Ketosis without ketostix
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IamUndrCnstruction
Posts: 691 Member
Ha! Posted in the right place this time!
Is there a way to tell if you are in ketosis without using those ketostix? I have read that there are certain changes to look for, strange taste in the mouth, possibly bad breath, and other body odor things LOL. I have been keeping the carbs low (<30net) for two and a half weeks now, and I do have the above mentioned effects going on. Would you think it safe to say I have gone into ketosis?
Is there a way to tell if you are in ketosis without using those ketostix? I have read that there are certain changes to look for, strange taste in the mouth, possibly bad breath, and other body odor things LOL. I have been keeping the carbs low (<30net) for two and a half weeks now, and I do have the above mentioned effects going on. Would you think it safe to say I have gone into ketosis?
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Most people only take three or four days so you should be there. The acetone breath is a pretty good sign.0
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Thank you for answering. I accidentally posted this in the regular forums, which I didn't want to do...but funnily enough got more response than I have gotten here.0
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If it is your first time, you will probably feel really bad after the first 3 or 4 days, that was the first sign for my first low carb experience. I really thought I was going to passout once or twice. After that one day I started feeling much better.
I do get a weird taste in my mouth, I notice my breath some days, and not others. I have much more energy, but that one is hard to gauge. I use to get really really tired every day around 2:00. But on a low carb diet I don't feel like that - again, that could be a ton of different factors.
I do have the ketostix, I just wanted that extra 'okay- Im doing the right thing'. I keep my net carbs under 20 everyday, so I don't test anymore. And the sticks aren't 100% reliable anyway. When I tested in the morning it would give me a really light reading, but if I tested in the afternoon it was dark.
Are you loosing weight without drastically cutting calories? I think that is a pretty big sign. The first time I went Keto I lost a pound a day for 2 or 3 weeks. --Which is frustrating now since that doesn't happen any more!
Good Luck!0 -
I lost 6 pounds the first week, but now have stalled. Granted, I have started working out much more than before and I retain water badly due to medical issues (which is part of why I have gone LC). So really, I have no idea what is going on with me. I don't go over my calorie limit, and am often way under. I do log, weigh and measure EVERYTHING. I only weigh myself once a week though, as due to the water fluctuations from the issues I have, I get very depressed if I weigh everyday. So maybe it will have dropped by Monday's weigh in. I have only been doing this for a couple of weeks
Just not sure about eveything yet. 0 -
I am interested to see that you use Medfast drinks/shakes in your diet. Are they protein drinks? Or like Slimfast (here in UK)? Well done on losing weight. I am just starting AGAIN because must make an effort this time.0
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The Medifast plan is a VLCD (very low calorie diet) plan. Maybe a bit like Slim fast, but lower calorie. You are supposed to eat five of their meal replacement products per day, plus one meal you make yourself, lean protein and low carb veggie. It's a bunch of rubbish and will make your hair fall out if you don't add in more fats. A friend purchased me a months supply as a gift, so I thought I would try it. It does work in that it gave me a direction to look into. They used the word ketosis, which made me do some research on that. It also helped me with the initial break from bad habits. I have been trying to slowly phase their stuff out, as it actually has more carbs than anything else I eat. I like the shakes though because I am NOT a morning eater and they are quick and easy. So I may find some sort of thing to replace them.0
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IamUndrCnstruction wrote: »I have been keeping the carbs low (<30net) for two and a half weeks now
Yes you are in ketosis because if you were not you'd be dead by now (srs ).
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IamUndrCnstruction wrote: »I have been keeping the carbs low (<30net) for two and a half weeks now
Yes you are in ketosis because if you were not you'd be dead by now (srs ).
@Kirkor - What do you mean, above? I know it was said somewhat tongue in cheek, but are you saying that if we eat that low carb without going into keto, we will have negative side effects? I'm just curious... I don't have an average of mine lately, but I'd say around 30 total maybe? But I haven't had much carb flu (just mild headaches that were treatable with buillion broth and fat bombs) and none of the odd side effects the OP mentioned above). I'm not specifically aiming for Keto, per se...just going with what my body seems to like best...0 -
Yes, a bit curious about that as well. Considering death and I have an interesting relationship already.0
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I just visited your profile and I want to wish you the BEST OF LUCK and health. You seem to be dealing with a lot of health issues right now. I hope that you have discussed this WOE with your doctors. I am a strong proponent of LCHF/Keto, but would want some expert opinions if in your shoes.
I think, if you have consistently kept your carbs low, you are most likely in ketosis. For me the bad breath/weird mouth taste and smelly urines phased out after a while. And I spent months bouncing in and out of ketosis due to weekend "binges". I use the sticks, to me they are relatively cheap, but realize that's not the case for everyone. But I like to see the 'pretty colors' change! Also, as I mentioned I've frequently bounced around so the sticks help me track when I actually get back into ketosis.
Again, best of luck!
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »IamUndrCnstruction wrote: »I have been keeping the carbs low (<30net) for two and a half weeks now
Yes you are in ketosis because if you were not you'd be dead by now (srs ).
@Kirkor - What do you mean, above?.IamUndrCnstruction wrote: »Yes, a bit curious about that as well. Considering death and I have an interesting relationship already.
Ketosis is a glycogen-depleted state when your body produces ketones which unlock free fatty acids (FFAs) and these are used for the ATP energy cycle instead of glucose.
In a low-glucose environment, certain tissues/organs are able to use FFAs to function to various degrees of efficiency. Your brain, for example, even when fully keto adapted, runs IIRC on 75% FFAs 25% glucose ... (this is where gluconeogenesis comes in to play: your body converts protein to glucose as is needed for essential functioning ... so keep protein adequate while running a keto diet otherwise you'll sacrifice muscle).
So, when I say, "You're in ketosis by now otherwise you'd be dead", it means that by keeping your total carbs that low for that long of time, you'd have long run out of free glucose with which to power your body's various metabolic processes ... so your body, by nature, will have converted over to ketone production and utilization of FFAs.
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Ah. Yeah..science! Sorry LOL! @DAM5412 Thank you It's been an interesting journey so far. I was told by my Doctors to cut the carbs to a minimum as the excess sugar facilitates water retention which I have a big issue with, both Pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure cause fluid issues. I take potassium supplements and have blood work done once a month anyway, so they keep an eye on me! Thank you for being concerned though 0
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In reference to your question about ketosis without ketostix...here's great calculator and explanation for how to use it. Use it beforehand to help plan your meals...comes in really handy!
http://www.flexibleketogenic.com/?m=00 -
Oh my goodness, that calculator is *exactly* what I needed. I really love statistics and being able to see cause and effect clearly, thank you so much!
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@RMath76 Amazing link! I will definitely use that. Thanks for sharing!0
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Thanks for coming in here and reposting @IamUndrCnstruction. I'm the one who actually responded in the Litterbox (my not so affectionate name for the big forum) and that was just because I happened to be bored and on patrol looking for low-carbers who might benefit from some direction to the groups.
Your post probably originally got buried in here. The way they designed this crap doesn't give much room for new posts, and we are so active here, even posts that have been up for only a few hours almost always get bumped downward. Then we have to click All Discussions to find them. So in the future if your post isn't getting any responses, bump it. We're here to support everyone and want to answer people. Maybe one day they'll make it better, but I'm not holding my breath.
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In reference to your question about ketosis without ketostix...here's great calculator and explanation for how to use it. Use it beforehand to help plan your meals...comes in really handy!
http://www.flexibleketogenic.com/?m=0
^^^ (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) ^^^0 -
I found it interesting that considering my overall ratios, it considers me to be in decent ketosis, despite the fact that some of my days were higher than other, and most were over 20 g of carbs. I used total carbs and not net carbs for the calculator and went back a week. 0
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In reference to your question about ketosis without ketostix...here's great calculator and explanation for how to use it. Use it beforehand to help plan your meals...comes in really handy!
http://www.flexibleketogenic.com/?m=0
Oh, this definitely wins the "Cool Tool of the Day" from me! thanks for sharing, rmath. :-)0 -
Excellent link, thank you!!!0
