Question:
I'm more confused than ever about ketosis!

I'm pre-op, and I've heard people on this board say "Thank God I'm in ketosis", etc. Well, I didn't know what that meant, so I looked it up in the Library and read many posts to the questions, and I am more confused now than ever! Could someone please answer these questions: #1- what is ketosis, #2- if it's good for weightloss but can be hard on your organs, where is the balance??? And just a side note, that's great, I'll be getting thinner but in exchange will have death breath!!!    — beeda (posted on May 6, 2003)

May 6, 2003
On the high protein low carb post op diet its a normal occurence and it means were burning fat good. Bad breathe and YUK taste is normal but temporary. Drink your liquids and you will be fine. Your scale will be your friend:)
   — bob-haller

May 6, 2003
I'm no expert at this by any means, but the balance of it all is basically that you shouldn't be in ketosis long-term. If you made yourself be in ketosis for years, that can be too much stress on your organs and could have an early heart attack (not very common- but could happen) But the first few months of surgery, many of us are in ketosis b/c of the high volume of protein and lack of carbs. Goodluck to you!
   — Lezlie Y.

May 6, 2003
Hi! So, the deal with ketosis is that it is when your body is using ketone bodies for fuel instead of carbohydrates. It's pretty easy to get into ketosis, since you only have enough carb stores for about a day. Then you start breaking down protein from your muscles into ketone bodies. The fat breaks down too, and gets converted into new muscle. So, when you are in ketosis, you are loosing weight. But you shouldn't stay in ketosis for long periods of time. I think the absolute max is 10 weeks. By the way, you don't need to be in ketosis to lose weight. So as long as you have normally functioning organs, that is, no diabetes or anything, you should be able to do ketosis just fine.
   — Brittany C.

May 6, 2003
Not to contradict you, Brittany, but fat does not ever, ever, EVER turn into muscle. They are completely different, chemically and this would be like changing an apple into an orange. It doesn't happen. When carbohydrates (the body's fuel of choice) aren't available, the body burns fat, both stored and dietary. Some of the fat fragments, or ketones, get excreted to preserve the body's acid-base balance (because ketones are acid), and this is ketosis. They are excreted through both urine and breath, thus the "metallic" taste. That was Dr. Atkins' take on it, anyway. hope this helps.
   — cherryswitch

May 7, 2003
I've only experienced that bad breath thing the first few weeks (maybe 5?) post-op and I rarely show being in ketosis according to the sticks, but I've still lost 147 pounds in 9 months. I wouldn't stress over it.
   — [Deactivated Member]