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Ketones - looking for reassurance

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DannyB

Well-Known Member
Messages
45
I am T2.

I seem to have got my BG under quite good control at the moment. By restricting carbs to about 12/15g in any one sitting I am able to keep the BG below 7.0.

Ever since I was diagnosed as T2 I have checked my urine for Ketones. Today, for the first time, the strip changed colour - probably mid-scale. But then I have only really been restricting carbs 'seriously' for the last 2/3 weeks.

My first reaction was one of panic. But after reading further I now 'think' I understand the subject a little better. As I understand it Ketones will be produced whenever the body is burning fat for energy which it presumably is because of my much lower carb intake. However I believe this is Ketosis which is not harmful rather than Ketoacidosis which is obviously very harmful/dangerous.

Is my understanding correct? Should I be at all worried? I don't really need to lose any weight so wonder what I can do (if anything) to reduce the Ketones in my urine (except eat more carbs obviously) - drink lots of water? anything else?

Also I understand that there is a meter (Xceed?) which checks Blood Ketones. Would this be useful to have - ie would a reading for Blood Ketones be low for someone in Ketosis where it would be high for someone in Ketoacidosis?
 
If you are losing weight then ketones in the urine is perfectly normal.It shows that you are burning off fat.If you are low carbing then your body needs to convert something to use for energy.Try eating more fat or upping your carbs slightly, without compromising your blood sugar levels, and see if this stops it.
 
Sue

Thanks for the reply.I have been (deliberately) losing weight. Strange thing is

- my weight is now at 10st 7lb (5' 7") - which is fine for BMI
- my waistline is much reduced - from 40" to 35"

my bodyfat is still over 20%.

I don't really want to lose any more weight - ie 10st 7lb seems light enough, but I would like to reduce the % bodyfat.

The Ketone test scared me a little and I was tempted to rush out and eat some more carbs. I guess I will just up the carbs a little and eat more fat.

I seem to remember you saying that you tried to keep your BG below 7 (which is what I am trying to do) - can I ask:

- how many carbs on average you eat per day?
- max carbs you eat in a single meal?
 
Hi,Danny, I try and keep my carb intake to around 50gm a day.Some days it is probably a bit more.
Try to keep it to 20 for main meal and 15 each for breakfast and evening meal.I did count out when I started but don't now.
 
Hi Danny
You are happy with your weight but would like to decrease body fat?
As far as I'm aware, resistance training is the best way. Resistance bands aren't expensive and they come with some instructions. Or perhaps you belong to a gym and could ask a trainer for advice
 
hanadr
I used to do weights (many years ago) and tried some gentle resistance traing recently but I am concerned it raises my blood pressure which is already a liitle high. I might give it another go because I really do not want to lose any more weight.

Sue
Do you manage to stay below 7 when eating 20g carbs in your main meal? If so, what is your pre-meal BG?
 
Pre meal is usually around 5.3 two hours after meal usually back in the 5's again.Depends what I eat!!Not a saint so some days main meal can be more than 20 but try and balance it out by eating less later on.Always have main meal at lunch time so can cut down in evening if needs be.
 
sugarless sue said:
Pre meal is usually around 5.3 two hours after meal usually back in the 5's again.Depends what I eat!!Not a saint so some days main meal can be more than 20 but try and balance it out by eating less later on.Always have main meal at lunch time so can cut down in evening if needs be.
Click to expand...

Sue

Do you check before the two hour mark - if so do you spike over 7 if your pre-meal is about 5.3? I am fairly sure that 20g would take me over 7 given a 5.3 baseline.

Before I found this forum I only ever checked my fasting BS. Recently I have been checking before a meal then one hour and two hours after the meal. I don't like to see the spike (usually one hour) go above 7 - but I'm not sure if that is realistic. I probably shouldn't worry if it goes a little over 7 provided it is not for long and is back down within a couple of hours.

I am a little obsessive with the testing at the moment but expect to drop this off once I have learnt exactly what effect the different foods/meals are having on me.
 
Depending on what I eat I can sometimes spike over 7 around the one hour mark but generally on a 'normal' day (that means I know the value of what I am eating) one hour rise is in the 6's.
 
Hi Danny,
To answer your question about measuring ketones using the Xceed, it cannot telll the difference - indeed I believe that chemically there is no difference between so-called 'starvation' ketones (produced when burning body fat) and the ketones involved in ketoacidosis.
Sue
 
DannyB said:
hanadr
I used to do weights (many years ago) and tried some gentle resistance traing recently but I am concerned it raises my blood pressure which is already a liitle high. I might give it another go because I really do not want to lose any more weight.
Click to expand...

It may raise your BP temporarily but over the long term I suspect it will reduce it. Apart from having Lucky Genes™ it's the best way to convert fat to muscle and that should benefit your insulin resistance. Don't worry too much about trace quantities of ketones, some of us actually work better with ketones as fuel alongside lower levels of glucose.
 
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