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i am 10 weeks out. i have not lost interest in food i lost my huge probably football sized stomach. i am vegetarian..ate healthy but huge meals pre op. i am now eating same of food minus all carbs. i am looking forward to losing the weight and then maintaining my weight with a diet similar too sleeve of steel. had this surgery to have a more normal appetite like a typical person. i do understand this is a tool and Will require work. i don't want to eat the calories i take in long term....i don't think it's the healthiest....

It seems to be a common occurrence. I agree with laura-ven, maybe a change up in your foods would help. I have not gone through surgery but about 4 years ago I went vegetarian cold-turkey. It was rough, I literally went from having a normal breakfast and lunch with meat to BAM! dinner, no meat. I went nearly 9 months before I cheated and had a meat product. Let me tell you though, that first 30-60 days was the worst. It seemed like my neighbor decided to BBQ everyday, every time I went to a friends house they were cooking my favorite meat dish, and fast food smelled so amazing every time I drove by. I promise you, it gets easier, the food loss gets easier, the smells quit bothering you, and when you do end up cheating the taste and texture is completely different. The first thing I had non vegetarian was a fast food cheeseburger, my first thought was.... gross soggy cardboard. It will give you a new appreciation for the foods as you bring them back in to your diet, in a newer, healthier way in smaller portions. Hang in there.

That's cool that we have the same surgery date. I definitely agree with not weighing yourself daily. As someone else pointed out the scale can definitely be a liar. I would really suggest making an appointment with your nutritionist. I would not recommend going back to only liquids. Our body is past that point. We need to be able to eat real food. Going back on liquids is like our past yo-yo dieting. A liquid restart would be for someone who had really gone off the rails in terms of eating. Every surgeon's office is different in their diet guidelines. I would definitely take a look at your sodium intake. When I see lunch meat, Jerky and a bar of some sort they are all LOADED with sodium. I have found that getting all my Water in is crucial to my success. Your body actually retains more Fluid the less you drink. Like I said, everyone's surgeon has different nutritional guidelines, but I will share mine with you. My nutritionist does not have me count calories. My guidelines are 60-70 grams of Protein, less than 40 grams net carbs (not including fruit or vegetables) and less than 1,500 mg of sodium. I do not vary what I eat very much as I have found that what I eat right now works pretty well for me. This is a sample of what my day looks like: Breakfast: 8 oz. almond milk, 1 scoop chocolate Designer whey Protein powder, 2 tbsp. PB2 & half a frozen banana blended into a shake. (Total of 24 g of protein) Lunch: Chobani 0% fat plain greek yogurt with 2 tbsp. of PB2 & 1 packet Truvia. (Total 23 g protein.) Snack: 2 Polly-O String cheese or 1/4 cup edamame (Total 14 g protein for either snack) So: before I even sit down to dinner I have had a total of 61g of protein. Dinner is always vegetarian: Tofu & veggies, Beans & rice, etc. If I feel like I need something at night I have a serving of fruit - strawberries, blueberries, red grapes & cantaloupe are my new favorites. I drink 16 oz of water in between Breakfast & Lunch. Then another 16 between lunch and snack. Another 16 between snack and dinner and my final 16 after dinner. I always follow the rule of no liquid 30 minutes prior to or after a meal. Sorry, I know that this is a super long post, but if even one thing helps you then it is well worth it. Don't give up. I started at a much higher weight than you. So, it makes sense that my weight loss is a bit of a higher number. This is really such a learning process of how to fuel our bodies not just feed them. I also think that some of us expected to lose more quickly, feel more restricted and lose huge numbers. I was sure that I would be down 100 lbs in the first 3 months & here I am 4 months out & down 75 lbs. Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not complaining! I just know that personally, I am learning to use my sleeve as just 1 tool in my weight loss efforts. I would say that I average between 750-900 calories a day, but I choose what those calories are comprised of. I can have 700 calories of healthy, body fueling food or 700 empty calories. So, there is still the aspect of needing to put healthy food in our bodies and exercising. Add the sleeve and you have a good weigh loss trifecta. The most important thing is not to give up. There are a multiplicity of reasons that you are not losing at the rate that you want to. It's up to you to find what that is. We continue to be here for support. I really hope that you are feeling better soon!

The most important things I did were increasing my water and protein. I am a vegetarian and was eating plenty of healthful fruits and veggies but some days I was probably getting 20-30 go of protein. I started logging my food and getting 60-80 g of protein, which naturally made me eat fewer carbs too. I would say getting in the habit of logging your food intake is really important too.

A good trick for avoiding this in this type of setting is to ask the venue in advance for a vegetarian plate. I find myself in this situation quite often and many times the vegetarian alternative is much easier to eat, although it may not really give you much Protein. So I just plan and eat before or after (protein) and then I will cut up the veggies, eat some and move some around as to not draw attention at this type of event. I feel your pain though, I had a terrible experience with rubber chicken before I learned this trick.

Feel free to friend me on Facebook at hely lb. I have a group with tons of recipes, ideas and suggestions. I have tons of stuff including crock pots, skillets, vegetarian, seafood, and anything you want I will find for you. The group is open to anyone. It is not a support group.

If you eat fish, you could go to any restaurant that serves fresh fish--just get it cooked any way other than fried. You could also have soup--just make sure you chew it really well and nothing with a lot of fibrous veggies right now. I also liked veggie chili and hummus at the local Middle Eastern joint when I was on soft foods (could do baba ganouj too). Didn't even miss the pita bread. I'm a vegetarian so don't eat fish--which is why Middle Eastern and refried Mexican Beans worked best for me. Not the easiest to eat out at this stage but it can be done and it's not bad if you focus on the company and the experience more than the actual food. Hope you have fun!

Not at my local Mexican joint--I specifically asked the manager, because I'm a vegetarian. When I buy them to eat at home I get the "vegetarian" or "fat free" refried beans in a can--they are both lard-free (you can read the ingredients to be sure, but they can't be fat-free or veg if they have lard). You don't have to worry too much about fat at this point bc you are eating so little, but I still recommend asking whether they have lard when you eat out if it is a concern.

My surgeon wants patients off protein supplements after 6 weeks--he wants you to start getting at least 60 g of protein from meals alone. At first you can use up to one supplement if you are falling short, but he wants you to wean off of them. So I would say the answer is no, unless you aren't getting enough protein from your food--in which case you would probably want to look at your diet, bc even as a vegetarian, I can get close to 20 g protein/meal and if I'm short, I have a Greek yogurt. I do still use supplements/powders sparingly when I'm trying to get above 80 go of protein, though I don't plan to do it forever. I think it would be easier to get all from solids if you aren't a vegetarian.

I am 7 weeks out now and have been very lucky that I have tolerated all of the non-starchy raw and cooked veggies (lettuce, spinach, red peppers, cucumber, cauliflower, zucchini, etc) and lower-carb fruits (eg, small amounts of berries) that I have tried so far-- but the problem that I'm having is having room for them after I get in my protein at meals. I asked my dietitian if I could have l them in between meals so that I can get in the nutrients and fiber and still undereat my sleeve at mealtimes. She said absolutely! And if I want to have a snack/fourth meal, I can make it a Greek yogurt or ricotta or cottage cheese dip and have veggies with it. Also, my weight loss was really stalling--for almost 3 weeks and I constantly felt hungry and a little weak/unbalanced (no, it wasn't stomach acid...lol...I am on a PPI). My RD said I probably needed some more carbs (good carbs). I upped the veggie (and limited fruit) carbs--still no refined/bad carbs--and feel sooo much better. She actually would be okay with me having things like Flat-Outs but I don't really miss the bready stuff so I'm going to skip it right now. Following my RD's advice, the "hungry" (lightheaded/low energy) feeling between meals went away, and the scale dropped 3 pounds. Very happy! It's great to feel better AND have the scale move. Have I mentioned that my RD is awesome? Truly! She answers every email within about an hour, sends me recipe ideas, etc., and I always leave with tons of notes and ideas when I meet with her. Plus I am a vegetarian and so is she, which makes things very nice.

PotterGirl, I was wondering about that! When I was in England for a week, it was very difficult to find light vegetarian meals at restaurants (eg, entree salads, fruit, etc.). I was on a work tour and every restaurant we went to made me something like heavy veggie lasagna with bechamel. I hated to offend them bc they made it in advance since the tour guide told them there was a vegetarian, but I realized I could start ordering dessert plates--fruit and cheese--as my entree. that was a lot better! Hope you are having a great time!!!

http://youtu.be/Io2YpiQ8zcM

in Scotland and vegetarian food i am finding is far and few between..i am struggling to get my numbers on.....yikes!

If you're a fan of Pinterest look me up (fight4light) i have a lapband board have compiled quite the list of band friend stuff. It's weird. I've learned a lot about myself now that I have the band. I love eating healthy. I LOVE substitute foods. Making things look bad and unhealthy but really be good for you. I've also gone semi vegetarian and tolerate more vegetables than I ever did before. On top of all that, I can tell myself "no" now. I can tell when I'm hungry or just bored at home. It's an amazing feeling and just good to know ill have my happy ending.

Yeah never thought about becoming a vegetarian. I will look at some high Protein dish ideas. I don't like fish right now either. I have been tolerating fine. It is the taste that I am not liking. I can tolerate everything I have tried. I am just wondering if anyone else has gone through this at 6 month mark.

I had my surgery in 2000. At that time, it was fairly new and my inspiration was Carne Wilson, believe it or not. My 13 year anniversary is April 28. I had no pre-op or post-op care but just studied and made sure I recognized that this was my rebirth and things needed to change. I did not want to take the surgery for granted. I did find myself (when I was in relationships) ignoring workouts and eating garbage. I DID gain 60 lbs back during the course of 8 years but in 2008, I wised up and started working out at the gym on top of my walking I had been doing every day at lunch. I also became a vegetarian because I needed that "whole" foods diet that would help me eliminate garbage. My advice is that you work out at least three times a week by walking (for starters), then go to the gym at least 30 mins/three times a week. If you're too soon out of post op, make sure you don't do much with your mid-section but don't ignore it either. The biggest neglects are the CORE. Too many people like us have surgery and then have a lot of loose skin on their belly...make sure you focus on that area. Do something that you will feel your core. As you advance, you can do the ab roller, or planks. I love looking at all of the progress on here! B

Ha ha I'm the same... I really enjoy watching all food shows. I'm a vegetarian but still enjoy the meat cooking too. I get tempted for a short bit and then it passes. But I do want to get to 6 months to know how different it'll be. I'm only 6 weeks

What are your main Protein sources? about how many g of protein do you strive for/day? (I am a vegetarian, so that's why I'm asking). thank you!

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing great post op. I am 6 weeks post op and doing well so far. Except I am really bad in having my protein shakes. I'm supposed to have 1 scoop everyday but I probably have it just thrice a week???? I've lost a total of 24 lbs. wondering if that's ok and will the amount of protein I take it, affect my weight loss? I'm a vegetarian and have beans, lentils etc but there's only this much I can have of it. Should I be losing more? I haven't lost any weight since 10 days???? Suggestions welcome

there are some good ones on the "Vegetarians Unite" thread

I am a horrible cook! I can barely cook things.. Please share vegetarian or chicken recipes so I can get my self sumthing nice to eat!

Your tastes will totally change too. Don't pre purchase too many things! Isopure is suggested. Some mix it with Gatorade to be more tolerable. I'm 2 months out and down 45 lbs. at this point, I'm considering becoming vegetarian because meat always makes me ill. Even a bite. I was a huge meat and tatos person...Midwest girl. Kinda weird. But I just go with the flow.

I am a Pizza Lover and I tried some raw pepperoni 3 weeks out and threw up too greasy and ate them 2 fast ugghh! Then I ate a half slice 2 months out and I was fine but a week later I started feeling nauseous so Im done with pizza! So I talked to my doc and he said it was prob the pepperoni so she said if I eat pizza make sure its vegetarian!

One thing the PA told me to be careful about until at least a few months out is skin on something like a hot dog. I'm a vegetarian and she told me to even check for it on veggie dogs. Apparently it can get stuck in your staple line or cause other problems.

I went in asking for bypass, and my surgeon talked me into VSG. So glad that he did. Two reasons: -I am a vegetarian so already have to be careful about nutrient absorption, especailly B12--and RNY as a malabsorptive procedure would have made that even more difficult; 2. -I wanted to be able to take NSAIDs, and while my surgeon allows RNY patients to do so with a PPI after a waiting period, I wanted to be able to take them more liberally if needed, and VSG allows you to do that (I will always take a gastric-protective med though)