Thursday, December 6, 2012

Is it normal to be negative for ketones in the morning on Atkins?

Q. I will have trace to moderate ketones in my urine when I test during the day (after eating) but I will have none in the morning. I'm on the induction phase in Atkins. Is this normal? Most people I see say the opposite - ketones in the morning but not during the day.

A. Ketone testing is pretty useless to use as a tool for the Atkins diet. Most everyone (even those in glycolysis, except maybe those that are hyperinsulinemic) goes into ketosis during 8 hours of sleep. This preserves the glycogen stores. I do find it strange that you don't show more ketones in the morning but possibly your body is using the ketones for fuel, no clue but it's been my experience in discussions with others that they don't reflect too much of anything.

Make sure your dietary fat ratios are greater than 65% of total calories. If you are eating excess protein, it's important that dietary fat ratios are greater than 80% of total calories. Without sufficient dietary fat, the body will either stay in glycolysis or shut the metabolism down & await the return of carbs. The body won't release fat stores if you lower calories below what it needs. It will slow metabolism to compensate & store every spare ounce as fat. If you continue lowering calories, it will continue lowering the set point, til it can survive off nothing & store fat on anything. The body will only release it's fat stores if it knows there is plenty of nutritious food.

You can lose more body fat eating protein & fat (don't eat protein alone) than not eating AT ALL. To lose weight fast, eat all you want, but nothing but meat, eggs, healthy oils, mayo, butter & half an avocado a day (for added potassium). Keep the calories high & the fat percentage high, at least 65% of calories. Green vegetables & some cheese will continue weight loss but at a slower pace.

The first 2 weeks eat several cups a day of (mostly) lettuce & celery, cucumbers, radishes, mushrooms, peppers & more variety of vegetables thereafter - add 5 grams per day additional every week (20 grams day first 2 weeks, 25grams 3rd week, 30grams 4th week etc) til you gain weight, then subtract 10grams. That will be your personal carb level (everyone is different & depends on how active you are.)

Start with meat, fats & salads for 2 weeks and then slowly add in more green veg, wk4 fresh cheeses, wk5 nuts & seeds, wk6 berries, wk7 legumes, wk8 other fruits, wk9 starchy veg, wk10 whole grains. You will learn how your body reacts to different foods.

The first week is just water weight but fat is lost thereafter if you keep your calories high enough. Otherwise the body will strip it's own lean tissue for nutrition. Although that may look great on a scale it will make it MUCH easier to accumulate fat in the future (since all that pesky lean tissue burning up calories will be gone).

Eating carbs while trying to lose body fat is terribly inefficient. When in glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) you have to lower your calories (which slows your metabolism) & exercise heavily to deplete your glycogen stores before burning body fat.

The core of Atkins program is converting the body from glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) to ketosis (burning fat as fuel). Dietary fat levels need to be at >65% of total calories, if not, the body will still remain in glycolysis by converting 58% of excess protein into glucose (via gluconeogenesis).

It takes about 3 days to convert a body to ketosis, (but only one bite to convert back to glycolysis). People feel sluggish the first week but most feel better than ever thereafter.

Carbohydrates trigger insulin (the ONLY fat storage hormone). Protein triggers the fat burning hormone glucagon.

High insulin levels promote inflammation, weight gain, hunger & unbalance other hormones. Controlling insulin levels will balance out other hormones & allow human growth hormone (HGH) to be produced naturally so lean muscle will be gained even without exercise.

Ground flax seed (4 Tbsp) 1/4 cup water, artificial sweetener, mix in a raw egg - let sit 10 min. to absorb liquid, put some cream cheese in the middle & nuke 2 min for daily fiber needs.

As long as you have <9grams carbs per hour, you will maintain insulin control & shouldn't gain weight, no matter the calories because insulin, the fat storage hormone is not activated. Many people gain weight on high carb, do low carb to lose weight & then are shocked when they return to high carb & gain weight. Many people can return to moderate carb levels but very few can really eat all they want of sugar & maintain weight or health.

I am adamantly opposed to low calorie dieting because most people lose a good portion of lean tissue (including vital organs like the heart) along with fat stores. There is no nutrition in fat stores, only energy. Most people get impatient and lower their calories and increase their exercise to a point where they lose so much lean tissue that when they return to what was maintenance level eating they are now accumulating more fat stores because their caloric needs have dropped due to the loss of this tissue as well as their metabolism slowing down to work more efficiently on fewer calories & it becomes a vicious cycle of dieting and more loss (incl


Is it okay to take other supplements along with raspberry ketones?
Q. I just bought raspberry ketones and I already take a multivitamin everyday. The vitamins I take are the Women's Ultra Mega Active vitamins from GNC. Is it okay to take the raspberry ketones and the vitamins together?

A. You need to be very careful doing that, best to ask a professional for advice or someone in the gnc shop where you bought them from.

Taking a quick look at the ingredients of the Women's Ultra Mega Active vitamins from GNC you bought........ In addition to all the vitamins they contain the following if you got the vitamin performance version.......

>>> Performance Energy & Metabolism Blend 100.00 mg <<<

Raspberry ketones are fat burning supplements, all fat burning supplements increase you metabolic rate (thats how they work). So if you take both the gnc pill you bought (if it is the performance blend) and a raspberry ketone fat burner together, then you may be overdoing your metabolism and possibly overdosing, too much of both could effect your heart rate, blood pressure and sleep patterns.

So check with a pro first or half dose everything to be safe.


When I don't eat, I start to get a migrane and my urine gets a strong smell of ketones why does this happen?
Q. I am a very healthy person. I eat very very healthy. But sometimes I forget to eat or I don't eat sugar or carbs. Because of this I get very bad migranes and my (I know this is gross) but my urine has a very strong smell of ketones. I don't know why this happens. Should I see a doctor?

A. Ketones are a byproduct of stored fat that has broken down from your body. This happens when you do not eat for an extended period of time and your body looks for an alternative source of energy, usually glucose stored in the liver, or muscles then eventually it breaks down stored fat.

The migraines are a sign that you need more food for energy. This is normal if you are hungry.

This is nothing to be concerned about but if you have ketone smelling urine and migraines and you are not frequently missing meals then it may be advisable to see a health care professional.

I hope this helps,
Chris- Registered Nurse


What does ketones, protein and blood in urine indicate?
Q. I am diabetic (7.6 A1c). Urine test shows ketones (50), protein and trace blood in my urine. Blood test shows WBC at 12.9. Bun is 16, creatinine is .83. Urine culture sensitivity shows no infection. What does all this indicate could be wrong?

A. even when your renal function looks like still preserved (because your creatinine is 0.83 and bun is ok), you could have some diabetic renal damage, mainly because the proteins on it. The ketones show you may not be controlling well your sugar level, and the blood should be assessed, as it depends on how much blood you have to know if that's a problem or not.
go for a complete renal work out with your internist





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