talkingmountain

On 6/14/2017 at 5:01 PM, fruitandveggies said:

Hi! 13-year vegan here, had bypass this past February. It's been great, really no issues at all!

How do you manage the pressure to eat massive amounts of Protein?

70 grams Protein is way too much, especially for someone of your size and for someone who's got a family disease if kidney problems. I'm don't mean to be argumentative, but whoever said "unless you eat 200 g a day you can't cause kidney problems" is not correct.

In addition to kidney problems, excess protein is associated with increased cancers and osteoporosis

If you look at the US guidelines, you need only about 45 g/day (and if you look at international science-based guidelines, you need even less) in the long term (if your doc advises higher during healing, that's fine). Since you didn't have a malabsorptive surgery, you don't even need to add the the 25% extra that those of us with RNY need to add.

Good replacements for all that excess protein are things you are already eating....vegetables, fruits, complex carbs. Your body will thank you.

If you want to lose wt, go heavier on the non-starchy veggies; if you need to stabilize, go heavier on the fruits & carbs; if you neat to gain, go heavier on the high fat foods (nuts, seeds, avocado, etc) Just tweak the ratios as needed for the rest of your life

congratulations on your success and I hope you continue to enjoy great health!

Glad you posted this -- I think this has been happening to me! Seems to happen if I eat something a bit high in sugar on an empty stomach.

Welcome! Yes there are a handful of us veg*ns out there!

Some of us have been sharing our daily food on the Buddies & Mentors forum.

Is there a contra dancing group in your area? They usually welcome newcomers, you definitely do NOT need to bring a partner, and it's great indoor fun.

On 5/22/2017 at 1:13 PM, blev said:

Way to go vegans I am having bypass surgery on May 25th - was a vegetarian off and on and really looking at options - I will be following this chat group

Sent from my SM-G935P using BariatricPal mobile app

I hope your surgery is going well!

Just met with my Programs's nutritionist for exactly that reason -- snacking snacking snacking! After we looked at my eating patterns, she showed me that I'd gotten into the habit of skipping supper, or just having a "snack" for supper because I wasn't feeling hungry. However that's led to snacking more all evening.

So that's one thing you could look at -- are you eating real meals? If you don't like what you are eating (you mentioned aversion) then try changing up what you eat.

Essentials:

- Water intake (48 fl oz minimum goal)

- Protein gram & percent of goal (goal needs to be set by user)

- Saturated fat & total fat & percent of each (goals set by user)

- Calories & percent of goal (set by user)

- All the main Vitamins & minerals (Bs, D, Calcium, Sodium, etc)

- # servings of vegetables & fruits and percent of daily goal

- Exercise

- Ability to add foods not in database and share that info with others (grows the database)

- Ability to add nutrient data for recipes & frequent food combos

- Track weight, percent body fat, waist & other key measurements.

- Track labs (all the common labs Done for both bariatric and "regular" checkups)

- Ability to see percent of goals reached on daily basis as well as averaged over a week and over a month

- All goals CEM set at a default value, but customizable if user desires

- Ability to add comments (e.g. Dumping events etc) so users can see patterns

Not Essential but Desirable:

- Link to Fitbit type devices

- Share recipes w nutrients

- Photos of self

- Track pants, shirt, & dress size

I split pea Soup is an excellent choice. It was my main food during the purée stage! Make sure you do not add ham though. It's really hard on the new stomach, even when well cooked.

You may want to avoid the cheese for now. Or it hats unthinkable for you, plan on taking a Lactaid chewable tablet. A lot of people get lactose intolerant after surgery

Congratulations on your new start to life!!!

Well let's chat then! I'll try to check in more regularly if you will do the same!

one thing I've always wanted to do is to have a veg*an "what did you eat today" ongoing post. When I've tried to join in the "what did you eat today running post, everyone starts harping on me "not eating enough protein" (protein=meat in most people's minds).

Any of y'all game to start that here?

Y'all wanted to know how those of us who posted long ago are doing so I'm doing just that!

I hit my "ideal body weight" (according to standard charts) a year after my surgery. And have maintained that +/- 2 lbs ever since.

Got pneumonia in the hospital so was incapacitated for weeks but eventually got back to "normal" recovery. Had the usual stalls, Hair loss, etc Weighing only once a week helped keep the "stalls" in perspective.

I was genuinely hungry just days after the surgery which scared me because most people aren't. But it all worked out okay.

FWIW, I think the two things that have helped me lose/keep off the weight so far are:

- During the "honeymoon period" I intentionally minimized sweetened things, including artificial sweeteners. My "sweet tooth" is still there for sure, but it's much more sensitive - things I used to love are just too darned sweet now.

- Most of the food I eat is or comes from plants, so it's naturally high in Fiber (fills you up) and nutrients, and naturally low in unhealthy fats and cholesterol E.g. Legumes, nuts, seeds, veggies, fruits, and healthy whole starches (mostly potatoes, sweet potatoes, & corn).

- I've been one of the "lucky" ones who does get dumping syndrome There's no denying that that has helped a sweets-a-holiday like me. My friends who do not dump seem to struggle a lot more to lose all their desired wt and keep it off. I hope some day the surgeons figure out what causes it so that everyone who wants that outcome can have it

Hi, I'm about 1.5 years out from RNY and follow a "plant-centric" diet (mostly vegan, but with occasionally dairy, chicken, or fish). It's hard to find other RNY-res who Are open to this way of eating; in my local support group I pretty much have learned just to keep my mouth shut, lol. Since this is a "buddy/mentor" site, does this mean either or both of you are open to chatting with other plant-based eaters?!

As long as you are allowed soft or puréed foods at this point, then yes Beans are an excellent food! The Fiber is great for making you feel full and keeping the old intestinal system running smoothly, if you know what I mean.

It took me about 9 months. I had 130 lbs to lose and reached goal at about 9 months I've stayed within about +/- 3lbs since then.

Yes there are lots. Go to a "health food" store. Almost all of the "plant based" Protein powders have stevia in them.

If you are having RNY, bring Gas-X strips

I would avoid juice of any kind. Too much sugar.

How exactly does the air fryer work?

25 minutes ago, mattyl88 said:

Thanks, I needed that! Did you take any hair growth helpers?

I took Biotin starting before my surgery and for months afterwards. And I when "fallout" started, I applied a topical over-the-counter liquid (generic rogaine ) to my scalp daily. Not sure if either helped, but at least I felt better knowing I was doing all I could!

4 hours ago, blondie66 said:

I'm 19 months post op and i can eat a lot and pretty much everything! It scares me sometimes...I thought I'd never be able to eat the same again after surgery but I can...less of everything but still can overeat. If I stick to Protein I'm okay I get full quicker but I have to be careful not to graze. I'd like to lose about 10 more pounds but it's a struggle cause I'm slipping back to bad habits such as snacking and eating too many carbs. I gained 6 pounds at Christmas but have since lost. As they say the surgery is a tool. For the first 9 months I could eat anything and lose weight...You've done great with your weight loss!

Ditto that! I'm 15 mos out and can now eat an entire quart+ of salad in one sitting! Sometimes it freaks me out. But I've been stable at my goal weight for a few months now so I guess it's fine. Main thing is probably to avoid "grazing" and avoid adding in junk foods. Which Incan do without even noticing. I didn't get 150 lbs overweight eating salad, anyway, lol!

6 hours ago, clc9 said:

I wasn't put under. An Upper GI, they usually have you drink a barium solution (like a gross chalky milkshake) then roll you around to distribute it, then have you drink sips periodically as they take xrays from lots of different angles.

No cameras down your throat.

Yup, that's what mine was like too. The solution was disgusting but the test itself was painless.

lol you are right on schedule! Hair loss usually happens about 3-6 months after surgery. Hang in there - in about 3 months you will notice it's stopped falling out so fast. In another 3-6 months you will be back to normal!

It sounds like you are doing better than you feel like you are. It's pretty common to be scared of all the decisions we have to make and of falling back into old habits!

My program emphasized getting at LEAST 48 Fluid ounces (preferably 60 fl oz) of noncafeinated liquids in each day. They repeatedly told us dehydration was the MOST common cause of complications & having to go back into the hospital. They said that not meeting Protein goals at first won't cause you lasting harm, whereas not meeting fluid goals can kill you

I hope having that info helps!

Hang in there, you are doing great

You don't have to measure carbs unless you are still diabetic.

Avoid refined carbs (sugars & flours) completely, or at least as much as possible.

As as long as you are getting sufficient nutrients in general and meeting your Plan's minimums, eating "healthy" carbs like legumes, potatoes (not fried, lol!), whole intact grains and seeds (like quinoa), is fine. In fact they help a lot with feeling satiated.