MCT Oil and GKI

(Steve Gibson) #1

Hi Smart People : - )

I am trying to master the Keto Mojo and make sure I am interpreting the results correctly. This morning I woke up at 530am and did my kettlebell workout. I skipped breakfast but I had 3 cups of my coffee with MCT and Heavy Cream. And about a quart of water with a full tablespoon of Pink salt so that is about 2 grams of actual sodium which really makes me feel great. So if I am at 1 Tablespoon MCT and 1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream in each 8 ounce cup of coffee. That is a total of 58 grams of fat and 1 Gram of carbs and 1 Gram of protein. Figure about 450 calories total.

At Noon the Keto Mojo says my Glucose is 81 and my Ketones are 1.9 which gives me a GKI of 2.65 which is a moderate to moderately high level of Ketosis. ( especially since I am enjoying 450 calories of tasty coffee )

QUESTION: Am I burning off the last of this belly fat right now? OR am I just doing a good job of creating Ketones because I have 42grams of MCT oil in my system??

In fact, when I am in Nutritional Ketosis how do I know if I am burning dietary fat or my own stored fat? Are these relatively “good” numbers just getting pumped up by my coffee blend or am I actually getting closer to that true 34 inch waist? (I just have about an inch to go now but it seems slow going. I know more fasting… Dont worry I will. Right now a 36 hour fast is a fairly decent act of will on my part. I have done 3 in 3 months. )

Thanks for the continuing education from you experienced Ketoers.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #2

I’d say that your ketone numbers are “artificially” inflated due to the MCT oil.

How long have you been doing this, and are you fat adapted? If you’ve been doing it a while you should let your body fuel its self from your own fat stores, if you are aiming for fat loss. What else are you eating for the day?

You could also try the same routine but skip the MCT oil (do some n=1 experiments) to see what your numbers are like without it.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #3

Blood ketones are available fuel, not necessarily used fuel. Don’t get obsessed about them. When fully fat adapted, the liver synthesizes only what you need, not unneeded excess. So ‘higher’ levels of β-hydroxybutyrate are not necessarily better than ‘lower’ levels. In fact, high levels of β-hydroxybutyrate in the blood probably indicate inefficient fat burn so the liver compensates by synthesizing excess. Presence of any ketones in urine indicates excess ketones getting dumped via the kidneys.

To determine actual fat burn you need to monitor breath acetone (BrAce). Whether it’s ‘plate’ fat or stored fat can only be determined by a tape measure, calipers and scale.