Triggers of Glucose and Ketone Changes

(jilliangordona) #1

My KetoMojo will be arriving today, and this will be my first experience in measuring my blood glucose and ketones while on keto!

I will be doing lots of experimenting and measuring to see how different foods effect me, however I’m curious what specific “keto friendly” foods some of you have experienced a negative response to in regards to your blood levels.

Additionally, if you have any tips of best times to measure that would be great! Blood measuring is all new to me, I’ve only had a finger prick glucose test once when an ER nurse misunderstood what my insulin resistance was.

Yay for data!

(*Rusty* Instagram: @Rustyk61) #2

I’m interested in what you think of it, when you get it.

(jilliangordona) #3

I’ll add my comments here after using it for a bit!

(David Solberg) #4

I’ve been keto for one year and nine months now, and I’ve tracked my ketone using the blood meter basically since the beginning. I usually range between 0.4 and 1.0, although I can go as low as 0.2 in the mornings, and as high as 4.8 after a 3 day fast.

Here’s what I’ve learned about myself:
• Ketone measurements are lowest in the mornings.
• Ketone measurements are very low immediately after exercise, but 2-3 hours later they go high.
• Fasting for short periods (< a day) does not increase my ketone levels unless I exercise a lot.
• My ketone levels can change a lot over a short time. For example, depending on what I eat and how active I am, ketone can go from 0.3 to 1.8 in a few hours.
• My blood sugar does not track very accurately with my ketones unless I’ve been fasting for more than 2 days. This is mostly because my blood sugar stays within a narrow range. My blood sugar tends to hover between 88 and 98, with the higher values after meals and after exercise.
• It’s difficult to figure out which foods affect me other than of course higher fat foods mean more ketones.
• I don’t count fiber as carbs because high fiber, low carb stuff like avocados definitely seems to increase ketones. It would be interesting to test that out for yourself, though.

(Mark Rhodes) #5

This was not always the case with me. For the longest time my morning readings were the highest all day long. I suspect that becoming more fat adapted as the prefered body state my body became more like the rest of us and my afternoon readings are now currently my highest unless fasting beyond 72 hours.

My BHB reading does not correspond to my AcAc reading. I can have low blood ketones and a high breath ketone which I assume is that since the blood is only potential ketones available breath seems to be a more reliable gage of “used” ketones.

Try some MCT oil. That WILL definitely jack up those ketones ( for what purpose other than chasing ketones OR cognitive issues IDK) My n=1 experiment with MCT consisted of 2 shot glasses of MCT. My ketones were astronomical. Conversely I was two hours late to work as disaster pants was a formidable opponent.

#6

Good for you!

I like monitoring. I think it has helped me learn how to get this WOE down, more quickly. I think monitoring consistently (like morning and evening) for awhile, first, helped me. After seeing my pattern develope; then I would test specific situations- after exercise, suspicious meal, skip a meal, felt different etc. I still test quite a bit, but I’m much less obsessed about it now; and I definitely respect those who are more calm and just keto on! One other thing that I noticed was that it took me longer than I thought it would- based on weight loss and feeling good- to demonstrate “nutritional ketosis” range blood ketone levels. At some point, I think I finally became better adapted and my baseline levels improved.

I think HWC surprised me the most. And the time I think I got some regular Coke in what I thought was diet!

I copied some of the things David said- that struck me as right on.

Good luck with the KetoMojo and let us know how it goes!!:grinning:

#7

Reply went to David.

Reply was really meant for jilliangordana.

Sorry to confuse.

(jilliangordona) #8

Thanks for the feedback! I am not a big tracker… the detail-orientated nature of it does not mesh well with my own personal habits. However I still have been losing fairly slowly, and had some issues with fatigue, and for my age, as well as how diligent I have been with this diet, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense!

I pulled out an old notebook I never use, and will be trying to track my weight, body measurements, and food I have eaten each day, along with my blood measurements.

(jilliangordona) #9

After wasting 5 strips and about 20 finger pricks later I finally got the hang of it.

All of the directions weren’t super user friendly for someone who has never done this before. However once I figured it out the meter seems like a good buy!

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(*Rusty* Instagram: @Rustyk61) #10

They have how to videos on their website…lol :nerd_face:

(jilliangordona) #11

I was being impatient haha, probably more user error than company error!

(Bunny) #12

I noticed that too a while back and researched it a little and it is because glycogen (sugar/glucose storage reserve i.e. muscle tissue) from the muscles is being released into the blood stream from exercise!

(jilliangordona) #13

While I have experienced peeps here: do you HAVE to use the keto mojo strips or can you use another brand? I’m not sure how all of this works.

#14

There are no cheaper sources of ketone strips than those for the Mojo. Previously, ketone strips for other machines where in excess of $1 US.

There are cheaper alternatives for glucose strips. Visit your local drug store or Walmart and buy a cheap glucometer (under $10) that has correspondingly cheap strips (50 for $10).