Search the Community

Okay, I saw you on the vegetarian recipe thread so I know you are out there! LOL How are you? How was the Upper GI?

Hi there. I've been thinking about WLS for almost 3 years and have been waiting for surgery since January, now that it is 6 days away I am feeling a bit nervous! I am excited and a little scared. My biggest worry is how I am going to deal with cravings. I have lost 30lbs since January while waiting for surgery, I yo-yo like crazy between about 6 lbs up and down. My eating is most difficult around my monthly cycle when I crave the junk. I am also a vegetarian and have been for almost 20 years. i am curious if it will be difficult to get the Protein without the bulk. I am also a single working parent of a 7 year old and do not have a ton of support, I have 1 good friend and a babysitter. I've taken 2 weeks from work off, and hope to decrease some of the load by December. Anyway, I want to say hello and will need some support from ya'll Cheers!:cool2:

I've been vegetarian since 1995 and have been able to be quiet successful with it in three countries. Two of which had virtually no 'premade' vegetarian products. Definitely watch what you're eating - track it in something like LiveStrong where you information stays private (free sites get permission to use your information as they see fit). If you eat a lot of carbs just make them Protein strong, like oatmeal, Beans, protein enriched Pasta. Eating carbs isn't a problem, it's which ones you're eating. ie. don't eat french fries regularly, chips, etc. MY FAVOURITE RECIPE My favorite recipe is Tofu wraps (I originally had these at the Los Angeles Athletic Club then created my own receipe). The full recipe (with photos) are here: http://curvyfitness.com/wrap/wrap.htm Yes, I fry the tofu, but as I say in the entry, "Once everything was done cooking, a mere teaspoon and a half of oil was missing, so three full blocks of tofu absorbed only a tiny bit of oil." You have to have the oil at the right temperature. And once you make all of this tofu (doing many packages at once is ideal) it freezes beautifully and you just put it in the fridge to thaw then add it to anything you make. The texture is fantastic, the flavor (Mrs. Dash or something similar - a powdered spice) is great, and it can even be microwaved and eaten just like that. SOY Soy testing has only been done in animals. Human testing has never been done. So though mice show reproductive issues when given 25 grams of soy per day, humans have not yet shown the same results. However, based on the animal testing that has been done scientists believe there may be reproductive issues over the long term if a human is fed large amounts of soy since birth. The benefits (lower cholesterol, lower risk of cancer) outweigh the potential negative aspects. I personally wouldn't be concerned with the amount of soy you're eating, especially since you'll be eating much less than an average person due to the size of your pouch. recipes Some of my favorites are: Veggie Tacos: taco shells, light sour cream or greek yogurt, Boca crumbles with taco seasoning, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, taco sauce. (makes enough for 3-4 meals, great the next day) Veggie Shepherd's Pie: Boca crumbles with light mushroom soup and small sweet peas is the base, the topping is mashed potatoes with corn niblets and some garlic, a little bit of Kraft parm cheese on top. Freezes well. Roasted Veggie Fajitas: take any veggies you like, slice them in strips, put them on a few sheets of parchment on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt (sea salt) and olive oil, bake around 250 for about 45 minutes, get some thin tortillas, add veggies, light sour cream or greek yogurt. Usually the veggies have enough flavor to avoid any additional seasoning. Freezes well. Veggie Chili: a can of garbanzo beans, can of red kidney beans, can of white kidney beans, can of veggie 'pork and beans' type beans, 1/4 c ketchup, small can tomato paste, chili powder, garlic powder, onion, boca crumbles if you like 'beef texture', corn, peas, shredded carrots, broccoli buds (just the tops so it's little bits of green), and I'm probably missing a few things. A lot of the pre-made veggie meals are great too. Stick with Indian and you'll get a lot of protein, flavor, and a nice balance of amino acids. Mexican is great, red beans and rice give you a complete protein. Oatmeal. If you include eggs you can very easily add them to most any meal that makes sense. IMPORTANT NOTES You will need to take B12 for the rest of your life (sublingual taste good). You may need Iron supplements (1 long release every 3-4 days). You will likely need Vitamin D (5,000 IU/day). You will need Calcium citrate daily (citracals petites). You will NOT need Vitamin C or E. So do not take extra of those.

Hi, I've been "vegetarian" for two and a half years. I use quotes because someone once objected on this forum to me saying I was a "fish-eating vegetarian". I just hate the word pescetarian. Because I eat fish, I am not as limited as most vegetarians when it comes to Protein. I make sure I eat only fresh, wild caught fish and not farmed. My nutritionist said that eating 40 grams of protein a day was fine for me because I am eating high quality protein. However, when I am not eating fish, I select things like Smart Dogs (italian style is the best!) and Quorn products. Quorn products are generally soy and gluten free. They are made with mycoprotein instead of soy and are delicious. I don't generally like meat substitute so I eat lots of lentils and Beans. I also sometimes will eat 2 ounces of organic cheese instead of 4 ounces of fish. Unlike Acadia, I've never had to take extra Vitamins - well, I should say, I've never known I was supposed to take anything other than a multi but I just had blood work done so I am going to check with my doctor on the B12, Iron, vit D and calcium. (Thanks for that info, Acadia). I love tofu done thai style with curry and coconut. I also stir fry tofu a lot and eat the prebaked tofu. I bought a tofu press which really helps infuse whatever flavor I am cooking with into the tofu. You can get those at Amazon quite cheaply. I love a little hot baked tofu with a small amount of peanut satay sauce. That's one of my favorite meals. I don't supplement with Protein shakes. I had such a hard time finding a humane whey protein that I just settled on soy right after my surgery. Now, I don't need it at all and prefer not to drink my calories. I liked the Field Roast mentioned above but found it was way high in carbs and for me it didn't taste that great to spend most of my carb budget on. The texture was good but it just wasn't great. I tried all the variety of sausages and found them to be slightly oily. I became "vegetarian" for moral reasons. In California, in 2008, we had almost constant running of ads relating to Prop 2 which was related to treatment and cage space allowed egg producing chickens. One night, instead of switching the channel with the commercial came on. I watched it. That moment, I changed my diet and have never looked back. It took a bit of getting used to - like learning that rennet is an animal product and no more Gelatin (gummy vitamins, Jello and some jello mousse puddings). I find it was a very healthful decision for me. I wish you all the best on trying it out. I truly hope you love it. Best wishes,

Lisa, When you see the records of what we ate: that was only one day. I am not always that good and I doubt everyone else is too. I try more often than not to have good eating days but recall last week where I drowned myself in candy bars... LOL. Trust me, I hit that plateau, knew where I had gone wrong and fixed it. I have been better ever since. That doesn't mean I still don't eat unhealthy foods on occassion. I have the worst problem when I try to justify why I should have that item. For example, last week I ate my 1 candy bar but suddenly I was justifying why I should have 2! I did it all week and I got a clear warning sign at weigh in. Allow yourself some small portion of the treat and put your foot down after that. I know it is hard sometimes. I have found that by moving my dinner back a couple of hours, I am less likely to snack before bed. I don't seem to snack as much between lunch and dinner because I am too busy. Lisa, I would love to chat with you ANYTIME! If you ever call, leave a message if I don't answer and I'll call you back! Marie, you are so blessedly sweet to feed those strays. Are they friendly or skittish? Too bad they can't be caught and adopted out. Marie if you looked at my menu for yesterday the only thing that was homemade was the arm roast in gravy and those were improved leftovers I had made. My husbands kitchen experience is minimal. He cooks good when he cooks but it only consists of a few items. He doesn't bother cooking for the most part. It isn't difficult to sautee sliced zuchinni in a pan. What kind of vegetarian sausage do you eat? I love morningstar. Grew up with the product all my life. My dad was a vegetarian for most of my childhood and he shared it with me. I know I need new pictures. The problem is my mom and husband take hideous pictures and I refuse to be the object of their failings. I have a digital camera so I guess I'll just have them keep taking pictures until I find one that highlights all my good traits. I have beautiful blue eyes... LOL. I know... I'll get on it. I have been terribly depressed lately. On friday I had that final. It took me 4 grueling hours and I left with a horrible headache and sobbed all the way home. I was sure I hadn't passed and my brain was fried. Monday the following segment was starting and the final grades weren't posted. I went to class with the specific intention of hearing I had failed. I didn't even bring my notebook or calculator with me. I found out I passed and had to spend the next 5 hours totally ill prepared and having to deal with chemistry AGAIN! AND since my hubby and I work opposite shifts our schedules are totally by passing each other. For the next 4 weeks I will ONLY see him on weekends. I cried all the way home yesterday at the thought of all of this. TODAY, I thought I was going to miss Water aerobics (the one enjoyable thing in my life right now) and that made me cry all the way home. Blah!!! What is with me!?! I am scared to death of chemistry and this 4 weeks I am going to have to work extra hard. Calculus was the same way for me. I just hated it and never could GET it. I did make it to water aerobics but normally I get there a half hour early to do laps and today only just barely made it for class. I am feeling more positive right now but can't believe I am going to get another 4 weeks of torture. This is the VERY last class I'll ever need for my bachelors and won't be offered again till spring so I am definitely sticking with it. I love the teacher and actually consider her more of a friend but I am student only in class. She did promise to take me crabbing if I pass though. LOL. Anyway chin is up for the moment and hopefully it will stay up from here on out. Got to go, Teresa

Hey everyone, I'm leaning more towards a vegetarian lifestyle. After being banded a year and being on a high meat Protein diet I feel I need a change. For many reasons I'm turning vegetarian and I know my doctor will not like this. I find that Boca burgers are more filling than real meat. So I was wondering if any other veggie banders had some good recipes for me. You can paste them on here or send them in a message. Thanks in advanced and happy banding, Jackie

Going out to eat, and attending parties are always going to be a challenge to diet compliance...learning strategies to avoid going way out of control with the food choices I found that it helps to keep a glass of iced Water in your hand at all times. This worked well for me recently, when I attended 3 day long my class reunion out of town. The most temptations came the evening of the formal gathering, when there were servers walking though the group with every imaginable delicious looking finger food you could ever imagine. I allowed myself to have 2 of the most interesting selections, and then found my way over to a table loaded with vegetarian choices, and chose 2 of them. The rest of the evening was taken up with a focus on speaking with classmates I had not seen in years, and sipping water. The following day was a catered picnic with Mexican food...instead of a taco or a wrap, I chose a right sized portion of lettuce, chicken chunks, and topped it with a bit of salsa, avoiding the rice and deserts. I had not lost any weight over the 3 day weekend, but I did not gain any either. Even in a party situation, it is possible to not destroy your diet. Just stay aware of avoiding the foods you know you should not have and it will help. And, as others have mentioned, it does not do any good to beat yourself up over days where you don't maintain your diet. The motivation must come from within. The most important thing is that you were aware of a need to get back in focus and follow your diet again. That event is now in the past...keep your eyes on your goals!

@@devint I'm vegetarian, so I don't use fish oil. There are other sources of omegas if the fishiness is unpleasant for you. I take capsules with oil from algae. They also make me feel a bit nauseated, but only for about three or four minutes, but that's with any pill; there's no smell or taste or anything. The brand is German, but I know you could get something similar in the US.

I posted this to my family and friends through email and on my myspace account. Sure it's wordy and a little on the harsh side, I was just trying to prove my point clearly, so thta they'd understand. I never had ONE negative comment after this. Okay folks, moment of truth here. I've had problems controlling my weight for...well forever. Sure I've lost, and it always comes back usually bringing friends. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome which doesn't help matters, it causes my weight to be a further struggle and adds in some insulin resistance(not diabetes). Harder to lose, harder to keep off - not that it cannot be done. I just haven't been successful long term. Right now I have 80lbs to lose(or more!). For a long time I have been researching the lapband and I got very serious about it in December 2007. I've endured psych evaluations, meeting with dieticians, physicians, bariaticians...the list goes on. I had to compile a huge list of medical records, diets, illnesses and surgical history along with the previously mentioned evaluations and send them to insurance. In March I was approved for surgery. A blessing? Absolutely. Does it come without some negatives, no. The Lapband is NOT an easy way out. It is a tool and an opportunity for me to regain my confidence, preserve my health and be proactive in my life. The band does not work on it's own. I must still follow diet and exercise plans. I will be the one at the Thanksgiving table who gets just a few bites while everyone continues to eat. I may never be able to tolerate bread, rice, Pasta or meat....MEAT, I am not a vegetarian. Many who have been banded can tolerate some of these foods but still some do not. I will get frequent fills to inflate the band causing more restriction and limiting my intake even more. This involves injecting saline through a port that will be implanted under the skin of my abdomen. Probably not pleasant. While relearning to eat, I may have episodes of food getting stuck, extreme nausea or chest pain, even vomiting. Vomiting is dangerous because it can cause the band to slip out of place requiring further surgery. I will never be able to eat and drink at the same time. No liquids for 30 minutes before or one hour after eating. I know it sounds awful, the truth is that the many benefits far outway the negative. I just wanted to be sure that you - my family and friends - understood that there is nothing easy about this. I'm not cheating, I am helping myself to be successful and like I said before, being proactive in my life and future health. I am leary to share this with everyone because I don't want to hear about somebody's neighbor's friend who had the surgery and didn't succeed. I know some people don't succeed with the band and am terrified that I could be one of them. I don't want to hear about about somebody's friend who died in surgery or was miserable and wished they didn't get the band. My decision is already made and I am scheduled for next Wednesday, the 23rd of April. The first day of the rest of my life. Weight is not lost as quickly with the band as gastric bypass...just 1-2 lbs a week. I'm okay with that. I am excited about this tool helping me to KEEP the weight off no matter how long it takes me to lose it. I am currently at the end of day 2 of a 24 day liquid diet required for surgery(10 days preop and 2 weeks postop). YUCK!! So surgery is in 9(actually almost 8)days. Please wish me well and respect my choice. If you cannot support me, please don't say anything. If any of you have questions please ask me. You can also look up the band on the web.

I had the gastric by pass match 22nd and i can barley eat anything.. And when i do i throw up... My surgery has pretty much made me a vegetarian.. help

@@samuelsmom - I never had a clear liquid stage pre or post op. My practice has a manual. It's not online, but they have one. I am one of those exceptions being a vegetarian and having allergies. Many people come here and vent, when they need to go back to their nutritionist and say, "This isn't working for me." The answer may be "suck it up" or it may be "try almond/soy/rice/hemp milk, try soy Protein powder." It may even be a third option I haven't thought of. Regardless unless you go back or call your nutritionist you won't know.

Part way into my 7th month I started a 6-7 week stall. I am not perfect, but I do log everything I eat and watch my calories (1100-1300), exercise, eat enough protein, eat around 100 gms of carbs a day... sometimes more... I am only about 12 pounds from goal, and I know it will be slow. I did up my calories and make some more carb choices right before I started losing again..slowly. I figured my body was done... but luckily it is not done yet. I am a vegetarian, and you do get more carbs eating that way. I look good, and my friends all say I don't need to lose more, and I just tell them I am going for the medical "norm" for best health. They can understand that. I am not shooting for the lowest in my BMI norm... But my body will stop when it is ready, and if I need to I'm sure I can eat more than I do now. Hang in there, and treat yourself nice. Its just part of your personal roller coaster ride.

I ate raw veg from day 1. I added spinach to my protein shakes. Actual salad and veg I started reintroducing around 6 weeks. I'm a vegetarian so my body may be more accustomed to raw veg.

I've read you say this before. I'm genuinely curious what your daily menu was typically that got you to this point. coffee in AM. dinner probably Pasta with sauce and veg, or a pizza. To much bread/sandwiches on the go. WAAAY too much cheese. It really was 50% disordered eating and 50% health issues. Tumor plus early onset menopause to name just a few. Although I was a vegetarian for years, I cleaned up my diet about 4/5 years ago as my allergies progressively got worse. Joined a gym. 3mths after joining gym & quitting soda, swollen feet went down. However I got sick less, but still got sick. I got facial shingles. I gained and lost the same 35 -50lbs over the course of 3 years. Ack! I "liked" it for your response, not for your health issues. Thank you for answering a personal question candidly. You know me well enough to know that if I was being judgey, I'd have included a LOT more sarcasm.

I lost 112.4 lbs. from the day of surgery to the 6 month point. My loss is a bit on the high side according to my surgeon. I think that it may be because I am a vegetarian, I worked out daily and I kept my calories between 400-800 a day. I also faithfully tracked all my food and daily weigh in's on MyFitnessPal.

This is a great clone recipe, really good. If you want to cut out most of the fat substitute ground turkey for the ground beef. If you want to make it vegetarian exchange the meat for boca burger meat. Wendy's Chili 2 lbs ground beef 1-29 oz can tomato sauce 1-29 oz can kidney Beans (with liquid) 1-29 oz can pinto beans (with liquid) 1 C diced onion (1 medium onion) 1/2 C diced green chili (2 chilis) 1/4 c diced celery (1 stalk) 3 medium tomatoes, chopped 2 tsp cumin powder 3 Tbls chili power 1.5 tsp black pepper 2 tsp salt 2 C Water Brown ground beef in skillet over medium heat, drain off fat. Using a fork crumble the cooked beef into pea size pieces. In a large pot combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes for 2-3 hours. Makes 12 servings. Leftovers may be frozen for several months.

Hi there! Scheduled for revision from sleeve to RNY due to severe GERD. I've been vegan since October 16. I absolutely love plant based diet. Currently using Raw Fit Protein which is a vegan protein powder. It has 28 grams of protein and taste great. Looking to connect with a mentor or mentors that follow a plant based diet. Totally fine connecting with those that aren't as well.

Hello! I've just joined this group today... I'm not sure where to start so I guess I'll start from the beginning. I'm 31 years old, 5'2, I weigh about 300 lbs. I haven't weighed myself for about a year now... Anytime I've gone to the Dr. Im in "good health"... I HAVE been warned that I am Pre-diabetic...so that is a MAJOR issues that I must address. I started gaining weight when I was 11 years old as I was going through puberty. Before that, I was a small skinny little girl. But, I've been over weight my entire adult life. When I was 19 years old I was told by a Dr that I had PCOS. I do have some of the symptums of PCOS such as facial hair, darker areas on my body and I also have irregular periods. I've never been an over eater nor have I been an emotional eater. Most people I know eat more than I do but it doesn't matter I stay fat. I've worked out every day for 6 months straight and didn't lose a pound. I've gone vegetarian for a year and lost a total of 25 lbs. I've had a personal trainer put me on diets and the results were minimal. I am about to get married...I want to have children and I feel that I cannot have children being this size. There's to many risks for me and mostly for the baby. I want to be able to have children, healthy children and I want to be able to play with them and live a long, healthy, life with my family. I'm seriously considering the Lap-band Surgery. I am terrified of what would happen if I actually did lose weight and be the size I should be... as I have no idea what it's like to actually be small. I've NEVER shopped at a "normal size" clothing store, I'm in absolute pain when I wear high heels and that is IF i can actually find a pair that fit my chubby feet. I've never been able to cross my legs like a lady and I've never been able to wear a lot of jewelry as my hands are so chubby, my wrists are thick and my neck is kinda fat too. I've been doing my own research for a few months now about Gastric bypass vs Lap-Banding. For me it seems that I'm rather do the banding. I guess I'm just wondering if this would work for me being someone who's very over weight but I've never had much success with anything that I've tried. Thanks so much! ~Kia

pizza was my thing. My husband and I could eat our way through 5 large pizza's, garlic bread and coke, and still be hungry. Now, I make the choice to NOT eat things that made me as fat as I was. In the last 2 years, yeah, I can count on one hand the times I have eaten something that was as bad as a pizza. I am pretty careful with what I put in my body. It is my temple. And if I want to live a long, healthy life, I need to. But, again. That is *ME*. My body. My choices. I was just sort of pointing out why it may bother other people. If I wanted every one to eat just like me we would have a world full of vegetarians. Actually, that wouldn't be a bad thing. If the veggie way of eating was even more mainstream than it is now, it would be so much easier to buy good vegetarian food! LOL

Thanks all.... Plannergirl. I did order some of the unjury but it hasn't arrived yet. I hope I like it. My son and I are almost full blown vegetarians (him more than me, I eat fish). I can't stand the smell of chicken so I may not be able to handle it. I had my gall bladder out in May and all the hospital had was either beef or chicken broth and I just couldn't get it down. Now if they could just make a protein drink that tastes like sushi....

Even though I am not allergic to dairy, I was playing around with being vegan for a little while. Some staple foods I ate during the time I gave up dairy.... Almond Breeze Soy Yogurt tons of Soups and broths fresh fruit smoothies (made with fruit juice and ice) mashed potatoes, thinned with broth and/or soy yogurt bananas mashed with some almond butter or Peanut Butter Go to a Whole Foods or health food store and check out dairy alternatives. Some are gross, but some are quite good. Also, check out vegan cookbooks (not vegetarian...vegan), since vegans don't use any dairy.

im writing to you from indiaand im a vegetarian so its been really hard to get my proteins but what i did was boil half cup piggeon pea lentil with five times water and salt and drink that throughout the day during clear liquid stage and then drink the lentil itself during full liquid stage.the other thing i did during clear liquid stage was mix one tbsp yogurt with water and salt and blend and drink that for protein.during mushy food stge it was yogurt,lentils,boiled egg and greek yogurt and cottage cheese for me.at thid stage i was able to find chocolate flavour protein shake by GNC which saved my life.all the best to you.

really? Most of the vegetarians I know are very healthy...

So I've been skipping through the daisies for the past few weeks. I have been very fortunate outside of the typical things just about everyone experiences (periodic hunger, periodic blues, hair loss, stalls, gas, etc.). I didn't mind drinking the shakes when that is what I was supposed to do (even if I didn't like the taste). I haven't had any issues with food. I travel a lot and eat out all of the time and have posted a lot of nutritional information and some "go to" items that I prefer from various restaurants in different threads. I eat Vietnamese, Indian, seafood, Soups, vegetarian options, meats with no problems. But tonight I have had a totally new experience and I'm laughing at myself about it. I really thought that, at 14 weeks, I was in the clear for a lot of things because I have been doing so well. Instead of eating out YET AGAIN while working out of town, I decided to go to a Whole Foods grocery. For those of you who do not have one nearby: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/whole-foods-market All of their produce, cheeses, meats, and zillions of organic food items, crazy variety of yogurts, prepared foods and other products can really entice you. I was drawn to the amazing salad bar. I picked up a small container and proceded to fill it with tiny bits of red cabbage, edamame, couscous, feta cheese, chickpeas, cucumbers, tofu, beets, and sprinkled quinoa over the top for some extra Protein. I also picked up a small container of wild caught salmon salad that had celery, dill and very little (almost 0) mayonnaise. No, I didn't throw up, but I am totally cleaned out from stem to stern. It wasn't holiday candy, or restaurant food that did me in. It wasn't dairy or bread. It was healthy foods from a health food store. I'm guessing Fiber? I'm irregular anyway, so this was actually a blessing in disguise, kinda.... I'm thinking back on the whole ...."introduce new foods slowly" idea. Yup. There is a reason for that recommendation. Tomorrow's lunch - Greek yogurt.

It's surgery so there is reason to be concerned, however I have to say this was the easiest surgery I have ever had. 3 years ago I decided to get healthy. I joined a gym, went 3 -4 times a week, sometimes 5 times a week. I started eating clean, quit sodas, only drank Water. I am a vegetarian. I was living pretty healthy. I spent those same 3 years losing and regaining the same 35 -50 lbs. Sometimes we need help. I've lost in 4 mths what previously took me an entire year. Even better, I am still losing. My surgery couldn't have been more textbook. No pain, I walked in recovery, and I have tolerated every food I've tried. Don't let fear hold you back. Thank your son for his concern, but do what's best for you.