Cannot get into ketosis
Fightin2GetFit
Posts: 69 Member
Hi everyone! I've been following the keto lifestyle for a year now and have found ketosis to be unattainable. I eat 20 net carbs per day and rarely cheat but I NEVER get into ketosis. My macros are 1600 cals, 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs. Does anyone have any suggestions they could share? My diary is public. Thanks!
0
Replies
-
I took a peek at your diary and I'm not one of the pro's on here, but I don't see much that should keep a person out of ketosis. :huh: However, many people say the Atkin's bars and shakes do so for them.
Wow, you have done amazing at losing with NOT being in ketosis!0 -
What makes you think you are not in ketosis?0
-
I took a peek at your diary and I'm not one of the pro's on here, but I don't see much that should keep a person out of ketosis. :huh: However, many people say the Atkin's bars and shakes do so for them.
Wow, you have done amazing at losing with NOT being in ketosis!
Thank you! You might be right about the Atkins bars and shakes - I have heard the same thing before. On the other hand, I've only been eating them for a week now out of convenience. The last 12 months I never did and I still couldn't get into ketosis. Very odd...0 -
What makes you think you are not in ketosis?
The urine test strips are always negative or only show a trace of ketones.0 -
Are you drinking a lot of water? I find that my stix show trace or moderate, when I know (by carb count and bad breath), that I am in keto, because I drink a lot of water (more so now).
Are you having any other symptoms? The stix can be wrong.0 -
Are you drinking a lot of water? I find that my stix show trace or moderate, when I know (by carb count and bad breath), that I am in keto, because I drink a lot of water (more so now).
Are you having any other symptoms? The stix can be wrong.
No signs of bad breath and I drink about 2 bottles a day (16.9 oz each) so not that much water.0 -
The strips are notoriously inaccurate, and they only test for one byproduct of ketosis. Showing trace means you are in ketosis (acetoacetic acid is in your urine). I assume you stay well-hydrated, and exercise, so unless you aren't logging accurately (which could just be inaccurate entries selected in MFP), and your macros aren't actually what you stated, I can't see why you wouldn't ever have been in ketosis.
If you really want to know, get a blood ketone meter and strips. That will tell you for sure. Oh, and don't cheat because then you have to reset the clock. Most folks it takes at least 3 days to get back into ketosis after a cheat meal, and longer for a cheat day. In the beginning, it usually takes almost 2 weeks to get into ketosis, and then over a month to become fully keto-adapted.
Otherwise, I peeked at your diary. You are eating a fair amount of sugar alcohols and other artificial sweeteners, which in some folks, the body reacts the same way to them as it does to sugar, spiking insulin and blood sugar readings. It's entirely possible they are a significant issue. I recommend eating real food over packaged, pre-made foods. Besides those Atkins products contain ingredients that Dr. Atkins did not approve for his plan, and aren't recommended in other ketogenic style plans.
Another issue with sugar alcohols is they can cause some serious gastrointestinal upset in lots of folks. Bloating, diarrhea, serious flatulence, painful gas build-up, etc. can result from eating one bar, much less several shakes and bars, plus sugar free jello.
The protein macro can be too high for some folks, and they need to go higher in fat, even lower in carbs (like 5%), and do something like 80% fat, 15% protein, 5% carbs. But mostly if your NET carbs are below 20 grams on a 1600 calorie diet, and your fats are high enough (above 65%), and your protein is not too high for YOU, you should be in ketosis.
Other signs of ketosis:
Bad taste in the mouth
Bad breath
Urine smells like nail polish remover
Constipation - esp. if you don't eat veggies
Consistent fat loss - which it appears you have had
Clearer skin (if you had acne before)
More energy
Sleep better
No to few cravings for sweets
Decreased appetite - have to force yourself to eat sometimes
Deodorant that used to work doesn't anymore - due to a bit of body chemistry changes
Changes in menstrual cycle - could be better or worse
I hope this information helps you.0 -
You really need to drink more water. Two 16.9 oz bottles per day is very little considering ketosis is naturally diuretic and removes extra water from the body.
And the low carb tortillas could also be an issue here. The various flours and starches are not typically permitted when trying to achieve ketosis, and there is a lot of talk online about how these products, and others like low carb pasta throw people out of ketosis.0 -
The strips are notoriously inaccurate, and they only test for one byproduct of ketosis. Showing trace means you are in ketosis (acetoacetic acid is in your urine). I assume you stay well-hydrated, and exercise, so unless you aren't logging accurately (which could just be inaccurate entries selected in MFP), and your macros aren't actually what you stated, I can't see why you wouldn't ever have been in ketosis.
If you really want to know, get a blood ketone meter and strips. That will tell you for sure. Oh, and don't cheat because then you have to reset the clock. Most folks it takes at least 3 days to get back into ketosis after a cheat meal, and longer for a cheat day. In the beginning, it usually takes almost 2 weeks to get into ketosis, and then over a month to become fully keto-adapted.
Otherwise, I peeked at your diary. You are eating a fair amount of sugar alcohols and other artificial sweeteners, which in some folks, the body reacts the same way to them as it does to sugar, spiking insulin and blood sugar readings. It's entirely possible they are a significant issue. I recommend eating real food over packaged, pre-made foods. Besides those Atkins products contain ingredients that Dr. Atkins did not approve for his plan, and aren't recommended in other ketogenic style plans.
Another issue with sugar alcohols is they can cause some serious gastrointestinal upset in lots of folks. Bloating, diarrhea, serious flatulence, painful gas build-up, etc. can result from eating one bar, much less several shakes and bars, plus sugar free jello.
The protein macro can be too high for some folks, and they need to go higher in fat, even lower in carbs (like 5%), and do something like 80% fat, 15% protein, 5% carbs. But mostly if your NET carbs are below 20 grams on a 1600 calorie diet, and your fats are high enough (above 65%), and your protein is not too high for YOU, you should be in ketosis.
Other signs of ketosis:
Bad taste in the mouth
Bad breath
Urine smells like nail polish remover
Constipation - esp. if you don't eat veggies
Consistent fat loss - which it appears you have had
Clearer skin (if you had acne before)
More energy
Sleep better
No to few cravings for sweets
Decreased appetite - have to force yourself to eat sometimes
Deodorant that used to work doesn't anymore - due to a bit of body chemistry changes
Changes in menstrual cycle - could be better or worse
I hope this information helps you.
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to share so much info - I appreciate that! I will definitely look into the blood ketone strips since I know I'm sticking with this lifestyle for the long haul. As for the products with sugar alcohols, I am aware that they will make some people's blood sugar spike but I've only just started eating them (1 week now). Prior to that, I never did and ketosis was still an issue. I suppose it is possible that the urine strips are wrong. My skin looks amazing, I sleep well and my period is regular (it never was before). I never have food cravings either.0 -
You really need to drink more water. Two 16.9 oz bottles per day is very little considering ketosis is naturally diuretic and removes extra water from the body.
And the low carb tortillas could also be an issue here. The various flours and starches are not typically permitted when trying to achieve ketosis, and there is a lot of talk online about how these products, and others like low carb pasta throw people out of ketosis.
Hmmm..I never considered the tortillas to be the problem. They have been the one thing constant since I started a year ago and I eat them pretty regularly. You might be right. I guess having another set of eyes to step back and look at the big picture really helps. I am going to cut those out for a few weeks along with the sugar alcohols and see if that does the trick. Thank you!!0 -
Glad to be of help, however, I do wonder what you think the problem is. You have lost a lot of weight in a year.
So, what is the problem, other than some strips you urinate on don't show what you want them to show? They are arbitrary in the grand scheme of things.
And as far as how often you've used the shakes and/or bars recently versus previously, that doesn't really matter. It's the amount of them, in addition to other foods that contain artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. Too much of those can really, really stall progress for lots of folks. So, re-focusing on whole, fresh foods is most likely the ticket here to much further success.
Maybe try to cut to one bar a day. No shakes, no other art. sweeteners, and see how things go, while you prepare fresh, un-processed, whole foods for yourself.0 -
What makes you think you are not in ketosis?
The urine test strips are always negative or only show a trace of ketones.
I purchased some strips for the first time on Amazon today, and I noticed on some of the cheaper brands, reviewers continually stated they were inaccurate. Have you tried a couple different brands?0 -
I agree that test strip are not very accurate. I also agree that you have been losing weight, therefore you must be in ketosis.0
-
DC:<snipped>
I also agree that you have been losing weight, therefore you must be in ketosis.
Please forgive my OCD, and it's probably not what you "meant" to say, but there is so much MISinformation and poor logic constantly being thrown around on these groups that every once in a while my pressure relief valve pops and today you just have to be "it" - sorry. <g>
I realize it sounds nit-pickey and opens me up to "carb police" accusations but so be it - the detail really does matter and way too many folks are wont to take literally that which appears in print or "I saw it on the interwebs" (think the "bone jures" commercial)
"...losing weight..." and being in ketosis DO have an association (frequently occur together), but one can NOT make the logical jump to "....therefore you MUST BE in....."
Could one make the same statement if someone had lost weight on a diet that included 350 g carbs/day?
Back in the stone age, in the very first class of my Logic 101 course, the prof made a statement that I've remembered to this day (no small feat):
Rover has four legs,
All cows have four legs,
Therefore -
Rover is a cow0 -
From randomly coming across a post of yours in another thread:For the most part, I eat 15-20 net carbs per day but sometimes I eat a cheat meal on the weekends.
This could be why. With keto, you can't really cheat. You replenish the glycogen stores when you eat carbs and it knocks you out of ketosis. Depending on when you are testing and how often you are cheating, the strips would read not in ketosis or trace ketones in your urine.0 -
This could be why. With keto, you can't really cheat. You replenish the glycogen stores when you eat carbs and it knocks you out of ketosis. Depending on when you are testing and how often you are cheating, the strips would read not in ketosis or trace ketones in your urine.
Yep, this is me. I do so well 6 days a week, then on Saturday or Sunday have been knocking myself out of it. So have to start over the following day.
But, it may take a few days (depending on the 'cheat' carbs seem to go quicker than alcohol), but I do get back into it with a few days of diligence.0 -
The test strips will show negative once you are "keto-adapted" if you have been eating like this for a year, and have lost weight, as it looks like you have, you are doing great! You could try doing a "fat fast" for a few days, and see if that changes anything.....it looks like you are doing great!!
0 -
The test strips will show negative once you are "keto-adapted" if you have been eating like this for a year, and have lost weight, as it looks like you have, you are doing great! You could try doing a "fat fast" for a few days, and see if that changes anything.....it looks like you are doing great!!
Thank you! I've never done a fat fast before so I might give that a try 0 -
[/quote] "I purchased some strips for the first time on Amazon today, and I noticed on some of the cheaper brands, reviewers continually stated they were inaccurate. Have you tried a couple different brands?"
[/quote]
I've tried 3 different brands
0
