Search the Community

Well, to be fair, it was all my fault. The sleeve did it's job. I was really struggling with COVID and the racial tension in this country (no excuse) and Depression and I was eating two giant Hershey bars a day and cookies. Sweets are my weakness. Once I quit eating the sweets, the weight started coming back off. I can't eat very much at a time. The sleeve cuts off 3/4 of your stomach so you end up with a teeny tiny stomach that can't hold much. Therefore you can't eat much at any one sitting. That being said, if you ate or snacked every few hours, it's possible you could still eat too much, but if you stuck with three meals a day and maybe one snack you'd drop the weight like crazy. On the bright side, I was able to stop myself at the 10 pounds and not gain back 20, 30 or 50. So in the long run, I've learned my lesson, I didn't regain all of my original weight, and I caught myself before I got in too deep and I'm back on track. Hubby and I are now doing the KETO diet and it's amazing how little I can eat due to the stomach size restriction. Like I said, it's a Godsend.

No , they never gave a number. Rny: low fat and very little carb. Just a lot people on maintenance found doing keto/ Paleo helpful in maintenance. Some wish they would of done this earlier. Sent from my Nexus 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I switched over to mostly calorie-counting when I hit maintenance (I can maintain as long as I stay in the 1500-1700 calorie range - your range may be more or less than that - you have to experiment to find your "sweet spot"). I still mostly follow the post-op rules, though - I make sure I get enough protein, eat protein first, then veggies, etc. I do eat more carbs than I did while in weight loss mode, though - but the healthy kind. you'll just have to figure out what "works" for you (some people join Weight Watchers, some do modified keto, some people use intermittent fasting) while being sure you're meeting the protein requirements and remembering the order (protein first, then non-starchy veggies) also, I continue to log my food intake at 4+ years out. I think it's vital.

There is a thing called "bariatric keto" which is basically Atkins in that it is higher protein than current keto fads call for, but Atkins is "old school" while keto is "in" and what people want to do if they are keeping up with current fads - so they label it appropriately. But, I wouldn't compare a bariatric diet (which is basically maintenance level protein and then whatever else to fill in the minimal caloric requirement one has,) to keto, or Atkins, though one can use them if so inclined, but neither is all that sustainable long term, and that is what you should be striving for. Think in terms of what your diet should be in five or ten years - if that's keto or Atkins for you, great, but there's no compelling reason that it should be either. It can be vegetarian or vegan if that floats your boat, and that will work just as well.

Consider following a low carb/keto lifestyle https://www.everydayhealth.com/ketogenic-diet/diet/vegetarian-keto-diet-day-sample-menu-benefits-risks-more/ https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/vegetarian

5 years ago today was my VSG. Pre-op, I purposed myself to be THE perfect patent, to do everything as I was told to, to follow ALL the directions and do great. and, I did. I lost about 85 lbs of weight and loved life. However, I had a very gentle carb creep and hardly noticed it. Then, one night at work I thought it might be ok to have some watered down diet soda, and that was the beginning of a pretty big spiral downward. I regained in the neighborhood of 35 lbs. It took a pretty major health scare to get me back on track about 20 months ago. I got back on track, went strict Keto, and have lost my regain. I've still got about 25 lbs to go before I'm ready for my plastics, but what a 5 year journey it has been. I left my career path, took a completely new position in my field, went to night shift, went back to grad school, graduated, changed jobs again, went back for post-grad studies, lost a parent, and have come full circle with my career. What a journey. I am forever grateful that I had my surgery. People often ask me "if you lost weight on Keto, why didn't you just do that in the first place"? But they have no idea of my health pre-op, or the battles I faced without my surgery. I would do it again in a blink. I still consider myself a WLS patient, and will ALWAYS identify as a WLS patient. I talk to others about it, and I wanted to share my journey with you.

This is probably due to ketosis. You're not taking in carbs, and so you're in keto mode -- I had HORRIBLE dry mouth during keto, and also the weirdest smell (my body, my spit, my mouth...everything smelled weirdly sweet). Once my calorie intake went up a bit, it chilled out again.

Can you try to satisfy your cravings with healthier options? I've been having cauliflower mash and cauliflower risotto, just from the frozen food section, and it tastes sooo good. Or have the pasta sauce you want, but over zucchini noodles? There are a ton of recipes online for oven fried this and that. When I was doing keto (low carb) a few years ago, we used crushed pork rinds as breading for chicken fingers and it was delicious. Then bake in the oven or air fry. I know how hard it is to kick cravings though! It sucks! Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

Today was this: Breakfast: Egg with cheese and a slice of bacon Snack: light babybel cheese Lunch: zucchini noodles (very little) with 2 oz chicken baked with a roasted red pepper and basil Snack: Birthday cake muscle butter with 1/4th if an apple Dinner: teeny tiny burger with cheese, no bun Babybel cheese and pepperoni have been favorite Snacks, I've also been eating turkey meatballs and shepherds pie made with ground turkey and cauliflower mash. Pinterest has been my best friend. I have so many low carb/keto recipes saved. I feel like I'm still able to eat amazing food just much much less of it.

This is pretty interesting stuff! Jason Fung is a kidney specialist and proponent of the *gasp* low carb/keto dietary program. But wait! Aren't all of us (especially those with CKD) gonna die from the "gobs of protein we're shoving down our pie holes???!!!!!! *another gasp*. And here's a quick article that discusses why CICO is a myth. Makes a lot of sense... https://idmprogram.com/the-failure-of-the-calorie-theory-of-obesity/

Hello Everyone, I had my surgery 11 years ago and lost 100 pounds. I've gained about 40 pounds and was able to lose 10 last month doing Paleo/Keto diet. The weight lost just stop so now I'm deciding to go back to basic and just do " The pouch reset" has anyone done that. Did it work??? Thanks in advance.

I purchased the Tespo 5 weeks pre surgery and started using the energy and women’s multi-vitamin. My husband is not sleeved, and he he loves his men’s daily ad the energy. Total output is about 1 oz and the flavors are not bad. He mixes it with his Keto drink and can’t even tell it’s in there.

Logged the easy keto frosty in MFP- Estimate - 1 cup serving 932 calories -Protein 4 grams - Carbs 6 grams -Fats 89 grams 1 cup Kroger heavy whipping cream 800 calories Almond butter 95 calories Cocoa powder 20 calories Vanilla extract 17 calories Halo top ice cream ½ cup serving 60 calories -fats 1 gram -carb 14 grams - protein 6 grams.

I'd like to know how you guys feel about having desert like foods. There are really 2 schools of thought: either "everything is OK in moderation" or you abstain 100% because sugar is an addiction. I am 9 months out and I'm still craving sweets despite having stopped all deserts. I dont eat protein bars, no cookies, pie, ice cream, frozen yogurt etc. I am wondering if there is any way I can put out the fire so to speak by allowing myself very small amounts of healthier sweets. I mean, this is for life right? I see a lot of keto deserts online and I wonder who has been able to eat these in moderation and still keep losing. I saw this recipe this morning and it looks amazing but I'm wondering if this is a slippery slope, or a gateway drug to eating real ice cream. I'd like to think I could handle it but who knows. Just FYI I do not dump at all. https://listotic.com/easy-keto-chocolate-frosty/ Any thoughts?

Truly curious. My dietician and program is very moderate. It seems like a lot of people end up following something close to keto after surgery though. Wondering if anyone else here isn’t focused on carbs?

This site is very helpful for Keto and has a great calculator for Macros. https://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/

Ok, so yes, I've had 1 episode of RH. Sorry you are dealing with this. But it's common. I would personally NOT add carbs. By keeping enough protein and fats in your diet to be truly keto, you will level and flatten out your blood sugar/insulin response. When you add carbs, you increase the amplitude of the blood sugar rollercoaster and the severity of the RH. The big thing to know is if you are truly hypo or if for some odd reason, you're turning into a T1 diabetic (not producing insulin) and that sometimes happens suddenly to adults. It's called LADA. But, if it were me (and it is), I'd buy a test meter and carry it with you at the first sign of symptoms. I'd buy packages of peanut butter you can squeeze into your mouth. And also carry glucose tablets in your purse. 5g of glucose tablets will raise blood glucose usually about 10points. So in an emergency you eat 2 of them and bam, emergency gone. Then you follow with a packet of peanut butter. Or nuts. Then you have to be on the lookout for the rollercoaster that "might" happen for the next day or two. I followed about two hours later wtih a very low carb, higher protein/fat mini meal. And had no other issues.

I am just starting the process at 48 years old. I tried when i was in my late 20's, fought hard, got an approval and then chicken out as my babies were all little. Now here I am again. I don't have my consult until March so i wanted to start thinking ahead. Regarding Anthem Blue Cross, am I going to have a documented supervised weight loss plan on record or can i just document my attempts at diets like 'keto';etc? If i do have to document, is doing Weight Watchers through the App sufficient? Any advice anyone can give me is great. My BMI is 59.

I see my doctor today and yes it's I'm in ketosis he said this is normal it's a water retention there's something called a keto whoosh but he said here in another couple weeks if that doesn't work then I can try and do a reset

I tried keto and kept carbs under 20 but with only 1000 or less cals a day, I stalled weight loss. After a few weeks I moved carbs back to about 60 a day and started losing again. I may have been eating too low cals, since I workout 6 days a week for 1 hr+ at a time. I liked eating keto, any feedback? Sent from my SM-T310 using the BariatricPal App

I made some creamy based soups with cauliflower, canned chicken, cheddar cheese, and broccoli and added protein powder and then popped it all in the blender. The blender takes care of the clumping, and it's pretty tasty. I add a little extra cream for fat, but I follow a keto diet. You could omit the cream and still have a nice protein packed, "sippable" soup with less fat. Now that I'm not in pureed foods anymore, I don't blend the entire thing, just the cauli, cream, protein, and cheese, and I just add steamed broccoli and chicken.

Dear Great-West Insurance: This letter is to provide you, Great-West Healthcare, with a bit of insight on the life of someone who is morbidly obese. Here I am 27 years old and I currently weigh 329 pounds. THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE pounds. It makes me want to cry just saying it. I’m supposed to be at my prime, these are supposed to be the best years of my life, and here I am struggling with each step I take, each breath I breathe. There has to be a change, and I am asking for your approval of Bariatric surgery, where the Lap Band would help me live the rest of my life to the fullest. So here I stand at 5’10” and weigh a whopping 329 pounds, that would put my BMI at 47.2! According to the National Institutes of Health I should weigh 170 pounds. I cant recall the last time I weighed 170. Infact, the lowest I can ever remember weighing is 185#. I remember it very clearly, I was in 7th grade, I was 12 years old. Id say the weight began pouring on me that summer. Since it seems I’ve nearly doubled that weight in just half of my life, I’d like to share with you in detail my struggle with being an obese child, obese teenager, obese young adult, and now, and a morbidly obese mother and wife. I was 11 years old, I went to visit my grandmother for a few weeks the summer before I began 7th grade. Me and a few kids were playing, and my grandmother after a little while brought ice cream sandwiches to all of the kids for a snack. Well, all the kids but me. She proceeded to call me “fat”, “you don’t need any ice cream”, “you should only eat fruit”. All of the kids there began laughing and pointing at me, and at that point, I began to feel not like the rest of kids, I felt I was “fat”. If my own grandmother would call me fat, what on earth does everyone else think of me?? That summer I began eating, and eating, and eating. It seems it just hasn’t stopped since. That fall I wanted to play sports, small schools let anyone be on the team, with a physical from the doctor saying you were healthy. I remember the doctor writing “overweight” on my physical exam. I was embarrassed to turn in the exam to my coach, with a weight of 185 and the word “overweight” in black and white, I was sure my peers would see this and I’d be labeled the “fat kid” all over again. My parents didn’t help matters at all. I went to my mom right about this time to help me diet, and get in shape. This only led to more issues with food, dieting and the yo-yo roller coaster ride that I’ve been on my entire life it seems. The first diet I ever remember being on is the Atkins diet. My mom would pack my lunches for me, to make sure that I ate only what I should. I also wasn’t given snack money like the rest of my peers, so that I wouldn’t be tempted to buy sodas, or chips at recess. Then at the end of each school day, my mom would break out the KETO Sticks, to see if I had cheated that day. If the stick turned purple, I was praised, and if it didn’t, Id get a long lecture about how overweight I was, and how the other kids make fun of me at school, etc. Which would always cause me to starting crying and sware Id get back on track. I lost a few pounds, give or take 10 or so…But the weight just came back on, with a few bad habits. While my mom was trying to “help” me lose weight, Id find her locking up the fridge and freezer, so that after school, I wouldn’t be able to eat anything until she got home from work. This was her way of supervising my diet while she was gone. This only led to me sneaking food behind my parents back. When using the KETO sticks each day, Id manage to find the purple ones in the trash from a few days prior, and urinate on it as if it were a new one. My KETO never failed me that way, and I never failed my mother. Until she found out what I was doing, and at that point, I had to use the KETO sticks in front of her. That diet soon left, and then came the low fat diet. Low fat cottage cheese, low fat this, low fat that. As a young kid its hard enough trying to fit in at school, much less if you’re on a different diet because you are the “fat kid”. Id say I was 199 or so my freshman year, I was 14 years old. I had been on so many diets in the past 2 years, that Id even find myself binging. My parents would send me to the store on my bike, and Id buy loads of candy, and junk food, something I could gobble up before I made it home. Id hide it where I parked my bike, and when they put me on the strict diet, or would put me to bed early so they could eat the ice cream and peach cobbler, Id sneak my own sweets. Being that I never had a boyfriend throughout high school, I devoted all my energy into sports. Like I said, all kids in a small school can be on the team, you just never get the chance to play. The only control I had on my weight when I was in high school was the activity I would get in sports. While all other young adults were experiencing their first kiss and double dating, I didn’t. It was as if I were cursed. Id go to bed many nights crying, and praying that Id be tall and slender like the rest of the girls my age. My mother again thought shed help me out. Shed post a favorite swimsuit I saw in a magazine on the fridge, the same fridge that she kept tightly locked. On the flip side, my dad would often bribe me with food. He was my escape. He ask me to go to town with him, and when I declined, he would say, “we will eat Chinese, or steaks” or whatever it was I was craving at that point. My father and I would also take many fishing trips together the next few years, and during that time he’d invest in a dozen hamburgers on the way to the lake. Id invest in extra weight. There reached a point where my father wanted to lose weight as well. So we joined Nutri System together. I had to be pre-approved by my doctor so I could join, since I was only a teen at the time. This diet among many others lead to short success. I managed to lose 30 pounds, and felt great. But it seemed no matter how great I did, nobody would notice, and so the short success lead to failure once again. The weight creeped back on, and would always seem to add 5 or 10 more pounds with it. When I graduated from high school at 17 years old, I weighed 230 pounds. I remember it very clearly. Wow, I just realized in only 10 years I have managed to gain 100 pounds. At this rate I will weigh 490 pounds by the time my 5 month old graduates from high school. If I live that long. College was no easier. With college though, came all exposure to eating disorders that I somehow missed in high school. I recall trying the laxatives, trying to startle my gag reflex to vomit, and starving myself until I even began to pass out from lack of food and water. I even went to the pharmacy in search of syrup of Ipecac since I wasn’t successful with purging with my finger. Diet pills were “the thing”. Oh, I failed to mention when I was around 14 or 15 my mom began giving me the world famous Phen-Fen, along with the 4 or 5 other pills that went along with it. So Diet Pills weren’t new to me. Around 2000 I topped the scales at 255 pounds or so, Metabolife and Ephedrine was the thing at the time. I found myself buying it in bulk, and then eating nothing but pretzels and water for weeks at a time. Again, the weight came off, I felt terrible, and would end up eating in excess and so more weight would just build back on. When I married my husband in 2002 I weighed 272 pounds. Since we have been married I have tried numerous times to drop the extra weight. We even invested in exercise equipment totaling $3500. We joined gyms, we have walked, even managed to jog for a few steps. But the minute I let my guard down, it never fails, I gain. Nursing school added another 15 or so pounds on me. I cant describe how difficult it is to explain to my diabetic patients the importance of healthy weight when here I sit at a plump 329. When I got pregnant with our son I weighed 290, when he was born, I had gained a whopping 60 pounds. The stress on my joints and body was unbearable. I began trying to lose weight once again, this January on a simple low calorie diet. I try to be more active, but it is very difficult to perform even the easiest tasks. I often get short of breath from doing simple things like bringing in the groceries, or doing laundry. Cleaning the house, doing yard work, picking up my child is all very difficult for me to do. I cant even enjoy going to a movie theater or riding roller coasters because I am to large for the seats. Pleasurable activities that I once enjoyed such as gardening, walking and riding a bike is a thing of the past, a mere memory. I am requesting your approval for the Lap Band so that I can have a 2nd chance at life. I’ve been happily married for almost 4 years now, and our 5 month old son deserves to see his mom another 40 or 50 years. Id love to one day ride a bike with him, ride roller coasters, play catch, and go to the beach. I don’t want to burden him with the weight I have been carrying my whole life. I don’t want to be the “fat mama”. My family has many co-morbidities: MY MATERNAL SIDE: My mother--has hip, knee and back pain. She is expected to have knee surgery at the end of this year. She is also obese, has hypertension, GERD and high cholesterol. She has also been advised she is borderline diabetic. My grandmother--she too had hip, knee and back pain. She had osteoporosis, high cholesterol, asthma, sleep apnea, GERD and heart disease. She had multiple diagnoses of Cancer including bladder, kidney and lung cancer. She was also obese. She passed at an early age of 67. My grandfather--he is still living after a quadruple bypass. He has a history of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, osteoporosis and PVD. He is also obese. MY PATERNAL SIDE: My father--he has experienced a heart attack at a young age, CHF, COPD, diabetic, hypertension and is obese. My grandmother--history of diabetes, PAD, heart disease, GERD, cancer, osteoporosis and is also obese. My grandfather--died of a massive heart attack at the age of 55, he had a history of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, CHF, COPD, and high cholesterol. My health history--I suffer from chronic back and hip pain. I have been diagnosed with bursitis in the right hip. I have shortness of breath with light tasks. I experience daytime sleepiness, and I’m physically to tired to do anything. I experience reflux and heartburn. It took my husband and I three years to get pregnant with our son. I suffered from irregular periods due to my obesity. I also have issues with rashes under bilateral breasts, on my bottom and peri area. I also experience anxiety and am currently on anti-depressant medications due to my current health condition. I take pain medicine daily to help with hip and back pain. A few other issues that make life in general very difficult being morbidly obese. I have a hard time doing simple things like shaving my legs, not to mention getting out of the bathtub. My bra straps cut into my shoulders, causing everyday neck pain because of strain from my breasts. I also have a very hard time finding a bra that will even fit me. I also have a tendency to get a rash under both of my breasts--which at first breaks out and itches, then becomes a sore open area that hurts to even touch it. Its rather embarrassing but its hard to even clean myself properly after using the restroom. I also have a tendency to be overly sweaty and therefore my butt crack collects moisture and then it too cracks and is very painful just like my breasts. I also have incontinence of urine with the littlest tasks. I find this very embarrassing, and have began wearing panty liners at all time to prevent accidents in public. Standing for longer than 30 minutes plays a toll on my joints and back, and I must sit down. Many times just the weight on my lower back from sitting down causes pain, and therefore I have to lie down. Lets not even mention the fact about finding clothes for me. I am currently in size 32 shirt, and 28 jeans, and its nearly impossible to find these sizes at the local Walmart. I have to purchase most of my clothing at a plus size women’s store which is VERY expensive as you may know. Seat belts are nearly never large enough, I have my own seat belt extender which I carry with me while traveling anywhere. In a world were society labels morbidly obese as out of the ordinary I feel exactly that way when in public. I often get treated wrongly because I am obese. I have had waitresses purposely sit me at a booth at a restaurant knowing that I couldn’t fit, then giggle behind my back when seeing me try. Please, this is my last resort to eliminating the hurt and pain that I have gone through for so many years. Again, I feel this is my last resort to freedom from this weight and burden I have been carrying my entire life. The results from my MRI done on June 30th of this year revealed that I have a herniated disc to my lower back. This seems to be the cause of the back pain, and with the added weight on my back, it makes matters even worse. I have been referred to a pain specialist where they have plans on injecting my lower back with steroid injections from time to time, and assisting me with pain management. This was definitely devastating news, here I am 27 years old, and I am told my back has a herniated disc. I am also told my primary care physician that this condition only gets worse, that it can never heal on its own. I also have the understanding that losing weight will help the pain that I am experiencing at this time by relieving some of the pressure off of that area. The only other option is surgery. Please also take this into consideration when determining if the Lap Band is right for me. My weight loss history--Over the counter diet pills: Hydroxycut, Metabolife, TrimSpa, Xantrex 3, ENERGY, Lipo 6, Stacker 2. Prescription medications: Phen-Fen, Phentermine, Xenical, Meridia. Diets used in the past: Jenny Craig, Nutri System, Weight Watchers, South beach, cardiac, Atkins, Sugar Busters, Slim Fast, low fat, grapefruit. As you can see I have tried many many times to drop the weight. It seems every woman in my family is morbidly obese, this obviously is genetic in my family. I am not overweight because I haven’t put forth the effort to diet or exercise. I am overweight because I am the 5th generation of morbidly obese women. I am obese because I cant remain on a routine exercise plan because of back and joint pain. I am obese because I have tried so many diets in the past my metabolism has appeared to have completely shut down. I realize that this is a lot of information, and I do apologize. I simply wanted to give you a full history of my attempts to lose weight. I cant tell you how many times I have failed at weight loss. I am fearful that with the rate that I am going, I will not be able to live a happy, healthy life. I am fearful that I too will die of a massive heart attack at 55 or have to live as a bilateral amputee because diabetes got the best of me. Please consider me for this surgery, I feel this is my last chance at life. Thank you.

I love carbs and sugar. I still crave both just as much, immediately after the surgery. My plan is everything in moderation, one day at a time. If I cut something out of my diet completely, I usually end up giving in and over doing it. Right now Saturday is my "cheat day" which means higher calories and a treat. I am pretty much low carb the rest of the week. I don't know what this will look like long term, I'm pretty certain I will be a complete failure 3 years out. Apparently the only way to be successful at this, is to become a body builder, or marathon runner and eat a lifelong keto diet. But, I don't want to eat only chicken and cottage cheese for the rest of my life, and I sure as hell haven't noticed an increased desire to run marathons post surgery either.

Long post alert!! SW 212-225 LW 164 CW 185 5’ 2” I was sleeved 10/2017. I lost weight well and fairly quickly. I wasn’t done yet. Then I didn’t follow the rules. I didn’t sit down to meals, I didn’t take my time, I didn’t chew my food- I started inhaling it again, then the slider foods. I’ve never been a really junk foodie but pastas, bread, chocolate, etc. I stopped drinking all the water. I stopped taking vitamins (Lost tons of good muscle mass). Never exercised. I’m on the fence about the stomach stretching thing. At 3 years I can eat a surprising amount but the restriction is definitely still there. I know it is because I still get nauseous if I eat too much. I still feel extreme pain if I eat too much. So much dumping still (no gall bladder). I am food obsessed. I think about it constantly. I google recipes all day long. I eat until I am hurting & in such pain, it’s scary. I don’t stop when I’m full, I only stop when it hurts too much. And as soon as it doesn’t hurt anymore, I eat again. That’s usually within the same hour. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt a hunger pang. I’m sober again and using food as a replacement for alcohol. COVID has me depressed and turning to food. Sheltered in place = solitude, boredom and loneliness. Laziness. Don’t give a sh*t...Excuses, Excuses, Excuses. I have tons of unresolved issues (ya think!!!?) and I was on a great path back to good healing and “something” happened almost 2 years ago and I’ve been derailed ever since. And, as ridiculous as this may sound, I have forgotten how to eat per my VSG. Fat & carbs or no fat, no carbs? Seriously I am so lost about what to eat and what not to eat. (I think thats from Keto, Atkins, WW, Paleo overload...WHAT DO I EAT?) Please don’t berate me for failing. Please don’t tell me to get my butt to therapy. I’m in a program and working through things but my eating is out of control right now and it’s starting to frighten me. Please offer some good suggestions, a solid regimen to follow to get me back on track. I need rules again. Thank you so much and Stay Well Everybody

I cannot take credit for any of the following (I copied and pasted from a few sites...): Ketosis merely means that our bodies are using fat for energy. Ketones (also called ketone bodies) are molecules generated during fat metabolism, whether from the fat in the guacamole you just ate or fat you were carrying around your middle. When our bodies are breaking down fat for energy, most of the it gets converted more or less directly to ATP. (Remember high school biology? This is the "energy molecule.") But ketones are also produced as part of the process. When people eat less carbohydrate, their bodies turn to fat for energy, so it makes sense that more ketones are generated. Some of those ketones (acetoacetate and ß-hydroxybutyrate) are used for energy; the heart muscle and kidneys, for example, prefer ketones to glucose. Most cells, including the brain cells, are able to use ketones for at least part of their energy. But there is one type of ketone molecule, called acetone, that cannot be used and is excreted as waste, mostly in the urine and breath. The description of the smell varies, but it is often described as "fruity" or like the smell of apples which are "past their prime" (or even downright rotten). The good news is that keto-breath usually doesn't last forever. Most people find it dies down after a few weeks, or at the most a few months. The reason is unclear, but it seems our bodies adapt in some way. Children on a ketogenic diet for epilepsy have been shown to have less acetone in their breath as time goes on, for example. In the meantime, there are things you can do to minimize the impact of "keto-breath": Drink more water: try 8 glasses per day to see if this helps, and then you can experiment from that point. Natural breath fresheners to try include mint, parsley or other greens, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds. Some people swear by breath capsules, which are usually made from parsley oil (e.g. Mint Assure) for keto-breath. Others find they do not help. sugar-free mints or gum can be tried, but watch the carbs in them. Ammonia Breath from Protein When the body metabolizes protein, ammonia is produced. When people eat high-protein meals, there tends to be increased ammonia in their breath and/or urine. In large amounts, this can smell pretty bad. It's important to remember that we don't need lots and lots of protein in our diets. Our bodies use protein to maintain and build muscles, to make enzymes, and for other structural and chemical needs. The body will convert excess protein to energy, which is where you will get the extra ammonia (this also happens during starvation or long exercise when the body begins to rely on breaking down muscles for energy if it runs out of sources of fats and/or carbohydrates). Find Out How Much Protein Your Body Needs Sometimes people load up on protein because they are afraid to eat more fat. This is one of the reasons why it is rarely a good idea to try to eat a diet that is low in both carbohydrates and fats. The solution to "ammonia breath" for people on a low-carb diet is often to increase fats in the diet, and cut back some on protein foods. Above all, don't let problems with your breath derail you from staying with a diet that is improving your health. Instead, try to figure out the cause of the bad-smelling breath and tackle it. Body Odor There are a number of chemical changes that take place in your body when you're on a low-carb diet, some of which can cause a foul body odor. Ketone bodies have an odd odor to them; they're not unlike fingernail polish remover in their smell. Once you enter ketosis, it's common for others to smell ketone bodies on your breath and in your sweat, which can give you a foul, sickly-sweet odor.