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Testing for Ketones!
- Kelsey
- Jul 30, 2019
- 5 min read
Do you test your blood ketones or blood sugar? Did you know that if you test one or the other, but not both, you are missing half of the picture? In this blog, I’m going to talk about why I test my glucose and ketones with a blood meter, what meter I use and how I calculate my progress based on those numbers.
So, why did I decide to check my glucose and ketone levels in my blood?
I remember the first time I tested my blood for ketones. It was thanksgiving day. My nephew is diabetic and he has the strips so he can check himself when necessary. He let me use a strip, because I felt like I wasn’t sure if I was in ketosis at all. Two months after going full keto and not ever checking my levels, I measured in at 1.6 mmol/L. That is a solid ketone number and I was proud of that. (Thank you TJ for letting me bum a strip off of you and using your meter!)
Soon after that I discovered Dr. Annette Bosworth (Dr. Boz) through a live discussion on facebook in a low carb group that I am in (Shoutout to low carb inspirations!!) and my mind was opened to the idea that Keto could be a lifestyle, not just a diet. Butaccording to Dr Boz, the only way to really know if you are where you want to be nutritionally was if you measured your blood glucose and ketone levels and examined how each related to the other. The way Dr. Boz usually explains it is, if you are only measuring ketones or glucose, but not the other, you are missing half of the equation.
I struggled with the idea of buying a meter for weight loss alone, but soon realized that there was so much more I could learn about my body by taking note of my numbers and watching the food that I put into my body.
You see, I had lost about 15 pounds in 2 months with keto and felt better than I had in a very long time. But I had definitely noticed that my weight loss had slowed down. I wasn’t stalled because the scale was still moving slowly. But I realized that I needed to change something about my methods if I was going to continue to see progress. After watching Dr. Boz’s videos for a while I realized she was a wealth of knowledge. I have heard all of this information right from her in informational videos or her book, "Any Way You Can." Feel free to take a look at her stuff, she is on Facebook and Youtube and has a ton of great information on the Ketogenic diet!
Dr. Boz is always talking about getting into autophagy and how this process helps our body do a lot of important things. Autophogy helps the body repair it’s cells and mitochondria, aids in weight loss, boost the immune system and can even help FIGHT CANCER. (If you know me personally, you know that this is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. There was finally a strategy that I could follow purposefully to fight cancer and possibly prevent it!) She introduced me to the idea of fasting regularly to exercise and strengthen the metabolism, which in turn could push me out of a weight loss stall. I remember trying to follow a timed eating window right away and seeing results again. The more time went on, the more I listened to Dr. Boz’s talks, the more I wanted to get a meter and check my numbers!
The biggest thing about the meters and the test strips is that they are kind of expensive. I was very reluctant to spend the money of a meter and then use strips daily. I chose to buy an inexpensive meter called the precision xtra and use it weekly at first to get a general idea of how my numbers were looking. A lot of tests strips are $2-7 each so it gets expensive fast. However, I found that the test strips for the precision xtra are $.57 each for the glucose strips and about $.90 each for ketone strips. I found that for the information of my DBR it was worth about $1.50 each time.
So in January, I bit the bullet and bought the meter and test strips with the plan to take my numbers once a week to slowly monitor my progress.
I use this meter because my awesome sister in law, Michelle, recommended it to me. But I love it because it is one meter that can check both ketone and glucose levels. You do need two different types of strips, but you won’t have to invest in a separate meter for each function. I felt like this was an affordable investment for my health. I am able to check and see what my numbers do after I overindulge in chocolate (even Keto approved chocolate!). I am able to see that my numbers are good, dare I say amazing, when I am consistent in watching my carbs closely and not slipping up and grabbing that non-keto chewy chocolate chip cookie. I LIKE being able to know that I am succeeding in my new lifestyle and that the foods I'm eating don't secretly contain a ton of sugar that I missed when reading the label.
Some people use urine strips or a breathalyzer to measure ketones, but this isn’t the most accurate way to get a full picture of what’s going on. My husband and I actually bought a breathalyzer meter at first, because it was cheaper. It actually never worked right. Every single time we tested, we tested at no ketones at all....which was quite depressing until we realized it wasn't working at all!
When you measure ketones in your urine or breath, this just means that your body is producing them, but not necessarily that you are utilizing them to help you burn fat.
When you test your blood ketones you are measuring the actual ketone level in your blood that is available for fuel!
Ketone levels are measured in millimoles per liter of blood and can range from .5-10 mmol/L.
Dr. Annette Bosworth teaches about three different levels that can translate into different modes: light nutritional ketosis (anything above .5mmol/L) weight loss mode (between 1 and 3mmol/L) and disease fighting mode (between 2 and 6mmol/L).
As I mentioned earlier Dr. Bosworth recommends always measuring both ketone levels AND glucose levels and calculating your “Dr. Boz Ratio (DBR)” by taking your glucose measurement and dividing that by your ketone measurement to get a ratio.
Once you have your ratio you can figure where your body falls in the realm of weight loss, immune boosting and or autophagy and repair, which I just find so fascinating!
This is how Dr. Boz describes these levels:
"A DBR of 80% or less= weight loss zone, with a possibility of reaching autophagy,
A DBR of 40% or less= solid chance of autophagy, immune boosting properties
A DBR of 20% or less= best chances for autophagy, fighting cancer or other specific medical issue."
For example:
This morning my Glucose number was 85 and my ketone number was 1.9.
85/1.9=44.7%
My DBR was 44.7% which falls into the weight loss category and almost gets me into possible autophagy. That is a great number!
Stay tuned for Part 2 of measuring your Ketones and Glucose levels! I will be showing you what a week of my numbers look like and hope to give you some insights into how certain foods possibly had an effect on my numbers.
If you are convinced that you want to start measuring your numbers here are the links to the meter I use and Dr. Bosworth's book, "Any Way You Can."
The meter that I use: https://www.amazon.com/DSS-Precision-Glucose-Results-Included/dp/B00JIK6CIW/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_121_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=B7VK6S02M2NA7J8GT05Y
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