Very high blood ketones

(Peter De Clippel) #1

Hello… I am Peter, 35 years old, have done keto for a month a few years back which was great. Now I am back to it, but I am getting a bit worried about my blood ketone readings which are through the roof.

so I’ve come here for some insight or advice. I’ll write what I think is relevant…
I am lean and healthy, never had any metabolic problem. I still have blood ketone test strips from last time. they are expired, but readings seem to be consistent, and my girlfriend is having normal readings with them.

I started a good 2 weeks ago, after a few days I had readings between 2.0 and 3.0 of blood ketones. I also had a few blood glucose strips and morning glucose was in the 70’s and low 80’s… But yesterday I tested 4.4 fasted in the morning. I tested again and it was 4.6. I had a bulletproof coffee and went for a 3 mile trail run, and it went down to 3.8.
This morning I tested again and it reads 5.6!!! now I’m getting a bit worried. I do feel that my body is still adapting. I have amazing energy boosts but also moments that I’m very tired.
I do a lot of rock climbing and after an initial performance drop I am climbing pretty strong again… eating less than 20 gram net carbs (in belgium carbs labelled are net carbs…) I guess I must be burning those ketones.

Now I searched a bit online and I don’t find any information on very high blood ketones in the morning.
what is your take on this? should I be on top of this or just let it go? I have 10 test strips left and didn’t plan to buy new ones and just go with how I feel…

(Candy Lind) #2

Those test strips are showing the ketones your body is throwing off. Don’t worry about them. As you become more efficient at burning fat, those strips will show closer and closer to zero. When you feel tired, take 1/4-1/2 tsp (3-6g) of salt in a glass of water. If you don’t feel better in 30 minutes, do it again. You need lots of salt - 4 to 5 g per day - when you eat this way. KCKO - you are doing great!

(Peter De Clippel) #3

I guess you are talking about the pee strips? causs I am measuring blood ketones, which are not supposed to drop to zero I hope…
and I am drinking lots of sea salt, 6+ grams, with magnesium and potassium

(Rob) #4

When adapting, you could still be wasting the blood ketones, you’re just recording them early before you pass them out through your kidneys.

5.6 is high but not high enough to worry about. 15+ is worrying (though pretty much impossible to achieve unless you have NO insulin). Richard of the 2KDs was in deep ketosis (tremendous exercise endurance and all the other benefits) for years but could barely register 0.5 blood ketones. The readings are much less important than you think, partly because it is so hard to interpret them usefully in an individual.

Don’t sweat it and KCKO.

(Dan Dan) #5

Hope this eases your mind :smiley:

Optimal-Ketone-Levels-min.jpg730×1095 52.9 KB

(Peter De Clippel) #6

That does help to ease my mind…
I’m happy to see I’m in therapy :slight_smile:

thanks for your responses

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

I changed computers recently and lost my link to Dr. Phinney’s chart, but I believe that diabetic ketoacidosis doesn’t even start until you reach 15 or 20 mmol, and as @Capnbob points out, you’re not going to reach that level if your pancreas is producing any insulin at all. Under 10 mmol is perfectly safe. Keep calm, and keto on, bro! :bacon:

(Naor Christensen) #9

Hi Peter
i am experiencing the same as you are. i have been on Keto for 4 months and now suddenly the Blood ketone levels have been over 4 for 2-3 days.
do you have an update on how it went for you?
what did you do? did the numbers when down etc.
br,
Naor

#10

I don’t usually get that high, but get 3.7ish often, nothing to be concerned about unless you are hitting double digits.