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I have experimented with making my own low carbohydrate breads using primarily eggs and almond flour. Here is a go-to recipe for making a little at a time; I scale it up if I am meal prepping. 1 egg 1 Tablespoon olive oil 3 Tablespoons Almond Flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and pour into a microwave-safe bowl or ramekin. Microwave for 90 seconds. Flip out and slice in half. It's not exactly bread, but paired with a veggie sausage patty, it's a very filling grab-n-go breakfast. For convenience, I have purchased Healthy Life Keto Bread at supermarkets. It has 35 calories per slice, 9g of carbohydrates, 8g of fiber, and 5g of protein. My serving size is usually one piece toasted, with avocado, tomato, and nutritional yeast on top.

I tried the following recently: Truely Cereal - Fruit flavor. It wasn't bad, but it has a weird texture. It's made to look like fake fruit loops. Catalina Crunch - Keto friendly- Honey Graham. It's a very hard cereal so it required a long soak in my (oat) milk. Tasted fine, a little too sweet but not excessively so. Quaker High Protein instant oatmeals. I've tried a few flavors. Luckily my father likes them so he took sll the leftovers. Consistency and texture were fine, but they taste salty? Also they have actual (if reduced) sugars so I was hesitant to begin with. Didn't find it worth it. I've got an unopened box of Premier Protein - Mixed Berry cereal that looks promising. Fingers crossed. But that multigrain Special K looks right up my alley -- will be seeking that out.

I can absolutely understand where you are coming from - I have a friend going through this about a year past her Gastric Bypass and it is one of the reasons I opted for the SADI instead (not that I know this will make a difference in terms of weight loss!) I'm a bit worried about getting to this point myself, where the weight keeps coming off - but then again, I seem to always need SOMETHING to worry about. My surgery is Monday morning. There are a lot of knowledgeable people who have commented here and I'm taking notes on their suggestions! That said - it kind of sounds like you might be remaining in ketosis from being so low sugar / low carb and I wonder if that's what is causing your continued significant weight loss? When I went shopping for all of my sugar-free items for my liquid diet I noticed there were keto versions and low-carb versions of some items. The advice given to add a small serving of potatoes or healthy fats like avocado sounds really smart and might help with that. I bet it also gets tiring hearing people comment on your weight loss. Has that been hard? Just curious - and honestly, even if you aren't right where you want to be atm - congratulations! It's a HUGE accomplishment to have reached this point and know what weight you LIKE your body at, and I hope you give yourself lots of pats on the back!

Sorry it took me so long to reply! This month has been full on... These are the ones I made, they kept really well in the fridge and tasted just as good as freshly baked after a 20 second zap in the microwave. https://www.wholesomeyum.com/keto-banana-muffins-recipe/ They don't have banana in them, they have a banana baking emulsion instead since bananas aren't keto. I doubled the amount of the baking emulsion and added some vanilla extract. Honestly they were pretty convincing and soothed the craving and I usually hate banana flavoring. This was NOT artificial tasting. I think it really depends on the quality of. the emulsion. If your macros have space for bananas, I'd make this version instead: https://www.wholesomeyum.com/healthy-banana-muffins/

My understanding was that the "Net Carb" count was more for Keto / Atkins carb counting to be a guide for staying in Ketosis. Then it became a way for marketing to say its lower carb to sell more stuff. Both my primary care doctor and my surgeon told me to measure total carbs and disregard net carbs if I'm not doing either of those diets.

Now that I've made the decision to have WLS & am waiting for my appt with my PCP my mind won't shut up! I know my insurance requires a 6 month supervised diet, but what if I lose weight on the diet and my insurance decides that I don't NEED to have WLS to lose weight since I was (theoretically) able to lose weight for this requirement? I was told after a colonoscopy that I have sleep apnea and need to have a sleep study done & that I should really be on a cpap, but what if sleep apnea is a reason to deny me the surgery? I take omeprazole for acid reflux because I have a hiatal hernia. What if that prevents me from having the surgery? What if they just say NO? After making up my mind to do this, I just don't think I could take it. I'll be 60 in Oct & I'm 5' 8" - used to be 5' 9" - & I weigh 338 lbs. On my own I have fooled with hCG diet, keto, low carb, etc, etc, etc for sooooo many years. I lose weight & gain it back. I know what I'm supposed to do, but can't stick with it. I need this. Period.

I posted this elsewhere on the forum but I thought I'd put it here in case you didn't see it. This is what one of my typical days looks like at 4 months post-op. My personal macro goal is 120-150 grams of Protein a day, under 50 total carbs, and 100 grams of fat. Also, I can't tolerate any raw fruit at the moment. And calories are not relevant for DS patients because we malabsorb most fat and a good chunk of our protein... 8 am: Premier Protein Cafe Latte shake 9 am: Ratio Keto vanilla Yogurt with 2 tablespoons of toasted coconut chips, 1 tablespoon of keto nut granola, and 1 tablespoon freeze dried strawberries 12 noon: 1/4 cup roasted Spaghetti Squash, 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of a beef bolognese sauce 2 pm: Cafe Macchiato with espresso and 4 oz Fairlife Protein Milk 3 pm: 2 mozzarella cheese sticks, 2 mini baby cucumbers and 4 cherry tomatoes 6 pm: Roasted chicken leg and thigh quarter, 1/3 cup of vegetable Soup 9 pm: Homemade Keto banana Walnut Dark chocolate Muffin Total Macros: 150 grams of protein (yay!!), 43 grams total carbs, 97 grams of fat, 1634 calories.

I cut my carbs to ~20g a day until I hit 7 months, now I am around 40g a day. I pretty much took a modified keto approach to it. 75g of protein a day (minimum), and ~50g fat. I am down 191 pounds in 8 months, but we all lose differently. My daughter took a similar approach but she eats ~50-60g of carbs a day and she has lost 80. My cousin just had it done in Jan, and she has an approach like yours and she is down 30, she is a slower loser.

I put heavy cream in - old keto diet habit and I don't eat enough fats as it is, then I add my protein powder and my digestive resistant maltodextrin. That's it! If I want more flavor, I use my "chocolate flavored" nespresso blend coffee..not any chocolate added its just the flavor of these particular beans and I froth my heavy cream. Also, make sure your coffee is truly decaf, most have some. Look for those that are water processed they contain the least amount of caffeine grams!

Ahh that is such a shame! I am sorry! But at least the pizza was extra good! Its good to hear your experiences with it all post-surgery, and that keto banana cookie sounds yummy! Would you mind sharing the recipe? The rice is amazing with it all...ugh I will miss it!

Is anybody here familiar with the Carnivore Diet? It's basically a more restrictive form of Keto where you ONLY eat meat, cheese, fat, and butter. The more meat the better. The fattier the meat the better. It sounds counterintuitive to eat this type of diet, but there are several doctors out there who recommend it to help reverse diabetes and fight inflammation. While it's impossible to have zero carbs, the goal is to have as few as possible, less than 10 per day, and consume no bread, fruit, vegetables or anything other than "meat." Now, I must say that I had/have my doubts about the healthiness of this diet. That being said, my husband has been on it for 4 months and lost 35 pounds and his A1C and morning fasting glucose levels are now within normal range. He is going to continue on the diet, or as he calls it, "way of life." I did it with him for 3 months and I lost 20 pounds, but toward the end I was having a lot of diarrhea and my body couldn't handle/process all of the protein and fat without some carbs, so I switched to a new diet in mid-December. Dr. Ken Berry is the person my husband follows on YouTube who explains the science behind it and how to do it. He also said that 1/3 of people can't do it because of their particular body's need for carbs for proper digestion. Anyway, I was curious if anybody here was familiar with the Carnivore Diet or had tried it or was doing it?

Hello everyone!! I know I did a bit of a vanishing act, but I have things to report in. First of all - I hit a really frustrating plateau that lasted about 3.5 weeks from around weeks 7-10. That had me feeling pretty bummed, as it was post-two month check in and I had been feeling great about my progress before switching from purees to solids. I had last posted about hearing somewhat contradicting information from the nurse and Nutritionist. I had been told that I didn't need to really worry about staying on keto because I wasn't eating much as long as I hit my protein goal and by the nurse to try to stay Keto because eventually I'd get this great burst of energy from going into ketosis. WELL -- After doing some research I found out that the thing your brain tells you would be the worst thing to do - EAT MORE - was actually the solution. I started bringing in more vegetables and an occasional grains while sticking to mostly lean meats, plus using a protein shake for breakfast to keep me on track with my protein goals. I was already using Genepro; and I since picked up one of the Whey protein powders in a chocolate plus some of the PB2. That did the trick! I have started allowing myself an occasional 'cheat' type meal on days that I'm locked in on my protein, and find myself often meeting my protein goal and then some - more like 70g of protein per day rather than the minimum of 60g/day. The result of spreading my meals out - breakfast, three hours later lunch, three hours later 'dinner' and three hours later 'protein snack' if I'm still hungry - DID IT. My energy is up now that I've been walking more and giving my body more fuel. I am seeing the weight loss finally, and even when the scale doesn't show it right away I'm seeing my measurements shift and the way my clothing fits feeling different. I had purchased a cute pair of jeans about a week before my surgery and a button down short sleeve gingham shirt. At the time I couldn't get the jeans all the way up over my thigh; and now they fit loosely. My bras don't fit properly and I already had to buy one in a smaller size. I'm turning down plus sizes clothes I like that I find at the thrift store for pretty much the first time because - they're too big. I'm borrowing shirts from my Mom that I handed down to her previously and other friends handed down to her rather than me because she was a 2x/3x for a long time (mostly due to her chest) and I was a 4x+. I can feel where my arms have gotten smaller in the way shirts don't feel snug in the arms, shoulder, and chest area. I've gone down 2.5 ring sizes! All in all, I've found that portion control is still a big deal, but so is listening to your body and remembering that if it sends you a message about hunger, there is a reason. I DO have to focus on making sure I drink enough water, but the Baritastic app has helped me keep my sugar low. Even if I do hit over 30g of carbs in a day it's rare and because of something like beans, rice, or vegetables. I'm feeling more comfortable loosening the reins a bit on how strictly I adhere to my diet - although I still don't do anything carbonated, do minimal caffeine, and keep sugar very low. The idea to bring your own tupperware to restaurants along with a cooler is really smart. I'm not in an organized group exercise of any kind yet but I do have personal goals like trying to get in over 10k steps three times per week. I'm working my way up and have gotten to an average of around 5k steps each day, which I'm very proud of. My calorie deficit is usually 800+ calories less taken in than what I'm burning via exercise per day, and this week I have lost almost 6 lbs due to exercise and losing the bloat from my first period post surgery. I wanted to mention that - I did miss my first month's period and my second month's was late. As to exercise - I feel the activity in my back and as a low ache across my lower abdomen mainly, which I think is a result of using those core muscles and the way my figure is redistributing the weight on my joints. I'm shopping Marketplace to add weights to my exercise and still use my exercise bike when the weather isn't nice enough to walk. OH! And Old Navy has an amazing 50% off sale on their website right now and I just finally ordered myself some pants in two sizes below my pre-surgery size! I'm so excited for them to get here. Best wishes all, keep up the amazing work and be kind to yourselves!

Have you ever mentioned to your doctor, in the past, the things you did to try and lose weight? I have BCBS and they had the same requirement. But I had mentioned to my pcp that I did keto, weight watchers, calorie restriction, and the mediterranean diet. When I mentioned this, she put it in the notes that went to the insurance company and they accepted it and that took 6 months off the process. My pcp was very supportive and was happy for me to do the surgery. I gave her all the requirements from my insurance company (I needed to pass a ekg, her form stating what I've tried to lose weight, my comorbidities, etc...) he jumped right on that and got it done asap. By the time I went to my 1st appt w/ my surgeon, she had already sent all of this to their office. So I was 3/4 of the way finished on day 1 of seeing my surgeon. All I had left to do was the psych eval, blood work the surgeon needed, and then waiting for it all to be submitted and approved by insurance. My first appt with the surgeon was Feb 28th, 2022. My psych eval was March 7th. Everything was submitted to my insurance on March 10th and I got my approval on March 14th 2022. The longest part of this was honestly actually getting to the surgery date because I couldn't have it until May 3rd due to the surgeon's schedule. So honestly, the better prepared you are, the more you do behind the scenes, the faster the whole process will go.

Its just like doing a keto diet for life, you each week up your carbs until you fall out of ketosis than back off by 5-10 grams then maintain that carb load for life. You do the same for calories, increase by 100 for two weeks, still losing..tack on another 100 each few weeks until weight loss stops, now you've found your maintenance calorie load.

I think in the last 2 years I talked to my nutritionist 3 times. And that was because I had to. It was included with the surgeries and she worked in my surgeon's office. She's nice and helped me come up with some cool recipes, but that's really it. I stayed mostly within the surgeon's dietary recommendations, but as time went on, I learned what my body likes and dislikes. For example, I'm extremely sensitive to carbs but not at all to sugar. I still stay away from sugar for the most part, but I'm not afraid of it like I was. I won't turn something away if it has sugar, but I typically go sugar free as much as I can. As for carbs, I use to do keto, so I was ok with low carb meals (I would have maybe 60-80 carbs per day). Now, though, I can't have more than 25 without feeling sick. On heavy workout days, I tend to go higher (45-50) but I pay for it because, again, I'm SUPER sensitive to them now. I respond well to high protein, moderate healthy fats, and high fiber foods. I'd say just do what you're doing, ignore the nutritionist, and keep kicking ass and taking names. You're doing AWESOME, so don't worry about the rest of it.

In case this helps, I'll show you what one of my typical days looks like at 4 months post-op. Keep in mind I have had the DS so I eat more. My personal macro goal is 120-150 grams of protein a day, under 50 total carbs, and 100 grams of fat. Also, I can't tolerate any raw fruit at the moment. And calories are not relevant for DS patients because we malabsorb most fat and a good chunk of our protein... 8 am: Premier Protein Cafe Latte Shake 9 am: Ratio Keto Vanilla Yogurt with 2 tablespoons of toasted coconut chips, 1 tablespoon of keto nut granola, and 1 tablespoon freeze dried strawberries 12 noon: 1/4 cup roasted Spaghetti Squash, 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of a beef bolognese sauce 2 pm: Cafe Macchiato with espresso and 4 oz Fairlife Protein Milk 3 pm: 2 mozzarella cheese sticks, 2 mini baby cucumbers and 4 cherry tomatoes 6 pm: Roasted chicken leg and thigh quarter, 1/3 cup of vegetable soup 9 pm: Homemade Keto Banana Walnut Dark Chocolate Muffin Total Macros: 150 grams of protein (yay!!), 43 grams total carbs, 97 grams of fat, 1634 calories.

Ah - sorry - forgot what I actually started out to say. Arabesque is right (as she usually is). If you can go back to your original programme do. Protein first, veg second, carbs third or not at all. No sugar, it's ridiculously addictive and produces insulin spikes that make you crave it more. Perhaps consider a keto week to get you started and minimise cravings - so protein and green leafy veg only?

Don't be in awe of me lol I've had my fair share of ups and downs in this, but I found what works for me personally. Take what you want from my suggestions and toss the rest. But for ME, I noticed that I'm sensitive to carbs. I tend to respond better when I am at lower carbs. I don't eat bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, sugar, little to no salt (and when I do, it's pink Himalayan salt), or fruits high in sugar and carbs (grapes, bananas, and I limit apples). I'm not a fan of chocolate (if I eat it at all, it's in the form of keto brownies and I eat 1 small brownie every 2 days or so). I avoid Starbucks now (didn't used to and noticed my weight would stall a lot more). I avoid cow's milk (almond milk has more calcium and nutrients in it) and if I want ice cream, I get Rebel ice-cream from Walmart (2g or less of carbs for the whole pint of ice-cream, lactose free, 5g of less of sugar for the whole pint of ice-cream depending on the flavor). There's keto bread and keto bagels that I eat when I REALLY want something that requires those (my avocado toast is something I have 1-2x per week, or I have a keto bagel with sausage, egg, and cheese on it maybe once a week). If I want pizza, I get the ones that have cauliflower crust (omg so good), I have cauliflower rice, and mashed cauliflower if I'm wanting mashed potatoes (cauliflower has almost no flavor so it takes on whatever flavors it's mixed with). If I want sweetener, I use monk fruit sweetener (doesn't raise the blood sugar at all and actually tastes sweeter than sugar). If I want a nice flavored coffee, I buy the coffee shop coffee and make it at home, add almond milk, and put in Jordan's Skinny Syrup (no sugar, no calories, no carbs) in any flavor I'm wanting (they basically have every flavor you can think of). If I want fruit juice, I go to Walmart and buy the sugar free mango splash or sugar free fruit punch. Absolutely DELICIOUS. I drink a lot of flavored water with the sugar free powders, Gatorade zero, and Propel waters. For me, the trick has always been to eat within the boundaries of my diet while not feeling like I'm depriving myself. Everything tastes delicious and feels like I'm eating like everyone else, but I'm keeping to what I can eat without having to cheat to feel satisfied. I like sugar free tropical popsicles for a treat while my husband and daughter eat the regular stuff. We can all have popsicles together and I don't feel deprived or left out, yet I'm not breaking any of my personal dietary rules. I also make sure to change up what I do in my work outs. If you do the same things in the same order every time, your body gets used to it and the exercises stop being effective. If you do different exercises in a different order periodically, it will "confuse" your body and everything you do will have a greater impact. For me, not only does exercising help me lose weight, it also makes me feel good physically and mentally. I was 421 pounds and needed a cane to help me get around. Being able to hike 10 miles with my son means more to me than I can even express. So if you're working out, try to confuse your body as much as you can. I hope some of this helps you out. I never want anyone to think that my way is the only way to do things, but maybe something in here will give you some help with getting out of your slump and back to losing weight at the rate you're most comfortable with

I think most of us were told to shoot for 60-80 grams of protein a day, but as far as sugar/carbs, plans vary quite a bit. Some are low carb, some are ultra low carb (almost keto-level), some don't count carbs at all and insist their patients follow a balanced plan (mine was one of the latter). I've never counted carbs, but I'm not particularly sensitive to them, either (I know some people are). That said, during my first few months post-surgery, I rarely ate more than 80 carbs a day, and never over 100 - although that was just because I ate very little in those days, and there was such a push for that 60-80 grams of protein that I didn't have room for a ton of carbs. I don't pay attention to carbs at all any more - I just watch my overall calorie level and still make sure I'm meeting my protein goal.

I had surgery during the Keto/intermittent fasting boom and I relied heavily on that excuse. Was I really fooling anyone? In retrospect, I doubt it. Now with the rise of highly effective weight loss medication and it’s media coverage, people will think whatever they want anyway, despite your well thought out excuse. You can always remain vague and say your health is improving and then immediately switch the conversation to focus on something else. I absolutely love the “enough about me, what about you?” pivot.

I had surgery during the Keto/intermittent fasting boom and I relied heavily on that excuse. Was I really fooling anyone? In retrospect, I doubt it. Now with the rise of highly effective weight loss medication and it’s media coverage, people will think whatever they want anyway, despite your well thought out excuse. You can always remain vague and say your health is improving and then immediately switch the conversation to focus on something else. I absolutely love the “enough about me, what about you?” pivot.

Has anyone looked into the lower calorie options in the factor75 meals. They are not cheap but they are prepared but they are fresh and they have vegan and keto options as well. I assume this would be an option to consider for those in maintenance for busy nights but I’m not the greatest at reading labels. I am currently looking into converting to SADi and just want to get started with something while I do my research and the insurance process (I was sleeved 3/9/21 and gained the weight back). I never did learn to understand all the macros and stuff the first time around which I’m sure contributed to my regain. I’m am just curious if anyone who understands all that has researched them and has any feedback about them.

Don’t think the small amounts you eat in the beginning is how much you’ll eat forever. After surgery your stomach muscle is very tight so it can’t tolerate much. But as it heals, and you start to introduce more foods, it slowly starts to soften (not stretch) & is able to tolerate more. I was told, though I began with 1/4 - 1/3 cup from the puree stage, by about 6 months I’d be up to about a cup. Which was pretty accurate for me. I’m 5 years out & from about 2 years, I was pretty much eating a recommended portion size. Check the nutrition panel of processed pre prepared foods and google recommended portions of other foods or ingredients to give you an idea. Generally about 3-4ozs of protein & a cup of vegetables, 2 eggs, a small apple, etc. Some days I can’t/not interested in eating that much, other days it’s the perfect portion. The liver shrink diet is not to actually shrink the liver but the fat around the liver. This is to allow your surgeon to have better vision of & access to your tummy during the surgery. This diet does differ surgeon to surgeon, patient to patient. Generally it’s two weeks of a shake three times a day. However, some are four shakes, others two shakes & one lean protein & steamed vegetables meal. Others are only for a week or a couple of days. Mine was keto for two weeks (I started a couple of days earlier). Some people lose seemingly a lot of weight, others only a few pounds. It’s one of those things linked to how much weight you carry. It can be tough as you may experience withdrawal like symptoms (from stopping/reducing sugar, carbs, caffeine) for about 5 days. Apparently my surgeon’s patients who did the two week all shakes called the first week hell week. While tough, remember it is only for two weeks and the big picture benefits & wins makes it so worth it. All the best with your surgery.

Thank you very much! Congratulations to you as well for your successful journey. It's amazing to finally be free of the fat and, more importantly for me, the addiction to food and the total control/power I have over food now. It's seriously my lifelong dream at 55 so staying motivated was baked in.. Thank you again. I am sure I didn't elaborate or explain my reasons enough but actually I am concerned about slowing down the weight loss. I still eat very small portions and am worried it would be hard to sustain on just protein, without carbs. I like my body running more ketogenic than carbed up with the ups and downs of carbs. Without adding fat, and with our malabsorption aspect of the surgery, I am wondering if its possible or not so much..If I am being honest, at 240lbs, I started eating dirtier with carbs to try and stabilize at 240 until I got my knee surgeries, but then just dropped another 20+ within a month and a half or so. My steps and activity increased, small by normal people standards, but a lot for where I have been, after I got another Cortisone shot to the knees. This just illustrates my concern once I reach goal weight and I am rucking, hiking, and lifting. Those three things will be lifelong for longevity and mobility going forward. Obviously everyone is different as far genetically and such, but I have been extremely low calorie, plenty of short fasts up to three days, and have plateaued at certain points during my weight loss, and after doing a refeed with carbs and basically whatever I want to eat, I recharged my metabolism for another huge run of weight loss. The refeed was usually only a couple days to a few days but less than a week. Now with this approach remember I am lifting weights. I mean hard as I can weight lifting 4 days a week. It sucks! Low energy lifting is not fun but the recomp.. I really believe the built-in calorie burn from lean muscle mass is the most efficient way to permanently stay in shape. Male or female doesn't matter. IMHO if your metabolism is slow and you are struggling with the last few pounds, I mean the literally like 5-10 pounds from goal BF, man or woman, start lifting weights. The body recomp will floor you. And that weight or really I think just your body composition after significant weight loss without adding lean muscle mass leaves you looking(Sometimes) like a no muscle bag of skin. Flat. It's not fun but the results.. Anyways thank you for the reply and just to make clear if any of the vets care to weigh in, the WLS gave me the tool, the only tool I will ever need again to lose weight. It's so powerful for me that I need to think about slowing down my weight loss combined with, if possible, being low carb and more ketogenic as a lifestyle choice I prefer. I just don't know if low carb is sustainable without the fat calories. that specifically is what I am looking for. Does anyone prefer low carb/ketogenic after surgery and is it possible? I already realize that fats can be problematic, is anyone doing carnivore after DS Sadi. Not my preference but the only option it seems for low carb without the keto fat plan. Thanks in advance for any tips.

If you are counting total carbs you need to be under 50 grams total carbs to maintain ketosis. If you are counting net carbs you need to be under 30 grams net carbs to maintain ketosis. They aren't interchangeable. Some believe fiber and sugar alcohols don't impact blood sugar so they can be subtracted and net carbs followed, but that doesn't apply to everyone. I can't eat any of the high fiber "keto" products like breads. For me, carbs are carbs and keto bread will knock me out of ketosis just as fast as a chocolate bar. 🤣 I am not the norm, but it is incredibly annoying!! And I know others like me. Regardless, my dietician said we should count total carbs because net carbs are not a recognized measurement by whatever association decides these things. LOL Most fruit is high in carbs, yes, and so most people watching their carb count choose coconut and berries as opposed to citrus or bananas. Same with veggies, green beans would be a better choice than a sweet potato. Keep in mind this state of ketosis is not intended to last forever, so what might not be the best item to eat right now will fit perfectly later on in your nutritional picture when you can increase your carb count.