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When you eat keto (basically high protein, good fats, no carb) your body enters ketosis. Eating carbs will stop ketosis. Your body will retain water again until you re-enter ketosis. That can take a week. One cheat can stall you a week or cause water gain. If you plan a cheat, ditch the scale. For at least 2 weeks.

A quick google search will tell you everything you need to know about this type of diet. It's very similar to what most bariatric surgeons recommend after surgery. Atkins is considered a keto diet. It doesn't automatically equal high fat. The basics of it are meat, dairy and vegetables.

I did keto before too but this is like extreme restriction, lol. I think it's just knowing that I can't eat that's the hard part. 2-6 pm is my tough time. The kids are home from school, they want a snack, then I have to get dinner ready. I'm gonna serve my family and then find something to do. Im hoping each day gets easier.

Actually if you are completely keto-adapted you have no need of carbs. Reference the Inuits who eat nothing but protein and fat year-round (in their native environment before McDonalds marched in probably) - there was even a doctor who lived with them 11 years eating what they ate and was completely normal. You mention protein to repair the muscles - yes, protein is needed, and fat is needed for fuel. There is no need for glucose if you consume adequate fat. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Performance/dp/0983490716/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434031729&sr=8-2&keywords=phinney+and+volek The authors of the above book say "low carb" rather than "no carb" b/c in our world, realistically we aren't going to avoid every single carb. If you avoid ALL processed foods, and potatoes, corn and peas, you can probably eat most of the other fruit and vegetable carbs on a limited basis. However, I suspect the OP is actually just having the typical 3 week post-op stall. She doesn't say when her surgery was, but the amount of weight loss makes me suspect that. Also if she is fairly early post-op and eating even small amounts of crackers and bread, she's probably not getting all her protein in.

Interesting... gotta go google a keto-stick. hope you find some good info.

Hi Sleevers- We see many posts regarding weight loss stalls here. I am curious to know if most of you who have experienced or are experiencing a stall, believe that this is just a response of your body or do you believe it relates to changes in the food you are eating. Having been on the Atkins diet for many occasions in my life, and having loved it, the best part of the diet was to use Keto-sticks as a measurement device each day to know if your body is in a state of ketosis, which means you should be losing weight. Since the primary diet for weight loss surgery patients is essentially the same Atkins diet (high-protein, low-carb) our experience should be very similar to being on the core Atkins diet. My question to those of you who have problems with weight loss stalls, is if you are using the Keto-sticks to prove that your body is still in a state of ketosis. Alternatively, do the Keto-sticks show that your body is not in a state of ketosis? My interest is to find out if those of you experiencing weight-loss stalls, is your body still in ketosis, and the weight loss has paused? Or, is the situation that your carb count has risen, and your body is not in ketosis, and that perhaps is the reason for the stall? If you have experienced a weight-loss stall, and have been using the Keto-sticks, please respond here and let us know the situation. Is it your body, or is it what you're eating? -RC-

Oh...yeah the fat is kinda "out". Not a good idea. I googled the Keto diet, and while you will go through ketosis (drink lots of Water to help your liver!!) you don't eat the fat. Once you are out a ways, you can add some fat to your diet though. I will use a little real butter, or I use real mayo in my chicken salad. Stuff like that. I don't do fat free anymore.

Is anyone familiar with the Keto diet? Is it good or bad for bariatric sleeve surgery?

Mine expired around 6 months. I maintain around my current weight, with very little thought, ever since then. I'm happy to be 90# smaller, but I still technically have 85# to go. I've tried rebooting, starving, calorie zig-zagging, carb loading, Keto diet, and I also workout 6-7 days a week (10-ish workouts/week), but to no avail. I've just given up & accepted that this is what I am.

I'm new here, too, and haven't seen my nutritionist yet, either, but he suggested, preop, I go low carb high protein. A ketogenic diet. He also said I could use Atkins, but he thinks thats dangerous long term and that keto is more sustainable and closer to how I'll have to eat afterwards, anyway. I wish I could help you more.

Making sure you get enough water and magnesium helps with keto stink. Epsom salt baths or foot soaks are a relaxing way to get extra magnesium in.

I am so glad to hear that the band has helped so much in your journeys! To be honest, I don't know how much Fluid I have in my band at this point, though I don't think it's too much. The doctor I saw today pretty much told me that he will no longer perform lap-band surgery due to the failure rate. I just have a difficult time understanding/believing that completely emptying the band/having it removed will make me regain 140+ lbs, when I lost nearly 50 by lifestyle changes. I eat calorie-dense foods that are high in fat. I'm pretty sure I ate many more calories when doing a less restrictive low carb diet and still lost before hitting a pleateau around between 160-170. I wouldn't be surprised if I ate 1600+ calories at that time while losing and maintaining. Mind you, I was likely averaging that many calories with the band, not without. I learned that what you fuel your body with is more important that calories in/calories out. Low carb/keto just works for me and has helped in so many ways. I currently average 1200 calories daily and have been slowly/steadily losing at that amount. I tend not to over eat a lot, though I have my days sometimes. The reason for the current calorie restriction is so I can lose those last stubborn 5-10 pounds. I don't know if many banders track their calories, though I know when I was first banded, I was lucky if I even ate 800 calories daily. How many calories do you all average daily? Do any of you keep track? This is why I am having a hard time understanding how just the act of removing the band will cause my body to go crazy, cause me to go back to my old eating habits, and regain it all back. This is essentially what my doctor told me would happen, though I eat a lot more than I did when I was first banded and have lost and maintained since.

Hello all! I found this forum after doing some research and would like to get your input! I currently still have my band, though have had issues with it for many years. I was banded over 9 years ago. Several years back, my doctor over tightened my band to where I had horrible heartburn/reflux and could hardly eat. He took a good amount of Fluid out after an EGD and I haven't had it tightened since. I ended up re-gaining nearly 30lbs, though regained control of my weight. I am finally down to 142 (and still losing!) by going low carb and losing the remainder eating a keto adapted diet. I still have bad reflux and am living on Prilosec, so my primary referred me to another bariatric doctor. At the moment, he seems to be convinced that my pouch is dialated versus having a hiatal hernia. I'm going to have an upper GI done this weekend to be sure of what is going on. If that is the case, he will completely empty my band. While he was nice and seemed knowledgable, he also gave me a grim outlook on what would happen if (or when) we eventually remove the band. He states that all patients regain weight back to their start weight prior to surgery, no matter how determined they are or how drastically they changed their lifestyle. He also seems to be convinced that removing fluid from my band will cause me to gain weight. He mentioned something about hormones and such; while I know fat cells have awesome memory, it makes no sense to me that removing fluid, or the entire band for that matter, would cause me to re-gain weight if my lifestyle remains the same. I have been living grain/sugar free nearly 5 years and have no plans on returning to my old lifestyle. Sorry for being long-winded! Has anyone been in this situation? Has anyone here maintained weight loss or lost weight after having their band removed (without any additional bariatirc procedures)? I would love any input!

I need to get back into ketosis bad. Where can I find some ready made keto diets? 7, 14, or 30 charts/ lists.

Hello: I am not sure if I am putting this in the right place. I am having a problem with my liquid diet. My Surgical Coordinator put me on a liquid diet consisting of either 3 Premier Protein drinks or 4 100% whey Protein/Skim Milk Drinks and two servings of raw vegetables per day. I am 61 years old, and have Type 2 Diabetes, amongst other health problems. I started the diet right away. In the first four or five days, I lost 11 pounds. It was physically very hard on me. I was not hungry, but my energy was seriously diminished. I wrote to her about the situation, also telling her that while I usually love veggies, I could not stand them as they tasted like metal. She wrote me back, asking a few questions, and never got back to me after that. Meanwhile, I became weaker and weaker until I was totally unable to function. Luckily, I had an appointment with my regular health care person, who suspected immediately that my potassium levels had dropped. She put me on potassium immediately and explained that the keto-acidosis can cause Potassium levels to drop. I'm feeling much better now, and still on the same liquid diet. But I am having a serious confidence problem with the Surgical Coordinator, who will be my main contact after the surgery. Since I've been on the journey for a year, and am very close to the surgery, I just don't know what to think. I have confidence in the surgeon, but the Surgical Coordinator is an important player in my journey. Thanks.

Not only can you do it post surgery, I actually highly recommend it! The caveat is that you do need to really focus on Protein immediately post surgery because your body needs it to heal. If you research low carb / high fat diets, you will find the Ketogenic diet, which has been around for a long time used in medical treatments-- not specifically for weight loss. There's a lot of current research suggesting that not only can it help with weight loss/ maintenance, it also is promising as a cancer treatment, Alzheimer's deterrent, and to manage symptoms of ALS and MS . It was originally created to treat children with epilepsy who weren't responding to medications. So, it's a medically sound diet. I know, sounds too good to be true, right? I'm not making this up! Low carb/ moderate protein/ high fat is actually how you go into ketosis. I lost 106 lbs in the first 8 months or so after surgery, then I stalled until a month ago when I started tracking my net carbs. I have lost 10 lbs in the last month. I'm in the gym 6 days a week, strength training, and running. Because I know what you mean when you say you want to be healthy and strong! I am excited to say that I am truly becoming healthy and strong!!! We grew up being told that fat is the enemy and the food pyramid we were given said we should have 6 servings of grains a day.....and now we are beginning to see this is wrong, and carbs should be limited! Of course we are going to think "ewww!" when we hear "high fat" but this is referring to the good fats -- the nuts, the avocado, the olive oil. I started doing it to get myself to goal, but the more I research it the more I see the additional health benefits. Here's some suggested reading: http://authoritynutrition.com/10-benefits-of-low-carb-ketogenic-diets/ http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/ and, my favorite: http://www.ruled.me/guide-keto-diet/ This plan is really working for me. Please discuss it all with your nutritionist (aka your NUT) and figure out what your best approach will be.

(continued) Weight maintenance: YES, YOU CAN GAIN WEIGHT AFTER THE VSG! BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO! About two years out, I noticed that I could no longer truly eat anything I want at every single meal even if I did work out quite intensely. Mind you, we are talking eating out constantly, Desserts, etc. I also became more performance-oriented, so I started to think more about fueling my body for exercise. Recently, I had a severe back injury that left me unable to exercise at all except walking for 9 months. I was also having major sleep issues due to pain and work stress and was away from my husband and very socially isolated and unhappy for a variety of work-related reasons. I love to cook and was certainly amusing myself by cooking lots. Normally, my husband would inhale most of my creations, but now I found myself eating less healthy and in greater quantities. Together with hardly any activity, this led to a weight gain of about 13 lbs in 9 months. Not the end of the world, but I was certainly worried! Thankfully, I buckled up and once I was cleared to start exercising, I restarted couch-to-5K and then signed up for a 10K race. I lost the 13 lbs in about 2-3 months with only minor diet changes - basically, eating less crap and more fruits and vegetables. I still ate some sort of treat almost every day. I didn't follow any specific diet plan like low-carb or keto, although I do try to limit my carb intake that doesn't come from fruits and vegetables. I am now closely monitoring my diet as I want to get as ripped as possible since I have lipo coming up and will be away from the gym again for at least 4, potentially 6 weeks. I eat whatever I want within reason, but I count my macronutrients, so every day I eat a certain amount of Protein, carbs, and fat. I eat a fairly high-protein diet - 120-150 grams. I have had no problem losing fat on this plan while eating 2500-3000 calories a day depending on my exercise level. SO YES, YOU CAN GAIN WEIGHT - BUT YOU CAN ALSO LOSE IT, AND YOU WILL ALWAYS REMAIN IN CONTROL! DON'T LET YOURSELF GO TOO MUCH! IT'S NOT HARD TO LOSE 5-10 LBS, BUT 25+ IS A PAIN! LAST BUT NOT LEAST: PHOTOS All these photos were taken within the last week. These are my pre-op photos:

Originally posted on 3/30/2014 Link to original post http://www.bigfatloserblog.com/2014/03/back-to-drawing-board.html So, a big blow to the morale! Back in January I got call from Michael at AR Rehab congratulating me for being approved for the Gastric Sleeve through a state program that would pay for my surgery. This came after 2 years of work. Doctors appts, food journals, sleep studies, psych evals, and much much more. He explained that funds would be available in March, and that I should call him back then to discuss it further. I waited until about the middle of the month to call him, and tried for over a week. He was either out of the office "temporarily" or on the other line, or a myriad of other excuses. Finally last week I received a call back from him and he left me this voicemail. (The name was distorted on purpose) I was left scratching my head after this voicemail, because it was pretty unclear. "Is he saying that they aren't going to pay for it?" I was unhappy with the voicemail, and so I called him up. I could tell by his tone he was immediately on the defense. I asked him to elaborate what the VM meant. Michael: "You listened to it didn't you? I said everything in the voicemail" Me: "Well, yea, but what does it mean that you are re-evaluating spending? Are you saying you are cutting the program." Michael: "Look Ronnie, I could have just told you no back in January, but I went to bat for you. You are being ungrateful" Me: "No Sir, I was very grateful when you told me I was approved. I told my entire family, I blogged it, and I have been expecting this surgery ever since. I would have rather you told me no in January than to congratulate me on something that wasn't a done deal." Michael: "I feel like you are being rude." Me: "I feel like you lied to me, and my whole family." Michael: "I can see that this conversation isn't going anywhere, so I am going to let you go and get back to work." That was all she wrote. I stared at my phone for a minute. I literally felt like I was punched in the gut. My next call was to Blue Cross Blue Shield. I would have to be out of pocket 4 Grand, but I was confident that I would have support to help me get the surgery. I explained that I had a packet put together already with everything they would need to approve me. Doctor's notes, medical records, (about 60 pages of information). The rep said that they would not be able to accept that from me, but instead would have to receive it from each perspective doctor. I explained that it took over 2 years and thousands of dollars to gather this information and I can't afford to go back to the doctors and get the same paperwork I already had. They insisted.... So here I am, back at square one. 400 lbs, and no closer to surgery than I was 2 years ago. So unless I squat and lay a dozen golden eggs, and shell up $16k, I'm starting over. However, I am not going to be stagnant while waiting for this to come together (if it ever does) The fact is, ever since I learned I was getting the surgery I have let myself go. Red Bulls, fast food, alcohol. All because I thought, what the hell, I'm getting the surgery in 2 months anyhow. NOPE NOPE AND NOPE. I immediately regret that. Starting tomorrow, I am going to give the Keto Diet a shot. A real shot. It is a little controversial and defies common knowledge of how diets work, but I have seen a lot of success stories revolving around this diet. And, it's gaining popularity among medical community. However, it is expensive. Let face it. Meat, Cheese, and fresh veggies are high. My health is more important though and I need to make sacrifices elsewhere so I can afford it.

@Erin414: by tomorrow or the next day you'll be fine. Your body is basically in withdrawal from carbs. After about 72 hours of this, your body starts burning fat for fuel. Once that happens, you will lose the feeling of physical hunger, the headaches, and the crankiness. Low carb dieters refer to those first few days as the "keto-flu" this is because once your body has fully switched over to fat burning, you will be producing ketones. You might notice a faint fruity odor to your breath, (and/or urine). Once you get there, you'll feel fine. It's just the first few days that are awful.

http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/ This website has helped me lose weight. Check it out.

Fat is not the problem, your body (especially your brain) required fat. Sugar is the problem, in any form. As a matter of fact, a lot of people who suffer from seizure disorders are placed on a high fat, mid Protein, extreme low carb diet and they either have remission of seizure or a remarkable decrease. Fat was demonized in the early 90's with the low fat diet craze which was a complete failure for so many of us. I would gather to say that the fat in the Atkins shake is very acceptable. What are the calories of the shake? What is the sweetener in the shake? I think those would be the more important issues. If you are tolerating the Atkins shake with it's high protein, I say good for you and keep up the good work! Believe it or not you can drop a lot of pounds on a high fat, mid protein, extreme low carb diet. Problem is it's boring and hard to keep up. I lost 24 lbs in about three weeks on one, then lost all control to carbs as I missed them and was bored. Gained every bit back and then some. (reference Keto Diet)

I too am a bandster. I would really like to see my first short term goal of 25 lbs down by the end of March...which is another 6 lbs away. I don't think thats too much to ask for. Yes I weigh and measure but I dont trust measuring as an accurate way since you can never measure EXACTLY the same place you did before. I have always been dependant on the numbers because when I lose it seems to show, for some people it doesnt. We will see how it goes when I start exercising though. My opinion may change. As of now, I just did a keto-stick and I am on the borderline of moderate and heavy ketosis...woohoooooo!! To me that is exciting to see! Now I know I am burning fat and not muscle : ) hoping to see those 6 lbs melt off! I have always wanted to stick to low-carb for longer but felt so darn hungry. Now with the band I dont have to worry about the hunger : ) awesome!

I'm on day 5 too, (only one more day as Friday I start my Clear Liquids for my 3-day final prep for surgery on Monday). I've been drinking the Premier Protein shakes for Breakfast, lunch, and a mid-day snack. I'm lucky in that I get to have a lean meat with a salad for dinner each night though, but that doesn't really help much during the day, haha. I've drank an extra shake on the days it's tough, as well as trying to make sure I get lots of Water in. The only downside I've experienced is that I may be getting "keto breath", though I thought that took longer than just 5 days. Nasty yucky after-taste and odor than I can 'feel' on my breath. Semi-related - Post-Op, do you keep the 'keto breath', since you're still pretty much still on an all protein diet? If so, I foresee needing to buy some mouthwash to carry around with me.

You will get lots of advice and support, I know! At first blush, it sounds to me like you need to drink another shake a day and then FLOOD yourself with Water. Supposedly the body gets stubborn and holds on to weight if you starve it AND burned fat supposedly needs a lot of water to get carried out of your system. GOOD LUCK!!! I seriously bet your body is about to release some weight . Edited to say: You may want to pick up some Keto-stix (ketosis test strips) at Walmart or wherever (diabetic section) so you can make sure you are in/ stay in ketosis since I know that's what really gets the glycogen stores out of your liver.