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I have surgery tomorrow and started working on losing weight with the keto diet in early June. I'm down about 35 lbs. My doctor's preop diet was 3 weeks and very lenient, basically low calorie, low fat. In the first week of sticking closely to that diet including portion sizes, I gained 4 lbs. They told me to go back to keto since it was working for me! Anyway, my liquid diet was just yesterday and today but I'm down 6 lbs this week total. (keto Fri, Sat, Sun; liquid Mon Tues) In my experience with liquid diets in the past, there is in initial big drop the first week then more slowly after that. I think you could reasonably expect some good progress this week. Good luck to you! Such an exciting time for all of us!

Weight loss is a different animal as the years pass. Actually experiencing weight gain, weight holding on, and slow weight loss may be hard for newer people to understand. It's a great that you are posting this topic. Yes, get with your team to get the professional advice and confirm or rule out medical issues. The bariatric plan that once worked may not work for you now. it will be trial and error to find the calories and macros that get your body in weight loss mode. This will be specific to your body physiology. Weight loss at years out is not a one size fits all. It is fine tuning your diet to find where your body loses weight. To find the calories and macros that work: Use your food log. If your body is carb sensitive lower your carbs. If your not losing at a certain calorie levels. Raise/lower the calories. Spread out meals a day. Start with three adjust it to four, five six. How you fuel your body is key. Whole foods, Keto, intermittent fasting, vegetarian diets. It still gets down to your calories and macros on any diet plan.

What’s that? I’m not doing Keto

Is it Keto-breath?

That was one of my Pre-op questions in class the other day and the NP said that as long as you keep up on your protein, and take biotin, you should be lucky and not lose hair. Fortunately I've been on a biotin regimen for about 8 months now when I started Keto for fear of the same thing. Thank you for confirming what your nutritionist said.

Just seconding Sosewsue61's comment: I've been told (by nutrition professionals, if not actual doctors) that hormones get stored in small quantities within our fat, and losing a lot of fat quickly can do a real number on our hormonal systems because they're all released at once. It's a little unpredictable. For me, in my early 30s, on a low-fat keto plan, that looked like some skipped periods, some longer-than-average periods, and a few extra cramps--and I'm ready for that again in my late 30s, after the VSG. I don't know what that would look like for me on menopause, or for anyone else, though. The one reassuring thing I can say is that it's temporary. Your body adjusts. The really rapid weight loss tapers off, and you go back to some kind of homeostasis. (I don't want to say "you go back to normal," because it's generally a new and better normal, right? Like you said, there's less inflammation when you weigh less, and that has positive impacts for every body system.)

I know that there are others on here that will disagree with this statement, but I realize that this is a lifelong journey. It is not a sprint to the finish line and that I will have to change my relationship with food for the rest of my life. That being said surgery helped put ME in control of the food and not the other way around. I still eat crackers from time to time, I also eat sugar from time to time. But it isn't an everyday thing and not in the amounts that I used to consume. I do know that sugar is one of my downfalls so I do watch how much I consume. I also changed my part time job. In essence I was working 240 hrs a month at my main job, and then another 90-120 hours a month at my part time job. That amount of working led to me eating fast food 3-4 meals a day and packing on the pounds like crazy. I still work about 300-320 hours a month but I am prepared and have protein shakes in my book bag, in the refrigerator at both jobs as well as protein bars. Just like with keto meal prep is the key! If you plan ahead and keep something high protein around you then you have passed half the test. If you are doing Keto now then you are well on your way!!

I find that MFP or similar apps keep me on track, I don't and haven't over eaten since I started using the app. My nutritionist requires me to log my meals and honestly I prefer to. I was doing keto prior to pre op and the app helped me discover what foods my body couldn't tolerate and what foods made me balloon up. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I just googled Fairlife, and that might be an option for me. I'll look at soy milk and rice milk, too, but iirc they're a little too high in carbs for me right now. (I've voluntarily started a low-fat ketogenic diet, so that I can reach my doctor's 10% weight loss goal for before my surgery. After the procedure I plan to be a bit more moderate in my approach to things. The irony that I'm more restricted now than I will be a month after surgery has ... not escaped my notice.) They make peanut milk, now, too, which I know literally nothing about, except that it exists. I'll also have a look at that. I vaguely recall coconut milk won't work, but I might be mixing up keto and WeightWatchers in my head? I'll look. I'm only really invested in using up the Quest powders because I have them in my house right now, you know? When I replace them I'll try something else. People seem super into the Syntrax Nectar, so that's a possibility. And I liked Muscle Milk OK in the past. (I liked Premier Protein, too, but my team won't allow it because the first ingredient isn't protein isolate. Other kinds of protein are, in their minds, inferior. Since there are so many options out there, I'm not going to fight with them about this.) Anyway, thanks for the suggestions! And also, I'm with you on avoiding Amazon!

I currently do Keto and it helps but I struggle with maintaining I dont drink Soda at all. I have a friend thats had the surgery and shes been preparing me. I'm ready not to have to think about my weight every day and feel bad for not getting to the gym. i just need the help first thank you for replaying I really appreciate it!

My favorite website ( besides this one) is DietDoctor.com wonderful Keto recipes and educational videos. I think you can search the recipes for free. I love the educational videos, so I pay the $9.00 monthly fee. If you like the site, you can get a free month, binge on the videos, then quit after your free month.

For folks who are on protein-only or protein-and-veggies-only diets for a while before the surgery, you can manage your symptoms with some of the suggestions on this list: https://www.perfectketo.com/keto-flu/ You don't need to take ketone salts (bleh, keto bros can be the worst), and you can't very well add extra fat to your diet, but the other tips--hydrate well, have bone broth (if allowed), and do what you can to replenish electrolytes (even if it's just drinking sugar-free gatorade or putting a pinch of salt into your water) are good ones. It won't fix everything--you're still starving your body (deliberately), and that's always going to be unpleasant. But it'll take care of some of the nastier side effects. Also, if you're allowed fruit juice, this isn't you. You're just hungry. But stay hydrated anyway.

I found a recipe for this on a low carb site and it was delicious I’ll try to post it below. You may it enjoy fresh over a frozen one. It was not hard to make or very time consuming. The only change I made was I didn’t use barbecue sauce I found Raus Homemade Pizza sauce at the store that’s also low carb and used that. The Best Low Carb Chicken Pizza Crust ★★★★★ 4.9 from 8 reviews * Author: Hey Keto Mama * Yield: 4-6 servings ingredients * 1 pound ground chicken thigh (more flavor/fat than ground chicken breast) * 1/2-3/4 cup grated (powdered) Parmesan cheese * 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Mozzarella * 1/4 cup frozen spinach (optional) * Salt, pepper to taste * 1 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional) instructions 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees 2. In large bowl mix ground chicken thigh, cheese and seasoning 3. Thaw spinach and remove excess water with paper towel or cheesecloth, add to mixture 4. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and press chicken mixture into even thin layer 5. Bake for 20 minutes 6. Remove from oven and top with desired toppings ( I used red onion, cilantro, chicken, bacon and sugar free bbq sauce!) 7. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and brown notes If using ground chicken breast, reduce cooking temperature to 375 and reduce cooking time to 15 minutes or until cooked through. Add additional time after toppings until cheese is melted and golden, being careful not to overcook. Once pizza cools a bit, it can be picked up like regular crust If mixture seems too wet, add more grated parmesan. I used freshly ground chicken thigh so there was less moisture. If you’re using a roll of chicken, it could be more wet and need extra cheese Personalize it with your favorite toppings and seasonings in the crust as well Separate into 4-6 and freeze chicken crust (no toppings) individually for quick meal nutrition * Serving Size: 1/4 Pizza * Calories: 193 * Fat: 8 * Carbohydrates: 0 * Protein: 27 Find it online: https://www.heyketomama.com/best-low-carb-chicken-pizza-crust/

To that_prime_mom: What happened with your claim? Did ChampVA approve surgery? My Wife has ChampVA and has been trying to lose weight for 20 years, but has never succeeded- knee surgery, chronic pain... tried weight watchers twice, keto/atkins, many types of diets, but always failed. She has many chronic health issues. But she has never reported to a doc each month with any kind of “supervised plan”. It was more like the doc/docs constantly told her to try to lose weight and made suggestions for what she could do, but something always derailed her attempts— she had her gallbladder removed for gallstones, couldn’t exercise because of bad knees, has to take anxiety/depression meds which CAUSE weight gain, etc. I know my wife can’t succeed on willpower alone; bariatric surgery is her ONLY chance. So, did you convince ChampVA without a huge paper-trail of doc visits? Was it enough to just “write a letter”? I’m praying my wife doesn’t have to spend 6 months trying to diet again, only to fail, and be crushed once more, all while being “medically supervised” by her doc.

I’m telling everyone I’m doing keto.

Do any of you use any cookbooks that are Bariatric friendly, or keto friendly?

Hey everyone. I am 5 days into my preop diet, and quickly becoming sick of everything. I have been making keto recipes for dinner with 1-2 carbs per serving, One protein shake per day (19 g of carbs) and only other carbs are in small amount so cheese or dressing. I was just told no sugar, and low carb. No fat limit. Looks like from reading on here every surgeon is different. I struggle most at work. I am a nurse and tend to get more hungry at work. A couple questions..... What is everyone using for protein shakes? I have been using GNC lean protein shakes (25 g per serv) Were you given a max carb limit? Drop some recipes in a reply you may have had and are yummy:)

I'm only halfway through the six months of visits I need before a request can even be sent to insurance, but I decided I wanted to tell my story so far anyway. I'll update here as things go on. I just want to give a bit of a warning, however. For those of you with triggers, there is talk of mental health and suicide. On with the show, I suppose. I've been heavy since I was a little girl. Big boned, yes, but also more than my fair share of baby fat. But at the time, it was nothing too concerning. "It'll disappear when she gets older," people would tell my parents. If only that were true. By the time I was about 12, that baby fat had turned into even more fat. My mom, who had also gotten heavy after the birth of my younger brother, decided it was time for a change. She and I started Atkins. But that didn't last long. Sure, we both lost a little, but a long stall coupled with cravings made us stop. As a teenage girl, I became a lot more conscious about my weight. I started trying everything. Weight Watchers, counting calories, Atkins again, even starving myself. But nothing worked. I would lose a little, then regain it and more. It was rough being a 200+ lb girl, especially one that ended up gaining three big issues. The first issue was that I became a boredom eater. The second was that I had become a binge eater. This compared with the first was a problem meant when I got bored, I would binge. But there was yet another problem under all of this. I wanted to die. Failures in my weight and other unrelated areas of my life such as school, caused me to spiral into a deep depression. I slept most of the day and had almost no friends. Not even the voice in my head was a friend of mine. Whenever I started a binge, I would hear it. "Yes. Eat, little piggy. You're so fat and ugly, and a failure. You deserve nothing, not even love. No one likes you, so just eat yourself to death." I wanted to commit suicide not by any normal method, but by slowly destroying my body. Eating until I was so big I died of any number of issues. I knew a few people cared about me, my parents and at least one person at school. That was another reason for trying to die slowly. I wanted them to become so disgusted with me, that they wouldn't care if I died. This carried on into my first two years of college. And then I had a psychological breakdown. I won't go into what happened, but I ended up seeing both a psychologist and a psychiatrist. Together we started to work through my issues, silencing the voice in my head, dealing with my depression, treating anxiety, getting me to be a functional part of society. I was seeing an OBGYN during this time as well, and I was diagnosed with PCOS and the insulin resistance that came with it. That seemed to be a lot of the reason why I couldn't lose weight. But what was left for me to try? Another diet? I felt like nothing worked. I tried Nutrisystem, but the food was gross and I was unhappy. But due to the psychological help and a name to what's been plaguing my weight (and the love of my fiancee, who I met after receiving help), I no longer wanted to die. I wanted to live. I wanted to see 30. So two years ago I turned to weight loss surgery. I planned to have the bypass done, but right off the bat, I wasn't too fond of my surgical team. I felt like a number to them. My surgeon I would only see for maybe a minute each appointment if I saw him at all. But still, I stuck with it until my sixth appointment got canceled. It was late December. He had gone on vacation. My PCP, who I had been able to see for some of the check-ins, had a full schedule so I couldn't see her. No one would do the check-in. I had to start all over again. It was at this point that my mom suggested I try Keto. It worked for my Uncle. It was working relatively well for her. I decided why not. The reason why I shouldn't have was because I gained an obsession with numbers. In Keto (at least the way I understood it), the general maximum grams of carbs per day is 20. I felt guilty if I went over 5. In a sense, it worked. I lost about 30 pounds. But at this time, I also started to abuse laxatives because I wanted to keep seeing that number on the scale go down. Still, much like everything else I had tried before, I hit a stall then started to regain. Frustrated, I gave up. I went back to my old ways, figuring that I had screwed my body up too badly to be recovered. Then, three months and a change in insurance ago, I got curious. Would my new insurance cover bariatric surgery? I checked and saw that it would. That day, I made a decision. I would get on the path to surgery again. And this time, I would complete it no matter what. I found a new surgeon with a new group. It's one that actually specializes in obesity medicine. Half of my six appointments are actually with the surgeon, and he explains things in more detail than I got before. The other half is with a nutritionist who is actually knowledgeable about the dietary needs of bariatric patients. I feel like a person, not a number. I feel actually informed. I feel more ready for this surgery. In October, a week after I get married, I will be having my last check-in with my surgeon. Then everything will go to insurance. I'm ready.

You are not alone in the anxiety. I plan on telling people I’m doing keto once I start losing. Just take a second to remember why you’re doing this.

@JessiG I'm having the same issue. So I have a story in mind that I am going to tell my clients and others. Everyone in my life knows I have struggled and am always trying some sort of diet. most every0ne knows I also suffer from joint pain and high blood pressure, etc. I don't lie well and I HATE lying but here is my story: my surgery is August 23 and I'm starting to let people know that after my last summer trip I've decided to join Lindora weight loss center ( it's a place I've done before ) so I know how the program works and I can answer questions. pretty much keto diet, but you have to be accountable everyday by going in and weighing yourself and pee on a stick to see if your body is in Ketois. then you get a "B12" shot ( which I'm not sure that is really what it is) LOL. Preparing my friends up front and letting them know that I'm taking a break from the social events for awhile so I CAN get on track without distractions and if they are my friends and clients they will understand and be supportive. Again, this is my story. whether it works or not... I shall see. Good luck. I'm in the same boat as well.

Hi Lindy, I have actually done that before via a diet called Keto. It’s quite successful and yes, the withdrawals are crazy and the migraines even worse. It is def worth it. So..... I had my bypass on 10 July everyone. It’s the 27th of July and I’m still in hospital. A day after surgery, I had major tummy pain. All obs were done however, nobody picked anything up because everything (blood pressure, ecg, oxygen etc) were normal. So after 3 Medical Emergency Team calls at my bedside, fainting, bed hopping in between ICU and normal wards, it turned out I had leaky gut. So in for surgery I went again. I came out with drains, nose time down to my stomach and loads of everything else into my arm. I have a pick line which all my meds go through and been fed nutrients the same way. If anyone is un familiar with a pick line, it is a mega canula that goes to the main artery above your heart. I have been nil by mouth for 2.5 of the 3 weeks I’ve been here. And guess what. I put 8kg on in a single week of fluid. Then I lost it. And yup. It sure as hell went that I didn’t not lose any weight doing that either. Lol. No food the whole time and i lost nothing. I have to say this though, the reason I didn’t show any signs in the obs was because I was so healthy. Losing weight at this stage is the last thing on my mind. I need to get healthy again to be able to lose weight properly and not be because I am sick. I am more appreciative of carrying that little bit extra because it got me through. Basically, even. The doctors were very concerned. I’ll be here a while still however I appreciate my body so much more than I ever have.

What do you use for a crust keto-style?

My homemade cheesecakes are also QUITE low in sugar as we like them to be nice and tart and just put fresh fruit on top. I think if you're trying to eat lower carbs then there are MANY worse "cheats" than a cheesecake, the higher fat and protein to carb content (assuming it's lower sugar of course) make it a much better option than, say, a piece of chocolate cake. If you guys do want to indulge with a cheesecake dessert, it is one of the EASIEST things to make keto. I don't do sugar alcohols though, so mine will also just be .. not AS bad, haha.

I had lapband surgery in August of 2008. I only ever lost 35 lbs. About two years in, half of my band collapsed and wouldn’t hold fluid at all. In 2015 I went to the doc for a revision to sleeve. My doc would not convert from band to sleeve due to increased leak risk. He recommended bypass and my insurance quickly approved. I didn’t want bypass and didn’t go through with it. I tried keto and lost 50 lbs. I didn’t keep it off and was back up to 285 which was my initial band weight the first of this year. I decided to have bypass this year and had to fight insurance for 5 months which was crazy because I was in the same position I was in in 2015. On July 2nd I had my band removed, bypass and my gallbladder removed. I stayed one night in the hospital and went back to work part time a week later and full time a week after that. I’m due to start any diet I want this weekend. This surgery has been a walk in the park for me. No problems at all and finally no stuck food in my throat! I’ve lost 18 lbs and am excited for what’s to come. Why did I wait so long?! If you are on the fence do it ... your life will be so much better. =)

Ok so I was wrong on the study but I did actually look up the study and the head researcher who works at Hopkins did a great peice on the Keto diet being a good temporary solution for those with epilepsy. Mind you that’s been around since the 1920s but he does recommend the Mediterranean diet