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Where are my ketones?

Picci

Well-Known Member
Messages
300
Location
Northumberland
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I'm type 1 for 36 years an I'm on the road to recovery after 3 months of burn out. My head is now in the right place and I'm back to low carbing and my bgs are running between 3.9 and 5.9. This time around I've cut my carb intake to around 20g per day. (10% carbs, 20% protein, 70% fat daily)

I did have ketones and all the symptoms associated to low carbing but over the last few days I've had little or no ketones. I know testing the urine for ketones is not 100% accurate but I cannot believe I've very little sign of them now compared to last week. I have not gone above my carb intake however I have had the odd higher BG of 8mmol, would this knock me out of ketosis ?
 
This is normal. After keto adaptation urine ketone sticks no longer work. You need to get a blood ketone meter to see the ketones. They probably haven't gone away. You are just using and excretion mostly a different type of ketones that don't show up in the urine test.
 
A nice guy in Sweden makes a breath ketones meter, the Ketonix. This gives you a metred reading, tho it tests for a different compound to blood ketones so is not easy to calibrate to blood ketones. It costs about $120, but it's a one-off cost as nothing else is needed.

If you are bothered. As Spiker says, it's very likely you are still in ketosis. It would take vigorous carb stuffing to knock you out, and then you'd get back on again fairly fast - a day? I would go by how you feel.

And remember you need extra salt when in ketosis, because you excrete more salt. Not enough salt screws up your intra-cell stuff and makes you feel terrible. See Phinney and Volek on that.
 
Thank you both, Spiker and Lucy for your replies. It is assuring to know I'd have to have a 'carb fest' to be knocked out. I'm two weeks in and I'm still feeling pretty lousy, so I'll certainly take your advice and increase my salt intake. I've just had to increase my thyroid meds due to being very under active so I'm unable to decipher whether I'm feeling lousy due to low carbing or my under active thyroid. Many thanks again.
 
I found it brilliant. I mean, very satisfying full explanation by two specialists.
 
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