Testing for Ketones: Part #2!

Testing your blood Part #2:

So many things that we eat or do can have an effect on our blood sugar. The foods we eat, exercise we do, alcohol consumption, medication doses or timing, inconsistent sleep,and even our stress levels. Not only do all of these different things affect blood sugar levels, but it can be different for everyone. That is one of the beautiful yet frustrating things of being human, we are all different. While there are a lot of generalizations out there about pretty much everything, there are exceptions to every rule. So we must consider this as we try to maintain a state of ketosis for weight loss or other health benefits. How will we know if certain foods raise our glucose level? How do we know if almond flour slows down ketone production? We need to measure! And the best way to do that is to use a blood meter like the one I mentioned in last week’s blog.

The more you measure, the more you know about how your body responds to certain foods or a night of interrupted sleep. Last week we covered why, when and how I started testing my blood ketones and blood glucose. This week I wanted to show you what a week of my numbers look like and how they relate to sleep, exercise and different foods that I had the day before.

First of all, it is important to test your blood upon first waking up in the morning. I usually wake up, walk down to the kitchen, turn my coffee on and check my blood. I will then go to the bathroom and come back downstairs and get my coffee and start my day. Or if I plan to exercise that morning, I get ready to work out, then test my blood before heading out the door.

Second, it is important to note that this week was far from perfect! I had some rough days where I overate keto approved foods and noticed a difference in my numbers. I tried to fast one day and ended up breaking my fast early by overeating keto chocolate and I noticed in my numbers the next morning. I also had about 10 FRENCH FRIES one day, and guess what? I noticed in my numbers the next morning! All this to say, I definitely have observed a variety of eating patterns and have come to a couple conclusions about myself and how the food I eat affects my blood sugar.

Without further ado, here is what my week looked like:

Saturday: G 85 K 1.9 5:45am

Friday I did nothing out of the ordinary. I stayed on plan, ate 19 total carbs and stayed under my calorie limit. My numbers upon waking up Saturday morning reflected good choices and I was well within the weight loss margin of ketosis at 44%! This is a great ratio with no extended fasting of any kind.

Sunday: No meter with me at work=no measurements

Monday:G 95 K1.3 5:00am

On Sunday my eating was well within normal and I stayed on track with the exception of eating a few too many cherry tomatoes at a local farmer's market. They were delicious, fresh and I regret nothing...but my glucose was a little elevated from my normal morning glucose. I also had 1 square of keto chocolate that is sweetened with monkfruit, which I have not seen any impact on my glucose reading the day after having just that.

Tuesday: G 102 1.4 5:30 am

On Monday, I attempted to do my weekly 36 hour fast. For some reason my cravings were through the roof and I wasn't busy enough therefore not distracted enough to stay strong. I broke my fast around 3pm and just overate everything in sight. I ate keto approved chocolate, but a 1 oz bar instead of my .33 oz piece that I usually try to have, went over carbs by 4 (29 total). So even though I stayed on keto foods only, I over indulged on them in too short of a period of time and felt heavy, tired and bloated. I knew that night, by how I felt that my numbers wouldn't be great the next morning. As you can see glucose was higher still, but ketones were high enough to get a 72% DBR which somehow kept me in a weight loss state of ketosis.

Wednesday: G105 K .7 5:40am

On Tuesday, I did well until evening came and I was craving chocolate again! I had 1 ounce of choc zero chocolate and overate the chicken that I made for dinner (must remember to weigh it, instead of snacking!). At the end of the night, going to bed I felt heavy, tired and bloated again, exactly how I feel when I go off Keto and have a cheat/treat....I hate that feeling. And I saw a huge impact on my numbers this time, the combination of too many treats and too much protein definitely lowered my ketone number and raised my glucose enough the give me a DBR of 150%! For sure NOT a good DBR at all!

Thursday: G 77 K 2.1 5am

On Wednesday, I decided to attempt my 36 hr fast again because my numbers were so bad on Wednesday. I made it through the day, did a ton of organizing in my house and got over 13,000 steps (my typical goal is between 8000 and 10000), had a hard time sleeping and was up with my son 4 times in the night (this usually increases my glucose.) By taking one day of fasting and staying busy to distract myself I was able to get a DBR of 36% (yay for autophagy!). I am happy it only took one full day of fasting to get this ratio. I am back on track and walked before breaking my fast this morning.

We also I had my inlaws over for dinner, so I made a special cheesy garlic bread from almond flour and cheese. It was so good I splurged and ate 2 full pieces! We’ll see how that affects my numbers tomorrow!

Friday: G 100 K 1.1 5:15am

The bread definitely raised my glucose levels! I am disappointed, but because I didn’t have any other treat type things, I am sure that it was the almond flour. Tonight while watching a movie I drank a bottle of Bai water, sweetened with Erythritol. The DBR of 90% means I am not in the weight loss zone of ketosis....thank you garlic bread.

Saturday: G 88 K 1.3 DBR: 67.7%

Looks like the drink didn’t bother me much, if at all. A lot of keto experts would say that Erythritol is one of the best sweeteners with little to no effect on glucose levels. A DBR of 67% means I am in the weight loss zone of ketosis!

Sunday: G:84 K1.2 5:40am

I had forgotten my meter again and had been away for the night, but I tested about 1.5 hours after waking up and after I had drank 2 cups of black coffee. a 70% DBR means I was still in the weight loss zone and possibly would have had a better ratio if I had been able to check as soon as I had woken up.

Monday: G:101 K .7 5am

On Sunday, our family went out to eat for lunch, I ate a big chicken Cesar salad and shared about 10 french fries with regular ketchup. I had no resolve to say no to those perfectly cooked french fries and probably could've eaten half of the salad that was served. I knew my numbers would detect that I had totally cheated, so I even started my couch to 5k running program that afternoon, in hopes of burning up some of the excess glucose. The morning's number definitely showed me to be way out of the weight loss state of ketosis with a 121%!

So based on the numbers I have seen this week I have come to a couple of conclusions.

-Chocolate definitely has an effect on my blood sugar, but only if I eat it in excess, several days in a row. I felt like it built up in my system a little and presented itself more and more in my glucose level. I also noticed that the more chocolate I allowed myself to have, the more I craved it, so there is major potential for a vicious cycle to begin and continue to struggle with as time goes on.

-As I have suspected for a while now, almond flour seems to have a significant effect on my glucose level. I definitely try to not have it every day, but will keep in mind to avoid baked goods on a daily basis for sure. They are great to have a a treat, but for me I shouldn't eat almond flour made things daily.

-Lack of sleep really didn't seem to bother me on the night that I was up 4 times with my son.

-Going off plan is almost never worth it. The french fries were very good and I enjoyed every one of them, but I would say they threw me for a bit of a loop and my numbers reflected that for sure.

-Another major lesson that I took from this week was that if I am really serious about losing these last 9 pounds, I'm going to have to prove that and start making good choices all the time. Consistency is key! Overall my glucose numbers were noticeably higher in comparison to where they typically are (mid 70s-mid80s) and my ketone levels were quickly lowered by poor food choices. The closer you get to your final goal, the harder it can be to lose the weight. But it is possible and I believe that measuring my glucose and ketone levels is a great tool to help me get there!

And that wraps up a week (and then some) of my numbers and how my food choices may have impacted them. It's very eye opening and educational to be able to see the impact that my eating has on my glucose and ketone levels. To really know how your body reacts to different foods or situations in life, I would highly encourage you to just start measuring for yourself!