ketone levels following immediate diet change

[SSN81]

Hi all. Went through the diagnosis on 18/01 last week and have been given metformin. My glucose level this evening was 8 pre dinner but my ketone at 1.2. I have adjusted my diet since diagnosis and cut out a lot of bad carbs. Could this reading be the result of the body naturally using fat? Just wandered if anyone else had this when getting diagnosed. Feel fine physically aside from this. Thank you

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi all. Went through the diagnosis on 18/01 last week and have been given metformin. My glucose level this evening was 8 pre dinner but my ketone at 1.2. I have adjusted my diet since diagnosis and cut out a lot of bad carbs. Could this reading be the result of the body naturally using fat? Just wandered if anyone else had this when getting diagnosed. Feel fine physically aside from this. Thank you

Can I ask why you're checking ketones? It's a good move, but if it's something you're worried about, don't be.

If you cut out carbs, your body does indeed switch over to burning fats, which means ketones are released into the system. That's why going very low carb (about 20 grams a day or less) is called a keto diet. Being in ketosis is a goal for quite a few people who are trying to control their diabetes through diet, so yeah... It's a good thing. Not to be confused with ketoacidosis, which would be a bad thing, and I'm a little concerned you're testing because of that. Ketoacidosis happens when both ketones and blood sugars are high, which doesn't usually happen in T2's (It's more of a T1 and variants thereof problem).

So, yay, you're in ketosis! Well done! (And you might not want to stock up on keto sticks, because those are more expensive than blood sugar strips... And as the presence of ketones isn't going to kill you, the blood sugar tests'll tell you more on how you're doing without breaking the bank... As much... )

Anyway, welcome to the forum. And congratulations on being off on a great start!
Jo