Have you guys ever tried either and did it work for you post op? What are your thoughts?

So for those of you who are unfamiliar with each, here's how it works:

Keto-great for dropping **** loads of weight. Diet tends to be more fun because it allows you to eat yummy foods like bacon. You still have to watch your macros. But basically your diet consists mostly of protein and fat (yes i said fat) and no sugar or carbs. So it forces your body to use fat as energy, thus causing you to burn calories and fat like crazy.

Paleo- more of a lifestyle change so you will be healthier overall and still lose weight but not as dramatic for weight loss. Diet is also low carb and high protein. No processed foods like grains etc are allowed. You are allowed to eat starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, yams etc on this diet.

I know people who have tried both and loved it, keto seems to be a winner amongst everyone i've talked to. But since our nutrition needs are different as wls surgery patients, i was wondering if anyone tried it and if it still had the same effect on us.

You're actually like the 5th person this week to tell me about whole30, which means i definitely need to try it.[mention=162696]williamrjomes2[/mention]

A quick history about myself. I was sleeved about five years ago. My weight on surgery morning was 392lbs. I got down to 252lbs about 9 months after. Fast forward to 5 weeks ago I was 288.8 lbs, I was gaining weight way to quick the past year. As of this morning I'm down thirty pounds in 5 weeks and I feel great. This whole30 diet is more or less a reset button instead of a "diet". I have minimal cravings and I'm able to eat good tasting food thats filling and the food is clean all while still losing weight with minimal exercise. Please at least look into whole30. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions. I will try my best to help anybody I can.

Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

So question for all of you: what are your macros? Regardless of whether you're doing a modified paleo, keto or whole30.

How many calories do you eat on average? Proteins etc?

I did a keto calculator online but obviously that's geared towards someone with a regualr sized stomach, so i was just curious.@williamrjomes2@clementine sky

I didn't count calories or macros. I just ate three clean meals a day till I was full.

Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

To me, paleo has too much work. Atkins has always worked best for me & even better after WLS. I consider myself inbetween Atkins & Keto. Carbs for me are the devil so it works.


Height: 5'0"
Weight for WLS consultation: 216 lbs.
Surgery date: 2/13/17
Goal: -71 lbs for healthy BMI (about 145 lbs).
Current weight: 145 lbs, now ready to lose 15 more past goal.
My profile picture is not me. It's my "FITspiration" body.

Keto was great, it got me to the required # for wls. I saw a lot of people in the Facebook groups go nuts with the fat bombs and sugar free candy and wondered why the scale didn't move down. It's not a free for all with the fats lol
Paleo is also great, but one needs to be wary of those paleo sites with 23984923874 'paleo' baked good recipes. Those treats will get you on the wrong path quick.
Whole30 is my favorite thus far. It confirmed those pesky grains were doing all sorts of bad stuff to my intestines and made me feel so much better. Keto/low carb with mostly Whole30 rules works best for me.

Was it hard for you to give up dairy? I think whole30 says no dairy. And that's hard for me.

To me, paleo has too much work. Atkins has always worked best for me & even better after WLS. I consider myself inbetween Atkins & Keto. Carbs for me are the devil so it works.


Height: 5'0"
Weight for WLS consultation: 216 lbs.
Surgery date: 2/13/17
Goal: -71 lbs for healthy BMI (about 145 lbs).
Current weight: 145 lbs, now ready to lose 15 more past goal.
My profile picture is not me. It's my "FITspiration" body.

I find this interesting. My nutritionist is always pushing low fat high protein diets. But it seems like most people have better long term success with just a low carb diet.

For me lower carb works the best. I started eating LC back in January at 233 pounds and I lost down to 208 on my surgery date.

The difference now is I am focusing on high protein. Having type 2 diabetes made this choice a no-brainer for me as my body is obviously very sensitive to carbs. Since surgery I have had normal BS and off all diabetes meds. This diet works because it is sustainable for me.

My carbs usually fall out at around 25-30 net on a daily basis. One day a week I eat 40g net carbs as I have read and been told this is a good idea especially having a thyroid problem. My protein has been 75-100 consistently, and my calories are 950-1000. I have great energy and just feel healthy.

For me lower carb works the best. I started eating LC back in January at 233 pounds and I lost down to 208 on my surgery date.
The difference now is I am focusing on high protein. Having type 2 diabetes made this choice a no-brainer for me as my body is obviously very sensitive to carbs. Since surgery I have had normal BS and off all diabetes meds. This diet works because it is sustainable for me.
My carbs usually fall out at around 25-30 net on a daily basis. One day a week I eat 40g net carbs as I have read and been told this is a good idea especially having a thyroid problem. My protein has been 75-100 consistently, and my calories are 950-1000. I have great energy and just feel healthy.

I love that you included your average macros, it made it really easy to visualize. I'm so glad that's working for you.

Do you ocasionally eat certain foods like greek yogurt, beans, fruit etc? For me at least giving up those foods makes me hesitant about a keto diet. But it should still be ok for a regular low carb diet i think.

3 hours ago, xoxococojay said:

I love that you included your average macros, it made it really easy to visualize. I'm so glad that's working for you.

Do you ocasionally eat certain foods like greek yogurt, Beans, fruit etc? For me at least giving up those foods makes me hesitant about a keto diet. But it should still be ok for a regular low carb diet i think.

I eat regular yogurt because I hate greek yogurt. Dannon makes a low sugar variety that is really good. I eat cottage cheese, and I only eat berries because they are a lower carb fruit. Sometimes I eat beans, but in small amounts.

Basically I eat a variety of fish, chicken, turkey, some red meat, eggs, and vegetables. I don't eat anything low fat, but I don't target a specific level of fat either. I eat cheese almost everyday. I do not eat bread, rice, or pasta. Potatoes are a very rare treat in very small amounts. Salad greens and avocados are a favorite of mine also.

I don't feel deprived eating this way at all.

On 7/27/2017 at 8:08 AM, xoxococojay said:

So question for all of you: what are your macros? Regardless of whether you're doing a modified paleo, keto or whole30.

How many calories do you eat on average? Proteins etc?

I did a keto calculator online but obviously that's geared towards someone with a regualr sized stomach, so i was just curious.@williamrjomes2@clementine sky

For the first 18 months post-surgery diligently tracked what I ate on My Fitness Pal, but now that I've developed habits I can ballpark what I'm eating without measuring it out and recording it and stay on track. I went back through my diary there to see what the macros were when I was actively losing weight. So on December 18, 2015 (I had the VSG on August 15, 2015) this what my daily totals were:

904 calories, 68 carbs, 29 fat, 94 protein, 2,033 sodium, 18 fiber

That was fairly typical. My Fitness Pal would always tell me I wasn't eating enough. I ate more over the Christmas holidays, but actually lost a bit of weight then. That's when I realized my body was wanting more calories than I was providing it at that point, and so I added in an afternoon snack. I now have around 1300 calories or so, with the focus still being on protein, and healthy choices of fat and carbs.

There were some days during the weight loss phase when my carbs would be as high as 110, but they'd be healthy and provide a good source of fiber. When I was really intent on losing I'd lower the carbs a bit more, but typically had around 50 to 75 a day. The carbs would come from salads, nuts, low GI fruit, and such. I definitely lost weight at a slower pace than some people who were really strict about carbs, but it did come off. I just bought three new dresses in a size XS, and two years ago I couldn't fit into a XL.

For the first 18 months post-surgery diligently tracked what I ate on My Fitness Pal, but now that I've developed habits I can ballpark what I'm eating without measuring it out and recording it and stay on track. I went back through my diary there to see what the macros were when I was actively losing weight. So on December 18, 2015 (I had the VSG on August 15, 2015) this what my daily totals were:
904 calories, 68 carbs, 29 fat, 94 protein, 2,033 sodium, 18 fiber
That was fairly typical. My Fitness Pal would always tell me I wasn't eating enough. I ate more over the Christmas holidays, but actually lost a bit of weight then. That's when I realized my body was wanting more calories than I was providing it at that point, and so I added in an afternoon snack. I now have around 1300 calories or so, with the focus still being on protein, and healthy choices of fat and carbs.
There were some days during the weight loss phase when my carbs would be as high as 110, but they'd be healthy and provide a good source of fiber. When I was really intent on losing I'd lower the carbs a bit more, but typically had around 50 to 75 a day. The carbs would come from salads, nuts, low GI fruit, and such. I definitely lost weight at a slower pace than some people who were really strict about carbs, but it did come off. I just bought three new dresses in a size XS, and two years ago I couldn't fit into a XL.

Thanks for that. Now i can kind of figure out where i need to be macro wise. That's so amazing, an XS. I'm in the middle of a stall hence why i'm dying to try just about any fad diet. I'm a medium but i still feel fat (if that makes any sense) so i just want to get down to a size 2 eventually.

I eat regular yogurt because I hate greek yogurt. Dannon makes a low sugar variety that is really good. I eat cottage cheese, and I only eat berries because they are a lower carb fruit. Sometimes I eat beans, but in small amounts.
Basically I eat a variety of fish, chicken, turkey, some red meat, eggs, and vegetables. I don't eat anything low fat, but I don't target a specific level of fat either. I eat cheese almost everyday. I do not eat bread, rice, or pasta. Potatoes are a very rare treat in very small amounts. Salad greens and avocados are a favorite of mine also.
I don't feel deprived eating this way at all.

That makes so much sense. That def falls within the keto guidelines. I'm actually going to try what you're doing starting august 1st and see if A) i can maintain it, and do i lose more this way.