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Ways to tell you're adapted other than ketosis strips/monitors?

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Bukawww
Bukawww Posts: 159 Member
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Can someone point me to a thread or link if one already exists? I've been keeping my carbs under 35 gross, around 21 net for a few weeks now. I have been noticing that I am remarkably fine to IF until 2pm every day. I have always used IF as a tool for weight loss because I like to enjoy a well thought out, filling meal rather than graze. As the evening progresses, so does my desire to eat thoughtlessly. Saving my calories for 2 good sized meals in the afternoon and evening takes care of that, easy peasy.

I'd like to keep my nutrition plan as casual as possible for long term success. Logging in MFP is about as strict as I want to go thus avoiding things like strips and monitors etc. I'm not hardcore keto, just know that keeping my carbs under 50 and avoiding grains, etc make me feel best and lead to weight loss. I'm just curious if I might be in ketosis, I guess.

So back to my original question - is there a list of 'symptoms' like lack of hunger that lead one to believe they are fat adapted?

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  • helvisg0d
    helvisg0d Posts: 4 Member
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    livestrong.com/article/443938-signs-that-you-are-in-low-carb-ketosis/
    http://ketogenic-diet-resource.com/ketosis-symptoms.html
    Here are two pages with symptoms =) KCKO
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    I'm of the opinion that the only way to know for sure is to measure blood ketones. You don't have to do it all the time (for example, I just do it once in the morning, to get an idea), and you don't have to do it for a prolonged period of time (a lot of people stop once they get their diet dialed in such that they're consistently within the range they're looking for, and then only test once in a while when a new/questionable food was consumed).

    The "symptoms" are an okay guide, but you may or may not get any of them. For example, I never got pretty much anything except the increased urination (which could easily be attributed to my increase in water intake, since I made it a goal to drink at least 64oz of water a day). The symptoms depend entirely on what your diet looked like before you switched (not to mention how you switched).

    If your goal is ketosis proper, then I think it'd be a good idea to pick up or borrow a meter that measures ketones and test once or twice a day for a week, or however long it takes to tweak your diet so that you achieve the level of ketosis that you want. Some people can't get into ketosis until 20g or less, for example, so without an objective measure, you don't really have much to go on to know for sure.

    If you don't care about ketosis proper, then by all means, just go by how you feel. Lack of hunger is a decent gauge for fat adaption, since most people experience it. Stable energy is another one (not everyone is "bounce off the walls" energetic, but stability is pretty consistent from what I've seen).
  • Groitgard
    Groitgard Posts: 13
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    I bought the ketonix sport breath monitor and am going to compare the results to blood monitoring and see how accurate it is. Would be much easier to just breathe into a tube than prick my finger all the time.
  • laniereed1717
    laniereed1717 Posts: 6 Member
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    I use my Ketonix first thing in the morning before drinking or eating. I do not prick my finger anymore since I purchased it, I often check again at least an hour after lunch and at night. Drinking/eating and any alcohol will give an inaccurate reading. If on any homeopathic remedys with alcohol in it b aware u will have an inaccurate reading.
  • Groitgard
    Groitgard Posts: 13
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    How do you like your ketonix? I am waiting for mine to ship now. Have you compared its results to a blood monitor for correlation? Glad to hear someone else uses one as well though.
  • laniereed1717
    laniereed1717 Posts: 6 Member
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    Love it. Have not compared results with blood. Can't seem to prick myself one more time since I purchased it. But have with urine sticks. They correspond to a degree. I feel as if the ketonix is more accurate and the urine sticks are influenced by water intake.

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