Is ketosis working the way it should in my body?

[TheBrain]

I'd appreciate any advice from my friends here.

I woke up late today, so to get my 14 hours of fasting in, I ate later than usual. I finished breakfast around 11:40 a.m. I ate a lighter breakfast than usual. Normally, I would have added in some extra protein with my chicken vegetable soup w/ 2 TB avocado oil. Protein helps me not be so hungry between meals.

Two hours later, at 1:40 p.m., I took a capsule of activated charcoal (as part of my mold illness treatment). I need to take this supplement at least two hours after a meal and at least two hours before a meal. The same goes with medication and other supplements.

So I'm ravenous now, waiting for 3:40 p.m. to come so I can finally eat. At 3:10 p.m., I checked my blood ketones and glucose using my Precision Xtra meter and strip. My numbers were:

Ketones: 3.0
BG: 64

In the past, a BG of 64 would have made me hypoglycemic. I don't have any of that going on. But I am uncomfortably hungry. Shouldn't I be utilizing my ketones instead of storing them? I'm assuming that 3.0 suggests higher storage, but maybe I'm wrong and my body is doing what it's supposed to do.

Thanks for your help.

[Zeniba]

Hi The Brain,
I am new here but I hope you don't mind if I chime in. Everyone is so supportive and positive and there is great info on this site; I'm really enjoying lurking but maybe I'll stick my neck out and post. I've been following a ketogenic diet for some time--on and off--for weight control.
It seems to me that your body is creating ketones and that is why you are detecting them in your blood. I think you have probably successfully entered ketosis--the good kind of ketosis where your body switches to using fat for fuel. Ketones of 3.0 don't indicate storage. Ketones are a breakdown product of your stored fat. They are circulating to the organs that need fuel: your brain, heart, etc.
Hunger is a funny thing. Your body gets used to eating at certain times and when those times roll around your body prepares to digest food. If there is no food, your body might send out signals to "remedy" that situation. I think that if you become "fat adapted" your body shouldn't care so much about when you eat because you can get fuel from your store (fat cells) in between meals, but it will take a few days to get there. Good luck on your experiment of N=1
Monica
Probably E3/E4

[Julie G]

Brain, I've also noticed that I can asymptomatically experience super low BGs (even in the 50s) as long as I'm in ketosis. In the past, when I was IR, those lows made my VERY symptomatic. Zeniba's suggestion for WHY you were still experiencing hunger sounds plausible. I also think that those of us with low BMIs (less fat reserves) can experience hunger when we're consuming too few calories. That could be at play in your situation. FWIW, I'd be more concerned if it were a pattern.

Welcome, Zeniba! We're delighted that you switched from "lurker" to "poster" status .

Ketones of 3.0 don't indicate storage. Ketones are a breakdown product of your stored fat. They are circulating to the organs that need fuel: your brain, heart, etc.

I agree that Brain's BHB level (without exogenous supplementation) certainly indicates the creation of endogenous ketones, but I'm confused by your assertion that "3.0" doesn't indicate storage... because it's relatively high?

[Stavia]

I think that Zeniba means doesn't necessarily mean storage. I agree.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[TheBrain]

Thank you for your responses. Okay, I’ll stop worrying about this matter. I can sometimes go five or more hours during the day and either experience no hunger or maybe a little hunger for a little while before I eat. I suspect I didn’t eat enough breakfast yesterday. And my body is certainly used to eating at particular times during the day.

And welcome Zeniba! I appreciate you becoming a first-time poster to answer my question. I look forward to seeing you post elsewhere on the forum with your own questions and stories.

[Zeniba]

Thank you for the warm welcome, everyone. This is a great group: so informative and supportive!

[Tincup]

TheBrain,

In a closed FB group I'm part of, there has been discussion of using flush niacin (50 mg B3 as nicotinic acid) to convert beta hydroxybuterate to acetoacetate. The idea is to create more NAD+. A paper on NAD+ & ketones is here.

If you'd like to join the group, PM me your email address & I'll send an invite (you won't be able to get to the FB links without joining the group). There is likely more in the group if you search on
niacin acetoacetate
Many of the folks in the group carry a discussion at high levels.

Wondering if a bit of niacin might help?

[TheBrain]

In a closed FB group I'm part of, there has been discussion of using flush niacin (50 mg B3 as nicotinic acid) to convert beta hydroxybuterate to acetoacetate. The idea is to create more NAD+. A paper on NAD+ & ketones is here.

If you'd like to join the group, PM me your email address & I'll send an invite (you won't be able to get to the FB links without joining the group). There is likely more in the group if you search on
niacin acetoacetate
Many of the folks in the group carry a discussion at high levels.

Wondering if a bit of niacin might help?

Thanks, Tincup. I would like to join the group. I'll PM you and give you my email address. It would be great if niacin would help.

[Tincup]

This is a guy who has been looking at the niacin issue (Robert Miller). His FB page appears to be public. My link includes a niacin search. This link also includes NAD+ in the search terms with niacin.

[TheBrain]

In a closed FB group I'm part of, there has been discussion of using flush niacin (50 mg B3 as nicotinic acid) to convert beta hydroxybuterate to acetoacetate. The idea is to create more NAD+. A paper on NAD+ & ketones is here.

Tincup, as I await moderator approval for this closed FB group, I read the paper at the second link you posted above. I’m sleep-deprived today so not thinking as clearly as usual. But it seems like NAD+ Is produced as a consequence of ketosis. There’s no mention of a shortage of it while one is in ketosis. However, I’m sure the discussion in the FB group goes into this aspect.

Since I started Dr. Bredesen’s protocol, I’ve been taking Life Extension’s NAD+ Cell Regenerator (NIAGEN nicotinamide riboside), 100 mg, per day. Is this along the lines of your suggestion that niacin might help? Or would it need to be the flushing niacin? I still have 250 mg of that form on hand. I could never tolerate any higher dose for my coronary artery disease, so I stopped it altogether. The random intense flushing, especially in the middle of the night and in social situations, was intolerable, even at 500 mg.

I checked out Robert Miller’s Facebook page, and all I saw were posts about Australian politics. Maybe if I follow him, I’ll see more of his posts?