Does anyone else use keto-sticks to monitor ketosis?

This topic contains 3 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by bigbooty 8 years, 3 months ago.

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bigbooty

9:24 am
28 Jan 16
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My version of the 5:2 diet is that I do two days consecutively with (almost) zero calories. I have two cups of coffee per day. So Im guessing maybe 50-100 cal per day. By the end of the first day Im starting to go into ketosis and by the second day Im well and truly into ketosis. I can tell as my stomach and abdomen runs hot. Just to confirm I wasn’t dreaming I bought some keto-sticks. First day the reading is about 0.5mmol/L ketone levels and by the second day Im between 1-4 mmol/L. Bang on the perfect range. My liver is really cranking. No headaches anymore which was the case when I first started.

Does anyone else that goes zero calories on their fast days monitor their ketone bodies?

Minka

2:43 am
1 Aug 16
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I hope others contribute as well, since I’d like to find out more about this too.

pommytommy

12:46 pm
3 Aug 16
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Hiya bigbooty,

It’s funny you should mention this because I went and did exactly the same thing last week after reading a really interesting article about ketosis on the http://www.allaboutfasting.com website: http://www.allaboutfasting.com/effects-of-fasting-ketosis.html

Reading that got me really keen on the whole idea of fasting to get my body into full ketosis. The longer I’m in that state the more fat I’ll burn and hopefully I’ll shift it more quickly.

I’m a 43 year old bloke and have almost completed 4 weeks of the 5:2. From the very start I’ve been doing straight water fasts which normally include 2 black coffee’s and several peppermint teas on top of the water.

The article talks about how it takes women around 48hrs to reach full ketosis and men 72hrs. I was quite surprised by this given that men burn slightly more calories than women in a day. It also mentions the fact that even if you consume a small amount of calories your body will dip out of ketosis to consume those instead (obviously).

So after reading this I thought why not take it on board and get the most bang for my buck by doing my two fast days consecutively, like you. No point in keeping on resetting the process of moving my body towards full ketosis just to pull the plug when it’s not even halfway there, either by eating 500cals or throwing in a non-fast day.

The article also talks about the use of ketose test sticks as a way of seeing if you are in ketosis and thus burning fat for fuel, so I picked up a pack of them from the chemist for around $9.00. I tested myself at the end of my first full 2 day water fast and, like you, it showed 4 mmol/L. Happy days! The longer fast definitely had me burning that fat.

This week I tested my ketose levels at the end of the first day of my two day fast and it came in at 1-2 mmol/L, so a second day is definitely beneficial, doubling the levels… at least for me.

So anyway, I’m really loving the 5:2! I’m 5’11” and my starting weight was 84.4kg, after just 3 weeks I was down to 78.8kg. I finish my 4th week tomorrow morning… hoping for 78kg or below. My goal is 72kg and then I’ll deffo move to one fast a week for weight maintenance and the health benefits.

bigbooty

1:07 pm
3 Aug 16
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Hi pommy,

Wow you dug up an old post. Ive reached my weight goal since Jan. Im male, 55, 5’10” and now weigh 71-72kg, started at 92 kg. I now do maintenance 6:1. I experienced a big shift about March wrt fasting and going into ketosis. I ended up buying a BG + Ketone meter for more accurate measurements. I use a Freestyle Optium Neo. The ketone sticks can be a bit expensive but if you shop around you can buy them for about 70 cents per stick. Initially it would take me 48+ hours to go into ketosis (> 0.5mmol/L). I now go into ketosis after 24 hours of fasting. So you eventually get there faster. Im not sure why but I can think of two possible reasons. My liver is a lot more efficient at accessing stored fats and at the first sign of reduced glucose intake my liver is already accessing stored fats earlier. Because of my healthier diet my glycogen levels are never fully topped up so I run out of glucose quicker.

You are zooming along. Good luck with it.