Search the Community

So I'm hoping to hear from anyone with a high BMI that got the sleeve and had a lot of success. My current BMI is 63. My goal weight is 200 pounds, which means I need to lose 190 pounds. For various reasons I chose the sleeve over the bypass, and I know bypass patients lose more than sleeve patients do. BUT...I have no issues following the diet, and once I lose some weight I will start working out again (I did keto and lost almost 100 pounds over 7 months, but then it just started creeping back up and no matter how much I restricted my carbs and worked out, I couldn't keep the weight down and I got frustrated and quit), but I worry that I won't be able to hit my goal even if I stick to the diet and work out. I have MS, so strengthening my muscles and losing the weight is a must to keep my mobility and reduce the pain. I also desperately want to get rid of my diabetes and high blood pressure. And I'm hoping losing the weight will help my asthma a little. BUT... is this possible with the sleeve? I'm so excited about the surgery, but is it really possible to lose that kind of weight with the sleeve? Has ANYONE on here done it, or even come close? This just has to work. I wasn't always overweight. I used to be a size 6, but when I had my son back in 98, my PCOS jump started and I put on close to 100 pounds and only lost maybe 25. No matter what i did, I couldn't lose it. Then I had my daughter and gained close to the same amount, and was never able to lose any of it. Then I did keto, succeeded for a while, then it failed and I gave up. And now here I am. Do I have any hope at all of hitting my goal weight?

I agree. I had a long wait (7.5 months) for surgery, but as soon as I made the decision to have surgery, I changed my eating habits and I lost 50 lbs before surgery - which is 50 I don't have to lose now. I started counting calories (around 1700 a day) and cut the carbs. I ate higher protein. I didn't do keto, but I focused on eating minimal sweets and pasta, bread, french fries, etc. I was actually less hungry and my GERD went away!

I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to have 14 years of restriction without any hormonal help from bariatric surgery. The American standard take here is pray to god, never drink alcohol, suffer on Optifast, and why not try keto? The global take is: - Get that band out, ASAP - Get a surgery that helps you - that would be any surgery that involves a bypass (RNY, MGB, DS) - Know that your deserve a life free from obesity Let me know if you need any insights. Feel free to DM, and feel free to ignore any takes involving Optifast.

https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/keto#:~:text=The typical keto macros ratio,body will start burning fats.

True keto is high fat, moderate protein, low carb or ultra low carb. So I think most bariatric patients don't really hit the actual macros to be considered real keto. We're told to do lower fat, higher protein and complex carbs only if we're still hungry after we eat our protein and veggies - well that's a generalization, it does vary widely. But I think weight loss patients do low carb if anything at all but very few do actual keto.

some people who are a ways out do Keto, but this early out, you have to make sure you're meeting your protein requirements and you can only handle so much food, so it might be challenging to do a strict Keto diet.

I'm a recovering keto bro. Whatever happens, on <600 cals a day you'll be in ketosis. Further on, after the first couple of months, I've made it my business to incorporate a little pasta, fruit etc. Why? Because the problem with keto is that it isn't forever. It can't be. And if you rely on being in the state of ketosis for health and weight loss you are doomed to fail. The reason I got this surgery is to be as normal as possible because it is only through normalcy that I can be successful long term.

Watch the high fat content of the keto diet when you are losing. As you lose weight the fat dissolves into your blood stream & many find their cholesterol level goes up & your liver function is affected because it has to work harder to try to get rid of it without addicting additional fats to your body. The increase in protein (animal) you will be consuming will be enough extra fat for your body to cope with. Most diets while losing focus on high protein, low carb, low fat, low sugar. Maybe look into keto when you get to maintenance. But talk with your dietician.

isnt Keto diet basically what most people go on after bariatric surgery? Basically we cant do carbs anymore so we do the healthy proteins like Chicken, Fish, eggs ect...

Recent bypass surgery. Wanting to incorporate the keto ways into it. ANY IDEAS.? Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

My pre op diet was keto so high protein too but also high fat which I struggled with. No calorie limit though. Why are you focussing on mushy food? After surgery you only eat purées & then soft foods for about 4 weeks & believe me that’s too long! Ensuring you meet your protein goals will be life long thing so I say enjoy any & all proteins in all forms. The protein snacks I go to are cheese, high protein yoghurt, hummus, liverwurst or pate (with crudités or a couple of multi grain crackers), protein bar (be careful some have a lot of sugar or artificial sugars). Occasionally I’ll have nuts or roasted fava beans or chick peas. You can also nibble on some meat like some chicken (watch deli meats that are cured or fatty like ham, salamis, etc.) or a boiled egg. Hope you get a surgery date soon.

Check these out. I used to eat them when I did keto. Same flavour.

I am a Keto diet veteran (for my sins lol) and have an electronic blood sugar meter at home. And I eat carbs pre and post op and I'm still in ketosis. Reality is, on a VLC diet you're likely to be in liver shrinking ketosis no matter how much of your diet is composed of carbs. A bottle of that Kellogg's stuff is 41g carbs of which 15g sugars. I mean the second ingredient is glucose Syrup so I wouldn't make it a lifestyle choice but even so, you'll still shrink your liver with 2 of those a day.

I followed this recipe: https://thebigmansworld.com/keto-birthday-cake-recipe/ Pro tip: once you have the batter together if it's chunky or not incorporated at all, put on a pair of food gloves and break it up manually with your hands so it's completely soft and pureed. I find it makes for a better crumb. I used vanilla bean paste and fresh vanilla beans instead of extract too. Flavor is much better. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Wanted to share my bariatric friendly birthday cake. I did a lil photoshoot with the leftover slices. I'm so proud of the cake. You literally can't tell there's only 2 net carbs per serving. Made with almond flour and a bit of coconut flour. I used swerve to sweeten it. It has eggs and butter of course and vanilla beans. I got lazy and bought a sugar free store bought frosting. I ordered keto Sprinkles online. Prior to surgery I was an avid baker and I'm a home chef so I wanted to challenge myself with this. It LITERALLY tasted like regular cake. My friends were so impressed. I sent the rest home with my friend who's husband is doing Low carb. I could only manage a couple bites on one slice but didn't make me sick or get stuck on anything and my nutritionist approved! glad I can still celebrate birthdays with cake and friends sans overeating sugary treats. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

So i had my pre op nutrition class today and they specially said no premier or fairlife. This is what was in the powerpoint they did. What if I want to use a shake not listed, such as Premier, Fairlife, or Atkins? Most of these have less than 5 carbohydrate grams per serving. Therefore, we do not recommend using them for your pre-op diet program. You may be HUNGRY and/or experience the “keto flu” caused by dropping your carbohydrate intake too quickly. The “keto flu” causes unpleasant side effects such as nausea, lightheadedness, shakiness, sweatiness, irritability, headache and stomach upset

I have a few reasons for not drinking. Keto alone put me into near liver failure (due to taking chemo type meds), so yeah booze is a no go for me.

I forgot about pasta in my previous reply… I haven’t eaten regular pasta since my surgery. Shirataki noodles are pretty good if you take the time to prepare them correctly, but it’s kind of an involved process and I’m too lazy to do it often. Zoodles (zucchini noodles) are ok; I prefer them cooked in the air fryer so they’re not so soggy. I love spaghetti squash (delicious roasted in the air fryer), but it doesn’t really taste like spaghetti. Radishes are a good substitute for potatoes in soups and stews. They don’t have much flavor, but they have a similar texture. I don’t do keto (super low carb) and I don’t think it’s sustainable long-term for most people, and also not necessarily good for bariatric patients because it’s a high-fat diet, but I do try to avoid sugar, white flour, rice, potatoes, etc. Most of my carbs are from low-starch vegetables and legumes.

Yes, and immediately (as soon as possible, really). I've substituted white bread with protein pizza mix that I bake into little higher-protein rolls - that's great with cheese I eat rye bread I eat multigrain protein bread Do note I come from a culture that doesn't add sugar to bread; if I did it might've changed my opinion on bread in general. America has great keto bread, though. Franz' or whatever that brand is called. Rice sits pretty heavy with me, so I substitute cauliflower rice. I use the impastable pasta from this site, but I'll eat regular pasta, too, it just fills me up very fast for little protein value I love the mac n' cheese protein dinner from here, too - it's great with cubed ham, a little added cheese I wish I made this more, but fresh springrolls with the rice paper you dip in water ... yum, and a nice substitute for heavier tortilla-based wraps. And fruit. I eat tons of fruit. And popsicles. In general, I don't believe in anything but a balanced diet that hits my protein goals. I've yet to meet a happy person who's been doing keto for any significant amount of years (the few I have met seem highly disordered eating-affected and do not seem happy. Imagine never having a glass of wine or you'd fall out of ketosis or whatever ... snooze).

This is crazy! Your post is nothing like I’ve read on here haha I love it. You look amazing. I lost a lot of my weight on Keto when I was Yo-yo dieting but did not like the carb restrictions. I think I could do it again you’ve definitely given me something to think about. Congratulations on your long term success with the sleeve.

Sorry to hear of your loss and challenges. We all deal with stress differently, so the thought of seeking assistance with that is good advice. I will say from the weight perspective, I was six years out from my sleeve and had gained back about 45 pounds. I found that what worked for me was to go on a 'time restricted feeding' schedule, and to eat a diet that was generally keto when I did eat. I skipped breakfast and only ate from Noon to 6pm. For those two meals I would have a serving of protein, and a green vegetable or salad. I was able to drop about 20 pounds in a couple of months. I stopped because my hiatal hernia had worsened enough that it had to be fixed with revision to bypass, but the diet program was working well. There is a nutrition doctor named Dr. Jason Fung who develops programs for insulin control diets, which is what I based my program on. You might want to Google him and check out his information.

just so you know, a 10- to 20 lb rebound from your lowest weight is VERY common in year 3. I think it's just your body settling in to a weight it feels comfortable at - your new "set point". Of course, you can still lose again if you cut enough calories - but it could be a bit of a struggle if you're fighting against where your body wants to be. I've been dealing with the same thing since year 3 (and here I am in year seven...). different things work for different people. I count calories, which my dietitian hates (she's into "intuitive eating"), but I'm obviously not cutting back enough or I'd be losing weight. It's tough... I know other vets who've done Weight Watchers, Keto, and/or intermittent fasting. Whatever works - some approaches are more effective than others, depending on the person. to respond to your questions (sort of, anyway...), I don't do low carb - but the vast majority of my carbs are the healthy kind (fruit, veggies, whole grains). I have to average around 100 grams of protein a day because I malabsorb it (we discovered this pretty soon after my surgery), and I do manage to get that in every day. Other than protein, it's really just calories for me. If I stay in the 1500-1700 range, I can maintain my weight - but I'd really love to lose 10-15 lbs (!!)

I feel your pain as I had pretty much the same thing. I realized in the last 2 1/2 years that the reason I wasn't losing weight was because I ate too many carbs. Honestly, I don't worry about portions on anything, I let the sleeve let me know when I can't eat, if you know what I mean. I started Keto 2 1/2 years ago and haven't cheated. It's very easy to stay under 40 -50 carbs a day with all that's out there. Hardest part is giving up good bread (the Keto bread sucks) But there are great alternatives like the low carb tortilla shells, and they are good. I don't drink water, only diet coke and crystal light. I went from 230 to 178 in less than a year and have stayed at that weight for a year in a half already. Never cheated. BTW, that's with next to no exercising, maybe a walk once in awhile. You've got the sleeve, that's the best start. Good luck. BTW, I posted about my story today and it's in my profile.

When I started this in 2013 weighing 258 lbs. The most I ever weighed and after diets worked (I was down to 175 in 2008 for a little over a year) they never were permanent. I'm going to burst a lot of bubbles now, neither is the sleeve BUT IT IS WHY I CAN NOW KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF. Let me explain. It is now 8 1/2 years later and I am down to 178 for well over a year now. A year before that I was up to almost 230 again. Not because of how much I ate, but what I ate. I was a carbohydrate addict. I've been living 2 1/2 years on Keto. I have NEVER CHEATED even on vacations, and we take a lot. It is so easy these days to be on Keto and eat what you want since just about everything is made low carb with the exception of good bread, my favorite. Now, here's how the sleeve comes in to this. Many ways. First, I was pre-diabetic and all my family, parents, siblings and uncles are, or were diabetic. The 20 lbs just after I took on this adventure at least kept me out of diabetes. The best thing was that it kept me from eating too much at a time. I could eat all day but not a lot at a time. I have had no problems eating anything I was told that I could never eat again before the surgery. Now, I was actually fluctuating from 230 down to 200 but would eventually get back up to the 230. Here's the thing. I have an eating disorder, didn't know it until a year ago. It's called Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). My symptoms are that I've NEVER tasted or eaten, poultry, seafood, most vegetables and no steak, pork chops, in fact the ONLY meats I eat are sausages and cured meats. I will not eat a sausage unless I know that it's only made with beef or pork or both together. I love pizza and pasta and of course bread, so those are the hardest things that I have to avoid with Keto, but here's how I do it. I will order a pizza and always say extra sauce because I'm not going to eat the crust and need to scrape the toppings off the top (so it doesn't cook into the bread). Here's the thing, the crust flavor bakes into the pizza, so I never really miss the crust other than with my eyes. Anyway, 2 1/2 years later I live with it and like I said I don't cheat and the urge to cheat is driven away with this thought. Everyone tells me you have to have a cheat day once in awhile. You know you've told yourself that on each of your diets. Here's the problem with that. Next week I'll think, I didn't gain weight on the last cheat day, I can do it again, and so on. I still truly live for food, but now it's 90% sausage (good hot dogs) or ham, bacon and salami. Just think, you guys can have all the chicken, fish and steaks you want. Load them up with butter. Since I limit myself to 40-50 carbs a day, I eat a dinner roll at a restaurant and load it with butter. Anyway, here are photos of before and after. I'm now 71, very healthy OH, and because of the sleeve and Keto (and some pills) my blood numbers have all been perfect for the last two years. I mean perfect when my Cholesterol and Triglycerides were always high. My glucose is 94 and A1C is always around 5.4.

Am i wrong for eating a half of a peanut butter sandwich( i try to stay clear of bread) and a whole muffin last night because i feel guilty like i did something wrong, when i am looking for something sweet i eat a keto bar and it does the trick and tonight for dinner my wife and i are getting a pizza and we never get a pizza , am i acting out through food am i being reckless , i don't know i just i have to buckle down and get serious with this program otherwise i could possibly get denied ( am i making any sense) i really believe i am thinking way to much my PCP just put in my consult for gastric bypass and i have my first virtual appt April 1st i guess i am a ways away from my surgery i am a very thorough guy and i like to have things in order beforehand so there are no screw ups when the time comes ,anyway ,i have to be honest when i write a post i am never sure what to say or if i will even get a response , i guess i just need to relax and hopefully i can make some friends in the process.