GDbow Ketone Breath Analyzer for Ketosis Testing with People on Healthy Diet Weight-Loss

Edit: Please don't take my exact keto numbers with commentary below as medical advice. I am not a medical professional. I'm still using keto diet principles and intermittent fasting to lose weight, and I am not diabetic, so crossing into starvation ketosis for a day or two is supposed to be safe for me. I've had no ill effects.I recently had keto 9.6, and shortly after in my fast this meter started giving me "E.00" readings continually. A day or so later I had some carbs in with a vegetarian dish my ex gave me, and my keto read about 6.4. It became obvious to me that this meter simply errors out with "E.00" if keto goes above 10, and the green/yellow/red light indicator stays green.What if I were diabetic, and my keto went above 10 and this thing just produced an error, and I just thought the meter was broken? This to me is a serious design flaw. Why not have two digits to the left of the decimal? Is that rocket science?So, I would use this meter only if I was sure I was not diabetic in any way, and even I would like to get a better keto meter with a full display that shows the right number above 10.I found myself obese for the first time back around the beginning of the year (2019) and I determined to take off weight. I started intermittent fasting for some weeks and I lost weight, but I also started learning about ketosis (which amazingly my nurse ex wife can smell on my breath) and how ketosis, properly managed, can lead to rapid weight loss without necessarily fasting. (Consult your doctor before doing this. I didn't, but I know my body. I don't know yours.)This ketone breath analyzer allows me to keep track of when I am in ketosis, and how far. 3.00 is good. 5.00 is starvation (time to back off a bit and get some good carbs), and 7.00 is ketoacidosis, which is very bad. I measure my ketone level at least three times a day. I can even do experiments where I take a measurement, eat something, and take another measurement half to a full hour later and see how it affects my ketone level.BTW, don't drink before you use this device. I had a glass of bourbon and used it and got a measurement of 8.5. So I guess I was dead or something. Ha ha. But it went back to normal in an hour or so.So, I'm halfway to my weight target, and it's way easier to do this than I ever thought it would be. It's just a matter of time.

I've been on a low carb diet on and off for a little over a year. I use Precision XTra ketone strips daily to check my ketone levels. Although extremely accurate, the downside is their cost and having to stick your finger. I wanted a cheaper way where I could test my ketone levels quickly and multiple times a day. I wanted to know what foods knocked me out of ketsosis, what the effects at eating at various times of the day were, etc. Any additional data would be good. For example, some have reported that Sucralose has no effect on their insulin levels and as such, does not negatively effect their Ketone levels. Others, however, have a dramatic insulin spike after consuming Sucralose. Ketones cannot be produced in the presence of insulin. I wanted to know how I react to various diet beverages that are sweetened with Sucralose. Because I have been on Keto for quite a while, Ketostix are not an option for me. So.... I got this Ketone breath analyzer. Unfortunately, the readings on this unit are wildly inconsistent. I was getting readings in excess of 4 (where my blood readings rarely are in excess of 1.5 MMol/dl). The 4.0 reading decreased to 3, then to .2. I tried various strategies for blowing accurately - including exhaling as the timer counted down to 0 and then blowing out on unfilled lungs. Various online articles indicate this is the most accurate way to get a reading. Even doing this, the readings I got differed wildly from consecutive readings and from readings I got from my Prescision strips. I understand that testing strips measure BhB whereas breath tests measure acetone, so the results won't be in lock-step, but they should be close. When the strips read high, the breath meter should read high, and conversely, low readings on one should result in low readings on the other. Unfortunately, it didn't work that way.Pros: Easy to use. Convenient. Small (can be carried in ones pocket).Cons: Readings cannot be trusted or believed. Wildly inaccurate.

After using tests strips for the first 3 months of my new HFLC Keto lifestyle, this is the most convenient way of testing my ketones, and least expensive in the long run. My test strips expired before the end of their so-called life, and because they were cheap, I did not fret too much, but I wanted something more convenient and less expensive to use. I found it in this little device. It's easy to use, per the instructions, after turning on there is a 20 second warm up, then it requires you to blow. You must blow into it right away, or it will shut off and have to be restarted, waiting another 20 seconds. DO NOT take a deep breathe, but blow a normal steady exhale. Some may find this hard to do but keep trying to exhale. My readings have been as low as .30 and as high as 2.95, .50 - 3.00 is ketosis. I knew when I would probably test low and I did. I also knew when I should test high, like this morning after a 40 hour fast, and I did. This works accurately and for the price, is the best product to purchase. No finger pricking for this girl, I get that enough testing my blood sugars and I'm sick of it. I would definitely recommend this product. It has a one-year guarantee, but hopefully, it goes longer. The little plastic inserts that go over the blowhole, are washable, even though they tell you to purchase more, it is not necessary., plus they give you 5 total.

The product looks like you could buy it in a dollar store. it is not made well, nor does it look like i should have paid 50 bucks or it. I have been following a strict keto diet and have lost a lot of weight. this device never falls into the range of being into ketosis. I looked up other reviews to ensure i was using it correctly. other users also indicated that they would get inconsistent readings. save yourself the money and trust your body. lesson learned.