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I see your point. And I agree. UNLESS someone is Keto. Then they advocate something crazy like 65% fat and like 100 grams of protein. No way someone even a couple years post op could even get enough calories for that! My point is don't be too afraid of fat. A lot of times, healthy fat and protein go hand in hand, and you can get more bang for your buck with things like nuts. But I definitely agree it shouldn't be the main percentage of your macros.

Across from the Indiana Jones ride is a BBQ skewer place. You can order by the individual skewer for $3-4 each. It’s about 2.5-3oz of meat, so perfect portions for bariatric people. You can also request it cooked without sauce if you are keto. In Disneyland, just past Splash Mountain there is a food place up the big wooden ramp that has grilled chicken burgers. You can have it without the bun. I think they will let you substitute baby carrots for the fries. There isn’t really a good equivalent in DCA. There I think you are limited to turkey legs or hot dogs or hamburgers without the bun.

Op did you use a keto app or smthg to track? (In a similar boat, 3 yrs post, up 30) Sent from my LG-LS993 using BariatricPal mobile app

I say I had acid reflux surgery & am doing keto Not super inaccurate. They addressed my reflux issues during the surgery and I am eating ketogenic foods.

@Subaru This is only me...but I would be terrified going into surgery without having prepared ahead. Knowing that I've already been through the keto flu months before, knowing that I don't drink pop or caffeine, knowing I'm 99.9% off sugar, knowing I'm already eating a low carb, low sodium, low fat diet and doing just splendidly is reassuring. I have a plan on how to put protein meals together after surgery so that I don't feel overwhelmed. I have a plan for getting my liquids/water in after surgery. I know what schedule will work to get my vitamins in each day and will purchase them soon. That doesn't guarantee a smooth ride. I'm sure there will be a few curve balls to negotiate. Recovery from any surgery is tough and for me, prolonged (3-6months usually). So I'm praying this one will be quicker, but am mentally prepared for 6 months of "not so much fun." And because I've done the pre-work, I took the "overwhelmed" part out of the equation (I hope). But, you know, I'm a What About Bob type of personality. So I have to break things down into baby steps in order to make myself do something or to get through it.

I wouldn't make assumptions.. just because she lost weight and doesn't eat much ..just because you have had it. I lost 50 lbs in three months a year ago by not eating and keto. I lost the same exact amount after wls 50 in 3 months. Sent from my Vivo 5R using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm not telling friends and family just yet. I know my family would argue with me about it: that it's a waste of money, too dangerous, etc., and that I should just do it "naturally." My surgery is scheduled for January 11th; I won't see family until sometime in May or June, so... I'll tell them then. And then they can yell at me all they want. (Family: Mom and Dad) I'll tell my boss and my immediate team members at work - mostly because I'm going back to work just a week after being sleeved and don't want them to think I'm just slacking off. At the moment, most folks, both friends, co-workers and family, know that I'm going to Thailand - I've had a vacation to Thailand booked for three years and finally scheduled it. But I'm too fat to go there right now; I've been dreading the trip and finally canceled it. Instead, I'm taking the time off work to go have the surgery. I don't want to lie to my boss and team members about where I'm going. Once my weight loss starts showing and if folks ask, I'll either tell them that I'm on a permanent "Whole30"-style diet (paleo/keto) or flippantly say something like: "Oh, yeah, I had half my stomach removed," depending upon who is asking. But I'm not openly telling anyone and everyone. Of course, I do have an acquaintance/casual friend who used to be quite heavy and very large. She started dropping weight rapidly and would tell us that she was just sticking to a very strict diet. It was only after about six months of this that, finally, my sister-in-law said to me: "Doesn't she realize that we all know she had some kind of bariatric surgery? I mean, we're not stupid!" hah! Um... till she said that, I totally believed our friend's story that she was dieting/exercising it off. Guess I'm the dummy. lol.

Ok, this is very important!!! Having the certainty that there is an "end" to the suffering is very critical. I'm pre-surg, but have been through really huge reconstruction surgeries on my boobs/back after a double mastectomy. And it hurt so badly, the only way I knew I could do it was because I knew that each day out would/should be better than the one before and that there would come a day when the suckage would be over. We can get through anything for a short time, especially if the reward is great. So I loved the idea someone said about thinking about all the good things coming in your future, as you endure each day and check that day off your list! Right?! Also, I have written this before, but my nephew is a surgeon and told me that any time you go in and mess with the gut (even just touching or moving it), you will deal with post-op transient depression. It releases hormones that jack with your mood cuz it's part of the gut/brain axis. Then too, you're not fully (most of us) keto adapted, so your mood is further affected by having little to no food, you're getting over anesthesia, you're bloated from IV fluids, not sleeping well, and in pain. It's the perfect storm for fatigue, crying jags, and daily naps. Treat yourself gently and with love. Nap when you feel like it. Move slowly. Take it one step at a time and don't forget to breath! ((hugs))

Even with a Duodenal Switch, it still comes down to calories in vs. calories out. DS patients can also out-eat their procedures over time. The DS very well may be a great option, along with dietary education and management. I agree that you need to get those tests Fluffy mentioned. Hormonal imbalances can make metabolisms pitifully slow. While you are checking into your options, start tracking. Weigh every morsel of calorie containing food and drink that you consume. See where you are at. It is possible to overeat on keto diets as well, so for some people, they STILL have to count.

Good morning everyone. I am nearing 6 years post VSG I have never made it to goal. I have many regrets in life but my children are not one of them. My starting weight was 488.5 and I managed to make it down to 350lbs my first year. the second year post op I found out I was pregnant and gained 83lbs. I lost a little weight after pregnancy, but 10 months after having my first child I was pregnant again and gained 15 pounds. and 6 months later was pregnant again but lost that pregnancy. I was dealing with a rough time, 5 months after my miscarriage my second child was diagnose with type 1 diabetes and the weight has just been pouring on from there. I tried keto the past month and gained 10 lbs and now I am adding more activity in my day with a 30 day fitness challenge. I am on day 2 and feeling like wanting to give up. maybe I wasn't meant to be smaller?. I have never known a day where I weighed a normal weight for someone my height or age. ok enough with the pity party, I guess I am just curious to know if there are others like me who have a high BMI and have more than 150lbs to lose? Or a High BMI that has never made it goal and having some regain issues? Sent from my SM-G920V using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi everyone, just wanted to update. I QUIT soda immediately after having some ugly medical results come back. I've been off it for about a month. I also dove in and tried keto, had great results. Now that I feel like I've got a good handle on things, i'm trying to adjust a little bit to more of a low carb (40 a day) vs keto and seem to be doing well. changing my mindset was the key and i'm definitely headed in a good direction!

@PaulaUSN Dr. Westman (low carb doctor at Duke Univ) recommends plenty of water, a cup of bouillon (I use Better Than Bouillon--so good!) and a teaspoon of MOM (for the magnesium) for the keto flu/headaches. You should google him! But you are on the downhill slide of it now!! Congrats! @Luisajfc The sleeplessness is a well-documented side effect of going super low in calories and carbs. You get pumped full of "feel good hormones" and almost a euphoria with tons of energy. It's temporary and is also kinda part of the keto flu. I drink lots of water, then take my calcium, vit d, and MOM before bed. It helps me relax!! Y'all are rockin' it!!

You know, I never even considered Keto flu!!! You may have hit the nail on the head there. I did LCHF for about 8 months a couple years ago (and dropped 45 lbs), and was in ketosis but never had keto flu because I was taking magnesium. I did call the doctor who checks all the meds before surgery, and he said I could take Celebrex, but would still have to stop before surgery. He suggested opioids, but I don't want those. I'll just deal for now. Thanks for your response as well, Suzy. I definitely don't have a fever, just generally achy and whiny. Lol

I have never been more thankful for the 6 month lead up to surgery. In the past, the 6 months always caused me to give up and decide not to proceed with surgery. I was indignant about it and I let it piss me off to the point of raging against the surgery machine for 8 whole years. When I finally reconsidered, it was after my dad died. In the lead up to him dying, I put myself on the "If the people on My 600lb Life can do it, so can I liquid diet" ( not the actual name, but what I actually called it) Before I knew it, I had followed that diet for 3 whole months and at the end thought "Damn...I could be halfway to surgery." So when my dad died, I actually called the surgeon and started the process. I went on modified keto which for me was eating a 1400 calorie keto diet Monday through Friday. On the weekends, I ate what I wanted, but I stuck to 1400 calories. I also started a walking regimen which by the day of surgery I was walking 5-7 miles per day. I really made changes in that 6 months mainly because I wanted post surgery to be as easy as possible. Truth be told there were still many changes to be made post surgery. I stick to the program and I work out 5-6 days a week. I run now about 20 miles per week. I'm totally living my life now. No weight struggles. No complications. Life is about evolving. Every change you make now will have an affect on your future and you never stop changing.

Do you have a history of milk allergies, RA, or other auto immune disease? If it were me, I'd try other vegan protein powders, unsweetened and add your own sweetener. Try to get them as pure and unflavored as possible and see. I suspect you are actually going through keto flu--where your body switches over from burning carbs to burning fat for fuel. It makes your muscles and joints ache just like the flu. It can take 1-3 weeks of pain. But the good news is that you will be doing now, pre-surg rather than after the surgery! Call you doc and tell her about the pain. See if she can prescribe something for you?

I started this journey to WLS in May of this year. I've mostly been low carb since 2000, with periods of utter recidivism. Prior to starting in May, I was on the straight Whataburger Chicken Strips Dinner with Cream Gravy diet. (Um, not recommended...just sayin') I was a total mess and had basically checked out and was in WTD status (WTD=waiting to die). I developed a staff infection in my foot and amazingly it saved my life. I realized I still had fight left in me. I didn't actually want to die yet. But I also knew I could no longer live in this body with its present incarnation. I was in raging pain all the dayum time 24/7, slept very little, hardly moved out of my recliner, and was very isolated. Poor Mr. Fluffy was at his wits end! So when I started this pre-surgery weight loss game, I was deadly serious that things would change. I was going to be very strict and focused. I WAS going to start feeling better, lose weight, or die trying. So yes, I have changed dramatically. I am pretending I'm post WLS with the exception of the quantities. Because I was losing too much weight, my surgeon made me up my calories to 1500cals/day, so I end up eating a crap ton of healthy food to make that number every day. Much more than I would normally eat--6 times a day! But every meal is planned, tracked and logged prior to putting it in my mouth. My food is very KISS right now. NO sugar of any kind. No diet or soft drinks. No caffeine. 3 square low carb meals + 3 snacks eaten on a schedule. No drinking with meals or for 45 minutes after a meal. Eating protein first at every meal. I'm in it to win it now and am fully vested. I've come down from my 287lb weight (regained up from 218lbs over the last 5 years) to 233.4lbs this morning (up 2lbs from WurstFest this weekend). I want to try to adopt as many behaviors as I can now. I want to be prepared and done with carb withdrawals, sugar withdrawals, and caffeine withdrawals now--pre-surgery. Cuz getting over surgery is going to be hard enough without going through the keto flu that you have when you first enter ketosis. If I could recommend only one thing for you--it would be to start from here forward with doing Atkins. It's like a gateway, easy to follow roadmap into a ketogenic or even a low carb lifestyle. Will there be slips along the way? Of course! Nobody's perfect! Will you cheat? Maybe. But doing it now will make things soooo much easier. Slips will have lesser consequences now. But the low carb can help you gain control over your food issues. ((hugs)) and sorry you are struggling right now!!!

I like to see everyone getting a minimum of 700 calories after the first month or so. That would be 80g protein, 33g fat, 20g net carbs. This still results in ketosis, but provides the minimum fatty and amino acids required. (I set protein a bit higher to offset the low carbs and fat. More calories (1000) allows less protein.. but never drop below 60g protein). A true ketogenic diet provides a lot more fat and calories than 700. Personally I was over 800 at 4 weeks, and 1000 at 8 weeks (non-keto), but some people can't lose well on a thousand. 700-800 is a sweet spot for maximal losses while still hitting nutrient goals.

I think what y'all have in common is SEVERE caloric restriction. Both of you are experiencing no scale losses, but your clothes ARE getting looser, so fat IS melting off. I think the super low caloric intake makes you hold onto water extra long. But, we don't care about water, we care about shrinking. So, keep to your plans, and don't worry about the scale. If you really want the scale to move, a day or two of eating extra will help you release the extra water if it's bothering you so much. Just take care that a day or two of extra calories doesn't turn into a week or two. (I'm not keto, so I use sweet potatoes to boost calories.. if you are trying to stay in ketosis, use nuts).

Have you tried keep low carb/low calorie sweets on you? I try to keep something on me, so if I get tempted I have a better option. Lily's chocolate, protein bar, protein brownie, keto cookie, something. Long term I think it is better to have replacements than just try to flat out deprive yourself. At least it is working for me

Another person posted about this...google Keto Flu, since the pre op diet is low carb/Keto, the symptoms are quite similar to the common flu, which would explain the joint or body pains you’re experiencing.

I'm 10 wks out from LB to sleeve and I wonder same thing. I feel Like I can eat too much. Not all the time but a couple of times I got hiccups and 2 other times I got a tummy ache. I do not count calories. I try and focus on my protein and fluid Intake. I am trying to do a ketogenic (Keto) diet, which I discussed with my nutritionist.

Here’s a link with some info: https://www.tasteaholics.com/keto-diet/what-is-keto-flu-how-to-help/

Here’s a link with some info: https://www.tasteaholics.com/keto-diet/what-is-keto-flu-how-to-help/

It could be Keto Flu, I haven’t done the sleeve yet but from what I’ve read, the Pre Op diet is low carb. As a result, Keto Flu can happen which mimics Flu like symptoms, which is also a characteristic for us Fibromyalgia sufferers ☹️

I'm down 36lbs since my August 8th surgery. I was stalled for a VERY long time. I started a very strict Bariatric Keto diet plan this past week and I've lost 5lbs in the last 4 days. No more than 20g of carb, moderate fat and protein. Hw: 315 SW: 248 CW: 212 GW: 150