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I Just had my surgery on July 6th and I feel all of you. This site is really neat as it gives you different perspectives and i am finding them all very helpful. I am in the same boat as I am tired of the broths and jello and tonight for the first time I felt hungry... I am just wondering did anyone have some good broths that they were eating?? I am tired of the vegetarian, chicken and beef...LOL...Any help would be greatly appreciated.:confused:

This one was my favorite for a long time. Garden of Life Raw Fit and Raw Protein are both vegan. <br><br> Spiru-tein has a huge line of vegetarian protein products, but not sure where you stand on the consumption of spirulina.

Absolutely. Reasonable doesn't just apply to children. If one of my children decided they wanted to be a vegetarian (or even try to be), it would be unreasonable for me to refuse to let them if they could intelligibly discuss their reasons. .

I have 2 children one 10 the other 11 the 11 year old will eat anything but prefers vegetables only, and the 10 year old will only eat it if it can be microwaved or fried as long as it isnt a vegetable, both of my children have been exposed to many different types and encouraged to eat healthy foods. IMHO i feel that feeding your children a well balanced diet is important and a parental DUTY. In order to accomplish this I start at the grocery store and buy only those things that can be incorporated into a ballanced diet. My10 year old will eat anything in the house he likes first, then he will resort to eating other "junk" (as he puts it, this of course only makes me hide a smile). The thing that I have realized it that his stomach is a powerful motivator when it comes to eating and that he wont let himself starve just because we only bought one box of Hot Pockets for him to eat. Question: My 11 year old girl would be a vegetarian if I let her, not out of any kind of moral issue but because it is what she likes, should I cater to her eating perferences when I don't cater to her brother's or do I treat her the same and only offer her the same balanced diet we all eat?

You guys are really making some excellent points. As I'm reading all of your strategies, I'm also considering which ones I'd be most likely to implement when I finally have kids. As it is, I'm more open to either repeated encouragement (in a positive tone) or to requiring my future children to take a bite of a new food before they refuse it. Of course, I'd have to consider what my consequence would be if they did refuse even that bite (highly likely with many kids). In that case, I'd probably withhold a favoured alternative meal until they try the new food. Anyway, I'm still leaning to the "encouragement-only," surrounding them with good foods, and setting a positive example route, just as my mother did (it worked really well with all three of her kids, even the picky eater). But, I really never know until I have kids myself. One thing I will definitely not do is to physically put food in their mouths or offer comparatively unhealthy alternatives. I wouldn't have soda and white bread in my house. I'd have to find a spouse who feels the same way. One thing about the "one-bite" rule: many people have said that they use some variety of this rule in their house. As I said, I rather like the rule and I think it would be effective. However, it got me thinking about cases where I would not want to pressure a child into taking one bite of a new food. I'm a vegetarian and I would be very upset if I had been either forced to take one bite of meat, or given the choice to take a bite of meat or miss a meal. Some may be thinking: "Oh, boo-hoo! Suck it up, ya tree-hugger!" But, imagine if you were the child and the one bite was cat-meat. The situation is significantly worse if you had no choice but to eat it, but let's go with the gentler "one-bite" rule, where you'd have to eat it or miss a meal. Of course, now you could just choose the option of skipping out on that meal, but what if you were really hungry? I'm not sure how fair it would be to have to go to bed hungry because of your deeply-felt philosophical objection to cat-meat. Also, if you were a vegetarian, you'd be faced with the "cat-meat" dilemma at almost every meal (probably every dinner and lunch). My questions are: do you (or would you, when/if you have children) ever make exceptions to the one-bite rule? If so, in what kinds of cases? If you have multiple children, would you give the one (let's say, vegetarian) child the alternative but the other(s) the one-bite rule? Anyway, I think the one-bite rule is still justified in cases of vegetables, or meat where the child is a meat-eater but just doesn't want to try it in a new form. Thanks for contributing your input, guys!

at 2 1/2 years I still use 2-3 shakes a week. My doc doesn't mind. Shakes are fluids, and at least partially count towards water. Early on I used shakes like medicine, didn't really like them , but found some high protein ones and drank them down as much as needed to get in my protein (mine was also over 65). I did this as a vegetarian, so bean soup, greek yogurt and (after the lactose intolerance went away) cottage cheese, eggs, refried beans with cheese, peanut butter.... For me, I just wanted to get in as much nutrition as I could, so shakes for most of the protein, and lots of veggie soups for vitamins, fiber and yummyness! Of course now, I can eat anything! You will know it when you can get off of shakes, just keep trying other things now and then to see how they work for you.

90% vegetarian? Black bean burgers are awesome with salsa verde and sour cream. YUMMMMM!!

I have been researching the lapband and rouxenY for a while. RouxenY is out of the question for me because I and my family are afraid of death. Besides this, I am twenty one years of age! Young, and I highly doubt that the staples will survive until I am 30. (much less 40,50, or however long that I hope to live).. My story: I have ALWAYS been a big girl. I was tormented as a child, and in middle school and at 12 I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and Pre-Diabetes. Thats a scary thing, and embarrassing thing at twelve years old. I didnt want any doctor telling me about my menstration, and I didnt care about diabetes. I was eating donuts and chocolate milk everyday for lunch, and nothing mattered. at this point I was prescribed glucophage to regulate my bloodsugar and bring my hormones back to normal. :phanvan I remained between 240-220 throughout highschool, but through running and trackpractice and other whatnots, I was able to get down to close to 200 pounds by graduation. :straight (I have been a vegetarian for 9 years as well, but often and always choosing the bad foods):straight:straight:straight Come college, I was suffering from depression and anxiety. I was in a highstress environment because I was going through a very intensive music program at a conservatory. Through an even stricter vegan diet, and from overdoing things at the gym, I had lost 20 more pounds and gotten myself down to 180-182. I couldnt understand why I couldnt get a boyfriend. This was the thinnest I had ever been, and it was unhealthy. I was weak, my hair was coming out, and I was constantly exausted from overexercising, low self esteem and not getting enough food, and not any protein at all. :rolleyes that very year I came down with a generative joint disease called rheumatoid arthritis/ or rheumatism. I suffered.. boy oh boy did I suffer. Slowly, I couldnt walk, or do anything. I had to quit music, and redefine myself completely. I was completely depressed, however I had gained a boyfriend who didnt care at all about my weight. :clap2: quickly I gained 60 pounds, and my rheumatologist made me go on prednisone for a while, and I my metabolism slowed to a crawl because I could not walk. Me knees got shot, I ended up having to have surgery on both elbow joints, my wrist lost the space between the bones, and my fingers swelled up. Ic ouldnt even bear a sheet on me at night, and when people accidently bumped into my swollen body I would scream bloody murder. this was 2004-2005.. i flunked several quarters at school, and i was just a mess. although I am doing much better. I cannot stand for more than an hour or so at a time. i can no longer run because my left ankle needs surgery and physical therapy. my metabolism is terrible and even though i am eating normally, i still have issues with foods, and I still have been steadily putting on the weight. that is my story. it is ridiculous.

Even better- it is VEGETARIAN and KOSHER!!! Honest! J & D's - Everything Should Taste Like Bacon: Products I don't keep Kosher but I don't eat pork, so this is something I definitely plan to try! Thanks for the heads-up- kagead

Weight loss is a different animal as the years pass. Actually experiencing weight gain, weight holding on, and slow weight loss may be hard for newer people to understand. It's a great that you are posting this topic. Yes, get with your team to get the professional advice and confirm or rule out medical issues. The bariatric plan that once worked may not work for you now. it will be trial and error to find the calories and macros that get your body in weight loss mode. This will be specific to your body physiology. Weight loss at years out is not a one size fits all. It is fine tuning your diet to find where your body loses weight. To find the calories and macros that work: Use your food log. If your body is carb sensitive lower your carbs. If your not losing at a certain calorie levels. Raise/lower the calories. Spread out meals a day. Start with three adjust it to four, five six. How you fuel your body is key. Whole foods, Keto, intermittent fasting, vegetarian diets. It still gets down to your calories and macros on any diet plan.

Eggface has a LOT of recipes to choose from. I did a quick "vegetarian" search and came up with this post on her site. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2013/10/healthy-protein-packed-recipes-to.html

@@brianamarie What are some foods that hurt your pouch if you do not mind me asking? Try "Forks over Knives." They have a beautiful app with wonderful recipes that will help you achieve vegetarian goals. You can also look up "Dr. Joel Furhman recipies." "The Engine 2 Diet"

I wrote a huge post yesterday on my phone and it did not post. Urggg. Anyway here are my thoughts as a Greek chick. If your Greek place does not make Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Soup) find a new place! Does have rice but with no restriction you should be fine. chicken Kabobs, usually chicken and veggies would be good option. They may also have Lamb Kabobs. They will most likely also have bone in roasted chicken seasoned with lemon. Tzatziki- is a yogurt sauce made with dill and cucumber which would help if you think the food is good dry. Greek garlic roasted potatos are to die for when made right. There may be a veggies in tomato sauce side dish (though squash and zucini are not in season right now. Higher in fat options Pasticho- baked Pasta with cheese- May be made with ground lamb. Personally I prefer vegetarian version no meat. But my family eats it as a side dish and not as the main meal. Mousaka- potato and eggplant but topped with white sauce. (not my personal fav but...) I would stay away from Spanokopita/Tiropita- What Americans call Spinach pie Very high in fat and may get clumpy in your pouch. The phyllo can get doughy if it sits around (and many places make a large pan and then heat up individual servings when you order. 9 times out of 10 restaurant Baklava sucks, been sitting around to long and the top layers are no longer crunchy. And there is a pool of honey on the bottom. The sauce should absorb into the phyllo. If there is a huge amount in the pan they've put to much. Yes my vent of the day. Just my opinion though I am admittedly biased.

My name is Briana and I'm new here. I've been having some hard time coming up with vegetarian recipes that don't hurt my pouch. I had roux en y on March 16,2015

Well, I have to laugh at this. I'm an obese vegetarian. Yup, we exist. My mother, an overweight vegan. I've heard of the caw 'fart-tax.' This is where legislators want to measure and tax the amount of gas a cow farts. Because theirs farts contain methane and other gasses. It's being pushed as 'going green.' They didn't even research enough to find out the cows belch these gasses, not fart. I've recently seen commercials on tv about how eating a vegetarian lifestyle is good for the earth. Let me say right now that I became vegtarian for health reasons. NOT ethial or 'green' reasons. My point to all this, since carnivores contribute to the greenhouse effect be keeping the demand of farming, lets put a 'fart tax' on ALL animals farmed for onsumption. Then, since animal fats (saturated fats) are a major contributer towards clogged arteries, lets put a 'health tax' on all animal products sold, from butter to veal. Maybe, when we go to the doctors, there should be a 'carnivore tax' to offset heath costs. Once the government starts taxing 'this' what is to keep them from taxing 'that'. It's rediculous! An artical on the 'fart tax' I just googled it and grabbed an artical at random to post here Congressman Warns of 'Cow Fart' Tax Causing Beef and Dairy to 'Disappear' from Supermarkets

Good Morning my March surgery pals! Well after a month of having my PICC line in to get TPN, it has been removed and I feel good, at last!! Unfortunately, I cannot not eat any type of meat, so I am now a vegetarian, which is ok. I went to the gym on Saturday for the first time since my March 5th surgery, and yes I over did it. Holy sore batman!! But I am so happy that I finally feel better. It took two surgeries, 4 hospital visits that included a one week stay but I have come around the corner, and have lost 59 pounds even after a month stall due to the TPN. Even though I had some rough times, I have never regretted getting the surgery. My sleep apnea is gone, my asthma is 95% better, my joints do not hurt, and I do not have migraines anymore!!!

I respect your decision to go raw/vegetarian however the band is meant to work with solids and I fear the juices are not going to keep you satisfied. I am also concerned about your protein intake. Maybe you can find some compromise with your diet. If you decide to go vegetarian I have a folder of recipes in my recipe group. Some are easy crock pot recipes. Feel free to friend me on Face book at hely lb. I have another member wanting to do vegetarian so will be adding more recipes to folder. You can message me with a list of things you like and I will find you some recipes to match. Best of Luck. Helen

I also would have been very nervous if i looked through people's food logs. I was never going to eat only protein 5x a day, i needed vegetarian options too and those by virtue are high carb/cal. I really only gave up the things my Team told me to: carbonation, alcohol (I don't drink anyway) excess sugar, then caffeine, bread pasta & rice (I dont care for pasta or rice so... NBD) for the first 6 months. And even then they gave me wiggle room for my Roman Holiday at 4 months post op. I was told sure eat pizza, but get protein too. So I ate pizza pasta & gelato nonstop for 2 weeks and pastries crossaints, fried chicken tenders and kebab for 10 more days in Paris (only the panna cotta bothered me- the fabled Parisian dumping incident). Lost weight. I made tons substitutions stateside for healthier versions of things and i will eat (or drink 😂) a salad in a min because i actually like them. But im satified that none of my choices make me anxious. I really really value that freedom. Maybe its because I've never dieted before or maybe its a personality flaw, but i find the idea of constantly dieting or diet mode after surgery not a good fit for me which is why my MPF page is super lonely these days.

Why do I post more about my plastic surgery and not about my weight loss experience? Very fair question:-) My surgery for weight loss was a very personal thing for me. This was my SECOND time losing more than a 120 lbs. I gained weigh the second time after having two more beautiful children. (I have 4 kids in all) The last two pregnancies put 120lbs on me. Heck, I had to lose weight all over again! When it was time to lose the weight, I knew I could do it. Gaining it back was the problem. I never wanted to gain weight ever again! This is the reason I had weight lose surgery. I just remember the first time - it was extremely hard to lose, but I did it in a year. The second time I lost weigh was with the sleeve, it was still just as hard. When losing weight, I used this site for motivation mostly, not for posting. I never felt I had any questions or comments about weight loss, so I only posted maybe one time about it. I always read on this site about exercising and running. Plus, I eat vegan/vegetarian and so I had to use other sources of information other than this site. I also stayed in the gym and went to many boot camps. After getting up at 4am every morning, I was too tired to do anything during weight loss :-) When it was time for plastic surgery, it was extremely difficult finding a plastic surgeon that would meet my needs. It took me a year to locate my plastic surgeon. Since I have been on this site for a while now, I have seen many pictures of after plastic surgery results that have made me cry, the results were so bad. I mean awful! I felt no woman should have to suffer like that! It was not fair! We have worked so hard to achieve our weight loss goals, then a butcher of a plastic surgeon get his dirty hands on a beautiful woman and completely messes up her body. It still make me sad, mad, and upset to see someone who has plastic surgery and their results are hedious. No one should have to experience that. No one! I am still very passionate about it, as you can see. My results were very, very good! I felt people should know about my plastic surgeon, so I started to post. Why keep something like this a secret I told myself. Posting is not a easy thing for me. I am a quite person. I do it so people can know their are options. I receive no benefits from posting. I am just a person who loves and cares about people and want the best for them. I never want to see anyone hurt and deformed because of plastic surgery. I hope you understand :-)

That's awesome! When I became a vegetarian several years ago, my eye sight got better too! Let us know what your eye doc says!

I cant eat meat either i have pretty much become a vegetarian. I eat tofu and fish. I like swai fish because its meaty. I buy the zatarans fish fry and coat it and bake it in the oven. It has a good taste to it and a bit of spicy. I dont miss meat. It was just too hard to eat so I gave it up. Of course thus becoming totally B-12 deficient since you get most of it from animal Proteins but i get shots weekly. I also cook what is called escavitch fish its Island fish. Bread your fish with bread crumbs I use italian style Bake until crisp. On the stove top saute in cooking spray onions, green peppers, carrot sticks add a little butter and some vinegar and top the fish. It is really good that way. Or since olive oil is good fat once in a while I will fry it but not too often.

Thanks so much for the great advice, everyone! I am seeing the dietitian and PA today so I will ask about the liquids. Our guidelines don't limit the rate at which you consume liquids, but I try to use common sense and listen to my body. I can drink Water a lot more quickly than a Protein drink, for example (and right now, I thin my Protein drinks with almond mild bc I think it's easier on my sleeve). I am a vegetarian so won't be eating meat--but hopefully I'll feel that type of restriction with vegetarian protein sources that others feel with meat. I think it will make a difference even when I get to regular purees. My thin puree of oatmeal and peaches was about the same consistency as a Protein shake. But it did seem to fill me up a little more, maybe because it's just something different. I probably thinned it a little more than I needed to (we have to go to applesauce consistency) but I just wanted to be cautious the first time out. I pureed it in the Vitamix so it was more like cream of wheat. Thanks again--hearing everyone else's experiences really helps!! This forum is a great support and source of helpful information. I appreciate everyone taking the time to share.

Megan - I would recommend you order samples of a variety of Protein drinks as you may not like or be able to tolerate the same things as others -- me, I can't tolerate any of them - they're all too thick and too sweet or taste too protein-y. I also am extremely lactose intolerant since surgery and have to be very careful what I drink. The OhYeah Protein Drink is lactose free and it doesn't seem to be too thick, so I have a few of them I drink every now and again. Dr. Aceves pre-op diet was very easy to follow - high protein, low carb. Be sure to drink LOTS of fluids, too. I ate lots of eggs and cheese and veggies. I also ate chicken and veggie burgers - the veggie burgers are really good and high in protein. Being vegetarian shouldn't hinder you on the pre-op diet.

I too am a vegetarian. I was trying to go vegan but that is not currently happening. I do tofu, eggs, I have protein shake for breakfast, yogurt, beans....you'll find lots of stuff online.

Hi all, I'm a vegetarian -have been my whole life- and had my VSG April 29th. My concern is less about getting enough protein and more about the eating proteins first rule. The majority of my protein sources are also carbs and the majority of my meals are mixed dishes and foods that I can't eat separately. Do you follow the rule of eating protein first? If so, how?