Low Carb Banders Unite

ebinsc · 06-22-2008, 05:00 PM

I have PCOS, too. Over the past several years I have heard opposing opinions from health care professionals about low-carb eating plans (I hesitate to use the word "diet" because of the negative connotation it brings). I do find that low-carb is effective for me for weight loss and controlling insulin resistance.
I have been successful on South Beach in the past but fell off the wagon and starting eating badly again which resulted in gaining back any weight I had lost. Right now I am planning to follow South Beach which is close to what my surgeon's office recommends anyway.
Count me in!

renewedhope · 06-22-2008, 05:58 PM

Hey guys!! I've been out of town all weekend and just got in. welcome to all the new folks. I did pretty good this weekend. Passed up lots of yummy looking desserts. My only big mess up was homemade ice cream last night and about 1/4 of a can coke. My family goes to a ranch in Oklahoma each year. So.... we each cook a meal, and my granny fixes all the desserts. We are really good cooks. :) I was very proud of myself for sticking with low carb except the ice cream and coke!!

I have a question. I ate the ice cream last night around 7 or so. At about 2 today my ketone stick showed me to have a trace amount of ketones down from my usual large abount. Is this enough time to be a result of the ice cream last night??? If so, then if didn't kick me out of ketosis completely, so I can probably safely add some fruit to my diet!!
What to you fellow ketone stick users think??

Amy

justme69 · 06-22-2008, 09:05 PM

what is pcos??

renewedhope · 06-22-2008, 09:12 PM

polycystic ovararian symdrome.

I'm blessed to have it as well

Desdemona · 06-22-2008, 10:35 PM

Lunabeane--
I also teach and I understand how you feel. I think everyone is different. If I do less than 20 carbs I can barley think or move. I have spent months at less than 20 because I thought it would get better - but it never did. I find that if I just do a few more carbs --- 30 --then I'm fine. I don't do sticks because I know the stick won't turn at 30 for me. It's OK. I still get the benifits of low carb (maybe not quite as fast) but without feeling like a wet rag.

There are different low carb diets. Atkins allows 20 carbs in the induction phase and requires ketosis during that time but there are other low carb diets that allow more carbs. Even Atkins allows more if you want to go to the 2nd phase.

I have been off and on low carb for years. Now that I'm banded I am doing much better staying on it.

BlooEyez · 06-24-2008, 02:10 PM

I've never used the ketone sticks ... might have to grab some next time I go to the store.

Doing good ... weight dropping steadily over the past few days. Perhaps I'll get to "onederland" within a week? Hope so!

Hope everyone is doing well

BonnieMcC · 06-25-2008, 07:37 AM

how are my low-carb friends doing? Its been a week and a day doing low-carb and I am down 9.2 lbs. I go to my first lap-band® consultation tomorrow. I am very excited, but after viewing my 5 year weight history I have doubts whether not insurance will approve it. I am supposed to have a bmi of 40 for the past 5 years and it has dipped below 40 a few times. I think if the doctor can FIND comorbities insurance will pay, but the only problem I have is sleeping at night. I don't think its sleep apnea though. I am not gonna stress out about it. If it was meant to be for me to have the surgery then it will happen, if not, I made a promise to myself that I will keep working on losing this weight.
how has the weightloss been for you low-carbers?

renewedhope · 06-25-2008, 07:51 AM

Bonnie, My BMI dipped below 40 in the past 5 years, but my insurance covered my band. It is my understanding that what they are looking for are efforts at weight loss, but inabiilty to mantain the weight. I could be wrong, but I do know that mine dipped as well, but was still covered. I was concerned about the same thing. Congrats on the great weight loss!!

I started lowcarbing again about a month ago. I did my monthly measurements and in the past month I have lost 15 pounds and 10.75 inches. Low carbing really works well for me.

Bloo, I have become quite addicted to my ketone sticks. Last night I ate a couple of strawberries with supper. This moring my ketone stick is still showing large amounts of ketones, so I know that I can add that small amount of carbs. I am going to start toying with adding some carbs back as long as I continue to lose and I stay well in ketosis.

BonnieMcC · 06-25-2008, 07:58 AM

Im am sorta addicted to the ketone stix too. I am trying force myself to only use them ONCE a day...in the morning. Mine is staying in moderate and I know its because I have a wrap every afternoon (but its a low carb wrap!!!) If I lowered my carbs by about 10 I would be in heavy ketosis. I don't know if its worth giving up my wrap though!

renewedhope · 06-25-2008, 08:11 AM

I have been taking in very few carbs and really scared to add them for fear of my weight loss slowing. The ketone sticks are helping me add some back. I would love to know if greater ketones means greater weight loss, or will weight loss continue as long as we are in ketosis at all??? I'm sure there is a difference in the loss between trace ketones and large ketones, but if I stay in the moderate range will my weighloss be significantly less than when I have large amounts of ketones????

erikadawn · 06-25-2008, 10:10 AM

i am so happy to read this. I lost over 80 pounds on low carb but of course i gained it back. i have lost 50 pound thanks to my band and low carbs. Whem I let my band control portions my weight loss slows to about 2 pounds a week. I only have 4.lbs to onederland and I hope I make it by Monday. Low carb is the way to go!

PRCowboy · 06-25-2008, 04:04 PM

I am glad I ran across this. I was banded two weeks ago. I actually am starting mushies tonight. I have never been so excited to have mashed potatoes. I was on adkins for a year before surgery and lost about 100lbs. I was like everybody else, I had lost a lot but then gained it back, so I figured do Adkins until you cant do it anymore and get a band.

The clear liquid diet works pretty well too. I started it June 7th @ 463 lbs and today I am 416.

I am a little worried about having all the carbs(mushies) for the next two weeks, because I do want to go back on Atkins. I was able to stay on it a long time, because I enjoyed my 30 carbs a day. For me barbque sauce and some kind of starch kept me going. And I actually lost the 100 lbs in a little more than 4 months and then just maintained for the next 8 months. A piece of advice. Avoid the sugar-free candy. It is addicting, and you cant lose weight. I didnt gain any weight, but that is why I stopped losing.

ANyway, nice to meet you all. I am sure I will post here again.

ccm · 06-25-2008, 07:11 PM

The scale loves me again! A couple pounds down this week and I am happy with that. I would really like to be in onederland by September. It is going to be tough but all I can do is try. Keep up the good work everyone.

cc

Desdemona · 06-25-2008, 08:00 PM

PRCowboy--
When I was on mushies I depended on refried beans, cheese, and scrambled egg because they are low carb. I also used Reset which is a whey-based protein drink. It has 22 grams of protein and only 13 grams total grams but only 4 of them net carbs per glass. It also contains Stevia instead of the sugar substitutes that can cause weight stalls.

mamato3 · 06-25-2008, 10:30 PM

OK I am on board again with the low carb. Not because I want to, but because I have to! Slow losing is driving me crazy. I want my scale to say 199 on Monday morning when I weigh. I had my daugther hide my scale from me until then. hahah So, my plan is to stay below 20 carbs/day for at least 2 weeks and then slowly add some back in. I'm glad you all are here for support cause low carb is HARD!