Should I be concerned? (ketone level)

(Stuart Allan) #1

Hi all

First post, hopefully this is in the correct place…

I started on the keto diet 8 days ago. I set a target of 29g of carbs per day and have pretty much stuck to that (exceeded on Saturday by 4g).

Weight loss was not a priority for me. I was more interested in the other benefits. Within a couple of days i was feeling happier and I was significantly sharper. I have also lost 5lbs but i dont really want to lose any more (im at ideal weight). Im not sure if this was simply because of the post xmas lull (and the contrast with the excess of xmas) and the enjoyment i get from actually focussing on what i eat, planning and having far more variety. I do love a project!

Anyway, i have been monitoring my ketos with the urine strips. I showed traces after a couple of days. But from then its jumped up a colour almost daily. I am now getting colours very similar to the top range (16) and certainly matching or darker than the level below(10). This is now frightening me as i have read that these sort of levels are reserved for people with diabetes, possibly alcoholics or heavy drug use?

I will go and get a diabetes test today but in the mean time any advice? Could this be a false positive? Is this normal. I do/did drink frequently (and probably far more than i should, particularly during the holiday period) but stopped when i started the diet.

Any reassurance or advice would be appreciated.

As an aside, any tips for getting more fibre?

Thanks

(Allie) #2

Throw the pee sticks away and stop stressing yourself out. Best advice ever.

There are masses of identical topics on here already.

(Running from stupidity) #3

+1

There are masses of identical topics on here already.

+millions

(Stuart Allan) #4

Thanks. Apologies, i will go and search for existing threads

(Diane) #5

You only need to be worried about high ketone levels if you are diabetic and your blood glucose levels are also really high.

Outside of people eating a ketogenic diet, the people who use the ketone “pee strips” are diabetic. The warnings in the directions of those products sound scary, but aren’t applicable to non-diabetics.

When you are just beginning to eat ketogenically and your body starts producing plenty of ketones, it will still take awhile for your cells to become efficient at using them and you will pee out the excess in the meantime.

Here is a link to a great article regarding ketosis and fat adaptation (in case you might find it helpful).

Welcome! And good luck!!

(Stuart Allan) #6

Thanks so much. Super helpful!

#7

I’ve seen scientific papers showing pee stick results around the clock as well as blood ketone measurements.

Up and down all day (BTW 3AM was the highest point, 10am the lowest)

But I also noticed the pee stix read exaggerated numbers always a lot higher than the blood values. Yet the blood values are more accurate. So I would take the pee stick result with a serious grain of salt.

But I reckon you should get proper pathology tests. They have machines the size of refrigerators, no bonus points for guessing they are even more accurate.

As for More fibre?

Eat more vegetables (steamed not boiled). I found they taste great with butter melted into them.

(Carl Keller) #8

Veggies with melted butter are awesome, but IMHO no veggie tastes better than one cooked in pig fat. :bacon:

Here’s a rather interesting article that discusses the healthiest way to cook vegetables:

https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/05/health/healthy-vegetable-cooking/index.html

#9

Cool thanks, I’ll check that out.

(Running from stupidity) #10

What would those communists know about cooking?

(Carl Keller) #11

If it makes you feel any better, Trump hates CNN news.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #12

Preach it, brother! :+1::bacon:

(Stuart Allan) #13

I tested my blood sugar 2 hours after dinner. Reading of between 150 and 200 (8.3 - 11.1). This seems to be within the prediabetes range. Is this likely caused by the diet? Should i be concerned coupled with the ketone levels?
Thanks

(Running from stupidity) #14

Because they’re communists! He said so!

Unlike, say, the Russians.

Same answers as above.

(Diane) #15

The diabetic or pre-diabetic levels you are talking about (I assume) are based on fasting blood draws. Labs usually recommend that you fast for 8 to 12 hours before you have your blood drawn and the technician will ask you how long since you’ve eaten and document that on the lab requisition. I don’t think you can draw any medical conclusions based on a 2 hour post prandial (after eating) blood glucose.

You might want to get up in the morning, drink a glass of water (because dehydration can also make your blood sugar look artificially higher), wait fifteen minutes and check a blood glucose level.

:grinning:

(Neel Suresh Sus) #16

I highly recommend a keto blood meter. Urine strips have high variance. https://keto-mojo.com/products/the-ketonian-special

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #17

Do you know what your HbA1C level is?