Am I in Ketosis? 10 Ways to Know for Sure Without Using Sticks or Strips!

If you are new to the keto diet, you might think that blood, breath, or urine strips are the only way to know for certain that you are in a state of ketosis. In a way, this is correct, but there are other ways to know without the expense and hassle of strips.

Bad Breath - A very common side effect of ketosis and one that people seem to notice first.

You are actually in the beginning stages of ketosis after waking up in the morning, unless you got up to grab a snack during the night. Once the stores of glycogen are gone, our bodies start making ketones at a very rapid pace.

Want to know the signs that you have entered a state of ketosis? Keep reading, you will really be surprised!

1. You are Losing Weight

This is the most obvious sign that what you are doing is working! In the beginning of your diet, especially if you have more than 25 pounds to lose, you will find that the weight just falls off, without you feeling as if you are starving. When you go low carb, your muscles lose water, since it's the carbs that bind water to the muscles. Yes, at first, you are mainly losing water, but that changes quickly, if you are losing weight, you are in ketosis and you are doing it right!

2. Unbelievable Fatigue and Later, Tons of Energy

When you start the keto diet, your body takes a bit of time to catch up with the idea, especially if you aren't taking the time to drink more water and get some electrolytes into your body. This loss of water leads you to what is called Keto Flu. It can give you headaches, nausea, and the most crushing fatigue for a few days, however, once this pass, you will suddenly feel as if you can take on the world!

Stay hydrated, add a pinch of salt to your water, and you might avoid this weird type of flu altogether.

3. Digestive Problems

Anytime you change your diet, you can bet that your digestive system will take a hit. You might experience constipation, diarrhea, gas, or, if you are lucky, nothing at all. Being lucky is rare, but it can happen. For the rest of us, you are most likely in a state of ketosis if you are experiencing some type of gastric change as the body adjust to your new way of eating.

4. Terrible Breath

Believe it or not, this is one of the things that people seem to notice first. They brush, they floss, they use mouthwash, but they can't get rid of breath that is often described as "Fruit Loop Breath". This is a sure sign that you are in ketosis! Don't worry, this is also a temporary problem that goes away in a couple of weeks.

5. Crystal Clear Thinking

As a part of the "keto flu", some people experience brain fog. This passes in a few days and most people will not be affected, however, even if you are one of the unlucky ones, take heart! What comes afterwards is a beautiful thing; crystal clear thinking and super focus. This is one of the many benefits of being in ketosis. Once you experience it, you will wonder why you waited to go keto for so long!

6. No Appetite

The crazy thing about the keto diet is that, once you cut WAY back on carbs, you really do lose your appetite. Or at the very least you have very little appetite. This is a good thing! You will find that you need less food because you are more satisfied with what you are eating, this is because of the high fat levels that you are consuming. You know you are in ketosis when you really lose interest in food.

7. Temporary Decrease in Performance

While going keto, you know that you will lose energy levels for a short while, but what most people don't know is that you will also temporarily have a decrease in your exercise performance level. This is why most people don't get into a lot of exercise when they start keto. After a few short weeks, your performance levels will return to normal, so there is no need to be concerned. Be happy! This means you are in a state of ketosis!

8. Insomnia

While long term ketogenic fans will tell you that they never slept better, what they might not mention is that this didn’t happen for the first few weeks of their diet. Some people say that they woke up in the middle of the night when they first changed their eating habits. Again, this is a temporary thing and it simply means that you are in a state of ketosis!

9. Dry Mouth/Increased Thirst

As you know, the first thing you lose on the keto diet is water from the muscles. This means increased urination, which explains why you are so thirsty all the time and/or you are suffering from dry mouth. While this is a great sign that you are in ketosis, don't let yourself become dehydrated! Drink yourself crazy (and don’t forget to add a pinch of salt for minerals).

10. Stinky Urine

OK, while this subject isn’t one you want to bring up at the dinner table, we want to mention this well-known fact; high protein, low carbs diets cause smelly pee. Almost like asparagus pee! As your liver processes the extra protein, it makes ammonia and sometimes sulfur. So, if you have been noticing that your pee is super strong smelling, then you know you are in a state of ketosis.