Keto Diet.

Just Curious as to how many VSGers here are on the KETO diet??? any thoughts? how soon after surgery did you switch to KETO? I never really knew about keto until recently and the more I been looking into it the more it sounds like its a good fit. I have an apt with my nutritionist at the end of the month to discuss my progress. But I was just curious how this is working out for ppl that had a VSG. I find it more helpful to hear stories form people that have actually experienced this.

I do Low-carb, high-fat but not keto. Keto generally is defined as 20g of net carbs or less per day. I normally am in the 50-80g range and have my macro set to 20% carbs (though I rarely reach that, I think it's 96g for my base maintenance calories).

I couldn't really do anything but high protein, moderate fat, and ultra low-carb until I hit maintenance. Once I hit maintenance I added in pretty much all my additional calories from protein and fat. I believe CathyH does true keto while still maintaining really low calories, so maybe she'll give her input.

I find that LCHF works nicely for me, without having to nitpick every carb I eat. I get nearly all my carbs from dairy, nuts, protein bars and veggies.

I don't eat Keto per se. I eat low carb, high protein. I don't worry about fat, but try to eat more lean cuts of protein. I have been in ketosis on and off (I test with strips). I don't consume carbs from anything but vegs and nuts (with the occasional cracker or smidge of popcorn). It has worked well for me. I know there are several people on the forums who are hard core keto and would be able to answer this question a bit more completely.

I was strict keto for short stints of time for a few years before surgery and on and off after surgery. My longest stint was 8 months - I lost 65lbs but gained it all back very quickly. Now I am very carb concious and I try to eat a high fat/moderate protein/low carb diet but I don't track my food so I don't know how often I am actually eating keto.

Most people eat low carb and don't worry too much about that fat. We can have higher protein needs than non-WLS people. You will usually lose better if you are on the high end of protein.

I could do 50% fat on my macros pretty easily sometimes 60... but it was hard and I didn't really feel well. You can be in ketosis even if your fat isn't as high as long as your low carb.

I have been keto since 5.5 months post op, and am now at 14.5 months post op, so keto for 9 months. I've lost 55 pounds since then. I chose to maintain for a couple of months after hitting my one year surgiversary, but just kicked back into losing mode and am doing fine (weight loss challenge at work with a $500 prize for the winner, so figured it was time to try and reach my next goals!). I still weigh, measure, and log every bite I eat for accountability. I love the keto way of eating (it's not a diet for me, it's a lifestyle), and how much more satiated and satisfied I am with high fat meals. I do not eat any grains or sugar, and keep my ratios at around 70% of calories from fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbs. When I am closest to those numbers, I lose great, and keep my calories between 1000-1100/day. When I want to maintain, I back down the fat a bit and increase my calories. Keto is more than just being in ketosis--it's also about how foods affect your body, blood glucose, reducing inflammation, and a whole food approach as well. It's not a lifestyle for everyone, but I am very happy with my decision to be keto :)

While I didn't check with ketostix or anything like that, I am sure I was in ketosis all of WL. I religiously tracked and carbs were typically around 20g.

I knew from past experience, that ketosis suppresses my appetite so combined with VSG it was a winning combination in terms of weight loss.

Just personally, I don't believe that low of carbs is good for MY body forever and ever.

But, it seemed like a starting weight of 360 lbs called for exceptional measures. For me, that included a ketogenic diet combined with VSG.

I now maintain with more balanced macros tho I still tend to be lower carb than most.

FYI, I have yet to meet a dietitian that thought my year of keto was a good idea. Don't get me wrong, they weren't at all judgy or anything like that. But my approach clearly wasn't what they would advise either from a nutritional standpoint or from a "learning to eat for the rest of my life" standpoint.

Best wishes!

This was basically how I felt too. The biggest thing (diet wise) that I have discovered with this surgery is that I feel amazing without high levels of carbs making me sluggish. I've literally felt that since I started the pre-op diet (minus a short deviation of feeling like garbage with surgery recovery).

I've been on a ketogenic diet for many years. I eat between 70-90g of protein and 40-60g of fat, depending, and not more than 10-15g of carbs. Pre-op I ate 150g protein, 140g of fat, and 10-15g of carbs per day. The fat percentage changed a lot post-op as you can see, and protein takes up far more percent-wise than it did before. I don't add extra fat to things, but I also never eat low fat foods. The main requirement is protein.

Most people on a ketogenic diet also don't always count calories, however I do track mine.

I also usually I eat only animal products and not really any vegetables or starches, but that's more zero carb than just a ketogenic diet.

My nutritionists haven't complained about my diet, but it's also not what they suggest. My program does carbs 130g or less I think, which I haven't come close to hitting for...a really long time.

My sweet tooth craves carbs. Post op, I went Ketonic for about a month. Can't keep my carb count low enough to stay there. When I'm on track I eat about 20 to 60 carbs a day. Not worth the effort or benefit to me to lower that carb count. When I get above 100ish, I start craving carbs and I find it hard to stay on track.