Taking ketones over Thanksgiving with carbs

[ctviggen]

So, Thursday was Thanksgiving in the US. We have a meal at 12:30pm. I had bread, potatoes, stuffing (real, made from sourdough Einkorn wheat). I had dessert (pumpkin and chocolate pies). For dinner, I backed off but had some carbs too, including ice cream.

Friday, my first meal was keto, but I had pizza for dinner.

Saturday, I was keto.

Ketones were 0.1 or 0.2 every time I took them, which was morning and night only (had no time really otherwise, and had a lot of people here Thursday, so it’s awkward to take out a test kit and get a bloody finger). As of Sunday morning, they are 0.2 mmol/L.

There could be a time when I was not producing ketones. And, since I haven’t seen a “0.0” on my Precision Xtra, I’m wondering if 0.1 is as low as it goes? I may have to test my wife, who is not keto.

This fits with my theory that, since I’ve been producing ketones for many years, it’s easier for me to stay in ketosis (or harder to get out, if you want to look at it that way).

[ctviggen]

Gah! I tested my wife, who should definitely NOT be ketosis, and my meter showed 0.1 mmol/l. Ugh. These are old meters (I have two, one for home and one for work), although the strips are new.

So, I’m going to have to buy a new meter and rerun this. I also have two old Keto Mojos, but I don’t think they make the strips. I’ll have to get a new one.

Will report back after the Christmas holidays.

[Fangs]

new meter good idea LOL

key being we all know we ‘got a few days’ of eating crap to not effect us in ketone numbers and more if one is in a ketogenic lifestyle for years and years so…ALL crazy like but for some of us 1 meal is all it takes where life on a keto menu is over, for a long time as we fight back.

New meter, new tech is good but our food is getting worse as the tech gets better to test us against it

Just a curious question, was it worth it? Did you enjoy it so much that your planned day of food intake was so great? I often wonder on that for others who can do it

[ctviggen]

Well, I’ve been following keto/low carb since 1/1/14, and have done a normal Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. Over time, I have limited the carb excursions by eating fewer high carb meals before and after. But I still do eat high carb for the main meals and sometimes thereafter.

Was it worth it? I guess that depends on what you mean. While I make and like chicken-crust keto pizza, there is nothing that comes close to real wheat pizza crust. For stuffing, I make sourdough bread from Einkorn, dry it, make a recipe with sausage, etc. There is really nothing like it.

I also don’t have to explain to people what I eat, since I eat “normally”.

I also just get right back on the keto/low carb wagon, and will fast 36 hours this coming week. I’m planning for a 4.5 day fast, which I haven’t done in a while (a year?). Not sure when I’ll do that, but hopefully before Christmas.

I ordered a Keto Mojo, since they were having a sale on them. While I don’t think testing is that useful, it would be nice to track for a bit.

[robintemplin]

Just get a new wife. Problem solved.

[Fangs]

I also don’t have to explain to people what I eat, since I eat “normally”.

for you and when I read how others can eat in their lives I think, hmmm, just never me at this point in my journey so that is why I asked is it you? suits you and you do ok. obviously ya do. more power to you.

never a ‘come at ya post’ just a wondering post

[ctviggen]

Well, some context might help. When I was 15 or 16, Arnold Schwarzenegger burst onto the scene. I decided I wanted to be a body builder and began training. That means that food became a tool for me, to meet lifting goals. I remember doing things like eating nothing but tuna for days, for example.

I later thought that fat was bad and went on a Pritikin diet. Again, food was a tool for me to meet my goals (low fat).

So, I have the ability to use food as a tool. This means you can put ice cream and other junk food in my house, and I will not touch it. (If, however, I do eat it, say ice cream, I will overeat it.) I took an addiction test here:

Fork in the Road: A Hopeful Guide to Food Freedom

And scored a zero out of ten (ten = very addicted).

The other thing is that I had two Precision Xtra and two Keto Mojo meters. I tested them, and the Precision Xtra typically had a value half the Keto Mojo. For instance, if the Keto Mojo said 1.0 mmol/l, the Precision Xtra said 0.5 mmol/l.

But when I was testing a lot, I found these to be inaccurate enough that I stopped testing. In fact, somewhere I have a picture of Precision Xtra saying “0.2”, Keto Mojo #1 said “0.4”, and Keto Mojo #2 said “0.8”, each in mmol/l. When you get results like this, what is your ketone level? I did testing between Keto Mojos, between Keto Mojos and Precision Xtras, and could not determine what was my “real” ketone level.

So, I gave up testing.

But when I was going on vacation and testing, I wouldn’t test during vacation, since I knew I would be eating somewhat poorly (again, ate fewer carbs as I was on keto longer). When I got back, I was shocked at how quickly I got back into producing ketones. I wondered if I ever got out?

I decided to test this Thanksgiving, but I can’t tell whether my meter is reading correctly. I had a test solution, and the meter read a high value; but the solution was multiple years out of date, so I’m not sure what the actual value should be. I know my meter can read a high value, but I have no idea how accurate it is, and apparently it can’t read zero. I can’t tell whether 0.1 actually means 0.1 or whether that’s zero.

(Edit: I’ve reached the conclusion that these meters are OK if what you want to know is if you’re in “ketosis”. If what you want to do is a test like eating more fat one day, I don’t think they’re accurate enough for that. Or at least I could never get a result that made sense.)

[Fangs]

When I was 15 or 16, Arnold Schwarzenegger burst onto the scene. I decided I wanted to be a body builder and began training

wow that tells me a ton on how you can do it vs. me as being one that never took this path so early on.

I don’t even see food as fuel at this point ever. I see it as decadence and want and desire and all in and give it all to me, cause younger I could do that, older I found it is the devil that warped me so bad now.

I found your post very interesting so thanks for posting that. I so can’t understand other’s walks unless I see it in post ya know but we say, we can handle xyz while others never could. Cool

I also see you as ‘one of the luckier ones’ in a way
alot of my thoughts are envy when it comes to ‘food in our day’ at any point in time vs. you and me but it is so personal we walk but when we read from others sometimes that crazy jelly can come up ya know. thinking why not me

but you can’t be me and me not you LOL

[dfossey]

I took an addiction test here: And scored a zero out of ten (ten = very addicted).

Curious if that was just a multiple-choice test or if you had to eat a variety of “carby” things for it?

I’m interested in your ketones test as I am somewhat like you on holidays and vacations. In the past, I have eaten “normal” food on vacation, and come home and totally failed at getting back on keto. But, I’m determined not to do that now and have really made the mental shift that this WOE is permanent for me. I’m fortunate that my family supports me in this, but of course they are all naturally very thin and regularly eat all sorts of chips and ice cream and breads and pastas, etc. Luckily, I’m not usually tempted even though food like this is all over my house.

[lfod14]

Ahahahahahha, now THAT is a dude answer if I’ve ever heard one! Why do I feel you’re awesome to go drinking with???

[robintemplin]

Not the first time I’ve been told I think like a dude. And yes, I used to be a lot of fun when drinking. Past tense. Can’t handle it. It handles me.

[VirginiaEdie]

I bet all of us, keto or not, frequently have some ketones floating around in our blood. If our metabolisms work properly we are storing fat after we eat and burning fat until the next meal or until we awake in the morning. So maybe your wife’s 0.1 mmol/L makes sense?

[CaptainKirk]

Bob,
Watch the false interpretation on your wife’s ketone status.
Mine grew up outside of America, eats a Mediterranean diet (with plenty of bread)…
But “acts” like she is in ketosis (never hungry until she is hungry, and even then,
she will NOT eat “just anything”. She will go to bed hungry if the food available does
not match what her body feels she needs!)… She maintains a decent weight naturally.

That said, I’ve randomly tested her. She is always in ketosis, unless it’s after a heavy meal+dessert, and even then, she just has lower (0.2) ketones, which when I tested her, I was NOT treating as “ketosis”…

My argument is that we should be testing EVERYONE, especially healthy weighted people. We might actually discover that healthier people (weight wise) are naturally more inclined to be in ketosis… (or those more likely to be moderators. My wife can moderate. She has ice cream in the fridge for a month at a time. It rarely calls to her. Fortunately, I no longer see that as “food” or as “good”, so I can easily abstain)

[ctviggen]

Thanks, All.

I considered that my wife might be in slight ketosis or just get a 0.1 for some reason. Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to tell without scheduling a real test at a blood draw facility. What I want is my meter to say “0.0” or something like that, so I know when I no longer am producing ketones. I assume that would happen?

I’ve never tried this. At one time, when I went on vacation, I would eat a lot more off plan (now, I limit it to only a few meals spread out over a week or so). But I never tested ketones during that time, or after. I waited days to a week after getting back to test, figuring that I wouldn’t have ketones.

@robintemplin Getting a new wife is one of the worst things that can happen. We have a 15 year old and 12 year old. It would crush them. My wife’s brother got a divorce when his youngest was in her early 20s, and the youngest is STILL going through therapy, and it’s been about 10 years.

Divorce is absolutely devastating to families. Mentally, financially, you name it.

Do I wish the whole family ate much better? Yes. But I have to slowly apply pressure to move the family in one direction.

And if you have kids, you know that the entire atmosphere is against them. My youngest went to a birthday party/sleepover where they had ice cream and pizza for dinner and multiple donuts for breakfast. And that’s not unusual. When we have sleepovers, it’s guaranteed that someone is a vegetarian. We’re talking young girls who are and have been vegetarian for years.

They go to school and snacks are scheduled and they get them. They have a test and the teachers bring in candy after the test. They have teachers who have a bowl of candy out, free for the taking.

And don’t get me started on school lunches, which are complete crap. Anyone want “cheesy bread sticks” with “non-fat, high sugar chocolate milk”? You can’t get full fat milk in school.

@dfossey It’s a yes/no test. If there was a “maybe” or “sometimes”, I wouldn’t have gotten a zero. If I can find the book, I’ll see if I can copy a question to show what the author was looking for. She is an Unwin, and her husband is now quite famous in the low carb community (as is she). She found out that she was addicted to food, and wrote the book with that in mind.

Well, I got my new Keto Mojo and this reminds me why testing has so many pitfalls. I fasted 36 hours, had a long body weight workout at about 32 hours, then had a meal with some carbs (rice noodles) to test whether this helps in any way (it’s unclear to me, right now). I did not get the Keto Mojo until I got home.

I tested and got 0.1 mmol/l ketones and a blood sugar of 113 after dinner. I did have some salsa, but don’t have any idea what my blood sugar was beforehand.

This morning, I got 130 for blood sugar and 0.2 mmol/l ketones. I thought that was a high blood sugar, so I retested in a different finger, and got 107. A difference of 23 points. Ugh. Man, I miss my CGM. Even if it was too high or too low relative to my “real” blood sugar, at least it was consistent.

This used to happen with ketones too, when I tested two meters from the same manufacturer. Or two tests from different manufacturers. I’d get different results. Now that I only have one meter, I can’t do that test, and I’ll have to believe whatever it says for ketones.

And my ketones are typically so low that it’s hard to see what’s happening. My morning ketones have been 0.1 or 0.2 for – years? – so figuring out when or if I get kicked out of ketosis (where “ketosis” = any blood ketones; if it’s 0.5, I’m almost never in ketosis, only at night and if I fast >24 hours or multiple days) is going to be an issue.