Can anyone tell me WHY??? I noticed it whenever I exercise, but just thought it was the hard workout.....but I haven't exercised the last few days and I still smell it on my skin....any ideas??

The byproduct of ketosis is a smell that I find really nasty like ammonia too.
For days I thought my cat was peeing on everything, then I realized it was me !

Yes the smell of Ketosis can be nasty!

Ammonia smell is not good!....

Since you are working out hard, generaly that smell means you are using lean muscle for energy... you probally need to up your carbs and protein a bit!

I thought that drinking more water could help this somewhat also?

The most common cause of unusual body odor is a skin infection.

An ammonia odor is caused by infection with Helicobacter, the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers, or by eating a high protein diet.

As your protein intake may have risen it is most likely that and not the bacterial infection.

When you take in more protein than your body can use immediately, your body strips ammonia from protein to make you smell like ammonia. The smell of babies diapers!

You do not need to increase your carbs but should check what is the adequate or recommended protein for you. Low carb diet does not necessarily mean high protein.

The smell of ketosis is more of an acetone smell.

A really excellant low carb book is Protein Power. This will give you the adequate protein levels for your body.

I never had body oder(my wife can attest to it) while on Atkins, until I started eating pork rinds. I can literally smell them
when I swet, after I've eaten them the day before.

I think the things smell horrible, so I don't eat them unless I'm adding them into a recipe.

I just moved to Chicago for work and I am not married, have no roommates, and I am just starting to meet people.....bottom line: I have no one to sniff me!!!! I am so paranoid that I will have BO or bad breath and be unaware of it!!!

Were you able to smell the BO or keto breath on yourself?

I haven't noticed anything yet....no one has cringed and backed away from me yet though...

Hi, I heard this same question from someone on the runningroom.com BB that I am a member of... here's what was said:

By Scott Benjamin (Clydeguy) on Unrecorded Date:

It seems strange but I have found that after a run, when I go inside and am cooling down, I detect an odour of amonia or something when I breathe in through my nose deeply. It is gone after 20 minutes or so. I only smell it after a run. Is my body trying to tell me something? Has anyone ever encountered this?

By Anonymous on Unrecorded Date:


Hi,
To quote from Runners World, working muscles produce small amounts of ammonia and runners sometimes notice the distinct odor if they can't clear the ammonia from their bloodstream quickly enough.This means that your carbohydrate stores are low, your body may be breaking down muscle protein to fuel your long runs, causing greater than normal ammonia production. To eliminate the ammonia odor, make sure you're consuming enough carbohydrates. It goes into greater detail in the answer to the letter, but that's it in a nutshell. I had it happen to me when I did repeats on an empty stomach. Burns the nose a wee bit. Hope this helps.

By Scott Benjamin (Clydeguy) on Unrecorded Date:


Thanks a bunch. I had never heard of that but it sure sounds like that could be it. I always run at least 2 hrs after I eat and I have not been paying much attention to the carbs. I'll give it a try. Thanks again, Scott.

By Chad Peckels (Drchad) on Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 06:05 pm:


The quote from runners world is absolutly correct!! This can be a very dangerous situation! Meaning hard on the liver and kidney systems with the potential for possible damage. Gel or GU shots work well to remedy this especially on longer and more demanding runs/workouts.

Good luck, Chad

By Anonymous on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 12:09 pm:


I just happend to look at this posting on an off chance... and I just want to say thanks for the info. I too have frequently noticed a smell after longer runs, and will now be eating even more carbs. Here's to our health!
J



Hope this helps!

Linnea

Is something wrong with me?

My DH says, breath smells bad,
urine strong [unpleasant smell] and sweat strong as well [like urine- cat pee]
help !

Fairchild: sounds as though you too need a few more carbs from veggies & salad. Add 5 grams and see if there's an effect the next day, then 5 more.

Don't go below the 20 grams of Induction or whatever your plan calls for - there are reasons for those lower limits in the books.

Will do !
I have discovered a new love for bitter vegetables like broccoli rabe - and will make sure to get a portion in a day and cut the cheese [so to speak].
Will hope for a change as it is pretty unpleasant....

I had the pleasure of an educational session on liver disease this morning where the doctor spoke about when ithe liver can't break the ammonia down to be peed out it can cause a type of brain fog, in addition to further damaging the body. She said this occurs when some people with a damaged liver go on high protein diets. I would encourage you to see your doctor and get a liver profile. My 2 cents...

Nicole