Keto diet

What problem were you trying to fix?

Not fixing any problems per say, just better health.  It's supposed to help auto-immune diseases and inflammation.  While my colitis isn't here anymore because I don't have a colon, I still do have pouchitis at times.  

I have been on the keto diet for about three weeks now, and I’m pleased with the results so far. I had the same problem with liquid stools for several days, but after that (probably about the time that I went into ketosis) it resolved to where things were before I changed my diet. 

I need to lose weight (which is working; I’ve lost 17 pounds so far) so that was my initial motivation. But the more that I learn about the keto diet, the more that I am intrigued by the possible health benefits.

I have noticed a slight increase in energy levels. But it’s too early to tell what the impact will be long-term.

One lesson I did learn the hard way: the recipe that I found for delicious keto low carb tortillas? WAY to much fiber for this gutless guy!!!

I do not see significant appreciable differences between this diet, SCD, Fodmap and Paleo. All of these diets have the same core principles.  Which of these diets one latches on to probably has more to do with which one is suggested or marketed to the user first, than to any scientifically proven advantage of one of these diets over the other.

If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.  As far as I am concerned all of the above diets are ducks until someone can explain to me how any one of them isn't.

I lived off of a high protein, low carb diet for years and it worked out fine in the short-run...but my body suffered from lack of fruits, a lot of veggies that I avoided and to be honest it was great for my pouch but not really the rest of me.

I started eating a dissociated diet around 1990, separating my carb and protein meals, eating fruits only in the morning on an empty stomach or 1/2hr before meals, limiting dairy to mostly plain Greek yoghurt and some natural cheeses. 

I gave up commercial or industrial foods and started eating as naturally and homemade as possible. 

I ended up getting rid of my pouchitis and have only had 1 or 2 bouts of it since then (about 28yrs).

I had to try and fail a couple of times before I found the diet that worked for both me and my pouch...there is no one size fits all recipe for everyone...you have to test things and see what works for you.

Good luck.

Sharon

Thanks for the input, Sharon. My wife, who, at 56 yrs old and in perfect health, is concerned that my body isn’t getting a well-balanced diet. But I wonder how many nutrients I would be getting from fruits, etc., given that my lack of colon makes it hard to digest them. 

I’ve had my J-pouch for 20 months now (9 months of hell, the past 11 months have been so much better) and I was one of those “lucky” few who gained a lot of weight after surgery: 50 pounds in 6 months. So I have the dual task of finding a diet that works for my J-pouch, and one that will help me lose weight. 

I find that the keto diet is working well for weight loss, and my HUGE sweet tooth has just about gone away. But long-term, I’m looking for more balanced options. I like the dissociated diet that you describe. That may be a good way of getting a more balanced diet, while keeping my J-pouch happy. Plus, it’ll make my wife happier too! 

The loss of a colon has little to no effect on how much nutrition one gets from foods. The small amount of ileum used to construct the J-pouch can have an effect, but usually it’s not significant. It’s important not to confuse the residue of fibrous foods with the nutrition extracted from them.

Bill, 

Like Scott said, your digestion takes place mostly in your small intestine with sugars and alcohol (as well as certain meds) digested in your stomach and fluids mostly absorbed from your colon...So technically, you should not have difficulty absorbing most nutrient...plus, an added advantage of having a pouch is that your food sticks around for a while in the pouch and certain nutrients get absorbed slightly better.

Just post k pouch creation, my surgeon had me go for tests at the Princess Margret hospital in Toronto (cancer specialist) where I gave samples after eating various foods and after various wait times for digestive purposes. 

They concluded that most of what I ate digested just fine except and unless it ran through me like a freight train.

Pouchitis was a problem in those days; it caused things to run through me too quickly (like having the flu) and nothing stuck around long enough to absorb but once I got that handled I put on weight at an alarming speed (moving to France and discovering pastries didn't hurt either!).

Like I said, try different diets...in my case dissociated works best and when I do fall off of the wagon and start eating breads I have to eat whole grains and dark breads (not just the color but the grains) in order to keep my pouch happy.

(last week I had a 3-day pastry binge...my pouch made me pay...once off of it, it immediately went back to normal)

Sharon

Thanks for the info, Scott and Sharon. While I was aware that most of the nutrient absorption takes place in the ileum, my understanding was that the human body cannot break down cellulose. The flora that normally lives in the colon can, however. So my assumption was that, since cellulose passes through indigested, those of us who are colon deprived would not derive any nutritive value. 

So you are saying that we DO gain the nutrients, but don’t break down the cellulose? Or is my whole understanding of how that works incorrect? 

Sharon, 

I think that there should be some sort of special dispensation for French pastries. Just like I think that anyone who has their colon removed should never have to worry about love handles again. :-) 

I am from the US (North Carolina) but I flew into Montréal this morning on business. Where in France do you live? We lived in Paris and Aix-en-Provence for many years and all three of our children were born there. Now that we have an empty nest, we hope to move back there soon. La belle vie provençale nous manque énormément !  

I’m curious as to why Keto is not a well balanced diet?

For clarification real Keto is medium protein, medium fat and low carbs. No grains, tubers and sugar. What your left with is great colorful food. You can have 20-50g of carbs. That’s a lot of food and color.  Any berry is acceptable for fruit. 

We all, for the most part eat what works. 

I’m just curious because I hear so many different opinions. 

BILLL, humans don’t digest cellulose at all, even with colons. In mammals that do digest cellulose it tends to happen in a relatively large cecum, so we did indeed lose the organ that would digest cellulose if we could.

Bill, 

I agree with the dispensation for French pastries and this love-handle business is really starting to get to me...when I signed on for my pouch (almost 39yrs now!) I was sure that there was a 'you can eat anything that you want and not gain weight' clause somewhere...just not sure if it had a 1yr expiry date on it or not!

Just outside of Paris...my city is on the métro line and I work in Paris.

Having both a love for food and living here along with a k pouch is a challenge but somehow I manage...

Maggie, 

there is nothing wrong with Keto as long as it is done right...most people confuse Keto and Atkins...or something similar that is high protein/no carbs especially in the beginning...A highly restrictive diet that is supposed to make you lose a ton of weight...and then you end up with a lot of deficiencies...the human body needs a wide variety of seasonal foods eaten as simply as possible along with the rest...

I like my high protein, middle carb, low sugar diet...it isn't one...just common sense...but it is not for everyone and it takes a lot of training and discipline...it is a lifestyle and not a diet... I eat mostly protein meals, lots of green veggies, some fruits in the morning or for snack and I do not neglect my chocolate (yup...I can't give up the chocolate...I already gave up peanut butter!).

Any diet or dietary lifestyle needs to be livable or you will give it up and 'go back' to your old ways...I tweak mine according to the season (asparagus, artichokes, eggplants and strawberries are in right now so I eat a lot of those along with grilled meats and some yogurt for lunch)...but then again...I am very boring!

Sharon

I understand that a lot of posters have modified their diets based on individual tolerances  and/or intolerances, but for those whose diet is theoretically unlimited and are looking to choose one diet over the other, I never understood why the UMass IBD-AID diet never gained more traction with members of the board. It’s the only one of these diets that is scientifically designed for IBD patients:

https://www.umassmed.edu/nutrition/ibd/ibdaid/

CTBARRISTER, I never saw that diet! It is similar to how I eat now, and wow, I always wondered about oatmeal. No one ever told me about this diet -- I just quickly sent it out! Thank you so much. 

I'm late to the party but started KETO three weeks ago and am having watery stool, frequency and horrible butt burn. Wondering if it's the fat or what! I've lost 10 lbs, which is great, but not at the expense of my health. Wondering if this will pass or if I should look something else. Now, after reading this string, I now have the UMass diet and the Dissociated Diet to look into. 

Thanks to all of the contributions to this string!

Hi Shaun,

I had those symptoms too, but only for the first few days. I would say that it likely is the fat that is causing the issue. Reducing the amount of fat may help. One thing to keep in mind: if you are trying to lose weight (like me), you don’t need a huge amount of fat in your diet, because your body already has a source of fat (in my case, my jiggly gut) to burn for energy. Fat is consumed more slowly than carbs, so it acts as an appetite suppressant. I try to eat just enough fat to keep from being really hungry. 

I lost about 36 pounds in 4 months, but June and July have been harder. I’ve been traveling quite a bit, and I fell hard off the Keto wagon. Fortunately, I didn’t regain any weight, and now I am trying to get back into ketosis.

Some people see Keto as a permanent change in their diet. I’m doing it strictly for weight loss, and intend to reintroduce a sensible amount of healthy carbs, once I am at my weight goal. 

I wish you much success, whether on Keto, or something else. 

Bill

Bill,

Thanks for this info. I thought that hitting the fat hard might be my issue, but I am impressed with the weight loss and increased energy. Rather than abandon it, (and all the money I spent on almond flour and avocado oil, lol) I will make adjustments to the recipes in hopes that I can find a healthy balance. 

I have a wicked sweet tooth and I will say that Keto is helping to control those cravings. 

It's all a process and anything is better than dealing with UC. 

Thanks again and be well. 

Shaun, 

I, too, noticed a big increase in energy on Keto. And my huge sweet tooth was amazingly under control. Between my birthday, our 25th wedding Anniversary, my Mother’s 90th birthday celebration, and a trip to Hawaii all happening in July, my sweet tooth is back with a vengeance. I’m trying to tame it now, and will hopefully be back on track in August! 

Well something went wrong and those symptoms I mentioned above got worse. Dehydration set in so my GI ordered me off KETO. Once I rebound I will give the UMASS IBD-AID Diet a try! 

Gotta keep on rolling!

ShaunC,

The UMass IBD-AID diet is the only one developed by medical professionals specifically for persons with inflammatory bowel disease.  If you try it please let us know your results.  I have made a few recipes I found in that diet, but I mostly stick to a common sense low sugar, low carb, high protein, high fiber diet that is somewhat similar to it, if less organized and structured.  Cutting sugar and processed carbs are the two biggest things one needs to do.  

Good luck-

Sorry to hear about the dehydration, Shaun. Fortunately, I have not had that issue. I try to head that off by drinking a ridiculous amount of water. Since I tend towards low blood pressure, it helps with that too. 

I hope you feel better soon! 

I'm a trooper! Thanks Bill. 

Shaunc, a good way to remember to rehydrate is drink a glass of water after every visit to the washroom, especially if you have frequency and it's loose. You're losing lots of fluid.  I also keep a fresh jug of water on the bedside table so that if I get up at night, I drink water afterward.  When I wake up, before getting out of bed, I drink a glass of water to hydrate and get the body working.

Winterberry, thanks for the tips. I will employ. Do not want a repeat  of this. 

Recently joined this site, and am loving all the information! Wish I joined sooner.

UC, 2008

J-pouch, 2013? (I block it out, I don't know why)

Hydration is a very individual thing...it also depends , I think, on the age of your pouch and if you have pouchitis often. 

I put pay to poucitis about 25yrs ago so I dehydrate less. 

I also rarely over-hydrate because I have low blood pressure  and over-hydrating can be dangerous in that case...it washes out too many mineral salts from your bloodstream...and your BP could bottom out. 

So I drink what my body asks for and no more. I have a large class of water, 1 of orange or tangerine juice and a couple of mugs of coffee in the morning then as needed throughout the day depending on the weather and my activity level. 

There are no hard, fast rules except that you should watch out for the danger signs: dizziness,  nausea, blinding headaches,  severe and sudden joint pain,  achy muscles or twitching,  blurry vision, moodiness,  cold sweats (yup, dehydration can cause sweating ), lethargy (get thee to the hospital if the last few kick in and won't go away after a couple glasses of water and juice)...

It can creep on fast and hit hard especially in the summer.  So be careful. 

Sharon 

@BillL posted:

I have been on the keto diet for about three weeks now, and I’m pleased with the results so far. I had the same problem with liquid stools for several days, but after that (probably about the time that I went into ketosis) it resolved to where things were before I changed my diet.

I need to lose weight (which is working; I’ve lost 17 pounds so far) so that was my initial motivation. But the more that I learn about the keto diet, the more that I am intrigued by the possible health benefits.

I have noticed a slight increase in energy levels. But it’s too early to tell what the impact will be long-term.

One lesson I did learn the hard way: the recipe that I found for delicious keto low carb tortillas? WAY to much fiber for this gutless guy!!!

Hey! Were you able to eat a moderate protein/high fat keto diet with a jpouch? My conern is that too much fat will cause loose stools. I knew it adjusts for normal people, but was unsure if it did for us with a jpouch. But you were able to do that without loose stools? Thanks!