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See you just gave me something to think about! I've heard about the keto diet, but I don't think I really understand it. How do you keep your carbs so low? I try too, but am still doing like 100-150 carbs a day. I feel like I am missing something in the calculations?

I'm sure there are lots of links and resources that can give you a better overview and explanation of how Keto works and I'd suggest consulting your nutritionist first, but it's not really that hard. My typical weekday is a Kirkland Protein Bar for breakfast (4g net carbs), then a hard boiled egg and piece of string cheese mid-morning. Lunch is a spinach salad with low-carb dressing (like a balsamic vinegar), some raw broccoli (also with the dressing), and a chunk of meat. Mid-afternoon is another egg and another string cheese, then dinner is like lunch but with more meat. My weekends, when I have time to cook, are eggs and bacon in the morning, and the rest of the day is similar except I have a little more variety because I need everything pre-packaged for me at work since I don't have access to a kitchen. There are great desserts such as cheesecake made with cream cheese and splenda or cool whip mixed with peanut butter then frozen. And sometimes if I want something else in place of the egg and cheese I'll have a protein shake like I mentioned in my initial reply. Plus, because the concern is only with net carbs, I found a baking mix like Bisquick called Carb Quick that's almost all fiber. It doesn't taste great in everything, but it satisfies some of the bread craving. I find I don't miss rice or potatoes all that much since I still eat enough to feel full most of the time. You need need to be careful about hidden carbs in things like pasta sauce which may have added sugars. I also found a Weight Watchers "pasta-like" substance that is almost a substitute for the real thing. I don't get obsessive with counting every last gram of carbs, I just know I'm keeping it under 20 a day at worst. One of my problems is that I've been eating so much lean meat that except for eggs and cheese, I'm not getting many calories from fat, they're almost exclusively from protein. That may not be so great either so I'm fortunate my appointment with the nutritionist is tomorrow afternoon and I'll see what she says about that.

@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.

A friend of mine wrote this but I thought it might shed light on why some people stall when they eat things with artificial sweeteners, particularly the 'low carb' diet bars (e.g. Atkins & south Beach). You can also add Maltodextrin (found in powdered splenda - packet or bulk) to this. From what I read so far, glycerin is metabolised only when your liver glycogen is depleted, or in other words you are in keto. At what rate and at what GI I am unsure. Now in regards to maltitol. It is a scam. Maltitol is metabolised at 75% and provides 3 calories per gram as compared to sucrose which is metabolised at 100% and provides 4 calories per gram. Sure Maltitol metabolises "slower" than sugar, so it dosn't spike you insulin as much as sugar does at the same time but there are 2 aspects to consider: LC in terms of Ketosis: Brain needs 100g of glucose a day (25g after adaptation) regardless of insulin responses. If your brain gets that glucose from the 75% metabolisation of maltitol, then your ketone production can be halted, as well as all lypolisis that generally is caused by ketosis. LC in terms of Insulin Management: Regardless of whether you are in keto or not, insulin triggers are what store dietary fat, and keep it locked away in your fat cells. Even if Maltitol has lower GI value of 36 - 53 (depending on form) it is still not that much different that table sugar (sucrose) with a GI value of 60 - 65. .

I'm at a loss if you have tried both calorie ranges and hit your macros consistently with no different results. I understand the frustration. What has been you average calories for Jan 26th to feb 1st ? Your gaining and losing the same 4 pounds for 6 months, sounds like you are consistently eating your maintaining calories. Goto you average calories tab. Can you post it like your chart above ? Your chart says you average more fats than protein are you doing keto? Either do keto or low carb consistently.

I can only share my experience. This is what works for me. I am just over 8 months out. I CANNOT EAT OVER 1000 calories on the reg and lose weight. I can maintain at 1050-1100. Anything more and I gain. I'm at 126 lbs. My original goal was 150. Crushed it. My surgeon said I was perfect at 135lbs. Good for him. I WANT to continue to weigh 125-127lbs. But, to maintain this weight, it takes constant vigilance and work. It's a drag sometimes. Isn't everything?! For me that means I have to eat high protein and super low carb. I have to be very strict almost all the darn time. Like, under 55 carbs a day. And, those carbs have to come from good foods. I enjoy Friday Funday every week with my husband now that I'm at my happy spot. Here's what that looks like; the toppings from two small slices of supreme pizza. One small bite of thick crust, (my only bread, ever), a 2oz cup of trail mix (the kind with dried fruit AND M&M's) and 1 tiny handful of popcorn. This is over 2-3 hours. I also have a double Tito's screwdriver--light on the OJ/heavy on the ice--long before I eat anything. Add to this a protein shake and a Keto Coffee with Chocolate Greens throughout the rest of the day and you have summed up my wild and crazy eating adventure day! I usually gain 1/2-1 full pound. Then I have to lose it! You can imagine the rest of the week. That's how I maintain my ideal weight. If I feel like losing a pound, I cut a few carbs. If I feel too slim, I add some. I never worry about fat...never buy/eat low fat products because they have added sodium and sugar. Good fats are good fats. I don't cook with salt, eat fast food (except a few bites of Wendy's chili every now and then). I keep my bag primed with protein bars. And I don't put junk in me because I didn't come this far to fail my body after the amazing response it's given me with this fab tool. But, it's not for everyone. I have a butt ton of support from my husband. I am retired and control my environment. I have a "piss off you psychos" attitude that makes me hard to corrupt when I'm out with girlfriends who are trying to get me to drink or eat crap. To most people it sounds like my food situation sucks. To me, I finally feel like food isn't controlling my life. I don't live for it anymore. It's just a survival mechanism. It's not a pleasure or a comfort. It just keeps me alive and healthy. Then on Fridays? I add a little sparkle! (It's always enough.).

This is only hypothetical right now. I would plan on getting between 20-30g of net carbs per day. They will obviously fluctuate. I know that I can steadily maintain at that level pre-op (cals around 1200-1500). So I'm gonna cross my fingers that by reducing my calories/fats to the level that I'm between 600-800cals/day and protein around 74g daily, carbs between 20g-30g net with a goal of 20g of fiber per day, that I will be able to lose weight...but it's very theoretical right now. I plan on getting my fiber from benefiber, greens blended into protein smoothies, nuts/seeds, a tiny bit from berries maybe even an occasional ounce or two of GS apple with peel blended into my protein smoothie. But this might be pie-in-the-sky planning. I know a lot of ketoneers and low carbers don't place much stock in fiber, but being post-meno 53+ female, I found by trial and error that my keto lifestyle/weight loss did better with slightly lower fat, and slightly higher fiber/leafy greens. Think it may be tied to thyroid function, the lower I went on carbs, the slower my thyroid became.

I never drove a car. Never. Ever in my life. Not for 18 years. And then there was the day when I drove a car for the first time. I never stented a carotid artery. Never. Ever in my life. Not for 41 years. And then there was the day when I did it for the first time. So the answer to your question is: If you never learnt good food habits in the fist place - learn to have them now! This is not about magic! This is about learning new skills by practicing them! Practicing them over and over and over and OVER again, until they feel like second nature to your brain. Honestly? Some people have to learn the hard way that this particular way didn't work for them. You can provide help/guidance along the way but in the end people choose their own way and that is not always the way that works out fine. Some people need a second chance because they messed up first. If these people are honest with themselves they should realize that they made mistakes along the way and now they have a chance to do it in another way. If they choose to make the same mistakes... well, not everyone will be successful. In the end it's just as simple as that. What rubs me the wrong way is that so many people seem to come back with a regain after they were quite successful and are on their way to make the same mistakes again, fueled by the "advice" to "go back to basics" and to "try harder". And because they were so successfully losing once they try to do the same thing they did back then - not realizing that they're making the same mistakes by going back to these same old strategies that didn't work in the first place for them. You're gung-ho about it, you eat low carb/lowfat/keto/lowcalorie/whateverrocksyourboat, you go to the gym five times a week, you follow all these fancy rules, you do this, you do that and more and then... something happens, whatever that something might be for this person and BOOM - things go down the drain. And what are you going to do then? Trying again to live a lifestyle that's obviously not going to make you happy? Or are you taking a leap of faith and try something different?

If you're only eating 6 or 700 calories a day and almost all of that is coming from protein, it sounds like you're not eating enough calories to support a healthy nutritional balance. You're also eating so much protein that you're excluding important micronutrients. I am a big believer in going ultra-low carb (love Keto), but to cut out carbs AND fat is definitely going catch up with you. You can live without carbs (except for fiber, which we really need a lot of), but fats and protein are both essential. Protein is very important--particularly in the month or two after surgery when you're recovering since amino acids are required for tissue growth, neurological repair and growth, hair growth etc. However, you can't really live long term on protein alone. First off, your body will convert protein to glycogen to compensate for the reduction in available glucose that you might ordinarily get from carbs. Protein molecules can be converted to glucose by your liver in a process called glyconeogenesis. It's an inefficient way to create glucose--which is a good thing in most instances since it means that your body consumes about three time the amount of energy to create glucose from protein than it does from carbohydrates. However, this process also creates a lot of unpleasant by-products and waste that needs to be processed by your liver and kidneys. If this is your primary/only source of energy for a long enough period of time, your going to risk liver and kindney damage and possibly failure. This is one of the things your Surgeon is checking for when they do your blood work every three months (it shows up in your creatine, thiamine and protein level reports). This will tell him or her if you're eating to little or too much protein. Second, you need to have fats in your diet. I am not talking about cheese burgers and bacon. We can all live without that crap. However, healthy fats are very important for neurological function, heart health, liver function and hormone production etc. You need to also be eating the right kinds of fats from things like avocado, fatty fish oil (wild caught sockeye salmon), extra virgin olive oil, ghee etc, nuts (pecans, macadamia, brazil nuts--all great). These are all great sources of omega-6 fatty acids, which are also very important for your immune function and will help you suppress free radicals and mutations that can cause cancer and other health issues. Third, even though I am a Keto evangalist, you do need to some carbs in your diet. Those carbs need to come mostly in the form of fiber along with some nutrient rich foods that will help improve your micronutrient profile. Sure, we can take supplements but most of those pills only mimic the vitamins we would otherwise get through a healthy diet. There not one in the same. That said, 20 net grams of carbs is more than enough to live on---but your total carbs (including fiber and sugar alcohols does not require any limitation). Depending your choices though, you can certainly have more than 20 net grams of carbs and still be very healthy and lose lots of weight. You just have to monitor your calories a little more carefully. Finally, even with your tiny tummy, you can easily get your calorie (nutrient) consumption up to 1000 to 1200 a day if you add in fats. A small handful of brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds or pecans will get you plenty of healthy fat, protein and fiber to fuel you through the day. Sure, these are calorie dense foods, but if you can't eat food in quantity, you should still try to get your calorie consumption up near 1000k a day. It's not going to really change your rate of weight loss significantly (it might slow things a tiny bit), but it will help you prevent regain to get yourself to a point where you can eat a sustainable amount of calories daily. You don't want your body to adapt to 600 calories a day and base your new set point on maintenance at that level. That's not a recipe for long term success.

Which store please? Also a massive cauli fan here - hangover from my keto days when I must have eaten it almost every day in some form. And celeriac (celery root). Makes nice pretend fries baked in the oven with oil, and also very low carb and low calorie. I have never tried cauli as wings - definitely gonna give that a go - thank you for that idea!

When I moved on from the liquid phase I started with Oikos Triple Zero yogurt, farina cereal with almond milk, sweetener & cinnamon. During the soft food stage, I added scrambled eggs. When I moved on to the modified regular diet, I had eggs with other cooking methods, high protein/ low carb bagels with light cream cheese, oatmeal with mashed banana or sweeter & cinnamon. I have also had protein waffles & pancakes with sugar-free syrup. I recently purchased the keto bread from Aldi and had that toasted with egg & cheese for the first time today. I often still start the day with a protein shake, just to make sure I get that protein in. I think I want to start making smoothies with some fruits, veggies, & added protein now that I am getting close to 3 months out. I hope you get some good ideas! It is helpful to hear what others eat!

Ash my low carb diet is the same exact amount of protein as when I was doing my prepping nut diet. 74g. Low carb/keto is only EVER originally intended to be "protein ADEQUATE." If you're upping your protein to more than you need, it's not a good thing. And it means you're not doing low carb/keto correctly.

Whew! Dodged the bullet on that erroneous heart attack thing.. Doc: "Sir, I have good news! You didn't have a heart attack!" You: "What heart attack?" Excellent plan losing as much as you can before surgery.... and keto will get you there!

Welcome to the wide & varied pre & post surgical plans. 🙂 I was put on a keto plan before surgery. My surgeon puts different patients on different pre surgical diets. A friend was on the all shake diet & her friend was on the two shakes & one meal version yet we had the same surgeon. I think he does it based on a number of factors: starting weight, pre existing health status, weight loss/gain history, etc. Maybe your surgeon is the same. I wouldn’t be concerned, just enjoy still having a variety of food choices available to you. All the best with your surgery. PS - Best to avoid fruit juice too as it has a high sugar content. Natural sugars but still sugar & calories. It takes several pieces of fruit to make a glass of juice but you would sit down & eat the sane number of pieces of fruit in one go. Plus it lacks a lot of the essential nutrients a whole piece of fruit does. When you can introduce fruit into your diet again go for whole fruit not juice.

Again ... are people saying Keto, when they mean low carb? @FluffyChix You've generously posted lots of info about your diet on here, pics, recipes, the number of calories you eat. It doesn't look like keto to me. By what you just wrote: 60 g protein = 240 calories 25 g carbs = 100 calories 60% of cals fom fat = 850 calories Total = 1190 calories The math doesn't add up to me, since you've said you keep your calories lower than that?

Hello, I've was sleeved back in May of 2015 and was losing weight but had a stall. I started Keto on 5/30/2018 and have already lost 40 lbs as of today. I love the Keto lifestyle. I would and have recommended this lifestyle to many of my family members and even co-workers. The change in weight has been dramatic and I am always being asked how am I losing the weight. Only draw back is having to buy smaller clothes.

Ok, thank you. Have tried keto. But couldn't keep it off and being a vegan. I always wanted what I couldn't have. How many calories s day? 1500 or 1200? Sent from my SM-G930U using BariatricPal mobile app

@sleeve23may2018 I have a sincere question. Do you think the restrictions of keto/low carb exacerbated your binge eating?

Hello, I was wondering if you have done a little research on eating keto and lowering blood sugars. I really like the Dr. that started Dietdoctor.com. there is great information and videos. To see the videos, you do need to purchase a subscription at 9.00 dollars a month. However, you can do a one month free trial, just put in your phone the date you started, so you can cancel before you are charged. I kept the subscription because I find the videos informative. BTW, you can get the recipes free of charge. He doesn't charge for those. Good luck on your journey. PS. I had to find a Dr. that agreed to this lifestyle . You are eating whole fresh non packaged foods but still some Drs. do not agree. I do drink the bariatric hot chocolate however. It's my sinful pleasure, but low carb. [emoji6] Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

I’ve been drinking lots of water. Also I’m hypothyroid so the nutritionist has me on lower carb but not keto. Do you think resistance would be better than cardio? Just worried about gaining weight due to muscle. Just wondering how to make sure I weight the lightest I can at my weigh ins. What did you do to lose the weight? Thanks so much for your help.

Thanks again. I've had Keto breath before, but it was usually sweet...not like "rotten meat" as my husband described it.... Oh well. Time to up my water intake too.

My nutritionist recommends 40-80g net carb per day at the nutrition class. I think that might be once you're on regular food again. I am very carb sensitive so this is fine with me. I spent months counting calories pre op and lost nothing until I started following the carb guidelines. I've only ever lost weight on keto or atkins so it's not a shock. My surgery is a month away and I've lost 7 pounds this last week from 297 to 290 staying below 50 g of carbs and 1200 calories. I got down from my highest weight of 315 to 265 on low carb but regained back to 297 after spending months on prednisone for rhuematoid arthritis last year

My doctor sent me to a dietician who put me on keto for the two weeks (was actually 2.5 weeks) prior to surgery. But he sent my friend to the hospitals weight loss clinic & she was put on their liquid meal replacement program. Another friend’s surgeon put her on two shakes & one meal (small serve protein & steamed vegetables/undressed salad) per day for four weeks prior. So I guess what I’m saying is every doctor has their own ore surgery requirements, some even have different plans for different patients. You just have to do what they advise. Being more careful about what you eat prior certainly won’t hurt. oh, just noticed this was posted last month. Have you had your surgery and if so how did it go?

Oh man, I'm so jealous of your progress!!! I lost 30 pounds in the first 2 weeks. Then I hit a 2 week stall and have lost much slower after that. In the last 5 weeks, I've lost 13 pounds. I lost weight faster when I did keto, so this has been frustrating. But congrats on your numbers!!!!

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