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PROGRESS UPDATE I had my gastric sleeve surgery on December 18th, 2023. I was nervous going into the procedure as I had never had any surgical procedures before, but it went relatively smooth. I was in a lot of pain while in recovery, to the point where the team had to push oxy and fentanyl simultaneously to help with the pain. Once the team was able to help me manage the pain I was in pretty good shape. It has certainly been an adjustment but it wasn't as daunting as I was expecting it to be. Its been about 2.5 months since the surgery and I've lost almost 60 pounds; I weighed in on at the hospital at 366 and yesterday weighed in at 308. My highest weight was 475lbs so all-in-all I've lost 167lbs utilizing diet, exercise and the sleeve. I found it fairly easy to comply with the post-op diet and have moved on to solid foods. I'm not hungry often but I make sure to eat at mealtimes to continue meeting my goals. I consume, on average, between 80g and 100g of protein a day and consume less than 900 calories a day. I don't consume very many carbs as a) they tend to contain more sugars and b) they tend to make me not feel very good. I do still have a bit of a sweet tooth but that has been easy to manage with the occasional chocolate chip. I've also completely kicked sugar and have switched to monk fruit sweetener with erythritol. I also dabble with keto recipes, mainly deserts as I find that some "entree" recipes contain way too much fat for my liking. My family, friends, and coworkers notice the weight loss more than I do. I'll see it a little bit here and there but not to the extent that others do. I still see myself as that 475lb guy that struggles with his weight and his health. I know that it isn't true, but that is still how I view myself. My clothes are fitting me much looser and I think I see some weight loss in my face and neck. I still have a lot of excess fat and tissue around my midsection and especially the "love handle" region. I definitely suffer from body dysmorphia as I only ever see the overweight me. My overall goal weight is 250lbs, which is only 58 pounds away which sounds crazy. That said, I would throw a party if I reach 225lbs as that is my "best case scenario" goal. I genuinely believe I will achieve both goals but there's always that part of me that doubts it. This has been the best decision I've ever made for my health and I wish I had made this choice earlier.

The Week 3 stall is real! I stalled and gained 6lbs back between weeks 3 and 5, and just now lost it back in the last week. I've had several people tell me weeks 3-6 will generally have a stall and a slight regain due to your body panicking over the rapid weight loss, and readjusting its baseline, so it is part of the process. I've also been told a second stall/regain will occur around the 3-month mark, and last up to 4 weeks, so prepare yourself for that. I'm bracing for that coming up soon. Keep in mind the weight loss won't be like a straight line, more like stair steps with the occasional bump back up before dropping again. Just stick to the diet, and switch to weighting weekly to prevent obsessing over it (like I did haha). Also, several months from now, as you approach your goal weight, remember that gaining muscle through exercise will make the number on the scale go up, but that's a good thing. Muscle weights 1.5x as much as fat, so as you gain it, you will continue burning off fat, which is the "bad weight". About 1 year out, you won't worry as much about the scale, and will celebrate the wins in smaller clothing sizes, more energy, and better endurance/stamina! Regarding the caloric intake, my surgeon and team recommended I keep aiming for 800-1000 calories per day, but I am a 6'1" male, so my base caloric rate may be higher than yours. I would check back with your doctor or nutritionist to be sure, but I think 1200 is closer to the target after 1 year. Also prioritize water and protein first, followed by unsaturated fats, then try for any carbs/sweets/starches/breads and saturated fats last. My plan has me targeting less than 50g of carbohydrates per day, not low enough for keto, but enough to keep the sugar cravings and fat retention down. You may need to check your macros as well. Best of luck to you on your journey!

I've never heard of this but I'm making it, thank you for sharing!! My partner eats a keto diet and it'll be perfect for him too. I love things like this. 😍

It was for me today. It's not something I plan to eat regularly after WLS. I read the label. 30g carbs/12g of it is sugar. Wasn't a good choice but so are a lot of other things posted to this thread. LOL My nutritionist encouraged me to eat carbs pre-op and it was really tough for me to shift from my Keto mentality to 45g of carbs daily. But I lost 22 pounds before WLS in those 3 months. In a few weeks I'm supposed to up my carbs to 60g. I usually sweeten food with Stevia so today was a one off.

That is great! I've always struggled to keep my Vitamin D level above minimum. I did Keto before and olive oil and coconut oil were considered as "healthy fats". I also used to take one 1 tablespoon of MCT oil with my bullet-proof coffee (once daily). Maybe do some research on that.

That is great! I've always struggled to keep my Vitamin D level above minimum. I did Keto before and olive oil and coconut oil were considered as "healthy fats". I also used to take one 1 tablespoon of MCT oil with my bullet-proof coffee (once daily). Maybe do some research on that.

Sorry to hear you're dealing with all of this, it sounds rough. I know not all seasons of life can lend itself to it, but stress will cause the body to retain fat and prevent burning it. If there's any way to unload some of the stress, either by working out, meditation, going to a "rage room" where they let you smash stuff, anything that helps, it will help the weight loss process resume. I know its not always possible, having just come out of a season of life that felt like constant stress for 8 years with no seeming end. It was like I couldn't lose weight regardless of what I did, but I was always in a state of stress. I'm definitely not living a stress free life by any means now, but after years of therapy and practice, I guess I'm a little better at managing it now. That being said, my surgeon suggested a "reset" if weight regain happens 1 year+ after surgery. It was basically go back to the pre op diet to jump start things for a couple weeks, then slowly start adding back items from your normal diet, but keep watch to see if any of those are causing a stall or regain. Focus on hydration first, then protein, then unsaturated fat, then other fats, AND THEN carbs last. I wouldn't go as extreme as keto, but try to aim for single digit carbs per serving of something, or under 50-60g per day. Carbs are easy energy for our bodies, so it prefers to burn that first, and store any excess as fat, just as a survival mechanism. Everyone is slightly different, but some people's metabolism can be thrown off by certain imatation sugars and sugar alcohols. Even though they're 0 or low calorie, they can still trigger an insulin response like sugar or starches. You may want remove the biscuits for the time being and see if those may be the trigger for your body. Best of luck to you, and hoping things improve for you from here. Stay strong!

Congrats on the 16 years of success! As we get older, our metabolism likes to mess with us, haha, but this is common. My surgeon told me that after a while, some weight regain will occur, but the best way to restart things is to redo your pre-op diet for 2 weeks, just to jumpstart things. His plan is at least try to get 64oz of water a day, start with 2 protein shakes for the two meals a day where you typically eat less. On the "big meal" each day, try to get in 6 oz of meat/protein of your choice along with as much leafy greens/broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers as you can. Cut out breads, starchy veggies (potatoes, carrots, etc) for the 2 week duration. Target 60g-80g of protein, and under 50g of carbs per day (not quite keto levels, just reduced). Calorie target was around 600-1000 per day, but it is meant to be temporary and not long term, just a jump start. From my personal experience, sugar/starchy carbs tend to send my cravings off the deep end for up to 3 days after eating them. I'm having to avoid bread, cookies, cake, candy, tortillas, wraps, potatoes, carrots, rice, and oatmeal whenever I start to regain. Some artificial sweeteners seems to set me off too, but I am a recovering Type 2 diabetic. I haven't isolated which ones affect me yet, but I can drink Fairlife protein shakes without having that sugar craving, and it has Monk Fruit, Stevia, and Sucralose. First day is absolute hell, but after 3 days it eases up considerably. Give that a try for 2-3 weeks and see if that helps with the weight loss. After that time, start working in your normal foods again, but give them a few days to see if any are triggering the new weight gain to happen again to see what's worth keeping. Slowly increase your calories to find the amount that works best for you long term. You want the range that lets you have the energy you need without weight gain. Some people may be only 1000 calories, others 1200, and others may be closer to 1800, so there's no exact number that works for every single person. Good luck, and I wish you well on your journey!

Hi friends! 😁This is my first post on here, so I apologize if I have NO IDEA what I'm doing! 😅 My VSG is scheduled for 11/22...the day immediately before Thanksgiving. Who does that? lol I figured if I use food as an excuse to not get the surgery at that time, then I'm probably not ready for it...plus, Yule/Christmas/what-have-you is the month after that, so if I use holidays as an excuse to delay surgery, it's gonna be a few months. Originally, my surgeon wanted to get me in in September, but I was waiting for my EGD still (even though my surgeon ordered it originally, he then said he was fine with me skipping it...I still wanted to make sure I didn't have Silent Reflux or anything funky going on). Plus, I had a cardiac event monitor for 30 days in September and wanted to get THOSE results prior to surgery, AND I got married on (Friday 👻) October 13th, AND I have a major thing at work that I'm in charge of the whole week of November 13th where my presence is mandatory, soooo...11/22 it is! I've waffled back and forth on whether to get VSG or RNY (my surgeon does not do SADI/DS at all), but I'm going with my initial gut feeling and sticking with VSG. I imagine a lot of us have either already started, or will soon be starting, our LRDs - good luck, everyone! Magnesium & Potassium are REALLY helpful for leg cramps - that's something I learned when I did keto ages ago and kept getting woken up by charlie horses.

I did keto as the 2week pre surgical diet but my dietician said keto is a short term diet, best for kickstarting weight loss. It shouldn’t be followed long term. (Check research on effects on diabetes & insulin levels, cholesterol, etc.). Most post surgery diets are high protein, low fat, low carbs so probably closer to Aitken’s if you’re looking for a more formal recognised diet. One of the most important learnings I’ve had is that there is no one diet/way of eating that works for everyone. If there was the dieting wouldn’t be a billion dollar industry. Speak with your dietician, do your own research, & listen to your body & needs & the work out a way of eating that works & is best for you. As to your weight loss so far, you’re doing fine. The only people who lose very large amounts pre & immediately post surgery are those who began at a very high weight. There is really no right or wrong rate of loss. There are averages which only give you an idea of what you might lose. We all lose at our own rate. How many stalls you experience,how often & how long they last are individual too. And everyone’s’ rate of loss slows as they get closer to their final weight. I decided I would only worry about how much I was losing if my surgeon was upset but he wasn’t ever. All the best.

We can all do it and I’m sure during this process we’ve felt what everybody is feeling. It’s not for the weak for sure but I’m assuming this is what we all needed to jump start our better life. I’m hopi g at the 3 month mark things will become easier and by 6 months we will be pros. Some ideas to help, stay positive, don’t weigh yourself all the time, drink your fluids- I still struggle with that. My go to foods right now, keto friendly carb balance whole wheat tortillas I only eat half with mesquite turkey with a slice of cheddar cheese and I put it in the toaster oven. I have keto friendly street tacos and I had a shrimp taco last night with some refried beans on it. Those are my favs right now. Oh and the oikios greek yogurt. To everyone hang in there, it will be worth it. Also don’t compare or judge yourself to anyone here, we’re all different and things are going to be different for all of us.

I've had good luck with electrolyte drops, Keto Chow brand, ordered online. Years ago, a doctor unofficially recommended 8 oz tonic water 30 minutes before bed for cramping legs (because of the quinine). Worked like a charm. Of course that's carbonated, but maybe you could shake it up and let it "flatten" first?

I’ve been thinking about bariatric surgery for a few years now. I was actually scheduled to get a sleeve a few years ago but my financing fell through at the last minute. I’ve been heavy my whole life and nothing has worked long term. I feel like it’s either surgery or be heavy my whole life. I want to get it but my partner doesn’t like the idea and my parents are super against it.. I’ve heard horror stories about complications. Should I have the surgery? Was it worth it? I’m 255 now but my highest weight was 278. The lowest I’ve ever gotten by diet and exercise was 211 (on keto which damaged my liver so I had to stop).

I eat things like tacos with the shells made from chicken, cauliflower crust pizza, etc... Absolutely LOVE it. I buy a brand called Real Good Foods. Designed for people on keto and low carb diets, but also perfect for bariatric diets. I've never been brave enough to try to make a homemade pizza, but I might just look into this one

Rays has a sweet and spicy SF version along with SF Original and Hickory. Ray's Honey Mustard Dipping sauce is amazing too. I am never without a couple bottles. Sweet Baby Ray's Expands Popular "Ray's No Sugar Added" Line with Two New Sauces (prnewswire.com) Skinnygirl also has a line of SF/FF products. Salad dressings, preserves, drink mixers and snacks. I love the Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing and was gifted a bunch of drink mixers I have yet to try. With the popularity of Keto, there are now tons of SF options. Even ketchup. Too bad though that healthier choices are all so overpriced. 🤔

I had soft green beans and carrots, it was so good. Had anybody thought about the Lego buns, keto hot dogs or Leto street tacos? I’ve had the street tacos and it was so good. I’m in the beginning of my 5th week.

I was doing keto to loose weight prior to surgery. Since surgery I have been following the diet as ordered. I haven’t deviated once. Even with the pre-op diet I only lost 7 pounds. Mine wasn’t liquid and I could have one salad a day with fat free dressing. I was just discouraged today bc the scales isn’t moving and I have my 6 week follow up coming up. At my 2 week, the doctor seems surprised that I had only lost 7 pounds. Everyone has been so encouraging. It was what I needed today. I will continue doing what I am suppose to do and find other things to focus on besides the scale. TY

Have you tried monk fruit sweetener? I used that a lot on keto and it was great for sweetening (sweeter than sugar) and probably more natural than other alternatives. Lakanto is my favorite brand. For erithryol I would use Swerve. I liked the monkfruit sweetener better but that worked too!

pic 1 - 421 pounds (2 months before surgery) pic 2 - 360 pounds pic 3 - 330 pounds pic 4 - 300 pounds pic 5 - 275 pounds pic 6 (today) - 263 pounds 158 pounds lost in 17 months (15 months since original surgery plus 2 months keto before surgery)....another 63 to go!!!!!

Hi, I had a gastric sleeve done in 2013. I lost 110 lbs and was at goal. Then my mom passed unexpectedly in 2014. I gained 75 lbs back. I have struggled trying to lose it. I have tried Noom and Keto and low carb...failed all. I'm contemplating a revision or a lap band. Any insights out there?

I count everything. I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2022 and was put on a sodium restriction. Just two months before my projected VSG surgery date my A1C was 9.6% and I was put on diabetic meds(Metformin and Semaglutide), given a blood sugar meter with instructions to check my blood sugar twice daily, and told to cut out all sugars in my diet. Around the same time as my Type-2 Diabetes diagnosis my Bariatric Surgeon had me go on a Keto/Atkins very low carb diet prior to the liver shrinking diet due to my extremely high 71.5 BMI. That was my first time on a 'low carb' diet since I tried South Beach in 2004, and I really liked it for how it made me feel and how much easier it has become to find low-carb substitutions for common foods. So I decided to stick with it post-surgery. I am two weeks out from my surgery and I am at the point where I can eat 800-1000 calories a day, where 50% is from protein, 40% fat, 10% Net Carb, and sodium between 1,500mg and 2,000mg. I track my Daily Food Intake in an Excel Spreadsheet, listing Calories, Total Fat, Protein, Net Carbs, Fiber, and Sodium of each. I also track my fluids, noting if the beverage has any sodium. I avoid sugars like the Plague, except when it comes to fruits. I will on occasion eat fresh strawberries, raspberries, or some honeydew melon. I don't feel the Keto diet is suitable for Post-op due to the high reliance on Fats. I like a more even distribution favoring protein over fat, but still keeping enough healthy fats in my system so entering Ketosis is a possibility. My carbs are always under 25g a day, most of the time between 15g and 20g. I was only in Ketosis once for a brief few days, and it was right after surgery. I check my ketone level regularly with those over the counter 'pee' strips. I like my method of tracking my nutrition manually instead of using an App or Website, although there is a lot more work looking up nutritional labels for everything I eat, or general nutritional information for those items without labels. The plus side of it is I am amassing a database of my frequently eaten food items so logging is becoming easier. I agree with the general consensus that 'Diet' is an ill-fitting word for what we are doing. I like the term 'Lifestyle Change' much better. A diet, to me, is finite in its duration. It has a beginning and an end. A Lifestyle Change goes on indefinitely.

Even if you were gaining muscle weight, you would notice a change in the way your clothes fit. When my nutritionist told me to eat carbs pre-op, my Keto mind screamed no. I did it though and lost weight. But I highly limited them. If you are not tracking on an app like Bariastic. you can easily consume way more carbs or calories than what you need. Some people can drink their calories for the day before ever eating any food. I would limit those carbs and be mindful of how much you are eating in a day. I know before surgery, I told everyone I didn't eat that much till I started tracking my food intake and was shocked to find out I was overeating. Also..not sure what surgery you had but my doc told me of a sleeve patient/friend of hers that did everything right and lost only 30 pounds within the first year. She ended up putting her on Ozempic to help. So there are some people who simply don't respond as well to the surgery based on age, meds etc. But before going that route, I would examine the food intake amounts first. Good luck!!!

Oh yeah Isopure is a good brand i forgot about! I used it when I did Keto. Did your surgery team give you all this good advice or you learned on your own? I'm learning more from you guys and my book than them lol. So Mashed Potatoes is allowed in the pureed stage?? That will be a lifesaver. Glad to hear the shake worked out!

Agreeing with the others, stick with the plan. The first couple months you definitely do not want to put pressure on those staples and risk a leak. That's a rough surgery compared to what you just had. Infections from that can get nasty and lead to sepsis. I struggled with overdoing it myself early on, but had to remind myself that its to prevent burst staples, and that I can give it 30-60 minutes and resume eating to give it room. I've noticed I can do 8 fl oz easily if I'm not careful before my stomach starts pushing back. As for the hunger, I'm one of the unlucky few that still has the obsessive head-hunger. It takes practice, but look for signs that your stomach and body are telling you that you are full, despite part of you saying "I have to keep eating!" It took a lifetime to train that reflex, and it won't go away overnight. I'm still fighting mine daily. I've noticed I'll feel a little pressure if I'm approaching the limit, but if I keep going, I start to get a runny nose, which is my final warning before making myself sick. My goal is to prevent it from getting to that point. One thing I did to throttle my eating speed is to get disposable mini / baby spoons and forks from amazon. They're only like 1/4 of a teaspoon so you get a smaller portion per bite, which helped me a lot! It takes longer to eat, which gives your stomach more time to send the full response to the rest of your body, since that is delayed. I've had to use the disposable ones since its mentally easier for me to walk away from the food if I throw the little cheap spoon in the trash. I'd rather use the reusable ones, but I know the limits on my discipline haha. This is just anecdotal, but as a recovering Type 2 diabetic, I have to be careful with sugar and starch hidden in foods. I've eaten some over the holidays, which tasted great, but realized it made me crave more. If I went a meal without it, I would get actually angry, and I'm sure I wasn't any fun to be around. Eating desserts over Christmas would send me into constant snack cravings for 2-3 days. I told my doctor, and he said you have to power through those couple of days, but by focussing on low carb (not necessarily keto) and prioritize protein, unsaturated fats and water, those cravings go way down. I've had to use "filler foods" to hold me over between meals. My wife says its gross, but I've been eating Fage plain greek yogurt to hold me over. Single Digit carbs and 17g of Protein per serving and its more savory rather than sweet. Mentally, I've used it as a substitute for cheese, mayo, sour cream, and other things to just pretend that its a more substantial food. That and it does seem to fill me up as long as I don't have anything sweet with it. Similar with 2% fat cottage cheese. Also, some artificial sweeteners can set off a sugar craving or insulin response, which just compounds the cravings. I'm not sure which ones do, but I know the ones in the Fairlife brand protein shakes do not set it off for me, while MuscleMilk does make me crave it. Fairlife has Monk Fruit, Stevia, and Sucralose, and don't seem to set that off for me. You may want to experiment to see which ones may bother you.

Not sure what you mean by gross ingredients? I mostly went with broths and some cream soups in the 3rd week of clear liquids, I'd mix one can broth to one can cream soup. My fourth week sent me into soft foods which was mostly eggs, ground sausage or beef and some fish. Week 5 I moved into chicken. Chicken being so very dry it seems harder to digest than anything else, ground beef was so much easier. I can't much do the protein shakes, the only way I've been able to choke them down is to literally put in a blender with some extra protein powder & yogurt and ice and make a smoothie/milkshake thing and top with keto whipped cream. I use it more as a dessert bc I can't drink all that sweet stuff in the early morning. Not much of a breakfast person but since this surgery I wake up famished but I guess 3-4 oz only takes so long to digest and if I eat at 7-9 pm by the time I get up at 9-10 am it has been a long time. I got the Walgreen's extra protein shakes, small town, limited choices around here.