One missed workout day

#1

I am an avid exerciser and engage in pretty intense weight lifting and/or hiking/running every day, alternating. I love it. But I missed one day and my ketones measure 3.4 that day, whereas I’m lucky to get above 1.0. I felt AMAZING at 3.4 and am considering turning the cardio (at least) way down to sit at those higher levels and see how it feels. Anyone have this experience and choose to work out less to maintain those higher levels? No medical reason to keep them high so that’s not an issue.

(Jay AM) #2

The lower levels are likely due to you actually using the ketones during the work out. Could you have possibly been feeling better since you took a rest day? You might be able to get to the higher levels again using more fat intake to reach them even with your workout days. Maybe you could do an experiment where you drop the cardio down for a while and see and then the alternate of trying to up ketones via fat intake while maintaining the workouts. Might be interesting to see if the ketones are responsible and how your body will respond.

(Allie) #3

Lower levels on training days means your body is using the ketones as fuel rather than them just building up in your body, this is what you want to happen and it shows your body is either adapted or on its way to being so. If you reduce your activity levels, your body will once again adapt to making the required amount of ketones so the reading will end up lower again. It may be best for you to keep changing things up to keep your body guessing.

#4

I’m going to drop the cardio intensity this week and just see what happens. I wish these readings were recorded/stored on the meter (ketomojo - they aren’t, are they ?) and I could keep a log of how I feel and not know the levels, but test them and check later. Like a blind experiment.
Because absolutely yes, Jay, I could have felt better from the rest day itself, more of which I need I know, but don’t particularly like to take. Also, I could have just THOUGHT I felt better because I saw that huge (for me) number the likes of which I hadn’t seen, ever.
Today is a non-lift day so I usually do cardio til I’m a dripping, heaving mess puddled on the floor (exaggeration, but not by much :slight_smile: I think I’ll just WALK on the treadmill while I watch my shows - see how that registers later today. Then Thursday I have an early day at work so maybe I’ll take that one off entirely, and also see.
N=1 is a fun sport if you approach it with curiosity and enjoyment.

(Erin Macfarland ) #5

I’m very active as well and usually register low, which is completely normal. Even .3 when you are fairly lean and very active is indicative of using ketones as fuel. Another fun way to get a snap shot of your body’s fuel useage is to get a lipid panel and read up on cholesterol numbers on Dave Feldman’s website, Cholesterol Code. You sound like you fit the profile for a “Lean Mass Hyper Responder.” (LMHR) I have been doing keto for over three years (with a couple breaks during that time) and during this time I have been very active as well, mostly running and weight lifting. Each time I’ve had my labs done they came back with very high total cholesterol, high LDL, and low triglycerides. Recently there was some great research done by Dave and also @siobhan that describes exactly what’s happening with cholesterol in someone who is fat adapted. I highly recommend checking out their website and the episodes they recorded on the Ketogeek podcast. Essentially, a LMHR is someone who is fat adapted, very active with lots of lean body mass and lower body fat percentage. They tend to have high total cholesterol and LDL on a lipid panel with low triglycerides, indicating that there is a lot of circulating energy in the form of fatty acids in their blood. It’s really fascinating! Make sure you’re taking those rest days too, you don’t want to burn your self out. I understand the desire to go hard all the time, but rest is good for us too :wink:

#6

I hope I’m NOT a LMHR :slight_smile: because I still have to deal with conventional medicine docs. I get the majority of my tests with a natural health practitioner since he doesn’t JUST look at TSH for my thyroid condition and he doens’t JUST look at my total cholesterol to determine heart health. But both my parents died young of major heart events, so my western med doc doesn’t like my cholesterol even BEFORE keto, which wasn’t even that high. I can only imagine now. HA!
I’m going to wait until June and test my cholesterol and then see where I am compared to where I was.

I will check out those studies - so interesting thank you

Today I just walked (no high intensity sprints uphill haha) and my ketones tested 1.4 afterwards as opposed to the .5 it usually is after heavy exercise. It’s just interesting and I’ll watch how I feel today going into the workday higher ketones.