Question:
Doctor said I am starving???

I am 5 weeks out and havent gotten down more than 5oo calories in a day. the last several days I have been throwing up everything I eat, unless it is like water. I am dehydrated, and feeling blah. When I went to the doctor today, I had gained a pound. How the heck did I manage that?? and then, my doctor had me do a urine test for a bladder infection, came back that I had ketones in my urine, and he suspects I am starving myself??? Anyone else have this?    — LadyAnticipation (posted on November 22, 2005)

November 22, 2005
Sorry to hear about what you are going through did you have lap band or gastric bypass i ask this because alot of people post a question but in order to really help or get real good statistics we all need to put down our weight height and bmi and of course the procedure done this will help so someone like me can try to help get the information for you...hope you feel better i'm kind of a hyperchondriac so i do ask the doctors all questions mine and others. talk to u later..
   — bina

November 22, 2005
Ketones in your urine just mean that you are in ketosis (burning fat). Is this your surgeon that is concerned? Or a PCP? It doesn't sound like someone educated in the WLS process. The most important thing in the beginning is fluids. I had several short stays (a few hours) in the hospital to get rehydrated which helped alot in the first month or two. The fact that you can't keep anything down except water could indicate a stricture. It's prime time for that. What does your surgeon say?
   — mom2jtx3

November 23, 2005
The ketones in your urine indicate that you are losing. However, if they are extremely high....you could be starving your body. Our bodies need a minimum of 1000 calories per day simply to fuel our basic functions. It is very difficult to get that many calories in when you are a new post op tho. Just try gradually increasing your calories to around 1000 and see what happens. I stalled on weight loss about 6 weeks out and figured out that I wasn't eating enough. When I added a couple high protein snacks in each day, I started losing again. Not being able to keep anything down is a symptom of dehydration also. Drink water, tea, broth, anything liquid....maybe use soup for a snack...anything to increase your fluid intake. Ginger will help with upset stomach (that's what I had to use during morning sickness). Good luck. Carmen
   — kccjer

November 23, 2005
I see you are local to me. At 5 weeks, have you had a scope? You could be starving nutritionally, which might cause your body to hoard calories vs burning them. Also, dehydration can cause you to retain fluids. We want to be in a state of CONTROLLED ketosis during the rapid wt loss, but we do want to stay nourished while we lose the FAT, but not lose the muscle & bone.
   — vitalady