Ketonix Readings

ketonix

(David Simoni) #1

I just bought a Ketonix for a couple of hundred dollars and I’m beginning to wonder if it was a good investment! I just took 4 readings in the space of about 7 or 8 minutes, resetting each time, and they read 6.4, 7.6, 7.9, 8.1. WTF? I made an effort to blow with the same velocity and duration each time. Why do the readings keep going up??


(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #2

Weeeellllllll…

IDK
I have a second generation Ketonix and have yet to hook it up to my computer. I only go by number of colored flashes. Using it this way has proved consistent for me, correlating with blood ketones well.
Contact the manufacturer with this question too? Or heck, how about the developer Michel Lundell himself on facebook? I did. He signed my Ketonix at Low Carb Breckenridge too. Lol https://www.facebook.com/michel.lundell

I’m not much help. Lmao


(Jim Russell) #3

Did you expect the numbers to be identical with every blow?

The current gen ketonix measure in parts per million. That is, for every million molecules you are breathing at the sensor, somewhere between 6.4 and 8.1 of the them are acetone. That seems like a very small difference to me.


(Kate) #4

Maybe reread how to blow into it. When I started with mine I wasn’t getting consistent readings because I was doing it wrong by taking a big breath before blowing, when I was supposed to be breathing normally and then continue until you expel all the air out of your lungs.

I have to admit I don’t use mine very often and I don’t check my urine or blood ketones unless I have super cravings and start looking in the cupboard for food or noticing food on ads then I know I am out of Ketosis.


(Jim Russell) #5

The technique I use for breathing is this. Take a couple of normal breaths. Then breath in, then breathe out about half the breath and hold that for 5 seconds then breathe out the rest of the breath into the ketonix until I can’t breathe out anymore. That seems to work consistently for me.

But I think that as long as you use the same method consistently it should work. Important part is to make sure to get out as much air as possible.


(Mark Rhodes) #6

My understanding is that the expelled air from the lungs could get “hung up”, that is not all of what you need to for a complete reading is expelled each and every time. In the beginning I was obsessive with it and developed my own method of measuring.
13 second blow. Reset.
Long untimed blow and completely evacuate my lungs to feeling like I can’t breathe. Reset.
13 second blow.
I then average my three readings and take that as my BrAca measurement.

If I do this more than once a day I also average my score. Included is a 3 month result of that.

Other thoughts: I have scored as high as 119. This did not translate into greater (or less) fat loss. I have come to believe that being in nutritional ketosis and fat adapted PLUS fasting is MY key. Trying to get higher readings does nothing but create stress which is detrimental to the hormones we might need for success.


(Mark Rhodes) #7

This is a little more information, just a little. I am an engineer so I cannot help but track things. Also I was camping the last two weeks so I did not track. During that time I fasted twice for 72 hours and feasted ( 3-5 days) between fasts.
My bodyweight end of July was 204, currently 195. Hard to say what my BF% dropped as my next Dexascan is not until October. My skin caliper has dropped 1/4 inch per side totaling a 1/2 reduction in belly circumference.

What I am trying to stress is do not get hung up on the old mentality of “the more the better”. Keto is long term. Enjoy the ride. Learn as much as possible especially in how YOUR body reacts. My wife and I cannot have the same things. We create base meals that in the last five minutes have more specialized ingredients added to make the meal satisfying and nutritious for our individual needs. KCKO!!


#8

You can actually do that without resetting. Do three blows within a reasonably short space of time and the meter will take the highest reading. It is listed somewhere in the How Tos as a way to get used to it.

I am currently taking 3 measurements daily in the morning, sometimes more, to see how the graphs look. So far I am not getting the consistent inverse correlation with BG that is predicted. I am also not seeing the time lag that Ketonix maintains is obligatory for BHB readings - i.e. Ketonix reacts in etc moment but BHB is always referring to the previous day. I am going to do this for a while and then send to Ketonix for comment.

I have noticed that by doing 2 or 3 blows as described above that the reading does usually go up. I assume this is because you fail to clear that bottom of the lung space with the first blow. I’m not sure that your reading aren’t within variance limits though. Check the FAQs. I have feeling you might be just within tolerance.


(Mark Rhodes) #9

By reset I meant SAVE. I also do not like for it to take my highest reading- I prefer statistical averages especially over time. Currently I am concerned with three different things: That I am in nutritional ketosis. How fasting impacts readings and on feasting days I created a fat to protein ration that tracks some interesting data. Higher fat ratio of 3:1 jacks my ketonix.

Interesting note: If any one wants to see their ketonix score jump 50 points, drink a shot glass of MCT and in an hour take a reading. Those medium chain buggers get right down to work, then disappear in 2 hours.


#10

Gotcha. Interestingly, MCT had zero impact on my readings when I tested it. What I have learnt is that it is responsive to other things that can give high readings. Alcohol is the obvious one and I had fun blowing its socks off! But more worryingly it picks up on methane (carbs) and ammonia (protein). Now say you are trying to test your carb tolerance level overall or simply just trying to gauge a reaction to a certain food. If you can bump your reading higher by eating carbs that is terribly misleading. This is why I am running all three together over a period of time to see what results I get.


(Mark Rhodes) #11

Interesting. All three people I know who use(d) MCT all got higher readings an hour after.
I was not aware that carbs released some other measuring element. Also bad but good to know. When I was on vacation I didn’t track numbers but did use Ketonix to make sure I stayed within, minimally, the Green range. But it could have been CARBS registering not Ketones. Good to know. I doubt I fell out of ketosis but to be sure upon return I did a 66 hr fast that was a little harder than my normal 72 plus fasts. Just to reset the clock so to speak.


#12

MCT (in refined forms) does NOT agree with me so maybe that is why? I get gastric pain and disaster pants.

Just noticed your Patreon badge - first one I have seen. Awesome.


(Mark Rhodes) #13

We use both Left Coast and Brain Octane. My wife uses it for more cognitive reasons (memory). So she wants to be sure to get C8. As my Left coast disappears which I just use for salad dressing now I have gone back to plain old coconut oil. My one mantra from the old days “just eat real food- supplements are just that, supplements” is still very effective.
In keto I wasted money on Amino Fuel, MCT, BCAA, WHEY (omg the insulin spike!!!)
What has helped: glutamine after a fast, L-carnitine on light eating days before bed. Magnesium, potassium, Trace Elements drops for my water.

AND, YEP! in the beginning I thought WOW, look at my ketonix readings after a shot glass of MCT, I BET two shot glasses will really burn that fat. It didn’t but I did lose a sh*t ton of weight for the next two hours.


(Jason Fletcher) #14

I wonder in the conversion of MCT oil in the liver is done at a fixed rate. Or is be done on demand dependent on energy needs. Plus i wonder how long MCT stays in the system. I would think just because you can handle 3 tbsp of MCT oil it does not mean that it would be converted all in the liver. plus i wonder if there are other ways acetone is processed in the body so it will not show up in the breath.


(David Simoni) #15

Thanks. That was actually quite helpful. I’ll contact the developer. :slight_smile:


(David Simoni) #16

Well, if the readings were up and down then I might think that the variation was based on other factors. But since it kept going up, I figured something else is going on. I’m going to try doing it even more times today and see if the same thing happens 7x in a row.


(David Simoni) #17

I read the instructions and watched a couple of videos on YouTube so I think that I’m doing it correctly. I think that something else is going on. I’m going to try a little experiment today and see if it keeps going up even after 7 tries which suggests to me that something is not right.


(David Simoni) #18

Although my technique is not much different, I’ll try yours. Thanks!