Low blood Ketone readings during EF

blood
ketones
(Joel ) #1

Hi All,

I have done keto in ~3 month blocks and off-on in between since the start of 2018. I have also done irregular IF and one-off extended fasts. SO in theory I should be fat-adapted. When on Keto I don’t feel hungry etc.

I am currently nearing the end of a 72 hour fast and have taken 2 blood ketone readings today (w/. precision xtra and ketone strips). I thought it was very strange that they came back .6 in the morning and .2 in the afternoon. You would think it would higher after only water, coffee, tea for 72 hours. Having said that, my blood ketone levels are never super high 0.7 the highest during a regular week and up to 1.5 only if I just recently ate fat or took exogenous ketones.

Does anyone else just have typically low readings? Could it just be my body? I’m thinking taking the readings is not really providing much benefit.

(Karim Wassef) #2

It is unusual that it blood ketones stay low after 72 hrs but where is your glucose?

The body goes through phases of fasting adaptation. First, it goes through GNG to make glucose (high glucose), then it starts to use fatty acids directly (low glucose, low ketones), and then starts making more ketones to guard against needed to GNG (low glucose, high ketones).

Tracking both helps understand your phase

(Kelly Lynch) #3

THANK YOU!! Yours is the most informative answer without all the opinion cushioning I find when asking a direct question regarding fasting and blood ketone levels.