Ketogenic Diets and Ketone Levels: When Should You Test for Best Results?

[@thewrightoknow]

I have Type 2 diabetes for over 25 years. I check by glucose 20 times a day with a finger prick, which doesn’t bother me. I check ketones 4-5 times a day with my keto mojo meter. I am in the UK. I eat one meal a day in the morning after 8 am. I am always in Ketosis. My GKI can fluctuate , between 3.1 to 2.2 . I have lost about 80lbs. I have about 15lbs more to loose and then it will be interesting how I maintain to stay in Ketosis after almost destroying my body with carbs. This is a great channel, thank you Dr Bret! Changing my life.

[@metabolicmind]

Wow! Fantastic results! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@bigwatt5520]

You are doing great! But you don't have to continue with the 1 meal, I am type 2 since 1998 and what I've found is finding a diet that's easy to live with long term.

[@thewrightoknow]

@@bigwatt5520 Thank you for your encouragement. My body is so messed up, that I am not taking any chances. I may eat twice a day for 2-3 days a week but I plan to drop as much weight as I can as I lift weights and get rid of all fat. Even after eating only a Ribeye, my glucose can go off the chart. Cant figure it out, but I may start fast two days in row per week to keep my fat off! Thanks for the encouragement. Blessings.

[@kostar500]

Are you now on OMAD?

[@wellesleyshaine6548]

@@thewrightoknow If I eat a lot of protein (8 oz of ribeye would be a lot for me in that respect) my glucose will spike. I’ve tested this several times and even in the absence of eating any carbs, eating over a certain number of grams of protein is the culprit that spikes my glucose. I had to give up eating OMAD because of this. I had to turn a deaf ear to all the experts telling me how much protein I “must” eat at each meal and instead conduct experiments to see what my personal protein threshold was to prevent glucose spikes and keep my ketones high (too much protein at any meal also lowers my ketones). You may want to test this on yourself. I know we have all been told to just eat all the protein we want but I personally cannot do that. Sharing my experience in case it’s useful.

[@mcdade7489]

I’ve been doing keto for approximately 7months. When I check ketones, if I check at all it’s whenever I remember. I dont check very often at all.I’m doing keto for metabolic health concerns. So far, so good.😊

[@metabolicmind]

Thanks for sharing!

[@angeloar26]

It really is inspiring to see a lot of mental issues and neurological issues getting better with ketogenic therapy, but I am still waiting for a tics/tourettes which I have, to have a success story! I hope there will be one soon! I currently am on a ketogenic diet, carnivore to be specific and it does seem to help. Thank you so much for these contents!

[@metabolicmind]

Thank you for your comment!

[@carrietoo]

I check my ketone levels between 10 and 11 AM, before my first meal of the day. I feel this allows time for me to relax after burning elevated glucose during my morning commute to work or morning exercise.

[@katherinegreen-we1ec]

Does one drink tea with milk in the morning??

[@steshaw6510]

Me too

[@saraha6237]

Wow, so helpful again. Much to learn! For me it’s been such a support on my journey into ketosis to check blood ketones consistently day by day. I always measured them & glucose levels at the same time every morning, right after waking… Perhaps now is the moment to become more playful and measure multiple times throughout the day. Your suggestions are wonderful, especially with the mood or energy aspect. Can’t wait to experiment and learn more about my metabolism!

[@pj2334zz]

RD just doing ketogenic diet for 3 months but in ketosis over 1.0 for 2 months and 9 days. I check an hour after waking. Recently I started checking just Before my meals since lowering my Seroquel dose has given me the ability to only eat twice a day. Still learning as much as I can. Wish I had a continuous ketone monitor so bad.

[@metabolicmind]

We wish they were more available too! Hopefully soon....

[@hillviewmews]

Very important caveat. If on a ketogenic diet for more than 2 or 3 years one may have no elevated ketones (only when fasting for more than 24 hours) while still enjoying all the benefits of Nutritional Ketosis. This was a acknowledged by Prof Noakes and other keto veterans and needs more research. This knowledge is very important for those who need to follow the diet for life to remain free of chronic disease, especially if it was reversed on this diet.

[@DelikatesyLafuente]

I am struggling to understand the essence of your comment, my bad probably. I am really interested in grasping what you mean. Do you suggest that after a couple of years on a LC DIET it may be increasingly difficult to keep ketosis up?

[@koan3386]

@@DelikatesyLafuente At some point your body is Keto-adapted, so it only produces the amount it needs. Your ketones may be lower but you still have all the benefits.

[@dyaneharwood2023]

Dr. Scher, this is such a helpful discussion, and you never cease to amaze me with your eloquence and ability to break complex topics down into easily digested segments, no pun intended! Of course those segments are ketogenic! ;)

[@metabolicmind]

Wow, thank you!

[@kengarnes524]

Good video:) what ketone range would you recomend for anxiety, psycosis and sqitzofrenia ? Thinking about going for high ketones.But what is to high Numbers ?

[@metabolicmind]

This video may give you a framework to start with kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHKbhH9jqteZoLc

[@kengarnes524]

Ok Thanks :) But is it dangerous to go higer to say 5 , blod messure ? ( non diabetic)

[@johnmartinsen963]

I usually only check near/at the end of multi-day fast, to see how high ketones reach. Test strips just got stupid expensive on Amazon recently.

[@cudgee7144]

One thing rarely mentioned is the better your metabolic health is and therefore the better the state of homeostasis your blood glucose and ketones will fluctuate throughout the day as they self regulate. This is normal and very healthy, sometimes people can get obsessed and stressed about their numbers. Your body is an exceptional organism that is so well tuned to looking after itself, especially fuelling itself. Watching this video i decided to test mine before my evening meal. Had not eaten since breakfast, 8 hours, five hours ago i had a small expresso coffee with some sour cream. Blood Glucose 3.8, Ketones 1.4. Half an hour after eating Blood Glucose 4.8 and didn't bother to check Ketones, would have been kicked out of ketosis, so very happy with those numbers, they just did their thing.

[@szkoclaw]

Blood glucose doesn’t kick you out of ketosis, insulin does. And you only get insulin from eating carbs overdone threshold. In fact a small amount of carbs in a meal with fat and protein will increase both. Your sugar goes up from the food. No insulin response. Ketones are still being produced but aren’t being used as much in the presence of glucose so they go up, too.

[@jenettebergsma3610]

I check my ketonelevels first thing in the morning. But after seen this maybe it's better to wait for at least an hour. I wish I had a ckm, it would give me more insights in my ketonelevels althrough the day.

[@metabolicmind]

We can't wait for CKMs to be more widely available!

[@Hilbregirl]

I find this science absolutely fascinating and like many the intrigue comes in part from my experiences - childhood epilepsy, some adult brain health problems and a career in dietetics and public health. So here’s a question: have there been any epidemiological studies among populations with greater risk of metabolic disregulation and lower thresholds for development of diabetes, vascular disease etc looking prevalence/ relationship with mental disorders? Albeit there would be lots of confounders and insulin resistance inside and outside the brain may not be perfectly coupled…Might be an interesting topic to explore.

[@lalyste]

I'm following keto for epilepsy and I check my ketones 2 hours after the meal, especially if I go to the restaurant or eat something new.... If I take my tested meals I don't check my blood levels 😊

[@metabolicmind]

Thanks for sharing!

[@wellesleyshaine6548]

I wake up, drink water and wait an hour before testing my blood ketones and actually plan my meals accordingly (if my fasting ketones are below 2 I’ll add more fat and less protein to my daily meals). I no longer test my ketones before bed because there’s no practical way for me to use this information, i.e. if my ketones are below 2, there’s nothing I can do about it until the next day anyway as I mentioned at the start of this comment. Finally, sometimes I check my ketones 90 minutes to 2 hours after I finish my daily walk to see how my body reacted. This however is pure curiosity on my part. I try to keep my fasting blood ketones at 3.0.

[@metabolicmind]

That's a very interesting perspective! Thanks for sharing

[@szkoclaw]

Just get a breath ketone meter and check whenever you feel like.

[@Craig-t8f]

I check my ketones and BG with a blood meter just before my evening/last meal of the day around 6:30 PM. Ketones average about 1.4 and GKI averages around 4.5. I have been keto for about 18 months to reverse T2D, HBP and chronic inflammation. Usually average about 20 grams of total carbs per day. I do high intensity workouts (resistance and anaerobic exercise) 6 days a week 10:00-11:00 AM. First meal between noon and 12:30. Nothing to eat between meals.

[@cgm1786]

My GKI is better when I get off work about 5:30 PM. My glucose is always higher in the morning.

[@metabolicmind]

interesting! Have you read about the dawn effect? This may be helpful www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/the-dawn-effect

[@btudrus]

where in the Europe can you get a CKM? thanks!

[@metabolicmind]

SiBio is the company. Please contact them to see where you can get them

[@ІгорРябенко-н3ю]

On empty stomach (14 hours fasting) - 4.3 3 hours after dinner - 0.8 (macros: fat 67% 144g, prot 29% 143g, carbs 4% 19g; 1950 calories) Is it ok for ketones to decrease so much by the evening or should I try to be in the 1.5+ range for mental illness all the time and change my macros, maybe lower my carbs or increase fats for that?

[@metabolicmind]

That's a great question, and one without a definite answer. This is where working with a trained physician, dietician, coach, or other provider can help you determine what's the best approach.

[@vickimartin7601]

I usually like to check my ketones after work. I will have eaten 5-6 hours before so the ketones are higher. I like to see the highest readings.

[@MsOka007]

My ketones devise measures ppm. What is the conversion,? I have 45 ppm.

[@metabolicmind]

Are you using a breath meter?

[@adamandsteve13]

I measured during first few weeks only. Those test strips are too expensive

[@stevelyles]

I have been eating carnivore (beef water salt) for 8 months and have not achieved ketosis at all, I measure with a blood ketone meter, the highest I have seen is 0.4 ....definitely have had the acetone/sweet breath .... more fat ?

[@metabolicmind]

It's hard to know sometimes, but some people find "hidden carbs" in sauces, dressings, baked goods, packaged keto foods, etc. Others find success adding fat, or MCT oil, or possibly even exogenous ketones. And some find they are low in carnitine and supplementing helps with ketosis. Sometimes it takes an experienced clinician to evaluate the whole picture to provide individualized advice. We wish you luck on your journey!

[@stevelyles]

@@metabolicmind thanks for the response ... no hidden carbs ....no variation in my eating at all, I will try your suggestions.

[@maggieobrien3354]

Dr. Mindy Pelz says that glucose needs to clear from the blood stream, liver, tissues, muscles, brain and eyes. She says that no only are we storing fat but also hormones, toxins, and forever chemicals that inhibit proper metabolism. This is a paraphrased comment and this information will need to be verified.

[@vickimartin7601]

Doing a multiday fast can get ketone readings as "hi". And I don't feel any differently than, say, a reading of 5.0.

[@DelikatesyLafuente]

Where can one find a “Keto-practitioner”?

[@metabolicmind]

There are a number of directories that may help. Here are a few www.diagnosisdiet.com/directory thesmhp.org/directory/ www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/doctors nutrition-network.org/find-a-practitioner/

[@DelikatesyLafuente]

@@metabolicmind thank you very much 🙂

[@katherinegreen-we1ec]

My measurement on my breath monitor has stayed at 0.01 the whole time except once...i got a reading of 0.03....I broke my diet last weekend slightly for my birthday...but apart from that im pretty much doing omad with a protein shake in the early evening. Ive got my doctor on board in theory...shes seen the metabolic mind website...but i dont think shes going to know how to help me increase my ketone level.

[@metabolicmind]

Some people find correlating breath results with a finger stick to be helpful to make sure they agree!

[@DD-rl3fo]

If I feel better before dinner, when my ketones are.the highest, how can I make sure that ketones are high during the morning, so I can start feeling better earlier?

[@metabolicmind]

There are various ways people try to increase their ketones. Fasting, MCT oil, exogenous ketones, etc. The best idea is usually to consult with an experienced coach or dietitian to help with an individualized plan.

[@nikolaussoundso]

What if my ketones are never above 0.5 despite eating only 20g net carbs and 1g protein /lbs bodyweight?

[@maggieobrien3354]

Dr. Mindy Pelz says that after blood glucose goes down, we still have glucose in out liver, tissues, muscles, in out brains,and even eyes. She says that some of us might need to be persistent so that the glucose clearing continues so that our bodies will then convert to burning ketones more easily. This a paraphrased comment and will need to be verified.

[@WORKOUTSOLUTIONS]

FIRST 🥇1️⃣💯✝️🙏💪

[@jamescalifornia2964]

✨️ I have no ketone meter - so I never check 😚👌

[@smcdonald9991]

You can always try strips - but I do not know how reliable they are.