Morning ~ a few questions

Good Morning All , Hope everyone has been doing great, looks like its going to be a great day .. I just have a few questions if you all don't mind. one is ever since surgery my breathe - taste in my mouth ALL the time is gross. did anyone else experience this? its really gross tasting all the time and honestly just makes me want to gag. another thing is I get in tons of water but im so over water honesty , is there any kind of juice i can have just for something different during the day? im a little over 4 weeks out. Thanks ahead of time for all the help. hugss ~ jenn

Jen its very normal to have the bad breath. Its call ketosis. Its your body getting rid of alot of toxic crap. As you fat cells melt they release alot of toxins they have been storing up for yrs. Your breath isnt the only thing that will smell. You sweat and other body fluids should be smelling stronger now too!!!. I have found a mouth wash called tri oral that I ordered online at www.qvc.com and u use it every 12 hrs and it does really seem to help alot. As for the water. I dont have any suggestions. Have u tried adding flavor to your water. I know they have all those new things u can add to your bottled water now. Crystal light is one I hear alot of ppl are using. I just drink plain water...its cheaper and I still like it if its cold. How is your wt loss coming along. I havent lost any wt in 2 mornings now. Its so depressing. I go thru this every weekend. errrr Mariah

Jenn, After reading what I typed I realized I made ketosis sound way easier than it is. It is a long chemical process of the liver breaking down stored fat for energy. Just figured it was to much to get into. However I went looking for some less expensive ways to combat bad breathe and I found this article. It has a few suggestions. It does say that if u have bad breathe at least u know u are doing your low carb diet correctly.....So its positive feedback....hahaha... It also says that by drinking more water u can dilute it some. Mariah Low-Carb Diets Can Cause Bad Breath Experts offer tips to fight the odor. By Denise Mann WebMD Feature Reviewed By Charlotte Grayson Low-carb diets may be good for your waistline, but you might not be able to say the same for your breath. Low-carb lifestyle junkies are more likely to suffer from a seldom discussed side effect of such diets -- halitosis, aka bad breath. And since more than 25 million people say they have tried the Atkins diet (not to mention other low-carb eating plans), according to the National Marketing Institute, bad breath may be an epidemic! Bad breath in the low/no-carb sect is often caused by certain chemicals that are released in the breath as the body burns fat. They are called ketones, and entering into a fat-burning state of ketosis is the hallmark of the Atkins diet. So the good news is that if your breath stinks, you're probably doing a good job of sticking to that low-carb diet. "Carbohydrates aren't readily available, so you start to use other fats and proteins as your source of energy, and as a result you are going to get a breath problem," explains Kenneth Burrell, DDS, the senior director of the council on scientific affairs of the American Dental Association. Pass the Bread? This is not an oral hygiene problem, Burrell says, so "all the brushing, flossing, and scraping of the tongue that you can do is not possibly enough to overcome this." The bottom line is that you must "reconsider the diet and modify it so this doesn't happen," he says. Sure, "there may be some ways to mask it by using mouthwashes, but you can't overcome the fundamental problem other than by changing the diet -- or at least introducing some carbohydrates." "It's a difficult problem to solve because if one uses any sucking candy or lozenge, one has to be careful that it has no sugar in it" as sugar is a big no-no on many low-carb eating plans, says S. Lawrence Simon, DDS, a New York City periodontist. Even so-called "sugar-free" products are often loaded with carbs. "If you have a metabolic cause of bad breath, there is very little the dentist can do; you have to change your diet," he says. In fact, "the South Beach diet permits more carbs than the traditional Atkins diet, so there is bound to be less bad breath on South Beach because you are not going into a state of ketosis," he says. Masking the Problem While Dropping the Pounds "If I was dropping weight, I would buy more sugarless mints, not quit the diet," says Charles H. Perle, DMD, a general dentist in Jersey City, N.J., and a spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry. Perle says that even though this is not an oral hygiene problem, certain things can help banish the bad breath or at least mask the odor. Drink more water. Chew sugarless gum. Suck on sugarless mints. In particular, those that contain Xylitol also kill bacteria and can prevent cavities. Or, he says, "drink water and swi**** around in your mouth after you eat. It moistens the mouth and gets the food particles that may contribute to odor out. "Basically when you are on a low-carbohydrate diet, the key to success is breaking fat into ketones to create ketosis, and as ketones get into urine and saliva, it can cause horrible breath," Perle tells WebMD. In fact, this problem is openly acknowledged by the Atkins diet proponents. The Atkins web site states that often this bad breath, while "annoying," is actually chemical proof that you're burning stored body fat. According to the web site, drinking plenty of water helps dilute the concentration of ketones. In addition, chewing fresh parsley can help. If your bad breath persists, see your doctor, as it can be a sign of a serious medical condition, such as diabetes. Published May 14, 2004. Medically Updated April 7, 2005.

aww thanks girl , i figured it was because of the surgery etc .. its just so gross .. as for the flavors for water i try and use them , but ugh i duno whats up with me i can hardley even drink bottled water , now im drinking just right out of the facit . my taste and smells are just bad lately .. i havent lost in the past few days either im down 35 pounds. i go thru about a hour of depression a day and get my cry in then im ok . i go back to work monday so im hoping that makes everything better keeping me busy. i been having a hard time , i knew it was gonna be hard , but honestly i hate eating. hugss girl and thanks for that info it was interesting !!

Jenn, I think its all totally normal girl. I have the exact same problems. I hate eating but if I dont Im sleepy all the time. Ive found if I eat about every 3 hrs I have much more energy and I loose faster. But then I go days that I get depressed and I just cant keep up on the eating every time I turn around. Its a lot of changes and it can be depressing. I like you am looking so forward to going back to work. I start Sun night. Im scared but Im so looking forward to having something to do the days my husband is in LA. The weekends are the worst for me. Since Im home all alone. I think u are probably doing everything right and it seems from your wt loss u are. Just hang in there and Im sure it will get easier on us. I did notice the more humid days I was more nauseated even though I have a/c....I would go outside to the car or something and it would make my stomach sick all day. Hopefully it will stay cooler now and it wont be so hard on our little pouches. Mariah

Hey Jenn, I have read the same things abot the ketosis. It does go away! I know that it is sometimes hard on us emotionally in the beginning stages, I too had trouble with the depression, I am taking Effexor now and I feel so much better! That too, does get better! Hang in there! As far as some drink suggestions- I LOVE Tropicana and Minutemaid, they have orangeade, fruit punch and lemonade also Country time Light lemonade, these come in a 12 pack of cans, I find mine at Kroger and they usually have a sale on one if not both of them, there are other flavors in these brands too, I just prefer these- anyway they are sugar free and non carbonated, plus being in a can at least makes me feel like I am having a soda, I know it is a head game thing, BUT it works for me!I also have a hard time with water, and I do use the pouches and struggle with that also! Do you like iced tea, you could try decaf iced tea, Arizona teas are good, too! Hope this helps, let me know if you try them and like them, Hugz Dawn

Jenn, Good luck today. I hope u have a god first day back to work. I went back last night and it was so wonderful to get out of the house and see ppl again. I couldnt believe how loose my clothes where last night when I finally got dressed in my clothes. Since Ive been home Ive been in shorts and pj's and swim suits and dresses so I hadnt had on pants in weeks. What a difference. I can really see alot of changes in my body now. Have a great day Mariah

Hi Jenn~ Yep, I had the same thing. I drank a lot of crystal lite, can you drink that? Drinking something flavored helped me. I would also gargle w/ mouth wash a few times a day. Whatever you decide to do, I can tell you that it goes away. Good luck!! Jaimee

I mixed my water with Juicy Juice 1/2 and 1/2.. Dietition said that was great.. I needed the juice too and it wasnt to strong for my new belly.. NOT ORANGE JUICE YET though... Good luck!! Linda

Jenn, I had that bad taste for quite a while too. I think it has something to do with how many carbs you are getting (more realistically - not getting). I even got a tongue scrubber from the dentist. Take heart, it will go away once you can get in more calories and start branching out a little. As for water, I really like Flavor Splash from Aquafina. It is one of the fruit flavored waters available. It seems like it has more flavor than the Fruit 2-O and Dasani Fruit flavored water. It is sweetened with Splenda. I don't think you should do very much juice since it can have way too much sugar and cause problems for you. I know a lot of people really like adding the Crystal Light packets to their water also, but these had too much flavor for me. Good luck. Cindy