When do you start feeling great on Keto?
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Hormonal issues are a possibility, although ive had all the basic blood tests at the docs, several times over, and everything has always come back negative, other than being borderline hypothyroid but not quite low enough for
medication (apparently).
So really it seems that Ketostix arent as informative as i 1st thought. They dont indicate how many ketones our body is actually producing then or how much fat is being burned. Thats frustrating. Would a blood monitor give a better idea, or does that just measure the waste ketones too?
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I found where @wabmester originally talked about this in another thread:Not really a giant mystery. You've made a valuable discovery -- ketone levels tell you nothing and have no effect on weight loss.
You're still making a bunch of ketones, but you're utilizing most of them. The blood level just gives you a snapshot during the day of how much you're NOT utilizing, and that level varies through-out the day.
If you have ANY ketones in your blood, that means your are breaking down fat. The level is regulated by your liver, and it's different for everybody. There is no homeostatic level like there is for blood sugar. Personally, I think it was nonsensical for Phinney and Volek to describe "optimal" levels in their books, but as you're finding out, there is no "optimal". I just wish more people would discover the same thing.0 -
CoconuttyMummy wrote: »Hormonal issues are a possibility, although ive had all the basic blood tests at the docs, several times over, and everything has always come back negative, other than being borderline hypothyroid but not quite low enough for
medication (apparently).
So really it seems that Ketostix arent as informative as i 1st thought. They dont indicate how many ketones our body is actually producing then or how much fat is being burned. Thats frustrating. Would a blood monitor give a better idea, or does that just measure the waste ketones too?
Blood and breath are more accurate. Blood monitor strips are EXPENSIVE (while the units are not). A reusable device like a Ketonix (@DittoDan and a few others use) can be great.0 -
I found where @wabmester originally talked about this in another thread:Not really a giant mystery. You've made a valuable discovery -- ketone levels tell you nothing and have no effect on weight loss.
You're still making a bunch of ketones, but you're utilizing most of them. The blood level just gives you a snapshot during the day of how much you're NOT utilizing, and that level varies through-out the day.
If you have ANY ketones in your blood, that means your are breaking down fat. The level is regulated by your liver, and it's different for everybody. There is no homeostatic level like there is for blood sugar. Personally, I think it was nonsensical for Phinney and Volek to describe "optimal" levels in their books, but as you're finding out, there is no "optimal". I just wish more people would discover the same thing.
Ahhh, thats interesting, thanks sweetie.
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »CoconuttyMummy wrote: »Hormonal issues are a possibility, although ive had all the basic blood tests at the docs, several times over, and everything has always come back negative, other than being borderline hypothyroid but not quite low enough for
medication (apparently).
So really it seems that Ketostix arent as informative as i 1st thought. They dont indicate how many ketones our body is actually producing then or how much fat is being burned. Thats frustrating. Would a blood monitor give a better idea, or does that just measure the waste ketones too?
Blood and breath are more accurate. Blood monitor strips are EXPENSIVE (while the units are not). A reusable device like a Ketonix (@DittoDan and a few others use) can be great.
How to Use a Ketonix Ketone Breath Analyzer
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan0 -
Well another rough day im afraid. I really thought id turned a corner this past couple of days and i was starting to feel 'normal' at least, but today was not good again - bl@@dy horrible, in fact. The usual suspects - tiredness, muscle & bone aches, zero energy, heavy feeling in my body, headaches, awful mood etc. I just cannot shake it nomatter what i try. It is now 6.50pm and i am in bed. Its that bad. The house is a mess, my son is a mess, im a mess.... argghhhh. I get so frustrated when i feel like this because it floors me and i am literally useless. Its taking all my strength and energy to hold my head up - sounds melodramatic, but true - my head feels like a bowling ball held up by a twiglet.
Weird thing is, today i got my strongest ketostix reading yet - at least 4 mmol/L - so i just cant understand why i feel so cr@p when im in full-on keto.
Im really really reluctant to give up keto, but if it makes me ill theres not much i can do about it, and theres only so long i can deal with being poorly and rendered useless with a son, house and fiance to look after. I just dont know what to do. I dont want to have to give in on this WOE but something is just not right
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Refresh my memory, how many calories are you eating, how many carbs/fat/protein? And are you hydrated?0
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Hi deksgrl. My calories are 1200 a day (im only 5ft tall and 131 pounds, so my cals have to be low to lose any weight. 1200 cals will apparently allow me to lose just 0.7 pounds a week, but in reality it has just maintained my weight; ive lost nothing for the past month. Im really beginning to think i would need to eat less than 1000 cals a day to lose any weight. This realisation depresses me tbh b/c less than 1000 cals every day would be so damned restrictive - particularly when low-carb high-fat foods are so calorie dense for such small portions I feel restricted now at 1200.. but maybe i just need to realise that b/c im so short im not going to be able to eat 'normal' sized meals regularly and lose weight. I have a hearty appetite so eating what appears to be child's portions is tough or me to get used to - but then i guess its overeating that got me overweight in the 1st place, so i have to be held accountable and teach my tummy to be satisfied with much smaller portions i suppose).
My macros are:
Carbs 15-20g TOTAL (5%)
Protein 75g (25%)
Fat 93g (70%)
What are your thoughts?
Im considering upping my carbs to maybe 20g Net, or 40g total.. but then im not sure if that is the problem. I mean, i think its the very low carbs that are causing me to become so ill, but it could be too high fats? too low protein? too high protein? Gah! Its like fumbling in the dark. Why does there have to be so many variations of a keto diet? Everyone's macros look so different, so i dont know what im doing tbh.0 -
Coconuttymummy,
Your comment above looks reasonable as far as increasing carbs a tad (?). Also, your diary came through my feed and you were only at 1,000 cals I think? Perhaps increasing calories till you adjust would help? I'm sure someone else has suggested this and maybe that won't work for you? I've personally stopped worrying about whether I'm in keto, and am just low carb'ing under 40's. Hope you feel better!!!0 -
Hi HealthyMom,
I do sometimes only get to 1000 calories, rather than 1200, but more times than not it slightly over 1200, so it averages out at 1200 id say.
Ive been really worried about increasing my calories because i gained weight when i ate closer to 1400 cals (i shouldnt have done, b/c my TDEE is apparently 1550, but the weight starts piling on at very little increase in cals).
Do you aim for 40g net or total carbs?
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Do you use a food scale to measure your portions for calories? If not then perhaps you were eating more than 1400 when you were gaining. It is very easy to underestimate your calories and when you have a small margin of error that can be a problem.
I'd say you really don't have anything to lose increasing carbs to 40g since you are feeling so ill now.0 -
I don't worry about net. I eat 30-50g. I agree that you have nothing to lose by upping to 40g since you are feeling so poorly. And at this point I think you should be careful not to dip below 1200 on any given day. Once you feel well consistently, then that's a different story altogether.0
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Check on your salt and magnesium. I added broth with 1 T coconut oil and 1 T butter--felt better. Then got a few leg cramps, so added 100 mg Magnesium Citrate caps (1 morning, 1 evening), slept better and felt better. Also, be sure to keep hydrated.0
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Be sure you're getting enough salt. 3500mg or more.0
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I think if you upped protein a bit and ate a bit more it would help? Seems like too much too fast perhaps.0
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Electrolytes are not the problem - i supplement all of them.
I'm a stubborn woman, so im really reluctant to give up on this woe, even though its flooring me. I'll give it a bit longer but at some point if things dont improve i will have to admit defeat.
I find it so frustrating that keto is not going well for me in any shape or form, when it seems like everyone else and their dog are reaping amazing benefits from it. Its like everyone's having a party and im not invited! (not only am i not invited im sick in bed feeling & looking like *kitten*!).
I'll keep playing with my macros and trying different foods, meal sizes, meal timings etc this week and we'll see what happens. Im not in the market for punishing myself like this without losing any weight for my efforts, so something has to change... soon.0 -
You are very stubborn indeed! lol Eat more. 0
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Haha, Alabaster, damn right! 0
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Annnnd... it just keeps getting better and better... Just spent the last 20 minutes being violently sick, for the 2nd time today. That and explosive diarrhea (TMI) & stomach cramps.
No wonder people tend to not eat as much on keto - ive been scared to eat much all day b/c its just going to upset my stomach.
I feel like its all this fat thats making me sick. I remember as a child/teen our regular family trip to an italian restaurant.. id always order spaghetti carbonara.. loved how rich n creamy it tasted.. and then without fail i would start getting tummy ache on the way home and would puke my whole dinner up as soon as i got in the door. Why did i continue to order food that was guaranteed to make me sick? because it was my favorite and i was determined that next time my tummy would cope with it, but it never did. I feel exactly the same now - all the fat is making me sickly but i keep thinking "by tomorrow my system will have grown accustomed to all the rich fats and it wont make me ill": so far this hasnt been true, unfortunately.
Did anyone else struggle with stomach upsets or sickness when you 1st started eating high fats?0 -
I was a bit nauseous at first because I really stayed away from fats never ever ate butter, cream, or milk. So my system did rebel a it at first. Am still only able to do butter in my BPC, the feel of it in my mouth makes me gag (I never did margarine either, olive oil for everything). Have you had anymore blood work done? I know how hard it is to function when you're so I'll all the time. Have spent days in bed on Hashimoto's crashes. I really hope you're able to sort this out soon. Remember you have to look after yourself first or you're not able to take care of others. Hugs.0
