Experiment: Optimal Ketosis for Weight Loss and Improved Performance

September 10 2012 15:35 in About Diet Doctor, Ketone Measuring

Can measuring ketones help you lose weight and improve performance? Let’s try to find out.

Today my ketone experiment reached goal #1: achieving stable optimal ketosis*.

After getting my blood ketone meter I’ve eaten a stricter LCHF diet than I usually do. More fat, less carbs. No bread, no potatoes, pasta, rice or fruit. Instead I’ve eaten meat, fish, vegetables, egg and extra large amounts of high-fat sauces and butter. In the mornings coffee with plenty of butter/coconut fat in it. I’ve occasionally cheated with some nuts, root vegetables, berries, cream and a little wine.

After just a few days I entered light nutritional ketosis (over 0.5 mmol/L on the meter). But it took a full three weeks to achieve stable optimal ketosis (1.5 – 3 mmol/L) in the mornings. It was also interesting that it was much quicker to get high ketone readings during daytime and in the evenings (data not shown in the chart above).

I’ve also tested keto sticks for measuring urine ketones (cheaper and simpler). In my case the results so far track the blood ketones reasonably well, even if urine ketones is a more inexact and unreliable test.

So what do you think I’ve noticed? Does it feel different? What do you think happened to my weight & waist measurement (I started at a normal satisfactory weight) and training/mental performance? Answers are coming up, but feel free to guess in the comments!

Ketosis

*/ Ketosis is a natural state where the body is almost only burning fat.The secret of ketosis is to eat very low amounts of carbs and only moderate amounts of protein. Then add fat to satiety.

Some less informed people still confuse natural ketosis with the pathological state ketoacidosis. The latter has completely different causes, usually extreme insulin deficiency in type 1 diabetics. In this dangerous state the ketone koncentrations are around ten times higher then in normal ketosis, and the blood sugar is sky high.

Natural ketosis due to low carb eating is perfectly safe with stable well-controlled blood sugar and well-controlled blood ketones.

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60 Comments

Top Comment

  1. NM
    September 10 2012 15:42 4
    I think you put on a huge amount weight because of all that FAT, had a heart attack (just as Dr Keys predicted) and are now a vegan, eating your healthy-wholegrains and lots of soy-protein every day?

    Close? I guess I might not be, somehow? ;-)

    Read more →

All Comments

  1. 1
    NM
    September 10 2012 15:42 4
    I think you put on a huge amount weight because of all that FAT, had a heart attack (just as Dr Keys predicted) and are now a vegan, eating your healthy-wholegrains and lots of soy-protein every day?

    Close? I guess I might not be, somehow? ;-)

  2. 2
    aniram
    September 10 2012 15:56
    what does OPTIMAL ketosis actually mean? is more than 3 mmol/L not optimal in some way, if so why?
    Reply: #16
  3. 3
    Sarah
    September 10 2012 16:08
    I'm interested to see how you do. I've maintained a a low carb diet for several months now, but
    my weight has stabilized at 162 Lbs. Perhaps I should cut out my evening glass of wine in order to lose more weight, but I'm unwilling to give it up for now.
  4. 4
    Thomas
    September 10 2012 16:12
    If you started at a normal weight, it probably stayed the same. Your energy levels I am sure were up.

    What I don't understand about LCHF is where to get sufficient fat from?

  5. 5
    Raul
    September 10 2012 16:22 1
    Very nice experiment! I would guess that you didn't had much weight difference since you probably were in a good state by normally doing LCHF. Maybe you needed to eat only in the late afternoon after getting lots of butter and coconut fat in your coffee?

    Curious about your results!

    One question: is your stricter LCHF equivalent to the Paleo diet? If not, what are the differences?

  6. 6
    Ahsan
    September 10 2012 16:43
    @Thomas

    Cook everything in either regular butter or coconut oil/butter. If you eat salads, use olive oil liberally. Doing just that I often reach 80% of fat in my total caloric intake, and I've never gone below 70% since I started LCHF.

  7. 7
    NM
    September 10 2012 17:02
    @thomas: very easy. Have a few strawberries with a large amount of good, pastured heavy cream and you'll get there very quickly ;-)
  8. 8
    Daniel Lucraft
    September 10 2012 17:24
    I think you lost a ton of weight & inches, because otherwise you wouldn't be reporting the results ;)

    PS. I just started ketone testing with strips, hard to tell from the colour scheme, but it seems to be reporting somewhere between 4 and 8 mmol/L (after a week on ketogenic diet). This seems high. What do you think is most likely between these options: (a) It's correct, (b) it's incorrect, but I am most likely in ketosis anyway, (c) it's incorrect, and I can't believe it at all. Thanks

  9. 9
    Brian
    September 10 2012 17:37 2
    From the graph, it definitely looks like urine optimal ketosis. *rimshot*
  10. 10
    Chuck Currie
    September 10 2012 18:22
    Your chart indicates you test fasted in the morning. Question: How many hours is that from your last bite of food?

    Curiosities: What time of day do you suppose your body metabolizes the greatest amount of body fat? Does dietary fat intake in the morning slow down body fat metabolism which began during the overnight sleep-fast? Is macro-nutrient timing important vis-a-vis fat metabolism? I have heard that, because MCT oil is a preferential fuel source, it can/will slow down/stop body fat metabolism. What do you know, or what are your thoughts on this?

    It's said, that curiosity killed the cat; but satisfaction brought him back. I'm hoping I don't have to start singing a Rolling Stone song.

    Cheers

  11. 11
    Vanessa
    September 10 2012 18:57
    I expect you feel even more great than on your normal low carb diet. Can't wait to hear more!

    I have been measuring urine ketones every day now for the past couple of months and have been eating low enough carbs to stay in ketosis, even if sometimes only lightly (on days where I've had a few more carbs than normal). I am definitely 'fat adapted' and no longer feel low in energy or in need of sugar, I personally feel right running on fat instead of glucose. Sometimes the strips hardly turn even when I've had almost zero carb, which apparently means I have adapted to using the ketones so less are being wasted.

    Please can someone help me with this following question?

    I've been trying to get my head around whether one needs to be in 'ketosis' to burn fat. What I don't understand is this: if I eat a very high fat and moderate protein diet and am in ketosis for a period of time and then I suddenly switch to eating only fruit for one day (like I have done today for the first time in ages, and have not enjoyed actually) then, due to a caloric deficit (compared to normal), I should still burn fat shouldn't I? It would be like a fast.

    But obviously the ketone strips have not turned pink at all because I've had lots of fruit sugar. I've definitely eaten less calories than usual and have been starving all day and constantly thinking about food, (which is what I've loved so much about burning fat for fuel instead).

    Can anyone give me more food for thought on ketosis, caloric deficit and fat burning? If the strips don't turn, even with caloric deficit, then what fuel is my body burning?

    Thanks! :-)

  12. 12
    Vanessa
    September 10 2012 19:11
    Haha I don't know why I put inverted commas around 'ketosis'!! As if it's not real or something!
  13. 13
    Mike W
    September 10 2012 19:13 1
    Thanks for acting as guinea pig. My guesses:

    Your weight and waist didn't change.

    You feel mentally sharper and more alert. On the downside, your sleep is poorer. You wake a lot after vivid dreams, including nightmares going back to your childhood when kids picked on you for being so tall.

    Your fingertips are sore.

  14. 14
    Peggie
    September 10 2012 19:24
    My prediction is that you will probably remain weight stable as you are already at a good weight. After reading The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, those of us trying to lose weight need to keep our protein at an appropriate level and keep carbs low. Fat is reduced to create calorie deficit. That keeps my meter registering very low ketone and the weight seems stuck. What is the solution?
    Reply: #18
  15. 15
    Linda
    September 10 2012 19:32 1
    Our good doctor is basically doing the same experiment now being done by Jimmy Moore. Jimmy hit a plateau after following a LCHF way of eating and has been trying to figure out why. He goes into great detail and answers a lot of the questions posted here.
    It is working for Jimmy. He is finally seeing more pounds come off and has seen other improvements as well.

    http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/jimmy-moores-n1-experiments-nutrit...

  16. Reply to comment #2 by aniram
    16
    Jennifer Snow
    September 10 2012 19:46
    From what I've read thus far, people don't realize additional benefits for getting above, say, 5.0 mmol/L, so between 3.0-5.0 is considered "optimal" in that you're getting the maximum amount of benefit for your effort--you're in a state where you're fully adapted to burning fat for fuel.
  17. 17
    TL
    September 10 2012 19:53
    It could be good to test with an alcometer too. The ketones might show up as alcohol in a meter and police might take You to blood tests.
    (Teenage son (type-1) mistakenly shot double Levemir in the morning one day and his blood sugar started to plummet in the afternoon. The ambulancemen asked to blow to the alcometer too, which showed 0.1)
  18. Reply to comment #14 by Peggie
    18
    Jennifer Snow
    September 10 2012 19:55 2
    Peggie--with my own experience, trying to create a calorie deficit when you are low-carbing just puts your body into a mode where it believes "I'm starving therefore I must RETAIN THIS FAT TISSUE AT ALL COSTS". The way to lose weight when low carbing is to do this:

    1. Eat as few carbs per day as you can manage. Under 50g of net carbs (you can ignore fiber carbs for this) works well for most people. If you're really overweight or just starting you may want to go as low as 20g of carbs.

    2. Eat a decent amount of high-quality *animal* protein. Some books have formulas to enable you to figure out how much is enough. Me, I just eyeball it--that and I stick with proteins that are mostly fat (bacon) so by the time I feel full I've gotten a reasonable amount of protein but not so much that my liver will overproduce glucose and sabotage my efforts.

    3. Eat as much fat as you want, until you're not hungry any more.

    4. Don't eat until you get hungry again.

    5. Weight training exercises where you work muscles to fatigue. This releases hormones that tell your body to retain and build that muscle at all costs, which helps spur the use of fat tissue for fuel.

    My weight goes up and down every month due to my cycle, but it trends downward overall.

  19. 19
    LyndaF
    September 10 2012 21:08 1
    Congrats on the stable ketosis. I've been measuring blood ketones for about 6 weeks now. I have also consistently been in the optional range (or over) for about 10 days. The trick for me is to keep carbs low (sticking to low carb veggies) and protein to about 1/2g per pound of lean body weight. I measure first thing in the morning. Higher levels of exercise the day before bring the levels up above 3 & as high as 5.8 (triathlon, 122km very hilly bike ride), but also mean I can indulge in higher levels of protein & carbs for a few days afterwards (not before, as my body can't anticipate extra demand!)
    As far as weight loss, I've been eating lots of fat, so am stable. As far as endurance, in 5 3/4 hours of intense cycling, I felt great until the temperature rose (I always do poorly in the heat) but pouring water on my body helped a lot. I didn't have to eat except to keep my salt levels up! Green olives are going to be my go-to on bike rides from now on! Salty, low carb, low protein, yum. My time was average, but I hadn't really trained for the event.
    My next step is to add strength training to the cardio to work on body composition & strength.
  20. 20
    Troy Wynn
    September 10 2012 23:31
    my best guess is you lost some body fat, maintained muscle, but you saw improved performance in your workouts, and you had more energy throughout the day, finally, you probably did not eat as often.
  21. 21
    Troy Wynn
    September 10 2012 23:41
    Peggy, I say relax and keep it up. You may want to look into performance based fitness. Short high intensity continuous training with plenty of variety. It works well with low carb high fat nutrition.
  22. 22
    Diane
    September 11 2012 1:19
    My guess is you are not hungry at all anymore and that your mental acuity is high. You probably aren't sleeping as well. You probably flushed out some water weight and are struggling with keeping your sodium intake right.

    I can no longer lose any weight no matter how much I restrict my carbs. So now I'm trying carb restriction AND as big a calorie deficit as I can manage because I'm all out of options.

  23. 23
    Butch
    September 11 2012 2:07 2
    @Diane

    Have you been measuring accurately the carb and protein intake ?

    I was on a stall like 6 months and can not figure out why it stop and whatever I do it will come down slightly but it will come back up to a stable weight. That's with high intensity slow burn resistance training and HIIT recumbent bike. Both down weekly on 2 different days.

    Then I read Volek's latest book on Low Carb Performance and I figure that's kind of (sort off) what I'm doing so what gives.

    so I decided to get a food scale and apparently my eyeball way of weighing the food was on the high side.

    as soon as I started measuring my carbs to a strict 50g and protein based on my body weight, wella broke the status quo and now my stable weight is down by 3 pounds. Not much but I am very close to my target weight. 7 pounds more to go.

  24. 24
    Mandy
    September 11 2012 3:34
    I'm guessing that you lost 2-3inches around your waist.. any prizes for the correct guess? :P
  25. 25
    Clint
    September 11 2012 4:52
    My guess is that this increased focus on your "offenders" in what was already a pretty dialed in diet caused that leaning out of body fat that really shows in your abs! You lost gross weight, depending upon how much resistance training you have done and you feel leaner than ever before! Your pants are hanging on you and it feels pretty awesome. You cravings for those last offenders have gone away and your actually wanting to test your body fat! I just experienced all this myself!
  26. 26
    BA
    September 11 2012 8:29
    The morning ketone reading is pretty much always going to be the lowest, because the surge of growth hormone that coincides with waking dumps glucose into the bloodstream.
  27. 27
    BA
    September 11 2012 8:34
    Also it's worth noting that even if you are a person that reads a consistent fasting glucose in the morning versus later in the day, all that actually means is that you probably have good insulin sensitivity, and you are able to put away the morning surge quickly. That means that even if you don't believe you have such a "dawn effect", your serum insulin will be higher than at other times of the day even at a consistent glucose level, to counteract the action of hGH, which inhibits ketone production. This is the exact same reason why "safe" starches, while if tested on a glucose meter not to show singificant excursion, will necessarily elicit a significant insulin response that will inhibit ketosis, regardless of what blood sugar reading you see on the meter.
  28. 28
    Jane2
    September 11 2012 10:04 1
    Take a look at this video. It is really the key
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZXrklpaUeI&feature=relmfu
  29. 29
    PaleoDentist
    September 11 2012 15:05
    I find it interesting that while you follow a LCHF diet you were only in light ketosis. I generally follow a cow carb Paleo Diet. Although yesterday I gorged on berries and 1 apple and 85% cocao chocolate. I tested this morning. I was at .3.

    what is a reasonable frequency of testing? is 1/week ok?

  30. 30
    Jessica
    September 11 2012 16:10
    Off topic, Dr. Eenfeldt, but what program did you use to make that beautiful chart?
    Reply: #34
  31. 31
    Jessica
    September 11 2012 16:54 1
    Great blog: identical twins each test high or low carb diet:

    http://www.jaquelineduncan.co.za/

    Guess which diet is winning? :-)

  32. 32
    Thrand Godfrey
    September 11 2012 20:26
    I would love to try this as well.I bet you fell better than ever and lost any stubborn resilient fat stores would be my guess.I have question is a CKD or TKD diet really necessary if you do heavy weight lifting 3 times a week and sprint? I have been told that if you do not do a small carb up you will burn muscle or not have enough energy for heavy lifting.Just wanted your opinion on it.On a CKD you do no carbs during the week all fat and protien.Then carb up on the week end with complex carbs not sugars with fat as well as not to spike blood sugar but to restore glycogen to muscle tissue.This happens after a major depletion work out to deplete glycogen as well.Then to get back in keto you work out hard after the 36 hour carb up to deplete liver glycogen and kick you right back in to keto.the carb up consist of around 800 grams and the body is supposed to store one and half times as much glycogen than normal due to depletion.
  33. 33
    Jonathan Swaringen
    September 11 2012 20:34
    I don't think 3 times a week is necessary with weight lifting and glycogen stores can easily be replenished without the extra carbohydrates if you don't.

    I highly recommend reading Body by Science by Doug McGuff. It may indeed require more carbohydrates to do what you are suggesting but I don't believe its necessary. You'll understand if you read Body by Science.

    Its only 12 dollars on Amazon.

    http://www.amazon.com/Body-Science-Research-Program-Results/dp/007159...

  34. Reply to comment #30 by Jessica
    34
    Doc
    September 12 2012 11:56
    Mac Keynote. I'm sure there are smarter options for charts, but I'm kind of used to it.
  35. 35
    Digby
    September 13 2012 1:08
    You have lost a few pounds, but your bg numbers are better, you are sleeping 1-2 hours less, and have increased alertness and energy.

    I just ordered a blood ketone meter and hope it will helpvme get out of a stall of some months, even though faithfulto hflc. With ketostix I test medium-high ketones, but with my level of insulin resistance I think I need more attention to the bk. I know Jimmy Moore is finally getting some good results. People with insulin rsistance have a very great challenge to lose, but from all I read a ketogenic diet is the best path to correcting the IR.

  36. 36
    Luke
    September 13 2012 17:43
    hi

    I've been following a low carb diet, low carb (no more than 20g per day), around 1.2g protein per kg and high in fat (mostly cream and dairy).

    My blood ketones are at 1.3 average in the mornings but have not managed to loose any weight.

    My BMI is 20 hence i dont need to loose weight but i'd love to get rid of excess fat.

    Have recently started taking flax oil and mct but so far same weight. Even if i fast early in the morning (no breakfast...first meal being lunch some days!)

    Any ideas?? Please help

  37. 37
    Jonathan Swaringen
    September 13 2012 17:58
    @Luke Have you tried CT yet? Read jackkruse.com He has a ton of good blogs 22 pages of them and counting.

    http://jackkruse.com/jacks-blog/page/8/

    http://jackkruse.com/rewiring-the-leptin-rx-reset/

    Starting here is the Cold Thermogenesis Protocol.

    http://jackkruse.com/easy-start-guide/

    This is an easy start guide for Leptin RX and CT which are described in the blogs.

    Hope it helps good luck.

    For good exercise I highly recommend Body by Science

    For good eating

    http://jackkruse.com/brain-gut-6-epi-paleo-rx/

  38. 38
    shades
    September 13 2012 18:58
    Since i am doing a ketogenic diet too ( actually a cyclical ketogenic diet, ie one carb up day a week), i believe you lost fat fast while preserving muscles (if ur eating around 150g protein per day for a male).

    On a side note, i have been doing it for the past month and a half, and now that i am closer than ever to being cut, it became harder to loose those last pounds of pure fat... so, i HAD to start lowering calories while doing this CKD diet.

    what about you?

    Reply: #41
  39. 39
    Sixtyyearsyoung
    September 16 2012 6:52 2
    I'm hoping when I 'lose' weight my jeans will feel ' loose'!
  40. 40
    Sixtyyearsyoung
    September 16 2012 17:21
    Maybe....we're not supposed to lose those last few pounds of fat. Maybe....in case of illness or famine we're supposed to have a bit of reserve. I've seen middle aged patients need every bit of that reserve adipose to endure an illness. Who says what we're supposed to weigh? The same people who decided what we're supposed to eat? I'm not saying obesity is good, clearly it is not. But maybe...those last few pounds should stay put.
  41. Reply to comment #38 by shades
    41
    Jane2
    September 18 2012 10:06
    It is oké to consume 150 grams of proteïn for about 2-3 weeks to build op your vains and all. But after that periode it is too much protein. Protein should be equal (lean) body weigh grams/kilo.
    I read that your weight can be as cm above the meter,minus or plus 10%. So if you are 175 cm, you may weight between 68 and 82 kilogram. If you are 75 kg(lean), you eat 75 grams of protein.
    So doc can drop 10 kilo's while in ketoses (he's over 2 m/100 kg), already dropped 4 kg
    Reply: #43
  42. 42
    Marc
    September 25 2012 3:45
    Why is cream bad? I thought heavy cream had no carbs. I eat very low carb but I do use cream thinking it was adding some fat.
    Reply: #44
  43. Reply to comment #41 by Jane2
    43
    Jonathan Swaringen
    September 25 2012 6:02
    Pretty sure it also depends on how much you need protein. If your protein needs are higher when exercising you can eat more protein...though I'm not sure how much more. Also I'm not sure if protein can be higher just on the day of workout or for days after the workout...I'm guessing it has to do with how much protein you need for the muscle repair/synthesis.

    All speculating....not sure this is true just heard that it was. I'm not clear on how much extra you can have...if this is true or when you need to have it. I've heard there are some negatives to fructose consumption before, during, or after a workout ....not sure about glucose. If there are negatives to glucose for the same periods producing glucose due to gluconeogenesis may be bad for the workout as well...

  44. Reply to comment #42 by Marc
    44
    Jonathan Swaringen
    September 25 2012 6:18
    I'm not seeing the comment where someone said cream was bad...but as far as I know there is nothing wrong with cream necessarily...there are some possible issues related to leaky gut or gut permeability issues.

    Raw Grass-fed A2 milk seems to cause the least issues. There may be issues even with that for some people.....not sure.

    For details on the A2 issue I mentioned either read Devils in the Milk by Keith Woodford or google it. Its pretty easy to find at least a rudimentary explanation of the issue. It has something to do with amino acid structure of the protein being different in two main genetic variations of cows. Those being A1 and A2. Certain breeds have all A1 and others have the majority are probably a mix of A1 and A2 milk. Most of the milk in the United States is sourced from Holstein cows which are a mix I believe of A1 and A2...not sure.

    The further you get from natural ie Ultra Pasteurized and fed diets that aren't natural the worse it is. I wish I knew more how this worked...when I'm reading Dr. Mercola at his site he pushes organic/pastured all the time....and raw and it just isn't easy to get access to this.

    I wish I had more information on if things are good or not. Is milk from a feedlot pasteurized etc... good at all...or is it completely detrimental. As much as I understand why natural is better I can't afford everything at its best. It would be nice ...

    One of these days it would be nice if someone had a better nutrient database that includes grass-fed, pastured, raw, not raw etc...I occasionally use caloriecount.about.com and their database wherever they get the information from has tons of missing nutrient information.

    Also they don't have any breakdown for things like pastured beef, raw milk etc etc...I like information. I don't have enough :) .

  45. 45
    Nan
    October 5 2012 17:31
    I just got my BK meter, and find I'm up and down a bit right now from .8 to 1.7 to .7 in the first three days, measuring at about the same time of day. I've really cut back the protein, and trying to stick to a morning high fat coffee and one high fat meal as I am very insulin resistant.

    I have found the BG side of the PrecisionXtra meter I bought, measures a about twenty points higher than my reliable old meter which was always in sync with my lab tests.

    sugaraholics.com
    http://highfatlowcarbrecipes.wordpress.com/

    Reply: #47
  46. 46
    Jean
    October 9 2012 12:56
    A group of us cyclists have been trying the low carb high fat diet with superb results on endurance performance.
    We have found it necessary to superimpose the blood diet recommendations over the high fat diet to ensure you eat the right foods and especially fat for your blood type.
    Reply: #48
  47. Reply to comment #45 by Nan
    47
    Butch
    October 9 2012 16:41
    @nan

    what is your "my reliable old meter" that you used to measure BG ?

  48. Reply to comment #46 by Jean
    48
    Butch
    October 9 2012 16:42
    @jean

    what do you mean by "necessary to superimpose the blood diet recommendations over the high fat diet" ?

  49. 49
    Darren@KetoDietPlans
    November 24 2012 6:25
    I bet you started to get more energy and feel less uncomfortable while being in ketosis. At least that's what happened to me :)
  50. 50
    Sixtyyearsyoung
    November 24 2012 6:34
    There's a very good site that rates dairy and egg farming practices in the United States called cornucopia.org. I hope that helps you figure out what dairy is good dairy.
  51. 51
    Sixtyyearsyoung
    November 24 2012 16:28
    Good NEWS for the other postmenopausal women struggling with shedding the pounds. I cut out dairy, except for butter and heavy cream. No cheese, no yogurt for now. And finally, after months of no loss,no gain, I'm losing a pound a week. That's much better! I 'cheat' occasionally and have too many nuts or wine (not enough), and berries in coconut milk with nuts. I'm also now eating a huge high fat, protein breakfast and then often not wanting to eat again, usually until dinner time. It was quite a challenge to do LCHF and not just give up when the weight stayed on, but my asthma is so much better I no longer need meds. And now the weight's going off too. :)
    I'd love to get into deep ketosis, but seem to be stuck around . 6 to 1.0 at best.
    I bet the DOC , in deep ketosis you feel brilliant, ready to take on the world for LCHF!
  52. 52
    coffee characteristics
    January 28 14:55
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  53. 53
    dawn
    February 17 3:16
    So what are the results regarding the doctors weight and measurements?
  54. 54
    Sixtyyearsyoung
    February 17 6:32
    Ah fooey...(not really the word I want to use). I was losing, or so it seemed. Then weight went up four pounds in one week 'cheating' with a cheese back in my diet. If I eat high fat, like 80%, I don't get enough protein for a 1250-1300 cal per day. Truly, counting calories is horrid. I eat 70-75% fat, 20% or less carb, the rest protein to get around 70g carbs in my calorie requirement.
    I'm hungry at night, and sick of tracking food. Right now I'm still very, very low carb,no grains, no cheese, no yogurt and not losing weight. I think my fifty pounds overweight is not going anywhere. I've been doing this very carefully since August. I've lost 5 lbs. The GOOD news is my asthma is in remission, my cholesterol is 219, triglycerides <100, HDL 69 off statins. Can't recall LDL. Being off meds and breathing well keeps me LCHF. How are other's doing?
  55. 55
    Susan M.
    March 14 18:15
    My husband was recently diagnosised with a GBM brain tumor and we are implementing NK to try and keep this beast at bay. Our oncologist is not happy about it, but we are committed to giving it a good shot. We have already been low carb for the past four years, so going into ketosis should not be terribly hard for my husband as he really has no other options. This tumor is a terminal diagnosis, and the only thing I have found that may stem the tide is a keto diet reaching at least 3mmol.

    We have our meter and the strips. My question is when to test - in the morning in a fasted state? An hour after meals? At night before going to bed? When?

    Any help would be appreciated. We already test for blood sugar, is testing for blood ketones the same?

    Thanks,

    Susan M.

  56. 56
    sootedninjas
    March 14 18:29
    Watch the video to give you more idea what cancer experts are discovering about carbs as related to cancer.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUlE1VHGA40

  57. 57
    Aeon
    March 18 23:38
    Ughhh! I eat exactly the way you do & use a ketone meter & I have lost body fat but every night my stupid meds kick me out of ketosis. Its SO FRUSTRATING!!!!!! I know I'm still better off on a ketogenic diet even with meds but honestly what a rollercoaster ride. cant wait to get off horrible toxic medication that destroys my metabolism. Sigh
  58. 58
    hila
    April 4 22:10
    Doctor,

    My english is not so good, but let me try ask you a question? I'm on LCHF fast 3 months now, but since 4-5 days I have problems that make me very very scared and unsecure about it - I have become pain in my kidneys that won't stop! At night I can't sleep sometimes becouse of it and I will se a doctor in few days...Now I'm thinking about what I have heard befor I started with LCHF and that is that ketozis is very bad for our kidneys?! Is it possible? I would be very sorry if it is the reason for my pain and problems with kidneys, becouse I was very pleased with LCHF, and I have lost 5 kilos until now..thank you!

    Reply: #59
  59. Reply to comment #58 by hila
    59
    Zepp
    April 5 0:43
    Noe.. there are not any problems with ketosis for your kidney.. rather the oposit.. becuse one pee more in ketosis.. and that supose to be good for the kidney.

    But.. with a pain in the kidney.. one should always se a doctor!

    "This study provides preliminary evidence that long-term weight loss with a very-low-carbohydrate diet does not adversely affect renal function compared with a high-carbohydrate diet in obese individuals with normal renal function."

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20338292

  60. 60
    hila
    April 5 12:27
    Thanks for answering so fast doc, I feel much better knowing that, I was really worried that ketosis is bad for me, couse there are such opinions around, there must be something else responsible for my condition...thanks for research results, feel relief! Greetings from Sarajevo!
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