Search the Community

Taken from Wiki - Ketosis (IPA pronunciation: [ki'tosɪs]) is a stage in metabolism occurring when the liver has been depleted of stored glycogen and switches to a chronic fasting mode during long periods of starvation. During the chronic stage of starvation (after glycogen has run out), fat (triglycerol) is cleaved to give 3 fatty acid chains and 1 glycerol molecule in a process called lipolysis. Most of the body is able to utilize fatty acids as an alternative source of energy in a process where fatty acid chains are cleaved to form acetyl-CoA, which can then be fed into the Krebs Cycle. During this process a high concentration of glucagon is present in the serum and this inactivates glucose kinase switching the primary energy source of most cells from using glucose to fatty acids. At the same time, new glucose is synthesized in the liver from lactic acid, glucogenic amino acids, and glycerol, in a process called gluconeogenesis. This glucose is used exclusively by cells such as neurons and red blood cells. Ketone bodies, from the breakdown of fatty acids to acetyl groups, are also produced during this fasting state, and are burned throughout the body. During the initial stages of starvation the adult brain does not burn ketones, however the newborn brain makes immediate use of this important substrate for lipid synthesis in the brain. After about 48 hours of starvation, the adult brain starts burning ketones in order to more directly utilize the energy from the fat stores that are being depended upon, and to reserve the glucose only for its absolute needs, thus slowing the depletion of the body's Protein store in the muscles. The brain retains a residual need for glucose, because ketones can only provide energy when used during aerobic respiration in mitochondria. In the long thin neurons, much of the metabolically active cellular membrane must derive its energy from glucose via anaerobic respiration without the assistance of mitochondria. Ketosis, which is a physiological condition in response to chronic starvation, should not be confused with ketoacidosis, which is severe ketosis causing the pH of the blood to drop below 7.2. Ketoacidosis is a medical condition usually caused by diabetes and accompanied by dehydration, hyperglycemia, ketonuria and increased levels of glucagon. The high glucagon, low insulin serum levels signals the body to produce more glucose via gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis and ketogenesis. High levels of glucose causes the failure of tubular reabsorption in the kidneys, causing Water to leak into the tubules in a process called osmotic diuresis, causing dehydration and further exacerbating the acidosis. The breath of people in a ketotic state commonly contains acetone, detectable as a sweet smell that may be mistaken for ethyl alcohol. Whether ketosis takes place can be checked by using special urine test strips such as Ketostix. Deliberately induced ketosis through a low-carbohydrate diet has been used to treat medical conditions. The ketogenic diet is an approach to treating epilepsy, and the Atkins Nutritional Approach is marketed for treating obesity. The very low calorie, medically supervised Lighter Life diet also uses ketosis for weight loss.

Yes I'm sure things will work out well for you with the graduation party. I'm really hoping I will be having my surgery around the same time as you. I'm 253 now and I have to be 246 for them to do the surgery but I know I will lose that doing the 2 week fast.

welcome Newbie you have a new healing tummy. i doubt you were able to chug the slim fast down 1,2, 3. you drank slowly i'm sure. per NUT at a later time you will be able to gulp many newbies have trouble drinking at this early stage. glad you have no problems - no problem with what you drank - great to get in as many fluids as possible towards 64 oz here is a drink to your health - cheers

Cheers hun, much appreciated. Yeah, haven't had any pain yet. Some slight discomfort if I sip too fast but that's only happened a couple of times.

Hiccups are usually a sign of taking in too much too fast. You may be drinking too much at one time? Do not use straws, they cause you to take in extra air. The headache may be some dehydration if you are not getting in enough fluids (aim for 64oz every day, including your shakes). You will know if you develop a leak or stricture, I've heard it's very painful and very obvious. I remember on day 3 how every little sound and gurgle that came from my belly scared the pahooey out of me. You did just have major surgery and your body is still reacting, plus you still have pain meds and anesthesia coming out of your system. Those can also cause headache, chills. For the first few weeks I was freezing all the time, but now I'm coming up on week 6 and feel extremely normal. Try to relax as much as you can, focus on your diet and moving around as much as possible without hurting yourself, and rest when you are tired. It does get better, and you will know if you truly need more help!

Congrats on your date! your almost there... I still have a road to travel (for real hehe) Im seeing my Dr. for the 1st tomorrow. Your 3 1/2 weeks will go by fast Good Luck with everything!!!

Hi friends, Im a new bandster (32 days) and have been doing well so far. This week I have my monthly cycle and really cant each much at all. Is this pretty normal? I usually have 4oz of yougurt or cottage cheese in the am, 4oz of tuna and a few steamed vegies for lunch, then dinner is usually eggs with cheese and peppers, or soup/fish/chicken vegs and maybe a little potatoes. Im going to try salads soon maybe pasta. For some reason this week Im not eating much at all, skipping breakfast and maybe 2tbs of tuna at lunch (I feel sooooo full from that) Could this be because of my cycle? Also is it possible some people dont need a fill? I seem to have good restriction and really dont overeat at all (I do stop when I get the dreaded "IM FULL" pain) I have to get usted to eating slow also, I was always a person who ate really fast. Thanks again!

Hello, I have been looking on the internet about IBS and I think I might have it. I experience abdominal pains (not severe but noticeable) bloating and lots of gas. I sometimes find relief when I pass the gas, but this is happening everyday. When I try to poop, it doesn't make it's way down too easy. I have to struggle (if you know what I mean). I took ex-lax over the weekend which gave me relief until today. Ughhh.... I am fasting this month of Ramadan and I know I'm not getting enough water in during the day, but this has been going on for about a year on and off. I try to watch what I eat like brocolli and cabbage. If any of you have IBS can you tell me if there are home remedies I can try or supplements I can take? Any help is appreciated.

First off I'm new here and 2nd here is my story I got ky approve to see a doc about getting the band on march they told me to call back next year so I let it at that then I get a call early June that they have a opening and I start my class ASAP then I switched to the sleeve and wow was not thinking it would be this fast so now I just finshed my last class on Thursday and they have send all my stuff to get approved to the insurance I was sure I wanted to do this be healthy for my daughter (who will be 3 in Sept) watch her grow up and have her get used to living a healthy life style since my dad died at 34 of heart issues when I was 11 and a half bro passed away because he was overweight I don't want that to be me but I'm scared and I have been eating like this my whole life my issue is I don't eat all day but at night so that's a big no no I know this is not a fast fix and I will have to change my whole life style with food its a tool to help me but I this past weekend I have been thinking food has been my friend and I can't eat what I used to yikes but I know I need to do this for my self and daughter I have great support but its like leaving something behind you love I have read post of people how they feel how do you all get in the mind set to be ready for this ?? I feel since I'm young it would be good to be healthy and watch ny daughter grow up and not have a weight issue but what are some tips you use to get your little hungry mind to be ready thanks again for your response

My queston is what would cause me to feel like something is stuck in my throat. Banded 4/13 never vomited. No fill. Thanks

I confess... I am one of those people... I tend to eat very fast, and take big bites... so, before I got banded, I bought some teeny tiny spoons to eat with... they are actually souvenir spoons from the places I want to visit once I get "skinny" So, every time I put that little spoon in my mouth, I think about how much fun I am going to have in Alaska, Australia, Jamaica, etc. I do not take them to restauarants (but I have only been to one since being banded)... but I do use them at work, and at home.

I cautiously enter this information since we all lose at different rates. The comparison can kill your momentum and make you think your not losing fast enough. I felt SOOO BAD reading how fast others are losing. I thought it was something I was doing wrong. I finally realized alot has to do with how much you have to loose. I am losing 2-3 pounds per month which, when I think back to my PRE-OP days the surgeon said 1-2 pound per week was as fast as he wanted. AND if Im losing in that guideline I dont need a fill. ALl the surgeons are different, but mine prefers slow and steady- good thing cause thats all Ive been able to do!!

You are right i have lost 50 lbs and im not worried about my wieght anymore. i dont panic when i get on the scale now. and i sometimes forget about the scale because not only am i looking better i feel better even thought im bot a size 10 hell im not a size 20 but i look good as hell and i am as sexxy as they come. so people dont panic the weight will come off slow or fast it doesnt matter just go with it and be a better you. automatically you will lose the weight that what the surgery does it makes you lose weight, so dont worry do your part and it will come off lb by lb slow or fast the sleeve helps you to lose weght. im glad i did it becuase i could never lose weight without gaining it back 3 weeks later...............so enjoy the hard part is getting sleeved and weve done that so grow in your mind and lose in your body...

For me, it was a matter of learning to eat until I wasn't hungry instead of eating until I was full. There's a huge difference. :-) Full now feels really uncomfortable and is nauseating--if I eat too much (or too fast!), I get that uncomfortable sense of pressure and the need to burp--if I do burp, sometimes that will relieve it, but if it doesn't because I really have eaten too fast, sometimes that has led to needing to throw up. NOT pleasant. I now routinely undereat my sleeve to allow room for those digestive juices without giving me that pain and pressure.

Thank you all for your support. After thinking about it for a while I remembered why I didn't want the bypass. For me it just didn't seem right, I just never felt comfortable with the idea of bypass. I called my doctor and the bariatric nurse a bunch of times today, did my pre admit and now I've been approved for surgery. I guess my insurance works fast lol. I will be having the sleeve this monday July 28th! I feel nervous yet excited.

Good luck!!! Wishing u a fast n easy recovery!

Dumping syndrome usually involves you being in the bathroom for awhile (a long while) and it's not a normal thing for VSGers! My guess is you did drink too fast. I still get pain if I eat or drink too fast and I'm 3 months post-op! Remember to just sip sip sip slowly!

Welcome and congrats on your surgery. Hope your recovery is fast and smooth. All of you that have given April dates have been added to the list of April bandsters HERE. (part of a forum for all the April bandster's HERE)

{ Cool Pic, Road Queen. } Interesting. I see LapBand PreOps worry about Plastic Surgery and I guess my thought was - It's only an issue if you lose the weight. Why stress about it? One thing at a time!:phanvan I don't think it's a case of 'needing' plastic surgery. Everyone has a different tolerance level for hanging skin. I had zero tolerance! I want to look great. So maybe my attitude is a bit different. I'm single/no kids and wanted a single girl's wardrobe. I knew a long period of obesity had done a number on my body. Nothing on me "bounces back" no matter how fast or how slow I lost weight. Period. And since I don't have some man who has sworn to love me "for better, for worse" or "For wrinklier, or For saggier" :confused: I approach this from someone who would be seeing me for the first time. One day I might not be single - and I was hoping not to traumatize whoever the poor sap is who sees me unclothed (the only men who see me unclothed now all have medical licenses so they're not allowed to faint on sight). :rolleyes But I knew I'd only need some work if I got the weight off first. Trust me, for a lot of people, you won't know how you'll look or how you'll feel about how you look, until you get nearer to your goal weight. As for me, I'm considering my body to my best investment. Some women have jewelry and heirloom diamonds. I have a $20,000 ring (but it's made of silicone and it's internal instead of external), instead of a diamond bracelet I have a $8,000 Tummy, and pretty soon I hope to have some $7,000 boobage and cleavage. Who said diamonds are a girls ONLY best friend?

I never had any pain either. They gave me pain meds in the hospital but I never took any pain meds once I got home. I followed the guidelines they gave me and have had no issues. I did have the “foamy” stuff come up a couple of times in the early stages when restarting solid food due to either eating too fast or too much but otherwise no vomiting or nausea. It doesn’t take too many times of doing that to figure out your bodies cues to slow down! I consider myself to be having a textbook journey and am grateful. I don’t get stressed out if I have a day where I don’t get my protein in. I just do better the next day! I did get hunger back after 4 weeks but it doesn’t take much to make it go away. I used to live on sugar, now I have no desire for sweets or junk food. Now I just look at junk food and think to myself, that’s what got me to the bariatric program in the first place! I’m doing the best I can and so far it’s working. I’m no longer Pre-diabetic and no longer take taking BP meds. Good luck with your journey. It’s ok to being doing great! Your doctor will be proud of you!

I'm doing my 6 months thru my surgeons office I'm on month 3 of 7 I have a weight check in a week. Then onto month 4 yay it's moving by so fast. Omg like I feel like I just met with the doctor and now it's almost may I'm having surgery in September. It's happening so quickly you guys Sent from my SM-T380 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey Gman! It really depends on where I'm at in my fill. I go back every 4 weeks for an evaluation, and thus far, have gotten a fill (of varying amounts) on every visit - the 5th one was today... For the first week after getting a fill, I can usually only eat about 3/4 of a cup or so of food - depending on what it is. By weeks two and three, the band is a bit looser and I can eat a solid cup at a time. By the 4th week I could eat much more than a cup and that's when I have to really impose some discipline. During the first week after a fill I'm VERY cautious about cutting food into VERY small pieces and chewing very well. But as the month goes on I tend to eat a bit larger pieces (as the restriction decreases) because I get better restriction that way. Really small pieces tend to get through the band pretty fast at that point. I have a 4cc band and it's about half-full now. Surgeon said that the band loosens because of the loss of fat tissue beneath it, and noticing the decrease in the fill as the month goes on is exactly what he wants to see happen. I'm really glad I have a reasonably aggressive doc as far as fills go. It so helps keep the hunger at bay and make better food choices. Good luck! Brad

Fasting in and of itself, defeats the purpose of the band, because the band is designed to keep you full faster when you eat solid foods. But if you think you could last on a liquid diet, it's likely you'll lose some weight, but then the flaw with diets like that is that they don't teach you good eating habits. So, while you'll probably lose weight, I would recommend doing some extra work to get eating right even while you are busy, as that will help you maintain your weight loss int he future as well, you know?

I have been preparing for this surgery for a little over a year and I just started getting nervous about it! Im scheduled for Feb. 8th and I start fasting Next Sunday. I joined this site for some extra support!

Whataburger has grilled chicken. Otherwise keep a protein bar in your purse and avoid fast food entirely (a huge adjustment I've had to make for myself). Good luck, I know it's not easy.