Hi, I just found this thread.......I know time has passed since the 1st question was raised, but maybe I can shed some light on this. I had a medical friend explain why the blood tests were needed etc.and this is what he said (summarised)
pre-
diet test - what your kidney function is like (urea in blood), and other
body hormones. (Insulin , thyroid etc)
Follow up tests - are your kidneys coping with the
body being in ketosis....that is burning
fat++ and excreting ketones in the urine.They set a level they "want" to see...............if it isn't achieved you are marked "irregular".
Tests can fluctuate above or below what is expected for all sorts of reasons. My pre-
diet test was marked as irregular, and pretty much every test, right through the
diet!! It was never through cheating..... my Cohens counsellor said HEAPS of people had tests that came back as "irregular", but were safe to keep
dieting, and still losing weight really well...........My medical friend got me to ask for copies of 3 of my tests, and said all the readings were within normal limits.
The clinic I went to closed down before I got to re-feed, but they sent me my refeed programme in the mail.......WITHOUT A BLOOD TEST. So I guess the question here is.......are the tests REALLY needed, or was it just a waste of time for me, because all of mine were irregular? There is no doubt though that the programme worked, and I lost weight very quickly.
Hope thats helped a little.