Test Breath Ketones without a Ketonix (using a cheap breathalyzer)

ketonix
acetone
breath

#486

Hahaha, @Zimon this is just what I needed to hear! :wink: Thank you again and yes, I am obsessing. So, Iā€™m going to have a fast and just KCKO as I work my way through what may be a very stressful week.
Ketosis is not likely measured very well with this cheap device, true. And, as I follow the basics of the keto WOE, get to bed early and move along with life, all should be well. I just find myself to be so impatient sometimes and want results NOW. None of that is good. Thanks for the reminder.
Progress may be slow, but itā€™s better than that little blue number screen and the stress itā€™s creating!


(German Ketonian) #487

Well done! And everything I said was with all due respect of course! Treat the breathalyzer and all other ketone indicators as discrete variables! Much healthier and less fixation on the numbers. Always remember your reason for this WOE.


(German Ketonian) #488

Oh, and let me just annex this little piece on the lure of chasing ketones: there is ZERO evidence that there is any advantage for the average Joe or Josephine to be at 6 mmol/L as opposed to 3.5, or 0.5 mmol/L. Iā€™d check out the youtube channel ā€œKeto connectā€. They have some great videos on ketone number tracking. Both of them have been keto for years and barely hit the 0.5 mark most of the times in the morning after fasting or after a full keto breakfast. Itā€™s because their bodies adapted. Even with 0.2 they regard themselves as ā€œin ketosisā€, simply because they feel good and they know they have loads of experience in listening to their inner self.

From my own experience, I can tell you, most of the times I felt great, I have had the lowest numbers. Even though my lowest numbers most people still would regard as high (1.2 mmol/L in the morning after as 12 hour overnight fast). On days of a 3.5 mmol/L reading, I sometimes felt considerably worse. I knew at that point, it was time to up my protein, which I did. I used to eat up to 92% of fat per day. That worked well during induction up to a certain point (roughly the first 2 months). Now, I still maintain a 80-85% fat ratio, but I get in around 80-120 grams of protein per day and feel great. Also, my ketones have declined and recently went up again a bit to around 2.0 to 2.2 mmol/L in the morning, after my body got used to the increased protein intake.


#489

Great information and encouragement, I appreciate this so much. Honestly, with life as stress-filled as it has been for the last 5 months, I can use all of the hope and truth I can get.

I will check out the keto connect duo, they are fun and always have something good to watch and learn from. Interesting about the ketones and adaptation/measurements etc. As I understand, your body will produce what you NEED for fueling and therefore there is not so much to be measured since it is being employed in fueling your cells and not being wasted. Interesting stuff, and good to remember when I hear the siren call of some meter from somewhere! :wink:


(Damon Chance) #490

The acetone in your breath should always be present though. Thatā€™s what your body is actively using. However, I totally agree with Zimon on this, the numbers on these devices seem to be highly personal as I assume the QA on these cheap little devices is non-existent. Iā€™m sure the accuracy and precision of them is questionable. I do note that my normal number (70-80mg/L) does raise if Iā€™m fasting. These numbers are probably only good for me though and I know if I saw a very low number then I think it would be indicative of me having eaten too much of something I shouldnā€™t have. However I really just see this as a binary IN/OUT reading. Its definitely more of a curiosity to me.


#491

This is what I am attempting to convert to in my own (often obsessed) mind! I just want to know Iā€™m on track, and honestly, I realized a couple of weeks ago that I was likely making all of this a lot more difficult than it has to be.

I had been overdoing the protein, and I love eating in general, so those ghosts continue to ā€œhauntā€ me. I know that if I keep these carbs to the<20g/day standard and the protein to 50-60g MAX, then I should be cruising along just fine.

Then I can play with the timing and more of the particulars of certain foods like cheese and sweeteners.

The whole idea is to maintain a level of ketosis that is sustainable for ME and to realize the health benefits I am achievingā€¦ and eventually weight loss well and/or muscle gains as well.


#492

Right on! I feel like Iā€™m in the same place.


(VLC.MD) #493

Iā€™ll bet thatā€™s not likely.
Blood and Lungs exchange gases quite robustly.


(Damon Chance) #494

BHB isnā€™t a gas though itā€™s a ketone body and not one your body directly uses for energy. It has to be converted into acetoacetate first. The by product of utilizing acetoacetate is acetone which is quickly removed from the body via the lungs.
So if you had an influx of glucose or alcohol in your blood and your body prioritized metabolizing it you could switch of using ketones for a time and have a negative reading on the breathalyzer but still be producing BHB and of course have some still circulating.
Itā€™s why breath is posited to be a more direct indicator of real time ketosis.

At least thatā€™s what I got from the low carb Breckenridge talk on it.


(Bill C) #495

You beat me to it. I was going to post the same link. Basically, what Lundell says is breath analysis is the only way to get an accurate reading because you can be fully in ketosis but a blood reading may not tell you this, due to how your blood is using ketones.


#496

Thanks to all for the great contributions. Wanted to report the semiconductor-based Alcomate AL7000 also is sensitive to acetone.

The company refused to comment, but I have confirmed it works both by successfully testing on myself in ketosis and also by huffing acetone at different concentrations to produce BAC readings ranging up to .40 (max).

Iā€™m interested in the unit because given its higher design, build, and QA quality (including DOT approval), I expect it produces more accurate and consistent readings than the Greenwon or AT6000. Cheapest price for it on Amazon is currently $100 and it features a replaceable sensor module (every 200 uses) costing $30.

Official specs state accuracy to be +/-.01, but the display reads to .001. Usage shows the third digit seems to be significant. With carefully consistent bottom-of-lung air technique, back-to-back samples can read no more than .001 or .002 apart.


(Duncan) #497

I have two Greenwon cheapo meters. A grey one and a black one. The grey one always works, the black one never gave anything other than 0.00. It might be defective or it might be newer and doesnā€™t detect acetone/ketone. Maybe yours is defective or newer?


#498

Glad toā€™ve read this. Lol!


(Sophie) #499

I thought mine might be defective, so being a girl, I have 100% pure acetone. I tested with that and all the bells and whistles when off. I also works with alcohol without any problem. But Iā€™ve tried blowing all different ways into the stupid thing and I consistently get Zero. I got frustrated with it so now I just test with my blood test strips but less frequently.


(Tim ) #500

Has anyone tried the meter from house of keto?


#501

Donā€™t blow too hard , just like exhale and do the last half of an exhale or mine will time out. You only have 10 seconds to do it.


#502

I am using a cheap Thiyashi alcohol/ketone breathalyzer. Have been tracking it against blood ketone with my precision xtra.
My question is has anyone else experienced blood Ketones dropping off while acetone ( breath) goes up?
Iā€™m talking blood levels below 1.0 and even below 0.5 while breath is consistently >2.5 or even 5.0. My maximum breath was 8.0
All breath readings are g/l x10 divided by 2 per manufacturers instructions. I know that formula doesnā€™t make any sense to me either.
Iā€™m wondering if I could be using most Ketones in my blood , therefore making them low but showing high in the breath as a waste byproduct?


(Todd Allen) #503

My experience has been a gradual shift towards lower blood ketones - fasting no longer makes my meter read HI (>8 mmol/l) and more consistent breath readings though extended fasting still strongly spikes my breath results. 0.19% is the highest my breathalyzers read and I only hit that after 3 days or more fasted.


(Lesley) #504

First post on the forum, so howdy all :slight_smile:

Iā€™ve been keto for very nearly 6 months now. Iā€™ve been fascinated by this particular thread and so ordered the AT6000 some weeks ago and it turned up a couple of days ago. Got it on eBay for a fiver.

I tested it straight away and it showed me as 0.13 BAC%. I tested my mum who has also been keto, for around 7 weeks now, and she was 0.12 BAC% and then I tested another, non-keto, relative and they showed zero. I also tested us all another couple of times to make sure the results were consistent and they were.

So then last night I decided to deliberately come out of ketosis to see how long it would take to get back on track again (and test the breathalyzerā€™s reliability some more). I made risotto for dinner and my carbs for that meal - 67 grams. My total carbs for the day - 88 grams (Iā€™m usually anywhere between 15 and 29g). I ate at 6pm and I tested up until 1am. I was still showing around 0.12 BAC% each time. Then I tested at 5 and 6am and still showing a result, although slightly lowered at 0.10. Then at 7am I was zero. I remained zero up until 1pm. I had an avocado at 12 noon. For the rest of today Iā€™m showing 0.13 each and every time I test.

Throughout all my testing I also tested the keto and non-keto members of family to give me double reassurance that the little machine was working correctly/consistently.

Iā€™m convinced, as others are on here, that it definitely works. Itā€™s a great little gadget/toy. So pleased I have it now. Iā€™m sure to experiment some more with it. Iā€™m also pleased that I was back in ketosis in such a short period of time. Although Iā€™m sure if I were to do more regular ā€œcarb-upsā€ I might have to wait longer. Perhaps a cumulative effect?

Thank you to everyone. A fascinating read and very helpful as I had no problems with getting a result as I took on board all the advice about not breathing in before blowing so I could get the contents of lower lungs out before the beep.


#505

Success!
Iā€™ve finally been able to get this to work! I have an AT6000 as well.
For the last few days Iā€™ve been reading .13 in the mornings.
Then this morning I decide to have Greek yogurt (full fat of course) a tiny bit of blueberries and a little chiaā€¦ now reading 0.00 :frowning_face:
Will check again tonight.

Iā€™m not really worried about my actual ketone level so much as knowing that I am in ketosis and what kicks me out. Apparently yogurt and blueberries does itā€¦ damnit!