What's That Sweet Taste?

Have any of you experienced a very sweet-like taste in your mouth while on Medifast?  I sure have, so of course I hopped on Google to find what the heck it was!

My first find was through Medifast itself on their Symptoms & Side Effects PDF.  Let's see... Fatigue, Feeling Cold, Gas (Don't you know it!)... Oh, there it is!  Under Bad Breath.  It says "Some individuals may complain of bad breath or a funny taste in their mouth (usually referred to as a sweet or metallic taste). This is a result of being in the fat-burning state."  Fat-Burning State?!  Whoop whoop.

But, I still wasn't done, I wanted to investigate a little bit more.  So, I Googled "Sweet Taste in Mouth While Dieting".  The first link lead me to a Low Carb forum and someone asked about a sweet taste while in Ketosis.  Ketosis, huh?  Seems like I'll be doing some more Google-ing!

Ketosis - (noun) A condition characterized by raised levels of ketone bodies in the body, associated with abnormal fat metabolism and diabetes mellitus.  Hmmm, interesting.

So I just kept Google-ing and found this:  The answer I've been looking for!!  "If the body can switch from being a carb-burning machine to a fat-burning one, the person loses weight. We store our fat, sometimes in undesirable places, such as our hips, buttocks, tops of thighs and our tummy. Carbohydrates cannot be stored like fat can. If our body is in carb-burning mode, we eat when carb levels go down in order to get our energy. To achieve ketosis, the body must be on a high fat/protein and low carbohydrate diet. According to some organizations and experts, such as Dr. Atkins, with proper monitoring (urine dip stick, for example), levels of ketosis can be kept within safe limits and the dieter can reach his/her ideal bodyweight without suffering unbearable hunger."

It seems that while on Medifast our bodies go into a state of Ketosis.  That means that instead of our body using carbs for energy, it is using our fat!  How awesome is that?  My only concern:  Is it safe to be in a state of Ketosis for long periods?  I mean, humans didn't always have carbs for energy, right?  Eh...  Well, as long as the pounds keep coming off, I don't mind for now!  Haha.

Happy Medifasting!