ketone Meter

newbies
ketones
ketosis
results
(Allison) #1

Is it worth the investment to get a ketone meter if the results are not there? I cannot ascertain any changes to my body fat, weight, measurements, energy or anything else. Ketostix are always showing small to moderate amounts but would a ketone meter be worth it to see if I am in Ketosis? Maybe it would explain the lack of changes in my body? Has anyone had any experience with ketosis not really making a difference with whether or not you saw results?

(Jay AM) #2

Why don’t you start of first with giving us more information so we can give you more custom advice. Age, height, weight, how long you’ve been keto, average daily macro and calorie intake, whether you supplement electrolytes, whether you work out, health problems or medications. This way we can work with you and provide information to see why you’re not getting results. In short though, if you eat under 20g of net carbs, you’re in ketosis or you’re dead.

The urine test strips are useless at best along with your scale. The urine strips test ketone waste. We want to use ketones not waste them. Smaller people see lower colors with them as do active people or people that drink a lot of water. Meanwhile, a non ketoer can actually see higher colors of they are pre diabetic or diabetic. Because, that’s what the strips are for. To test for the risk of excess ketones in a non keto diabetic.

If you really want to test ketones without a huge investment, consider a cheap breathalyzer as mentioned in the post below.

http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Breath_Acetone_Meters

#3

As somebody who has one, definitely not needed. Cool to have sometimes but willing to bet if you gave us a couple days sample menu we’d see the problem without you spending the $$

(Ron) #4

I totally agree with @lfod14 on this and I have one also.

(Allison) #5

Hello,
Ok. Well i am 33, female, 5’3, 200 lbs, 40% body fat approx. I have been keto for 6 months. I have been intermittent fasting for 3 months. I have been recently trying carnivore but it doesn’t make me feel great. I am currently eating 142g P, 108g F, 10g C, 1580 cal. I count total carbs not net carbs. Ever since using carnivore I am kinda struggling to get through my 16:8 fasting because I am getting hungry. I am also more tired as well and kinda struggling with getting in all of the protein without going over my other macros. Previously I was eating and not tracking strictly. I ate 1/2 an avocado every day and cucumber and romaine for veggies which is all of the carb sources I was getting. Ground beef, bacon and chicken are staples for me. Cream in my coffee in the afternoons, nondairy zero carb creamer and coconut oil in my coffee in the mornings. I have cut back on my chees use, and I should probably eat more eggs. Sparkling water and regular water are the only other things I drink. I have cut out nuts completely this past month. I also cut out tomatoes, green beans, mushrooms, cauliflower, and broccoli. Trying to see if it would give me a boost.
I exercise 4 days a week. I do circuit training, hiit, and liss in those 4 days. I use the Ketoaide recipe here on the forums, i take calcium citrate, 3g of l-carnitine first thing in the morning with 3g of l-glutamine, zinc, biotin, ginger root, collagen, acv, dim, vitamins e, a, k, d, probiotic and super food complex. I have high blood pressure and thats it.

#6

First thing I notice is your protein intake is higher than your fat intake, which it shouldn’t be. 140g protein isn’t too much if your workouts are weight training based as your actively building muscle, but with most of it being cardio based and with weight loss being your main goal I’d dial it back to like 80 or so. Also, 108g of fat on Keto is pretty low, don’t forget fat is your MAIN fuel source, calories are fine but they shouldn’t be written in stone either. Having issues with a 16:8 shows your not burning your fat efficiently which fits as your not eating that much of it and consuming more in protein which is a terrible fuel. If you like bulletproof coffee’s go for them. That’ll give you a good fat boost. Chickens fine, but remember it’s all protein no fat, which means no fuel.

#7

Regarding your original question, it all depends on whether or not you have the money to spend on the testing monitors. For me, it’s worth the money. I have the urine strips (which are inexpensive and not real accurate but they’re still motivating when I see the color), I have a breathometer which I’m not crazy about because the first one I used went bad after a few weeks (it kept telling me I was very much in ketosis even when I wasn’t), and my favorite, the blood monitor, which is the most reliable source.

It’s totally unnecessary to check your ketone levels but I find it motivating. And when I see the numbers dropping I also know it’s time to clean up my act and change something.

If you can afford to it might benefit you to see what the numbers say about your diet, but if not, like was said, keep the carbs low, the fat high, and trust the process.
Sue

(Jay AM) #8

Do you assume that you’re not in ketosis if the strips show trace?

As far as reliability, maybe in terms of lasting equipment. However, acetone is a surefire way to see that not only are you making ketones but also using them.

(Candy Lind) #9

This kind of confirms my first thought at reading your macros. Lower your protein (maybe 90 g), increase your fat, and when you feel tired or dragged out, eat some salt. I also suggest you not “schedule” intermittent fasting; instead, go back to basics - less than 20 grams carbs, moderate protein (90 might still be too high), fat to satiety. Don’t count fat, just use a lot of it. If you get hungry in less than 5 hours after a meal, you’re not eating enough.

What is non-dairy zero carb creamer, and WHY would you use it? You don’t like pure sweet cream? If you put fats in your coffee in the morning and emulsify them with a stick blender, you won’t even need the cream unless you just want it - and you’ll go a long time without getting hungry. Why did you cut back on cheese? Do you think you’re eating too many calories? YES to the eggs - they have a perfect balance of protein, carb, & fat for keto.

#10

No, I don’t get concerned when the urine strips show trace… I get different results depending on time of day, how much water I’ve had, how long since the last time I emptied my bladder, etc.

So are you saying that you think the breathometer is more reliable than blood testing?

(Ron) #11

Remember the ketones are a byproduct coming from the liver when it is making energy from fat so reading higher levels even in the blood are an indication that the body isn’t using them as efficiently as a lower reading could suggest the body would be.
There is really no way to measure a proper way to determine how well your body is burning fat for fuel. This is why you see suggestions to not measure for a number but only for verification that you are burning fat.

(Allison) #12

Lol. The nondairy zero carb creamer is called nutpods, made with coconut milk. I started using it because I’ve read that too much dairy stalls people, which is why I also cut back on the cheese. Thank you for the advice. I had the thought of cutting out the fasting since it was becoming a problem and eating when I’m hungry and not eating when I’m not.

(Allison) #13

Hi,
My circuit training is all weight based and I add additional cardio at the end of my workouts. For instance, I weight train for 45 minutes and I tack on 20 min of cardio at the end. Some days I do cardio in between weight sets. Will chicken wings and chicken drumsticks be ok? I do have some red meat to eat, strip steak, and filets. But I mostly eat ground beef when I eat beef, and I do go through a lot of bacon.

(Allison) #14

Don’t count fat, just use a lot of it. If you get hungry in less than 5 hours after a meal, you’re not eating enough.

Do you think you’re eating too many calories? YES to the eggs - they have a perfect balance of protein, carb, & fat for keto.
[/quote]

Ok more fat. How will I know how much fat is TOO much fat? Lol.
As far as the calories, I feel like ever since I dropped to 1580 I haven’t been eating enough. I’m not recovering from my workouts very well, and I think I’m holding fluid somehow because I weigh more now than before.

(Candy Lind) #15

When you are full from fat, your body will tell you so.

~shaking finger~ You should have listened to yourself! I had 2 episodes early in keto where I increased my calories by ~200 and WHOOSH! Off came some more weight. Eat more. FAT. :wink:

(Allison) #16

Lol. Yes ma’am

(Diane) #17

There’s some good advice in this thread. One way to add fat without dairy (it does cause inflammation in some people, which can affect weight loss) is to add extra yolks when you’re cooking eggs. Also, you can eat more avocados and olives (these have both fat and fiber).

Although I agree it is totally not necessary for everyone, I use the Keto-Mojo blood ketone monitor. It tests both blood glucose and blood ketones. The different brands of monitors all seem to be relatively reasonably priced. The strips to test them are what get expensive over time. The Keto-Mojo ketone strips are $50 for 50 ($1 apiece), which is the best price I’ve seen. The blood glucose test strips are $15 for 50. I test 2 to 3 times a week or if I suspect I’ve eaten something that may have affected my ketosis (so I can KNOW and make adjustments as necessary).

The reason I test is because I’m trying to reduce my insulin resistance and there is no home test for insulin levels. If my ketone levels are high (for me that is above 1.5 or so) then I presume my insulin hasn’t spiked since if one’s insulin is high, your liver doesn’t produce ketones until it drops (since insulin puts us in fat storing mode, NOT fat burning). So, the ketone level is a surrogate marker to tell me if my insulin has gone high.

I’m eating ketogenically to help heal my metabolism because of some serious, long term health issues I’ve been struggling with. So, keeping my insulin low has potentially big health ramifications for me which are more important than weight loss to me (although when I do lose weight, I think it’s another good sign that I’m keeping my insulin levels down). I also just like the data.

FYI, I’ve found that when I keep it simple and eat bacon and eggs for my biggest meal, my ketones are always higher the next morning.

Good luck!
:blush::blush:

(Allison) #18

Has anyone tried ashwagandha for their cortisol levels and found success?

(Diane) #19

I don’t use ashwagandha, I do use ginger for similar reasons. Do a search and you’ll find that among its many benefits it can help lower cortisol and promote body recomposition.

(Coinneach Domhnullaich) #20

I think the ketostix would be OK. It’s all relative to you. If you stick to eating more or less the same macros everyday, then check your ketostix between meals, same time every day. If you notice your keytones are going lower, that would mean you’re using more ketones, a good thing. I wouldn’t check first thing in the morning, as keytones will generally be low then anyway. I have a dual glucose-keytone metre and it’s handy, but once you tune in to your body, you’ll have a good idea. For example if your keytones go down with ketostix, how do you feel? If your keytones go up on the ketostix, how do you feel? It’s kind of like eating fat to satiety, how do you know?. Listen to your body!