i've just been reading more on ketosis on the net...it seems there is no general consensus and it's either bad or good...no middle ground from what i can find.

then again...maybe i just have a sucky search engine..lol.

if the critics are to be believed, ketosis can be life threatening, drain energy, damaging to the kydneys and lead the body to burn more muscle than fat. (this is scary)

of course many of the sites i read that are pro-ketosis...are selling one diet or another...kinda makes me a little weary.

at present i'm in moderate ketosis...i feel fine..more energy, don't seem to have any brain fog (well none more then usual) and i'm drinking anything from 12 - 20 PINTS of water a day, which i hope is enough to keep me from being dehydrated.

does anyone have any thoughts on this or any good ketosis information links from sites not selling anything???

Logan ~

i just worked it out, that 13 pints is 9 litres and i honestly do that easy (love my water)...but i'm still concerned about dehydration...my ex said that possibly the waters passing straight through and not doing any of the things it's spose to do in my body. (i am peeing a bit more than usual)

anyone know about this?

Logan ~

One of the main concerns regarding ketosis is blood pH - called ketoacidosis. I had a really bad kidney infection mid last year and the doc tested my urine & said it was really high in ketones and that was bad. But from what I've read (and my memory could be shot here) it isnt a problem with low-carb 'cos the kidneys (or is it liver) produce potassium (I think) to counteract the acidity. Thats why a lot of people supplement their potassium intake (I do).

Heres a good article: http://www.lowcarb.ca/articles/article148.html - I found it in the Low carb studies area at the top in the orange bar. The more research that is done to specifically study Atkins etc, the safer they are finding it. A lot of the criticism comes from studies that arent really relevant to Atkins & annecdotal evidence.

Check out the link - it should put your mind at rest.

Re: the water - 9L is a huge amount, you only need 2-3L per day to flush the toxins & ketones out of your body. The water you drink still goes through the same process (through the kidneys to pick up any waste products) whether you drink 9L or 9 mL.

I might have some of the above wrong - someone chime in if I have.....

Cheers - jaddles

Yes I agree - 9 litres is a bit excessive. I have heard that too much water can also have a bad effect on the body. Something about the loss of electrolytes (sp?) and other things. Can't remember off hand. Maybe someone else will know more. I would be bringing down the amount of water if I was you.

Dr Atkins talks about BDK (benign dietary ketosis) this is what low carbers go into when they are burning fat as fuel and not carbs/glucose. Ketoacidosis is a condition that can occur in people who have diabetes... yes it is dangerous but it is not the same as BDK. Check out Atkins book, he explains it all in detail.

Noeleen is absolutely correct. Ketosis is totally different from ketoacidosis. Ketosis does not affect pH.

Our webmaster, tamarian, has summarized the difference in this thread.

9 litres of water a day, especially in summer, is not excessive. Probably not really necessary to drink that much, but it cannot do you any harm. And there's no possible way to be dehydrated drinking that much. Sure, it goes through, but it hydrates you wonderfully as it goes.

For excess water to harm you, you either need to be performing some extreme exercise such as running a marathon and drinking only water, without electrolytes, or drink something like 50 litres a day.

Cheers, all (and welcome, Noeleen!)

Roz

hi
Ok so the recommended intake is 2-3 litres/day of water
But can some of that water be substitued for say diet cordial or diet coke ?

Speaking of diet coke etc, i read in yesterdays paper that the Dental Associtation says it's bad/worse for our teeth than normal coke, as it has a very low ph, resulting in us basically acid washing our mouths.

Any1 have any views on these subjects?