Testing…testing…testing…
Keto
Stick, Pinpricks and why you’re testing for ketones
For the purposes of Body Opus, we use
ketosticks to measure the level of unused
ketones we’re excreting as an indicator of whether we’re in ketosis. According to Dan’s book (page 278),
ketosticks “…should turn purple when blood glucose has dropped below 50 and you
are in ketosis.”
Dan goes on (page 279) to say, “For our
purposes, a glucometer is better than ketosticks. However all hand-held glucometers can be off
by up to 30 points.”
So which is it? Ketosticks or the glucometer? I chose ketosticks because I didn’t want to
deal with the pinpricks (hey, I’m a guitar and bass player, my fingers are my
life). For me, in the long run, the
ketosticks are more convenient.
That said, we need to be clear about
what we’re measuring when we use either one.
With the ketosticks, you’re measuring
the level of unused ketones your body is excreting. You compare the used stick with the color
code on the bottle’s label. The purplish bar that indicates moderate ketones is
a pretty good indicator you’re in ketosis, but being in the “small” range could
indicate as well.
The glucometer, which uses a drop of
blood (Dan suggests using the second
drop of blood for a more accurate reading) indicates your glucose level. According to Dan, “Ketosis can begin at 50
mg/dl.” Above, you will note he warns
that all glucometers can be off by up to 30 points.
My preference for ketosticks comes from
the fact they measure unused ketones. I like that because the beauty of ketones is
that when fat is disassembled into ketone bodies, the ketones can never be
reabsorbed as fat. Once those ketones
run their course in your bloodstream, any ketones not used for energy are
excreted. That’s what you’re measuring
with the ketosticks.
Here are some cautions to keep in mind with
ketosticks. First, ketosticks measure unused ketones. I keep emphasizing this because a small
ketone indication does not necessarily mean you are not in ketosis. If your body is producing a large number of
ketones, BUT you’re using all of those ketones (e.g. working out or post
workout), you can still be in ketosis, but not excreting enough unused ketones
to get an accurate indication from the ketostick. The same thing can happen if you’re debiting calories. You can be in ketosis, but it you’re burning
all the ketones for energy, there are going to be few, if any unused ketones.
Ketostick readings situations like the
ones above caused me to panic on many occasions. Once I came to terms with the possible
scenarios and looked at other indicators, I was able to place the readings in
perspective. If you’re honestly keeping
your carbohydrate intake below 20gm/day, after 72 hours, you probably are in
ketosis. Just like Dan says in the book
(page 278) you can speed up that 72 hours with glucose disposal agents such at
vanadyl sulfate and chromium.
If you absolutely have to move your
ketostick readings from light purple to dark purple, here are some strategies
that worked for me:
·
Caffeine – about 100mg
of caffeine (I use AeroLife Aeroshots.
No calories, no liquid)
·
Dietary fat –
maybe a breakfast sausage or two (or three).
If you’re a shake person, try a serving of Udo’s Choice Oil 3.6.9 blend
in a shake
Notice I
did not recommend using caffeine and dietary fat together. Don’t fall in to the “If one is good, then
both together will be great” mentality.
Explore why you need to move your ketostick readings. Dan admits in the book (pages 293-294) that
he really doesn’t know if there is additional benefit by being deeper in
ketosis, so think sustainability. If you’re
going to be doing Body Opus for a long time, maybe you don’t need to be that
deep in ketosis.
When I
first started Body Opus, I tested several times a day. After the first year I calmed down a bit and
dialed back the frequency. Currently, I test
2-3 times a day, but for a different reason.
I test first thing in the morning, pre-workout and before I go to bed to
give an impression of what my ketone levels look like throughout the day and
over the week. I know from experience
that Monday and Tuesday show small ketone levels and Wednesdays show a move
from small toward moderate ketone levels.
By Thursday I’m showing moderate ketones and that runs all the way
through the depletion workout on Friday.
I hope my
experience offers some insights for you.
If you have any questions, feel free to put them in the comments.
Thanks
Cal
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