Hey! I’m starting another seven day fast, and I would like to know if there’s any body cues that tell you when you’ve hit ketosis? (I know there’s devices you can get and all, but I would like to know body sensations) In my last fast, I had to quit early because I got excruciating stomach pains (but I think that was because I was just chugging diet sodas instead of water to make the hunger go away… NEVER doing that again). I really hope it wasn’t ketosis though, because God I’d never last.
I feel slightly light on my feet and have a nice even energy level (as opposed to getting tired after lunch time like normal.) That said it is pretty minor. I basically just feel normal but with no ups/downs.
I find that my pee smells different and there’s acetone on my breath. You can get keto pee strips which will tell you if your in ketosis, but they fail to work after your body get more efficent at using ketones. Another cheap easy way to tell is to get a cheap breathalizer (under $10), it will sense the acetone on your breath and show a positive test. But really if you don’t eat for 24 hours your likely in ketosis.
When I was on a ketosis diet in the past, I more was aware just because I was losing quickly. They have test strips, but I was told they don’t always work. Some signs I’ve also been told are common, though I didn’t have most of them, were metal mouth tasting, headache, lightheaded, tummy emptying, feeling cold.
Ketone breath. Your breath will smell horrible and your mouth will have a weird metallic taste. Goodness, I hate it! I usually stay at my desk, away from people. I try to drink more water but it really doesn’t help much. I keep gum nearby, in case I have to interact in close proximity to others. But, I prefer not to chew gum, while fasting (unless, I’m unusually hungry). But, yea… Your breath and the taste in your mouth gives it away. It’s not normal bad breath we can get after a meal. I’d venture to say, it’s worse than morning breath. When you get it, you’ll know.