English
Français
Deutsch
Português
Svenska
Hello All! First post. :) Love this plan- it dovetails nicely into an "eating plan" I adopted unintentionally in high school and college, when I was at my thinnest. Now in my 50's and hoping to lose the dreaded pounds we seem to pick up around that decade mark.
I've been using this plan along with the Shangri-La Diet for about two weeks. I followed the SLD for a week, then added Fast-5 after seeing it mentioned on the SLD forums. This combination is working wonders for appetite control. Bonus round, little wear and tear aches and pains are significantly diminished.
Anyway, my question is about ketosis. I am not following a strict low carb diet during my eating window, but I am trying to be mindful of eating proteins, fats, and plant-based carbs as opposed to processed sugars. My appetite has diminished, and proteins and fats help maintain that full feeling. Because of this, my eating window is functionally shorter than five hours, and my fast is longer, because one decent meal satisfies me.
Out of curiosity I bought ketone test strips last night. I waited until I awoke today and did a test. Upon initial waking (first potty trip) I registered trace ketones. Since then (out of curiosity) I have tested intermittently- and come up with no ketones at all- zip zero nada.
Activity is normal for daily routine with no extreme exertion so far (it's almost 100'F out there.) I've had only water today. I did use toothepaste (once) to brush my teeth.
??? Ketosis? Do we not fast long enough to achieve it? Why was I in ketosis first thing today but not since- and I haven't eaten nor drank any nutrients, much less carbs?
I am thirsty, I do have the metallic (kinda yuck) taste in my mouth (unsusual for me) and I' drinking water pretty much constantly. Could my urine be too diluted for the test to pick up ketones?
Haven't weighed myself yet, so no idea how much I've lost. I have a drs appt at the end of the month and I want my weight loss to be a surprise for both me and my dr. She's a long-time friend of mine and she's been after me to lose my middle age spread. :) I *am* losing weight though- or at least inches- it's visible to both me and my husband, and it's noticeable in the way my clothes fit.
Ketosis? or no? Is there weight loss without ketosis? ??
(Thank you in advance for your responses!)
Hi Becas.
Don't forget, ketones showing up in the urine are only *excess* ones your body isn't using. You may be in a mild state of ketosis but your body is utilising your ketones efficiently. And the more water you drink, the more diluted the ketones in your urine will be, to the point they may not register.
I know numerous people who have never had a positive ketone stick result, yet lost plenty of fat. I say don't sweat it. If you're steadily losing and feeling good, don't let a little pee-stick change how you feel. :)
Hi, Sigi!
Here's an update:
Morning urine test continued to show trace ketones every morning, dissipating during the day as I loaded water and fasted.
I've dropped the Shangri-La portion of the diet because I found, after several days, that I really didn't need it. Appetite control is fine.
I am shifting more toward a low-carb diet during the eating window. I'm not being too strict about it: we had dinner with friends on Saturday night and I tried a little of what everyone brought, carbs or not. I enjoyed the food but did not feel the need to overeat- which was awesome!
Last night we had salad and grilled keilbasa for dinner. Usually I eat one decent, normal-sized dinner and I am satisfied. I tend to eat once, well, during the window and on most nights, that's all I want. (Lucky me.) Last night, I felt a little hungry toward the end of the window, so I ate another piece of keilbasa. I figured that the protein and the fat would "stick with me" best.
This morning, surprise! Ketone test was as strongly positive as it has ever been. It registered as strongly positive- almost the darkest purple on the scale. So- there it is- the ketone stick picks up metabolizing fat, whether it's fat you are burning or fat you ate at 10:30pm last night. :) (My window is 6pm to 11pm, and because I tend to eat once in the window, my fast is generally longer than 19 hours.)
I also discovered this morning that I had gained 0.4 lbs overnight. I'm assuming that it's salt/water weight gain from the keilbasa. We'll see- it should dissipate during the fasting period today, when I drink plenty of water.
We (husband and I) are pretty sure that I've lost a few pounds so far with Fast-5. :) My clothes are noticeably looser and we can see a change in my body. I started weighing in on Friday (had to do it, couldn't stand waiting.) Lost a pound by Saturday morning, didn't weigh in on Sunday morning (out of town) and gained 0.4 lbs by this morning. I'm not obsessing too much about the numbers on the scale. I know the weight will come off- I can feel it and see it in my clothes and in the mirror.
What's preoccupying me right now is how *awesome* I feel. I stopped drinking sodas, which was my particular downfall. I've stopped drinking sweet tea. I drink unsweetened tea occasionally during my eating window but for the most part I've dropped my caffeine consumption to almost nothing. I am *finally* drinking enough water- I wasn't before. I am adequately hydrated without the the non-stop sugar and high fructose corn syrup ingestion and without the caffeine.
It's amazing how *good* I feel. I feel 20 years younger already. The weight will come off- in the meantime, this was just what I've needed.
Thank you again for your response!
Hi!
If you measure ketones using paper strips/urine test, you should be aware that you cannot be sure there are ketone bodies in the urine, even if your brain is running on ketones. This is not a reliable test, but only a hint.
/Rob
With a mild ketosis, you are producing ketones at a level close to what you need, and little or nothing spills over into the urine in large doses. That is good. Drinking lots of water can lower the readings somewhat. You can still be in the fat burning zone without affecting the readings on those strips.
The test strips are most useful for people who are at risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a severe condition different from ordinary mild ketosis. In such cases, the ketone levels can get very high, the metabolism gets way out of whack, and it indicates a danger.... and in that case, seeing a lower ketone reading could indicate better control of the diabetes and less risk of acid overload from being in an unhealthy place.
So don't worry about that number (especially don't worry about trying to push it higher). Pay attention to how you feel, eat less (but not too little), and lose weight gradually.