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Protein makes me gassy as well. I think it is fairly normal. It does not keep me from eating it. Drinking protein is so much easier for me. Have you tried isopure drinks? One bottle is 40 grams of protein and 48 oz of fluids. So I can kill two birds with one stone. You have to find protein my friend. It is your new world. Not easy. But you will be able to do it. If you continue I would check with NUT. Some forms if vegetarian protein as not as hard. Maybe you can have that.

my body is rejecting all meat, eggs are iffy at times too so thats why I went for the unflavored.protein powder might become a vegetarian! Cyn-shakiraa-*12/17/12*Sent from my mobile Rnytalk.

I did something similar I used 1 pound of ground turkey+low sodium taco mix. 1/4 cup vegetarian refried beans + 2 Tblsp of the turkey meat topped with shredded mozzarella cheese and salsa. So good and delicious!

I'm also going on the 26th. Very excited. Slightly nervous. Mostly about the preop diet which I start this coming Tuesday. I'm going to go shopping this weekend and get everything all together for the preop and 2 weeks post op. I decided to use a vegetarian protein shake called Vega one. The whey protein really upsets my stomach, I've never really done well with dairy. While this shake is a little pricey, it tastes amazing (I like the vanilla chai and the chocolate) and has 1/2 your daily vitamin intake in one shake.

Hi there! I am 2 weeks out and I eat the Rosarita canned refried beans-Vegetarian, soft tofu,cottage cheese, mashed avocado, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, cream of wheat. My doctor told me that as long as it's baby food consistency...i mash the heck out of it! LOL...I also have yogurt. You can add banana and other fruits to the blender and add to your shakes or yogurt. Oh yeah SF popsicals. I hope this helps some.

I was certain I was B-12 deficient (vegetarian), but once I finally got my labs back from my physical I turned out to be deficient in nothing except Vitamin D (which is apparently quite common!). One of the things that makes VSG great is that you do not have the same risk of malabsorption as some surgeries- that does not mean that you are in the clear, but certainly do not be too fearful. I thought for certain I was going to be deficient, but everything is better than what it was when I was overweight!

After my RNY surgery I cannot stomach meat at all and don't even like it. The surgery totally changed my taste buds, I get my protein first from my shakes, then eggs, beans, nuts, cheese etc. But my main source of protein is the shakes. I make fratatas and breakfast pies to keep things interesting and use lots of veggies, eggs, cheese. There are tons of vegetarian cook books that have wonderful receipes.

I'm having some trouble trying to figure out what to eat the next two weeks. I have to start my two week preop diet. My doctors PreOp diet is per day: 4 protein shakes 4oz protein 2 non starchy vegetables 2 fruits My big problem is that I am Vegetarian. I'm having trouble trying to figure out what to eat for my protein. I eat eggs and cheese. I am used to eating with lentils, pastas, rices and potatoes all of which I can not have. Any ideas?

Hopefully I got all the important points in my topic title Does anyone have any suggestions on how to lose those last twenty lbs on a semi vegan diet. Actually after surgery, I started working with a wellness coach and figured out I have a whey allergy, so I don't eat any dairy anymore, no eggs, no cheese, etc. Also don't eat beef or pork and only eat chicken very rarely. I do eat a lot of fish though, so I can't be considered fully vegan. Not worried really with labels, just having a hard time losing those last 20 lbs. Especially when a vegetarian diet can be centered around so many carb like foods. I've also had a problem with low Iron levels and us sleevers, I've been told, can't really take an iron supplement because its too hard on our small stomachs. So does anyone have any suggestions for me?? I'd love to hear from some veggie sleevers and know what worked for them. I am also joining a local vegan/vegetarian meetup in my area to get some good ideas too. Thanks and hope everyone is well!

I have done a 4 eggs and 6 oz.tuna combo, in a frying pan slow heat turn over shred low fat mozzarella cheese. Divide in 1/4. You can add stir fry veggies too. applesauce I have mixed cottage cheese with apple sauce banana with Tblsp of Better'n Peanut Butter spread over it (find out when you are cleared to have the peanut butter) vegetarian refried beans ( which I add cooked ground turkey- add cumin and shred mozzarella) Salads - add chicken, tuna or shrimp. Make sure everything measure 1/4 cup/ meal there are lots of recipes here too: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

I'm feeling a bit fustrated. I have been working on consuming more Protein via shakes and supplements. My NUT told me she doesn't want me drinking my calories, I'm confused because I was under the impression I would have to be on a liquid diet pre and post op. I was doing so well, getting natural raw nutrients and protein into my diet, now she has thrown me off. I felt great, now I'm confused. I don't like eating meat (I'm not a vegetarian), nor dairy....so, the shake is the best alternative for me to obtain protein. Any suggestions? I am trying to lose weight prior to the surgery, so far no luck. :-(

Hello fellow April Sleevers, I'm feeling a bit fustrated. I have been working on consuming more protein via shakes and supplements. My NUT told me she doesn't want me drinking my calories, I'm confused because I was under the impression I would have to be on a liquid diet pre and post op. I was doing so well, getting natural raw nutrients and protein into my diet, now she has thrown me off. I felt great, now I'm confused. I don't like eating meat (I'm not a vegetarian), nor dairy....so, the shake is the best weight for me to obtain protein. Any suggestions? I am trying to lose weight prior to the surgery, so far no luck. :-(

Not eating can definitely make acid worse. Your body is tuned to start secreting acid at the mere thought of food, to prepare for digestion of a meal. If your body is hungry, the acid will soon follow! I rarely had acid issues pre-op, and started having them post-op. I made a few changes to help that: I ate ever 2 to 3 hours, had small meals, chewed my food to a mushy pulp, and ate slowly with small bites. I also tried to initially avoid the acidic trigger foods like spices or tomatoes. Eating Protein will give the acid something to work on, since carbs break down and flush out of your stomach right away. Try cottage cheese, or greek yogurt, if you are still on mushies. If you are on solids, try some eggs or Beans. (I'm vegetarian, so I have no experience with meat)

I had a similar experience but only had to be on the liquid diet for 1 weeks. When I got to have a scrambled egg I was sooooooooo excited but it sat on my stomache like lead. This went on for another 4 weeks. Low-fat Cottage cheese, vegetarian refried beans, applesauce, cream of wheat and mash potatoes truly helped. I not good with plain yougurt I was told that canned chicken and tuna add low fat mayo was the best. Each food you have to introduce slowly and 1/8- 1/4 cup max. YOU HAVE TO DRINK AT LEAST 70 GRAMS OF PROTEIN to help with the meat cravings. I did eat a small slice of pizza during my 4th week when my daughter came home from college that weekend. Low Fat string cheese also is a treat. 4th week turkey, fish, lean chicken, shrimp & crab meat. Veggie and some fruit too. So hang in there.

I am having some problems figuring out how to lose a little(20) and stay there. I seem to be able to stay where I am right now.... I have gained 18 and am staying there. I log everything and exercise. I am experimenting at eating more for an extended time without gaining more. I was eating 1200 a day, exercising and NOT losing. I figured my body may be screwed up from not eating much for so long. I have added in about 300-800 a day more, depending on how much I exercise or not. I am staying the same at this.... not gaining from when I was eating 1200 a day. I am sort of following the TDEE plan, eating between my BMR(1600) and my total energy expenditure(2100) or around 1800 a day (which should be my energy expenditure at my goal weight if I continue the same exercise routine. I just think its crazy to weight over 190, exercise and only eat 1200 a day and still gain weight or stay the same! Im seeing if I can normalize my intake. This seems to work for some people who have trained their bodies to live on very little. I still have restriction, and the protein first rule does work for me too. I am eating pretty clean, with planned snacks and still vegetarian. I guess Im in maintenance right now, but hope to s-l-o-w-l-y lose back to where I was at the end of my "honeymoon" a year ago by eating more for a while,then cutting back a little bit to lose slowly. We will see! I am so happy I got the sleeve, but I am not happy having to go up one or two sizes after I gave away most of my larger sizes! PANTS TOO TIGHT!

I've never struggled with my vegetarian diet. My single greatest struggle has been with evil sugar. I don't underatand how a meat diet could be more filling (or better in any way to be honest).

I had surgery on January 9th and I am about 3.5 weeks out. I wasn't a huge meat eater before the surgery but I can't seem to keep any meat in me now. I've tried tuna, talapia, chicken and turkey. when I eat any of this I don't get anywhere near the 1 oz before i am so uncomfortable. It feels like it's sitting right in my throat and then it comes back up. I'm not talkin about just once, I've tried a few times. Cottage cheese, string cheese (I can tolerate 2 of these at a time!) yogurt, and some beans are fine. I can even tolerate cashews but meat doesn't seem like it's ever going to work. Anyone else have this problem? Should I even bother or should I just go vegetarian?

Hi everyone! I was banded 12-31-12 (NYE). I have yet to meet with my "nutritionist"...the dr is insisting on this as I have lost almost no weight since surgery. I am at 202 lbs still. I am dreading this nutritionist visit because I have been a lacto-ovo-vegetarian since age 9...so going on 21 years. Non of my family is vegetarian. I just kind of woke up one day and said I wasn't going to eat meat anymore and I never have. I don't do most yogurt either as I do not eat anything with Gelatin in it. I have found one Greek Yogurt that does not contain gelatin so I am happy about that. When I got pregnant with my first 2 kids the doctors panicked when they found out i was a vegetarian and rushed me off to a nutritionist. both times she was not able to tell me anything i didn't already know. I am not optimistic that this nutritionist will do anything other than try to talk me in to eating meat again. That is not happening. Anyways,the P.A. at my dr office keeps trying to tell me it is unlikely i will ever lose weight on the band being a vegetarian...not because i can't get enough Protein, but because the density of vegetarian foods will not stimulate the nerves to make me feel full like meat will. Can anyone give me some advice on filling vegetarian foods/meals and encouragement on how you have lost weight with a vegetarian diet? I am not really wanting to listen to anyone tell me to start eating meat again or explain why i can't lose weight without meat! People who eat meat just try to get me to do it their way.

This is a post from Newsho from a long time ago. Maybe her approach will help you? I've just copied it and pasted it below. Good luck. LENGTH ALERT! (This has very detailed tips and tricks, so this is not a short post. Just a "heads up") People asked me a lot how I went from Slow Loser to getting to goal. I did better my second year of banding and when the weight came off - it really came off. This is something that worked for me, and I recommended to other Bandsters. Granted, these are tips that's not in any LapBand brochure or doctor's manual, and YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY - but if you already think of yourself as a Slow Loser like I was, then maybe you will be open to trying something to shake things up a bit. When I needed a weight-loss push, I didn't cut down on calories much (if I'd recently had a fill adjustment, that's different) but in general: I *added* Protein to every thing I ate. This helped me to lose steadily (although it sped up my weight loss, more importantly it kept it steady). And it worked! Some Bandsters in my same banding date were better at counting calories - I wasn't. Some were better at counting carbs, I wasn't, but I excelled at ADDING protein. And I did well and later, other fellow Bandsters were asking me for help and tips. How did I do it? I did not reduce calories or the amount I consumed (without a fill it wasn't much need to try that) and yet, I still lost. (I added a little bit of Beans, or a sprinkle of cheese (my favorite), or eggs - whatever I could. I didn't reduce what I ate, but I "upped my protein" - and it worked. With the band, if you eat more protein, you generally will find yourself eating less overall - it doesn't feel that way but you do. Every single time I added more protein to my regular Band-friendly meals, I lost more weight, even though I wasn't eating less calories sometimes. Sounds crazy - but in my particular case, if I didn't keep my protein levels up, my body held on to calories a lot more. Who needs their bodies "hoarding" calories? If adding a bit of food meant I would lose more, it was worth a try. It worked. And I paid attention to the TYPE of protein I ate. (Even before banding, I didn't eat beef or pork at all. And the band was developed in other countries where the pork and beef consumption is a lot lower than it is here in the 'States. I'm not a vegetarian, I just eat seafood and poultry only. My doc said this helped my weight loss a lot because the protein I ate was leaner, not fattier protein like pork/ham/bacon or beef/hamburger/fatty red meat. So I didn't have to regulate my portions as much as some Bandsters did. My can of tuna did more for me than a hamburger ever would have.) Also, I'm a single/childless Bandster who lives alone, so I eat out for almost every meal. If I could make it to goal - while eating out - ANYBODY can. How did I do it? Here were some tips. At Breakfast, with my morning egg(s), I added a bit of cheese on top. Or I would have cottage cheese added. For protein and hunger reasons, cottage cheese did better than yogurt for me - unless I just had a fill or was very very filled or adjusted. The most filled I am, the less I eat in the mornings. So especially if you are not at your sweet spot, try Proteins that "stick" with you more to keep hunger away. Yogurt alone was not good enough of a breakfast for me, with the band it just went through, and wasn't really filling. Now if I charged up my yogurt with lots of nuts, seeds, and wheat germ - then BAM! I'm not much of a cold Cereal eater (I prefer hot cereals) but if I had one I made sure it was a protein-packed one (I LOVE Grape Nuts cereal best. Go Lean is awesome, and several of the Oatmeals & Cream of Wheat cereals have good protein content. I also added a few nuts to those, too. If I had a yogurt smoothie drink as a snack, I had them had a half scoop of Protein powder (a full scoop can make it too thick sometimes) or some soy or nuts. Lunchtime was easy to get more protein in. I'd eat a scoop of tuna salad or chicken salad for lunch - and have them add some shredded cheese, some seeds and/or some nuts. I also love Soup. Usually a cup is a nice start to my lunch if I'm having a scoop of salad or tuna. If it's my whole lunch I get a bowl of soup and eat what I can from it. My band will tell me when to stop. Almost any kind of any soup is great with a sprinkle of cheese or nuts added. Beans, too! With my dinner I always like a cup of soup to begin. Gets me going, jump starts & 'primes' my band and it's a great protein opportunity. Then if I could, I concentrated on seafood. ANY type of fish worked great with my band - From catfish to salmon to snapper to Tilapia. Or even shrimp or my all time favorite, calamari. I enjoy oysters in season and clams all year. The weeks that I ate more seafood, I lost more weight - across the board. Usually grilled is a good choice to be honest I even ate it fried (sorry, weight loss experts) and I still did well. And with my seafood, if I could I added beans to almost everything. With my steamed veggies, I added nuts and a sprinkle of cheese sometimes. I know it's not very It really does work! See when I restrict my calories or even when I try to cut down on fat - I usually just end up cutting down on protein. And no matter how "well" or how much less I eat, if I cut my protein my body won't 'burn' up the fat. It holds on to it. I know that protein is the fuel that helps the LapBand machine work and not trying to diet or 'cut down' was a blessing to me. I've had other Bandsters try this, and yes they are skeptical at first but when they start seeing inches lost (muscle really does weigh more than fat, so your clothes tell you before the scale ever will) then they get on the bandwagon. So don't just 'cut down' - ADD some food on your plate. That's right. ADD MORE nuts, boiled/diced egg, beans, cheese, seeds and other yummy forms of protein. Your body and your LapBand will thank you for it. Also adding protein allowed me to eat fewer carbs and save them for what was really a nice treat - a nice martini or occasional glass of wine, with dinner. Yes, I'm a drinking Bandster. All the successful European Bandsters I knew drank a glass or two now and then and they were my role models. I can't drink a lot AT ALL - a little goes a long way, but it was nice to get to goal weight without ever missing a Friday Happy Hour. I got the band to enhance my life, not take away some of the things that make it enjoyable. I eat out at restaurants, I go have drinks with friends - and I feel and look great. BRAVO! Good Luck to you. (And since so many people asked me the same question in private posts - that's why I am posting it on the Slow Losers board too...) Keep up the good fight. I did it - and you can too.

Newsho posted this a long time ago, but it's worth reviving. These are Newsho's words not mine--I just copied and pasted below. LENGTH ALERT! (This has very detailed tips and tricks, so this is not a short post. Just a "heads up") People asked me a lot how I went from Slow Loser to getting to goal. I did better my second year of banding and when the weight came off - it really came off. This is something that worked for me, and I recommended to other Bandsters. Granted, these are tips that's not in any LapBand brochure or doctor's manual, and YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY - but if you already think of yourself as a Slow Loser like I was, then maybe you will be open to trying something to shake things up a bit. When I needed a weight-loss push, I didn't cut down on calories much (if I'd recently had a fill adjustment, that's different) but in general: I *added* Protein to every thing I ate. This helped me to lose steadily (although it sped up my weight loss, more importantly it kept it steady). And it worked! Some Bandsters in my same banding date were better at counting calories - I wasn't. Some were better at counting carbs, I wasn't, but I excelled at ADDING protein. And I did well and later, other fellow Bandsters were asking me for help and tips. How did I do it? I did not reduce calories or the amount I consumed (without a fill it wasn't much need to try that) and yet, I still lost. (I added a little bit of Beans, or a sprinkle of cheese (my favorite), or eggs - whatever I could. I didn't reduce what I ate, but I "upped my protein" - and it worked. With the band, if you eat more protein, you generally will find yourself eating less overall - it doesn't feel that way but you do. Every single time I added more protein to my regular Band-friendly meals, I lost more weight, even though I wasn't eating less calories sometimes. Sounds crazy - but in my particular case, if I didn't keep my protein levels up, my body held on to calories a lot more. Who needs their bodies "hoarding" calories? If adding a bit of food meant I would lose more, it was worth a try. It worked. And I paid attention to the TYPE of protein I ate. (Even before banding, I didn't eat beef or pork at all. And the band was developed in other countries where the pork and beef consumption is a lot lower than it is here in the 'States. I'm not a vegetarian, I just eat seafood and poultry only. My doc said this helped my weight loss a lot because the protein I ate was leaner, not fattier protein like pork/ham/bacon or beef/hamburger/fatty red meat. So I didn't have to regulate my portions as much as some Bandsters did. My can of tuna did more for me than a hamburger ever would have.) Also, I'm a single/childless Bandster who lives alone, so I eat out for almost every meal. If I could make it to goal - while eating out - ANYBODY can. How did I do it? Here were some tips. At breakfast, with my morning egg(s), I added a bit of cheese on top. Or I would have cottage cheese added. For protein and hunger reasons, cottage cheese did better than yogurt for me - unless I just had a fill or was very very filled or adjusted. The most filled I am, the less I eat in the mornings. So especially if you are not at your sweet spot, try Proteins that "stick" with you more to keep hunger away. Yogurt alone was not good enough of a breakfast for me, with the band it just went through, and wasn't really filling. Now if I charged up my yogurt with lots of nuts, seeds, and wheat germ - then BAM! I'm not much of a cold cereal eater (I prefer hot cereals) but if I had one I made sure it was a protein-packed one (I LOVE Grape Nuts cereal best. Go Lean is awesome, and several of the Oatmeals & Cream of Wheat cereals have good protein content. I also added a few nuts to those, too. If I had a yogurt smoothie drink as a snack, I had them had a half scoop of protein powder (a full scoop can make it too thick sometimes) or some soy or nuts. Lunchtime was easy to get more protein in. I'd eat a scoop of tuna salad or chicken salad for lunch - and have them add some shredded cheese, some seeds and/or some nuts. I also love soup. Usually a cup is a nice start to my lunch if I'm having a scoop of salad or tuna. If it's my whole lunch I get a bowl of soup and eat what I can from it. My band will tell me when to stop. Almost any kind of any soup is great with a sprinkle of cheese or nuts added. Beans, too! With my dinner I always like a cup of soup to begin. Gets me going, jump starts & 'primes' my band and it's a great protein opportunity. Then if I could, I concentrated on seafood. ANY type of fish worked great with my band - From catfish to salmon to snapper to Tilapia. Or even shrimp or my all time favorite, calamari. I enjoy oysters in season and clams all year. The weeks that I ate more seafood, I lost more weight - across the board. Usually grilled is a good choice to be honest I even ate it fried (sorry, weight loss experts) and I still did well. And with my seafood, if I could I added beans to almost everything. With my steamed veggies, I added nuts and a sprinkle of cheese sometimes. I know it's not very It really does work! See when I restrict my calories or even when I try to cut down on fat - I usually just end up cutting down on protein. And no matter how "well" or how much less I eat, if I cut my protein my body won't 'burn' up the fat. It holds on to it. I know that protein is the fuel that helps the LapBand machine work and not trying to diet or 'cut down' was a blessing to me. I've had other Bandsters try this, and yes they are skeptical at first but when they start seeing inches lost (muscle really does weigh more than fat, so your clothes tell you before the scale ever will) then they get on the bandwagon. So don't just 'cut down' - ADD some food on your plate. That's right. ADD MORE nuts, boiled/diced egg, beans, cheese, seeds and other yummy forms of protein. Your body and your LapBand will thank you for it. Also adding protein allowed me to eat fewer carbs and save them for what was really a nice treat - a nice martini or occasional glass of wine, with dinner. Yes, I'm a drinking Bandster. All the successful European Bandsters I knew drank a glass or two now and then and they were my role models. I can't drink a lot AT ALL - a little goes a long way, but it was nice to get to goal weight without ever missing a Friday Happy Hour. I got the band to enhance my life, not take away some of the things that make it enjoyable. I eat out at restaurants, I go have drinks with friends - and I feel and look great. BRAVO! Good Luck to you. (And since so many people asked me the same question in private posts - that's why I am posting it on the Slow Losers board too...) Keep up the good fight. I did it - and you can too.

I am not a vegetarian but have found a couple of high protein veggie- meats that taste good and help with protein limits. Morning Star sausage patties are 10g of protein. Boca burgers all American grillers are 15g of protein. Add a slice of Swiss to either and it adds another 5g of protein. I eat a lot of beans, too.

Shawna29, thank you for the advice that is all that I am doing. The Rex meat isn't a problem for me since I have been a vegetarian for a long time. I had actually gotten from 320 to present 286 in the last six months. Problem was my injury and surgery caused me to be in bed too much and stop activities. Thank you and good luck on your journey.

It depends what type of vegetarian you are. If dairy and eggs are okay then: Nonfat or lowfat Greek yogurt (best), eggs, skim, 1% or 2% milk, almond milk, cottage cheese (1% or 2%), cheese, nuts, seeds and legumes/beans. If you can eat fish and shell-fish then no problem. They are a great source of Protein. Ahi tuna (real stuff, not canned tuna) is best followed by salmon and then on down. Quinoa is the grain highest in protein, but carbs and calories are dense. I really wouldn't think vegan will do for us. There are vegan sleevers, but being vegetarian is hard enough to get the protein in without taking out all animal products. Make sure you use whey isolate Protein powder for your shakes. If you don't want it based on milk or eggs there are rice based ones available.

Well I don't always blog about my band and weight and hunger so today I'm writing about my two year old iguana Anastasia aka Binky. Two years ago my husband and I rescued our little girl Anastasia from an owner that had about 20 baby iguanas in a ten gallon fish tank. A little about iguanas. Iguanas are creatures of habit, can not be housed together for long after birth because the bigger ones will show aggression and the smaller ones will end up dieing. The bigger babies will eat first, bask in the light first and the others will suffer. The are strictly vegetarians only eating collard greens, mustard, kale, and the list goes on for an eternity. Anastasia was the smallest igauna in the tank and I told my husband to get her. They are very fast when they are little like that so it was hard to catch her. At that time we didnt know she was a she because you cant tell their sex until they are about two years old. Iguanas need a lot of calcium in order to function, proper light and heat because they can not regualate their own temperatures. Yes I am giving you lessons in iguana care. Ya never know you might love one too. Anastasia soon developed calcium deficiency and she was paralyzed and could not move. She couldnt eat because her bottom jaw got so big that she could not chew her food. We took her to a reptile vet and they started her on calcium supplements. Metabolic bone disease is one disease iguanas get that takes a very long time to cure. Every day for seven months I syringe fed her Gerber baby food because I could not let her die. It was a fight day after day and her growth was stunted drastically. I still would leave her food when I left for work just in case she would try to eat, but she didn't. After seven months of not even eating breakfast to feed her, I was so ready to just give up (but I would never do that). Iguanas can live up to 20 years and all I could think of that I would spend the next 20 years syringe feeding this baby, that she wouldnt grow, and it would be like taking care of a disabled child. One day I cut some watermelon up into small pieces and placed it by her and walked away. When I looked back it was gone. I couldn't believe it. My baby ate. You have to understand it wasn't just feeding her but they have to be bathed every single day also because they don't drink water. She finally started dragging herself across the cage to get her food but I still fed her inbetween just in case. She finally started eating like crazy and growing like crazy. People think I am crazy for loving my iguana but you know what? I do love Anastasia. Now she has a bundle of eggs to be delivered any day. No there wont be babies because they are not fetilized but all I can say is this. I did what I had to for my baby girl. We spent hundreds of dollars on her at her vet (which is what good pet owners do with their animals) to make sure she got better. So when folks think on here things that I say are rude. No I'm not rude. I am a loving and caring individual who spends my life rescuing abuse animals, advocating for voices that can't be heard. Anastasia is a princess and she will be loved and cared for until its her time to go. Right now she isn't eating because it's what they do before they lay eggs but everyday just like before I syringe feed her Gerber baby food, give her calcium from the vets and bathe her til she lays her eggs. Then she lays on my shoulder while I rub her head and she goes to sleep. All for the love of Anastasia.

I'm on Atkin's pre-op, which I hate. I'm a vegetarian and I'm finding it 1) really difficult to find good low carb/high protein food options, and ineffective because I'm at a higher carb level, ketosis never sets in so I never get that really full feeling one gets with Atkins. I talked to the nutritionist today and she said that I was small enough (BMI 40) that I didn't really need a pre-op diet, but I think I'd rather have a healthy liver. So I'm thinking about going on a liquid diet for the next 7 days. I don't do well with diets (obviously) because of my monster appetite. Liquid diet is almost like a form of abstinence. Nutrition without eating. Have any of you actually gone on a liquid pre-op diet just because it felt right, rather than it being required? I'd appreciate any advice about this.