Angry Low Carb Gods.

Spiker said:

Well you may sound stupid but look at me, I look stupid, and you look quite smart. ;-)

Ketosis refers to the state that low-carb dieters try to get into. It is a state where body is getting most of its energy from burning fat, including from ketones which are produced as part of the process of burning fat, rather than from carbs as is normal on modern diets.

It's a bit of a misnomer because actually ketosis is going all the time. It would be more accurate to say that low carb dieters try to become 'keto-adapted', which means their body has shifted the balance of its energy supply to fats and ketones. In ketosis, or in the keto-adapted state, the body is also more likely to use protein as a fuel, breaking it down into glucose.

People use urine ketone test strips (Ketostix) to check if they have gone into ketosis. However these strips don't work for everyone and may stop showing anything after you have been in ketosis for a few weeks.

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Spiker said:

Oh very good point, I should have mentioned that first. No, no need to worry about that.

Ketosis is a normal process that happens all the time in the body, using ketones (fat byproducts) for fuel. Your heart muscle cells for example use ketones continually.

Ketoacidosis is an extreme condition that occurs when a person is deprived of sufficient insulin. Low insulin states increase ketosis, but very low or no insulin states means that the products of ketosis can't be cleared from the blood. This may be because the person stopped taking insulin, or because her insulin requirements have risen unexpectedly high (such as due to illness) and she did not take enough extra insulin. When the ketone products build up in the blood, and aren't cleared away, they turn the blood acid and this is a very dangerous condition.

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Spiker said:

Yes everyone has a lot to learn, and that's why we're all here!

Sorry you've had diabetic ketoacidosis so many times. DKA is grim. :-(

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RosieLKH said:

Oh, you've got me drooling too. I'll just have to concentrate on the leg of lamb slowly roasting in the oven, surrounded by rosemary and garlic.

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Spiker said:

I have angered the low carb gods, and swift and terrible is their wrath. I had... a bacon sandwich!

Bacon sandwich, granary bread, marge, no sauce, from a caf at 8am and all hell broke loose. Rollercoaster hypers and hypos. I can say goodbye to ketosis today. This was me a few minutes ago.

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