Here’s an excellent but simple explanation of ketones, ketone strips and yes, alcohol! It explains pretty good what you’ve been trying to tall me. By golly, I think I’ve got it!

http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips011.html

Off-hand I don’t have a source I can quote for my impression of Ketosis but the gauntlet is raised and I love a challenge. I’ll look through some of my other books and let you know what I find. Could be it’s just something I WANT to believe but let me get back to you on that.

I know it’s not science that is agreed on completely or fully understood else otherwise why would so many authors be trying to explain it and why would there still need to be more and better research, right? Oh yeah, for money……….I forgot about that part!

I wasn’t trying to draw an association to how MUCH fat I was removing from the adipose tissue stores and utilizing as fuel, only that (according to this site’s explanation) whatever I was using was being consumed to the point that the residue was insufficient to color the stick. If you have any links that provide more insight into the whole science of ketosis and lipolysis, please paste them in, I’d LOVE to get a better handle on it ! Knowledge is power!

It is my understanding that although we use ketones for fuel, the more we create by burning fat the more that are left over as waste. Therefore, if burning a lot of fat makes for a lot of leftover then the stix are dark colored and thus, if burning a little fat makes a little leftover the stix are lightly colored (of course after eliminating dilution effects from water consumed).

Where have you read that the lighter the stix the more ketones you are using and thus by association burning more fat?

No where have I read this. I have only read that once sugars are depleted from the body enough to cause fat burning (by decreasing carb metabolism, ie. decreasing carbs or excersizing) then the rate of that fat burning corresponds to color stick saturation, i.e., the more the darker, the less the lighter.

Do you or anyone else have a reference?

KelleyO

David, your advice and support are invaluable. Going without my nightly martinis is turning out to be less of a disappointment than I thought it would, partly because of your sage counsel from weeks previous. I really do continue to reflect on Dr. Watson’s explanation of alcohol metabolism, and I do believe that strength of determination and the power of knowledge go hand in hand. While I fortunately may not be genetically predisposed to abusing alcohol, I can understand the processes that likely bolstered my behavioral habitualism. My mind tells me I’d still like to have a martini, but I’ve gotten out of the routine now and there just doesn’t seem to be any real motivation for it. I took the tiniest sip of my wife’s martini last night to see what it tasted like, and it tasted like rubbing alcohol. So what will be the deciding factor in how I behave in the future with respect to this? That, like Dr. Watson’s young patient, I am afraid to lose my “taste” for liquor, and that I prefer to return to the “pleasures” of drinking? Can I enjoy an occasional cocktail or glass of wine without having it become my “trademark” again? Time will tell.

Where weight loss is concerned, I don’t think you can expect your body to do exactly the same thing from day to day unless you eat exactly the same amounts of the same kinds of food at the same times each day. You would also have to get the same amount of exercise at the same times of the day and go to bed and rise up at the same times. I could go on about temperature conditions, clothing, sun exposure, water consumption, stress, etc, but I think you get the picture.

The body does way more than simply burn calories. It makes hormones, rebuilds itself, detoxifies itself, defends itself against pathogens, regulates body temperature, produces digestive juices, and constantly adjusts to food intake. Depending on the molecular configuration of your food intake from day to day, your body will allocate resources much as a supermarket employee stocks shelves. The biochemicals you consume are sorted, re-manufactured, used up immediately, or stored according to the needs of the moment. So, if I were you I wouldn’t worry about what my body was doing from day to day. Monitoring weekly trends makes more sense.

Depending upon what you eat and how you exercise, your body will periodically rebuild muscle and organ tissue as the materials to carry out these tasks become available. So if you gain a few pounds unexpectedly just imagine that your body is rejuvenating your liver or tuning up your kidneys or enlarging the muscle groups you utilized the day before.

Suggest you obtain a copy of “The Schwarzbein Principle ll.” You’ll find that is common for people who reduce carb intake and increase fat consumption to gain weight at first on Dr. Schwarzbein’s program as the body welcomes nutrients formerly in short supply. After a period of adjustment, which probably includes some organ healing and muscle building, the body gradually uses up its extra fat stores.

Hope this helps.
Dave