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I mostly eat fish as well, chicken occasionally. (my entire life...dont like pork or red meat) Someone asked this question in my class, the nutritionist said it would be difficult to meet your nutritional requirements as a vegetarian because your pouch cannot fit the quantity of tofu (for example) that would be required to meet your Protein requirements.

I was a pesciterian for two years, full vegetarian for a year and back to pescitarian for a year. It is difficult to eat the right things and you end up eating a lot of carbs. I could not stay healthy and soy products can alter your hormones.

I was a big meat eater before surgery, after surgery I have no interest in meat what so ever. I also don't process meat very well after surgery, so I just stick to beans, cheese, nuts, cottage cheese, yogurt, pizza (in moderation), eggs, veggie burgers, salmon or any kind of fish. There are tons of stuff out there for vegetarians - just be creative. I also drink my protein shake as well.

I am in the process of transitioning to being a vegetarian. (I think, I'm still eating dairy and fish.) I'm hoping to find someone else who can help with ideas.

I know you posted about a chewable. However, my nutritionist recommened nutrametrix multivitamin w/iron. It's a liquid vitamin and ok for lacto-ovo vegetarians. The website is nutrametrix.com. I hope this help.

You still need to get protein in if you are vegan, though--that is the biggest challenge, especially from the standpoint of the volume we can eat with the sleeve, and another layer of complexity if you want to try to stay low carb. That is the only reason I haven't made the move from vegetarian to vegan yet. I am wondering if I will try it sooner rather than later or wait until I am on maintenance. I've been a vegetarian for most of my adult life (20+ years) and have never had any issues with B12 deficiency, iron deficiency, etc. I have taken a sublingual B12 most of that time, which seems to help, and I get most of my vitamins (like iron) from veggies such as dark leafy greens. On VSG, the green smoothies are probably more realistic than eating the large volume of salads, etc.

PS--maybe you could do this in phases, and go vegetarian first (eliminate all meat products but keep eggs and dairy), then eliminate eggs, and then dairy--and see how you do. I meant to mention that I think it's very important to have a registered dietitian knowledgeable about plant-based diets guiding you on this journey. My RD is a vegetarian herself and she is truly amazing. Emails me recipes all of the time, etc. She has one other patient who is a vegetarian and she said that we are both always asking how the other one is doing!

I am a vegetarian (most of my adult life) who generally doesn't eat eggs. I eat Greek yogurt and vegetarian cheese (cheese that isn't made with animal rennet--but it of course is not vegan, because it's made with dairy). I also no longer buy leather and try to live as compassionately as possible in all parts of my life. I have been getting my Protein from soy products, whey and soy Protein powder, Beans (kind of high in carbs for the amount of protein you get), cheese, and Greek yogurt. I have very seriously been considering going vegan. However, if I want to keep my protein up and carbs down, I really think that I will need to drink my protein (plant forms) and then eat veggies as my meals. My surgeon wants his patients off of Protein shakes once we move to solid foods, but I don't think that is realistic for a vegetarian, and especially not for a vegan. There are very few natural vegan food sources of protein that don't also require that you consume some carbs--and in general, many aren't super-high in protein, and we can't eat the volume needed to get vegan protein from food alone. One example is soy yogurt--it is much lower in protein and higher in carbs than Greek yogurt. I also don't want to overdo it on soy, because female reproductive cancer runs in my family and I am also hypothyroid. I will be interested to hear what you end up doing and how it works for you. It's good to know someone else is considering a vegan way of eating.

As you can probably tell by how long I’ve been a member here, I’ve been considering VSG for a long time. My husband has never exactly been on-board with it; he’s naturally very thin, and can eat whatever he wants without gaining any substantial weight. Since he’s never really been willing to hear me out on VSG, I’ve tried everything else under the sun to try and get my weight under control. In 2011 I did Medifast. Over the year, I managed to lose 100 pounds. Over the next year and a half, I managed to gain back every last pound. I talked to my husband last night again about VSG, and he was not terribly supportive of the idea (as usual). He doesn’t like the idea of me having surgery, and he is also of the opinion this is somehow taking the easy way out and I should be able to just do this on my own. He feels like I “quit” on Medifast, and that we wasted money because I gained it all back. I tried to explain to him that it’s not losing weight that’s the problem…it’s keeping it off. I’ve tried and tried, and I *can’t* stay a normal weight. I am just not able. I’m not a snacker, and I don’t eat a bunch of junk food. I’m a vegetarian (15 years), don’t have high cholesterol, etc. My problem is the speed and quantity at which I eat. If my husband and I are having pizza, I will be on my 4th slice by the time he’s finishing his first. I literally inhale my food. I don’t chew, I don’t wait for it to cool, and I eat so quickly and so voluminously that I feel ill. I’ve tried to consciously slow down, but even my “slow” is fast to most people. And I don’t know the meaning of the word “full.” Through all my research, it seems like VSG would be the best option for me because it would force me to slow down (lest I get sick!), and I physically won’t be able to hold as much food. I know you can “eat around” the sleeve, but like I said I’m not a big snacker or junk food eater so I don’t worry about that so much. I feel like the sleeve would be a good tool to help me control my portions and give me that sense of when to stop that I’m *supposed* to have. Since my husband feels like I “quit” at Medifast, he thinks I’m going to “quit” on the sleeve. He thinks I’ll just gain it all back, and we’ll have “wasted” all that money. I know he wants to be supportive and he wants me to have something that works, but he just doesn’t know what it’s like to have a problem with food. It’s impossible to understand if you haven’t been there. But he raises a good point, and one I feel is fair to ask—how IS this different from Medifast or anything else I’ve tried? Will it just end up being another “waste of money”? How will this help me succeed where other plans haven’t? Please, any insight you can provide would be so appreciated. I just want to be healthy again.

I have planned out most of my favorite restaurants and this is one of them. Ours has great black bean Soup and it is vegetarian, so that's a great option. If you ask, you can order off the "sides" menu (like adding chicken to a salad) and ask for shrimp, chicken or steak to add into the soup or on the side. If you have a favorite, ask for the sauce on the side and just use a bit.

I am a vegetarian, I eat protein with every meal, I eat around 4 meals and a snack or two most days. Right now Im at around 1300 a day, but will eat some exercise calories back as well...This is NOT the TDEE plan...I am not eating enough for that right now. I did really well eating 1800 a day, and actually was NOT hungry during that time,I ate what I eat now, just added a meal. I also worked to get in more protein, protein drinks, greek yogurt, seitan, TVP... around 90 gms of protein a day. I use MFP and according to that, I eat too much protein, not enough carbs and too much fiber. According to TDEE, I should have been eating around 150gms of protein. No Way could I do that. So I cant really say I was following the TDEE plan all the way... I did start lifting weights twice a week, eating more protein, getting more calories... I did not do a full reset... I did go up almost 500 cals a day and stayed there for weeks...then made a cut to lose 1 pound a week (which I did not do) then another cut to lose 1 1/2 pounds a week, which showed up on the scale a little bit and thats where I am now. I think I will try to go to full reset this summer, but I am so afraid I will gain the 8-10 pounds they say might happen, and I wont be able to get them off. This 18 pounds I gained (actually 20...but 2 are back off) has been a huge bit*h to get off, its been 4 months and I have lost 2 pounds. I look and feel pretty good, don't hate how I look, just don't want to slip up and gain another 20...that would be really sad.

I did low carb, high Protein diet for months. Started eating greek yogurt for Breakfast and at lunch with a small salad. I made homemade Soups on the weekend to have during the week for dinner, broth-based with lots of veggies, nothing with cream. Kept it light, but still satisfying. This worked out really well for me because it was winter time, too. IDK how much I'd love it eating Soup like that all summer... I'm not vegetarian, but I did start having Morningstar sausages for breakfast on the weekends, and I really recommend the brand Gardein. They have really good breaded items that are somehow low in carbs. They are really good and satisfy a crunchy, breaded craving. I also incorporated healthier Snacks like almonds, cheese sticks and Veggie chips. I didn't count anything but carbs. I tried to stay under 90 for the day, and it was pretty easy to do. NO processed food, no bread (except the occasional whole grain toast when out to breakfast), no Pasta. No Desserts, no soda, limit those indulgences. I allowed one meal a week to have anything I wanted or really craved. I did this for months and definitely gave in a few more times that I should have around Christmas, but all in all, I stuck with it pretty well. I could have lost a lot more if I'd gone to the gym, but I went AT BEST once a week, and that's an average of weeks of going 4-5 times a week and weeks not going at all... it's still something I'm working on! Seems when it comes to working out for me, I either GO HARD or stay home - literally! Good luck to you!

Coincidentally my diet has been leaning towards vegetarian. Things like morning star burgers have been great and gentle for me. Cheese and yogurt as well HW 296 - SW 266.3 (4/1/13) - CW 255.5

I would not suggest it. I was a vegetarian with the band. Soy products are only good for you in small amounts. You really should not live off them. Also think about how much they have to process soy to get it to taste and feel like different meats. I still eat soy products from time to time, but it will effect your hormones. They threw me out of wack and made me crazy.

Great information on the straw thing. Is anyone considering a vegetarian lifestyle post-op?

Sometimes I get Mexican restaurant carry out, which is just as fast as a drive-through if you call ahead. Personally I am a vegetarian and just get an order of refried beans and some fresh salsa to put over them, but my husband likes steak or chicken fajitas, which would be a good VSG-friendly food with no tortillas. Would probably last a few meals, too.

My doctor says 4 months (16 weeks) for nuts and seeds. I am 11 weeks out and this is the one case in which I now eat them in moderation before the recommended timeline but chew very, very well. I am so by the book, but I am a vegetarian and knew that being able to eat 1 100-calorie pack of almonds and a little bit of chia seed every day would give me another much-needed food/snack option (not cheese! and not processed!) and keep me from having cravings while keeping the digestive system moving. I'm going to tell them at my 12-week checkup that I started early. I saw lots of people here eating them at 6 weeks. With that said, I recommend following your surgeon's guidelines and not advancing yourself.... I will wait the full 4 months to eat something like half of an "everything" bagel thin--which would be a rare occurrence, anyhow.

vegetarian life is ok a little confusing at times but the past two days i cooked for my son and it was fried chicken red beans rice and cornbread and i ate the chicken. but its only been like 3 weeks

Please, feel free to be offended. You have the right to feel the way you want. And I have the right to not care. And as far as telling them you don't eat pig or are a vegetarian. Those things directly affect your interactions with anther person. WLS, unless you are in an emergency situation, will never casually come up. If you feel like you need forgiveness or permission for having WLS, that's your choice.

congratulations on the adoption! I think you are very smart to stay here for the surgery given your family history with anesthesia. My mom is a retired OR nurse and she always says who you pick as your anesthesiologist is just as important, if not more, than the surgeon. I would see if you can ask around about who's the best and request that person. Also, in your case, it might be a good idea to ask for a pre-op consult with the anesthesiologist due to the family history. The regular CPAP use will be extremely important for a successful anesthetic procedure--not just a hoop to jump through. It WILL make a difference. Your oxygen sat rate can be affected by sleep apnea, which is very important peri-operatively. As far as attending the group meeting, I so know what you mean. I hate group things, and if you want your privacy and are well known in your community, that would be a double concern. Can you call your surgeon's office and ask if they have an alternative option? You may be able to get a private consult with the medical staff and/or may be able to do an online tutorial. My surgeon's office offered both and I skipped the group meeting. Post-op, I also don't do the group meetings--I see my PA and RD separately (in part because I'm a vegetarian, so much of what's talked about in group meetings doesn't apply to me--and partly bc I also like my privacy and am not big on group sharing type stuff). Good luck...I'm sure that everything will be great, and that you will be a happy, healthy dad and husband as a result!

Watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries, spinach salad, avocados, asparagus....this is what i crave now!!! I swear, for the first time in my life I could be a vegetarian.....talk about bad timing. I'm staring at the protein shakes right now trying to convince myself to go drink one....I'm only at about 45 for protein today. Bleh! HW 312, pre-op (lap-band) 294, pre-op (RNY) 255, surgery date 2/11/13, goal weight 154, current weight 221.6

Im a vegetarian as well and having surgery on May 6th.. would love to hear ideas

It's possible to have had gallstones prior to surgery and just not known it. But I would suggest removing it if you are having attacks. Since you've had WLS you probably aren't eating high fat foods which usually cause problems for ppl that don't have their gallbladders so you should be ok. I do have a friend that had to go vegetarian bc pretty much everything she ate was making her sick after having it removed (though I know a ton of ppl who are fine with all foods afterwards).

I shall watch this topic with interest as a pre-op vegetarian!

Calling all veggies, I need your help, I am new to this and need ideas so far I am doing well. trying to eat the complete protiens and trying not to eat the processed soy that a chemilcal is used to seperate the fiber from the protien. and trying to eat veggies that have more portien and making them a complete protein. so please chime in old and new veggies since the sleeve