my sweat smells like ammonia- good or bad? - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

mu-mu · 11-30-2005, 11:00 AM

hi.

problem:
i have noticed lately that about half way through my workout, my sweat has this overwhelming scent of ammonia. usually i just ignore it, but sometimes it almost makes me nauseous, and it makes my sinuses itch. i dont feel any 'weaker' once this starts happening, but i get a bit of a headache. this happens everytime i work out.

diet
i eat a 'reduced-carb' diet, but include some starches like potatoes and rice once every other day, (i have a food intolerance to wheat and most other grains- i get hives- so bread, oats, etc is out of the question), no fruit, some nuts, fibrous veggies, lean protein.

routine
I usually do cardio for an hour a day, using the elliptical machine, at a moderately intense pace (usually 20km/hour) folowed by 1/2 hour of light weights/ calisthetics.

question
i did a bit of research, and one website said the that presence of ammonia-smelling sweat means i have entered ketosis (i did a met. stick test to check and ketones were present) and that the ammonia smell is an indication i am burning fat for fuel. if this is the case, it seems like the ammonia smelling sweat is a good thing, right? should i time my 1 hour cardio session from the time i enter ketosis for maximum results? The same site suggested drinking more water, although i drink about 2 L during my session. also, is going into ketosis the only way to lose body-fat? should i be concerned?

any insight is greatly appreciated!

Moxie75 · 11-30-2005, 01:24 PM

question
i did a bit of research, and one website said the that presence of ammonia-smelling sweat means i have entered ketosis (i did a met. stick test to check and ketones were present) and that the ammonia smell is an indication i am burning fat for fuel. if this is the case, it seems like the ammonia smelling sweat is a good thing, right? should i time my 1 hour cardio session from the time i enter ketosis for maximum results? The same site suggested drinking more water, although i drink about 2 L during my session. also, is going into ketosis the only way to lose body-fat? should i be concerned?

any insight is greatly appreciated![/QUOTE]

Yes you should being in a state of ketosis with low carb dieting and too much protein coupled with workouts is a detriment on your organs. If you smell like ammonia it means your kidneys are working overtime and that is not a good thing....Lisa

starsofglass · 11-30-2005, 03:14 PM

Smell of ammonia means you are burning PROTEIN, usually muscle. This is not a good thing. If you really want to stay low carb, eat your carbs in the meal before working out.
Ammonia smell doesn't necessarily mean too much protein in your diet, it usually means not enough carbs.

mu-mu · 11-30-2005, 03:22 PM

hmmm....

so i should stop working out when this happens?

i heard that it was most effective to do cardio first thing in the a.m., before eating.

sometimes this happens even i have eaten carbs before working out..

how many carbs should i consume before working out?

is ketosis the only way to burn off body-fat? i thought your body needed to burn off all of its stored carbs before it dips into body-fat.

starsofglass · 11-30-2005, 03:41 PM

To lose bodyfat you need to burn more calories than you eat, ketosis isn't necessary. And doing cardio before eating increases chances of ammonia smell considerably. If you do cardio on an empty stomach, keep the training short.
Also, do weights first, then cardio afterwards, not the other way around. Also, don't do weights on an empty stomach.

I have no idea how many carbs you need before working out, it varies from person to person. It's a case of trial and error I think...