hi cupieKaren ..
Ketones are the desirable result of fat-burning, as you know. There are FOUR ways to use them up and/or get rid of them from your body-
- Burn them as fuel
- Excrete in the stool via the bowel
- Excrete in the urine via the kidneys
- Excrete in the breath via the lungs
If you are testing dark with the ketostix, and the "Dragon Breath" is alienating your office mates, it's a sign that the first three things listed aren't as efficient as they could be...
Burn them as fuel - exercise, especially resistance or weight-lifting will do wonders!
Excrete via the bowel - Blood vessels lining the colon add or remove fluid from the waste matter. If you're constipated all the time, basically ketones and other wastes in the blood are not able to be absorbed into the stool for elimination. Are you getting lots of fiber, and drinking plenty of fluids to keep the bowel moving along regularly? If you're not already doing so, consider a fiber supplement, such as sugar-free Metamucil or plain psyllium husks. Or ground flax seeds.
Excrete via the kidneys - Flush those ketones out! Don't let them accumulate and concentrate; it will work against you in the long run. The presence of large amounts of ketones accumulating in the bloodstream will signal the body "Hey, there's plenty of fuel here already, don't need any more!" and the fat-burning will slow down (or stop) until the supply of ketones is diminished. So, drink up!
Excrete via the lungs - Ketones circulate in the bloodstream. They are never in the stomach, so eating parsley and the like won't really be helpful as it is for strong foods like garlic, onions, etc. (eating fresh parsley and green veggies is desirable for the FIBER though, so do indulge). Probably drinking more water so your kidneys do the bulk of the excreting will be the best "cure". Sugar-free breath mints or gum may help temporarily, but my personal experience is that all you end up with is bad breath with a minty tang ..
.. Brushing and flossing your teeth frequently also helps, and you can even buy mint-flavoured floss!
hope this helps
Doreen