Keto mojo strips price

(Fabian ) #1

I’ve just bought myself a Keto Mojo kit:
I’ve noticed that the ketone strips are like 3.5 times more expensive (in Spain t least) than the glucose strips.
I was wondering if there was a strong correlation between the results (ketones and glucose) and if by testing just the glucose (cheaper) we could, with experience, have a pretty good idea of our level of ketosis (or are there more important parameters)
Thanks!

#2

Your Blood Sugar and Ketone levels aren’t directly connected. You said you “just” bought it? Can you return it? Your Ketone levels don’t matter. They don’t correlate with fat loss, which is why most people want to see that number.

If you’re managing a medical condition and actually require ketones to be high, then it’s very useful for a while until you get the hang of how to eat to maintain that.

The whole “deep ketosis” is more made up terms by non-mainstream Docs that are in keto circles. My ketones almost never went above 0.3-0.5, and I lost 100lbs in a year like that.

(Fabian ) #3

Thanks for your comment
I’m probably interested in both actually as I’ve always felt I had a problem with carbs and am probably to some degree insuin resistant.
I’ve been on keto for a month but I’m pretty sure I’m in ketosis, by the way I feel, lack of hunger…
I’m just curious about how I react to some foods, meals…
So I guess I will try bith strips and, as you said, it may not be that important to know the level of ketosis but glucose levels are an imortant marker of health and metabolic health.
I can also use the glucose strips when I’m not longer following a keto diet.

(Joey) #4

Yes to everything you’ve said.

@lfod14 is right to note that the serum levels don’t REALLY matter in the scheme of things. But you are simply like most of us (myself included) who really want to see what’s going on - whether it strictly matters or not - when it comes to doing “weird” stuff to ourselves … like defying generations of dietary advice drilled into us.

Go ahead and test away. You will observe all kinds of things that will interest you. Some will be helpful in drawing associations. Some, not so much.

Every one of us is unique at some level, and so confirming what your ketone levels are doing (at least the ketones in your blood) along with glucose (again, in your blood) will be interesting - especially to you.

Haven’t tested my ketones in over a year. And I bought a super cheap glucose kit at the grocery store (US$9.00). Rarely use it except for the occasional self-experiment over some food item, exercise, or such.

Totally unnecessary - but fun to test when the urge strikes. Hopefully you reach that same point where you’ve “been there and done that” … but until you do, bleed away! :syringe:

p.s. - Per your original question: Glucose and ketones are entirely different compounds. Testing one is not equivalent to testing the other.

p.p.s - And yes, Mojo ketone strips tend to run many times more in price than glucose strips. Some of that is the cost of production. Some of that is likely the thinner ketone test strip competition. There are a lot more diabetics testing glucose than there are folks doing keto who want to know their BHB levels. Capitalism works to keep glucose test strips cheap. :+1:

(Bob M) #5

I’ve found they usually run opposite of each other – higher glucose = lower ketones; lower glucose = higher ketones.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #6

And this is as it should be. When glucose is elevated, we don’t want ketones to be competing to be used as fuel, since we want to clear the excess glucose from the blood as soon as possible, before it has a chance to cause damage. If glucose weren’t so damaging, things would no doubt be different.

(Allie) #7

Keto works as a lifestyle change, not as a quick fix diet to use before going back to the bad habits that caused the issues in the first place.

(Fabian ) #8

Thanks fo the advice, but it’s not my intention.
I love being on keto, but long term I’m thinking of going lowish carb for more flexibility (never really tried though) but certainly not to consuming 60% of carbs or so!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #9

People seem to make what I consider a false distinction between “keto” and “low-carb.” Either a diet is low enough in carbohydrate (whatever that level might be for a given person) for his or her insulin to drop low enough to permit ketosis, or it is too high, and the person will be in glucose-burning, fat-storing mode.

I grant that it does get confusing, because one person might be insulin-sensitive enough to be able to eat a certain amount of carbs and stay in ketosis, whereas that same amount of carbohydrate might be enough to keep another, more insulin-resistant person out of ketosis and in fat-storing mode.

Myself, I find that there is a level of carb intake that makes me feel arthritic and inflamed again, even though I am apparently still in ketosis. Go figure!

(Fabian ) #10

My idea of low carb was closer to 100 grams of carb, so clearly not in ketosis but with more hunger control than when I was on 300 gr of carbs a day! Maybe that will be harder to achieve than I think as I’ve never really tried, went straight into ketosis.

For me the ketogenic diet is a way of losing weight quite easily, without too many temptations / almost no hunger, eating things I like but long term, if at all
possible, I would rather follow a diet that includes some fruits and the odd sugar treat now and then.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #11

Whether or not you are in ketosis at 100 g/day of carb intake depends on your degree of insulin sensitivity or resistance. If you are insulin-sensitive, 100 g/day may still be low enough to put you in ketosis, whereas if you are really insulin-resistant, even 20 g/day may be too much.

A ketogenic diet is primarily about restoring metabolic health (reversing Type II diabetes, lowering blood pressure, reducing cardiovascular risk, etc.), with fat loss as an enjoyable side-effect. You can still eat fruits and sugar on keto, so long as you keep your carb intake below your threshold.

The goal is to keep serum insulin below 25 μU/mL, so as to remain in ketosis and stay out of fat-storing mode. If you can do that at 100 g/day of carbohydrate, mazel tov; otherwise you will have to decide the relative importance of eating your favourite foods, versus staying thin and metabolically healthy.

(Robin) #12

Keto may not be the answer you are looking for, if you want to maintain eating those foods. However, your cutting down on your carbs is going to help your health and weight. So that may be where you want to end up.

I will say that the more you do cut down on carbs, the more your cravings will decrease. Carbs are what make us crave more carbs. And if you have any health issues, most will improve greatly. (Arthritis, diabetes, aches/pains, etc).
Many of us come for the weight loss and stay for the additional benefits and feeling good.
But no worries if this isn’t for you. As I said, just cutting back on your carbs is very very good for you.

(Joey) #13

Good luck with that approach. :wink:

Sure, eating fruit occasionally is perfectly healthy … which is why fruit in nature is available in season and rarely. Fruit is useful for fattening up before the lean months of winter hibernation. Personally, I enjoy an occasional chunk of fresh fruit.

But fruit eaten 365 days a year is not how the human metabolism is wired. You’re spiking your system with (natural) sugar and that takes its toll over time.

On the other hand, eating grains makes perfect sense if the alternative is starving. But there’s a good reason those subsisting largely on grains are malnourished. Because there’s virtually no nourishment for humans in grains (or rice, bread, roots, other starches) to meet our body’s nourishment needs. It simply fills your belly until some nourishment comes along.

The human body will whither and die without protein and fat. Period.

On the other hand, the necessary daily intake of carbohydrates = zero.

Eating carbs simply gets in the way of your body’s ability to utilize the healthy fat and protein you need to absorb. Go for it.

If you want to lose weight, sure, do some serious carb-restriction (=keto).

Then go back to eating poorly again whenever that’s your preference. It’s your body - you can treat it however you’d like.

Some folks can tolerate poor nutirition (and slowly worsening systemic inflammation) better than others. Some never notice much until they become pre-diabetic, arthritic, neuro-impaired, gastro-refluxed, stroke, heart failure, autoimmune, etc.

Hopefully you’re lucky enough to mistreat your body and get away with it for many years to come. :vulcan_salute:

(If I’m being a bit provocative, it’s for effect. You do you, as the kids say.)