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Through the months I have found many good healthy snack foods. Unfortunately, it seems like I am tired of them all and only want junk right now. Repeat, then repeat again. My weight has gone up a bit, around 3-6 pounds the last 4 months, and with my eating the way it is... and exercising less because of bone spurs...Im looking at a dilemma. I about 12 pounds from my goal...and wont get there this way! My will power is BAD right now... I went back on PPIs to see if that might help the hunger...I can also really see stress turns on the "eat now" voice. I have approval to go to a physical therapist which might get me back on track with my dancing class... I do miss that a bunch. I guess I just really FEAR gaining more weight back...6 pounds is not horrible... I just want to feel like I continue to succeed and not fail (like every other time) My kitchen garden is kicking in, and I have more fresh veggies around, I am trying to cook and have stuff in the fridge that is ready to eat. I am making desert foods for on demand too... sf puddings, vegetarian sf jello with blueberries... this helps to some degree, but the junk is still a magnet to me. I hope when I get back to dance class things will get easier. I pack a bunch of little nibbles in my lunch... fruit, cucumbers and hummus, crackers and cheese or string cheese, there is a veggie jerkey that is really good and low cal, carb and 10gms pro. I get that sometimes. Peanut butter with chocolate chips is my very fav snack... but portion control is the key... I tend to measure out just a little more... which turns into a little bit more, then its really two servings. The single thing that keeps me slightly on track is making sure I write it all down... even when its not pretty. If i go through a spell away from the computer for days, the weight goes up.

I became a vegetarian POST op and am loving my new life- I eat absolutely NO meat and only get my protein from plant based diet. I have never felt better...

I became somewhat lactose intolerant after surgery as well- for me I was nauseated, vomited and had terrible cramping.. totaly wasnt worth it- I made the switch to almond or hazelnut milk as I dont care for the soy and since becoming a vegetarian as well beign post op I only eat cheese and or yogurt once a week. But becoming lactose intolerant seems to be a common thing with this procedure- My surgeon forwarned me ahead of time as well of the possiblity- I was never a milk drinker per say but I loved me some cheese.

*Sigh* This thread seems to me a lot about strict sleevers vs. moderate sleevers. Flat diet coke in moderation is on most surgeon's post op sheets. It is a personal philosophy and choice on food and drink more than it is on anything else. Some people choose to go all-natural or organic or vegan or vegetarian after the sleeve--and some do not. Some choose to cut out processed foods and drinks with chemicals and sweeteners. Some do not. It's so individual. I fault no one whether they choose one way or another. It comes off a bit arrogant and as though one is throwing around a superior air to tout that they won't touch those "chemicals". Alas, opinions are like boobs everyone has them. Including men :-) Ya I said it. To LT: I just want to say congratulations on your wife's pregnancy! I think thats an amazing thing and don't worry--soon enough you will feel better and will be able to help your sweety out. Just a tip: You can massage her feet while sitting on the couch or bed :-) I know what it's like to be pregnant and a foot massage was so nice :-). Its going to get better soon and life will carry on. Big hugs going your way!

Yeah, I'm not so interested in the paleo diet any more--it really is too meat-centric to be something I physically COULD do, even were I of a mind to do so, which I am not. :-) So looks like I'm back to being a "nutritarian," which is a term I just love--eating for maximum nutrition, no matter the source. Flexible enough to go with the seasonal changes in produce, and able to get protein from various sources (preferably vegetarian but with occasional dairy)... sort of like what I'm doing now but substituting vegetable proteins when I can. Obviously volume is an issue; it's harder to get a lot of vegetable protein in when you can't physically eat a large volume of food, but there are strategies for that, too (blenders are wonderful things--I can hide a lot of stuff in a smoothe!).

Im not a vegan, just a vegetarian.... I guess that mens a vegan at some meals... I eat eggs and dairy. They REALLY help me get in the protein. You can get in quite a bit with soy and gluten... which is where I get most of my pro in... then there is whey next on the list...followed by milk, nuts ,seeds ,Beans... I did read about one guy that is a vegatarian paleo... bless his heart! It must be so hard! greens and beans! Sounds like NO COMFORT. http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-paleo-diet/

Good idea. A few years ago I found a chicken wandering the streets of NYC near my office (odd, right? Thinking it was an escapee from the butcher). Not wanting it to get mowed down, I put it in my car and brought it home, then drove it to an animal sanctuary upstate. It was easily 3x the size of the other chickens. While I may not be using this as an opportunity to cleanse my body of DC, I am thinking of going vegetarian. My spouse is a vegetarian and we plan on bringing our kids up vegetarian.

Morningstar Farms just began production again on their veggie dogs. Still on liquids, so no dog for me yet, but my spouse is a vegetarian and loves them!

Thanks, ladies! Nice to have a little crew here that "gets" it! GT, I'm also thinking about the Paleo thing. My husband and I have transitioned into a pretty veggie-heavy diet (I even introduced him to kale chips the other day, and he ATE them and LIKED them), mostly just for fun and experimentation. My sleeve is still really tight--I can't eat a lot of food at one time, even now, like really only between 1/2 and 2/3 c. unless it's Soup, so I've been trying my best to make the food count nutrition-wise. Anyway, we were looking at some TED videos on youtube (those free educational ones) and found this one by Dr. Terry Wahls (you can google her name)--she's amazing, a physician who was diagnosed with MS and has basically helped herself manage it through the paleo diet. It's incredible. Anyway, we don't have any sort of illness, happily (knocking wood now!), but we would like to stave off anything that we can, and we're looking at paleo. I can't eat much meat, which is really my stopping block. I know dairy isn't the best thing out there, but I count on that Protein source a lot--don't know if I could get enough volume in with an entirely vegan diet. Feed Your Eye, are you still vegan? And are there others who eat a more or less paleo or a vegan diet (NOT the same thing, not remotely, just asking about two different programs here!) who could provide me your insights/advice/pros and cons? Edited to add that I've been vegan for years at a time before, and I prefer vegetarianism; I can tolerate shellfish and dairy.... the thought of "giving up" food isn't an issue, and in fact it's not about that for me, it's about getting optimum nutrition that will work with my sleeve. :-) Thanks in advance for advice/tips/discussion!

I eat about 5x a day....my normal routine is: Bfast: coffee then two pieces of whole grain toast w/light butter 1030ish: some sort of 100 cal snack 1230: usually a small salad or a lean cuisine 3ish: another sort of 100cal or less snack, sometimes pudding 5-6ish: dinner, I'm a vegetarian so I usually have a piece of fish with veggies or some sort of dish like boca or morning star products. I try real hard not to eat after 8. This set up seems to speed up my metabolism and keep me satisfied all day. If I go too far in between I too get nauseous. Plus I drink tonnnssss of Water.

Please chk out vegetarian website - I have a hard time eating meat too and getting Protein. http://thegastricbypassvegetarian.blogspot.com

There is a veggie meat called smart ground that is a good source of Protein and tastes great. I'm not vegetarian but I like it and cook with it frequently. Nobody knows unless I tell them Sent from my VS920 4G using RNYTalk

Im not a vegetarian but there are definitely ways to get enough protein... You will have to supplement after surgery. There are endless options with protein shakes, powders, juices and bars. And of course you will just have to make sure when you do eat, that it is protein rich.

Are there any vegetarians out there ? And is it possible to get enough Protein if you don't eat meat ? Never give up ╰☆╮

Hi, I just found this app last night. I really like how everyone is so supportive. I have been on my weight loss journey for 1 year now. My pre-op weight is supposed to be 310, I am currently at 323. I am struggling so bad. I have made some very big positive changes this year. I am now a vegetarian.I gave up Fast/Junk food. I stopped drinking soda. I however do not seem to be doing so well with the whole exercise thing. My body hurts so bad, I can walk 2 or 3 minutes and I can barely stand. My back and knees ache like crazy. I feel like I have stopped trying, I've lost my Ooomph ! Last dec. I actually made my pre-op weight, then I freaked and started thinking omg I can't eat this ever again, I have to do this and take that and I got overwhelmed and gained back 15 pounds in 3 weeks. Uggg I know...so bad. I just really need to meet some people who can relate and be supportive. I want to meet new friends to share, learn and grow with. A little about me: I'm 44, married 22 years, I have 1 daughter, who is on the Autism spectrum, she is 8. I am a stay at home mommy and we are homeschooling her. We eat 85% organic. We are vegetarians. I live in California by the ocean. I belong to Kaiser Permanente, which is where my surgery will be. Have a great day ! .☆ºbLeSsInGs 2uº☆.

Oh goodness - I think the sooner we both get a correct diagnosis the better! My GP is on holiday for the next week so waiting to request choose and book for an endoscopy and see if they accept or reject my request. Still drinking gaviscon but not as much thankfully. I joined weight watchers as I wanted the online food diary to keep a track of what I was eating and since I had my band emptied I have lost 4kgs.... but I have friends and family also doing this as well so lots of support. I would add that I can now eat healthy stuff - lots of vegetables and fruit and am considering going vegetarian at least 3 days a week. Onwards and upwards - I am sure we will get to the bottom of theses problems - we just have to wait for everyone else to pay attention!

The taco bell pintos and cheese is 4.5 oz. and cost .99. A 16 oz. can of Rosarita Beans is .99 usually at my market. The hot sauce and cheese maybe 3 cents more. Rosarita also make lard free vegetarian, fat free, jalapeno and the regular stuff. I'm still sticking to the fact that cooking at home always beats fast food in price, health and taste. How long to heat up a can of beans? I bet I could beat the drive through guy. I know you were asking about fast food, but if time and money and health are factors then I offer this. I always add a little dollop of plain Greek yogurt too. Kicks up the Protein and tastes like sour cream to me.

I became a vegetarian 3 mos post op and since then I had pretty much all fruits, veggies and nuts. During my immediate post op once I got to mushies I ate a lot of apple sauce, peaches, nectarines and pears- mostly from a can in light syrup because they were softer- the further out I got I allowed myself a few bites to try- I have found that the fruits that are "sweeter" like grapes tend to cause a bit more diarrhea sooner than a normal BM (TMI) sorry... But watermelon was a staple for me post op- it was mushy, satisfied my thirst and filled me up- and when you eat fruits and veggies you get plenty of nutrients. Post op becomes a trial and error because often times you cannot eat what you did pre op for various reasons ie- Oranges- the acid KILLS me and I hate it- living in FLA I love to make fresh squeezed orange juice!! and can only have a few sips now but to sit and eat an orange I cannot. I have had the canned mandarine oranges and eaten tangerines and perhaps it's the size of the fruit but they go better with my tummy. I have made fruit salads and incorporated the "difficult" fruit in it so that I can enjoy it but not as a whole but rather just a few bites... Good luck!!

You definitely want vegetarian. They do not have lard. my nutritionist said NO LARD. Lol. Trader Joes has all types of beans and you can make your own.

Personally I would send a meeting request and reserve a conference room so this meeting will be private. I would tell him that you are very uncomfortable with him policing your eating habits. That you do your very best to eat healthy and if you end up having to eat a unhealthy meal on RARE occation; it is not his place to comment. Also that he does not know how you will eat when you get home to make up for a higher calorie lunch. If after you have this meeting he continues to comment on your eating habits go to HR. What he is doing is bullying you. Tell them you've spoken to him privately and he is continuing to harrass you. It is their job to deal with work place bullying. Trust me an HR generalist/manager does not want you going to their boss (HR Director/or VP) because they've failed to deal with work place bullying. I had a boss that would comment about everyones lunch. She was a vegetarian and no matter how healthy your lunch was she would say gross/disgusting there's meat in there! She would have vegan soup for lunch that had 35 calories and make sure EVERYONE knew about it. She also however would talk endlessly about her alcohol fueled orgies on the weekend! NOT kidding. I had several thin coworkers comment to me how annoyed they were about the way she commented about everyones food habits, yet she was a high functioning alcoholic. Oh and by the way she would go to the company store at the other end of the building and buy cookies and eat them when she thought no one could see her. Priceless. This is why I don't tell coworkers that I've had WLS. You can be guarenteed that every though I have skinless chicken breast and raw veggies (no dips/dressings) everyday for lunch; the day I have a 1 inch square piece of birthday cake someone will comment about it. For other readers esp. if you work in an enviroment with HR you boss does not need to know what surgery you are having. That is the beauty of HIPPA. A manager does not have the right to determine what medical proceders, ordered by a doctor are neccesary. The notes my doctor gives just say the gastro/intestinal dept; says nothing about WLS. I had a coworker have breast reduction surgery and was out on disability for 6 weeks. Some might argue the company should not have paid her to be off 6 weeks after breast reduction. Clearly WLS is more health oriented that that.

I totally agree - after 5 years this has helped me address eating issues too. In a strange way I have also come to the conclusion that whilst the band makes you eat slower which is so important, and also address the amount you eat it actually promotes very poor eating habits if you have it adjusted wrong. And how many 'bandsters' have their band adjusted to the optimum I wonder? Since having my band emptied I have lost 3kgs in 6 weeks by following weight watchers online!. I ate my first apple in 5 years and it was a joy and I am also eating more vegetables and love it! I am now considering more vegetarian meals, perhaps 3 or 4 nights a week and have requested some veggie cookbooks as birthday presents :-). Re: funding to get an endoscopy diagnosis. I received some more information about requesting this. I would need my GP to request an endoscopy using the 'choose and book' system. This would need an authorisation from the PCT to fund it and that is not guaranteed. So I will go back and ask for the request to be set in motion. I also have a nagging concern in the back of my mind that whilst we are all assuming this stricture as being the cause of the esophageal pain it may not be... so if I can get this endoscopy done on the NHS that would be very helpful. The bigger decision about the band would follow on from this diagnosis. But after sleeping on it I am pretty certain I want it taking out now. Please keep in contact - it is so reassuring to chat with someone experiencing similar concerns J x

Weight Loss Surgery Weight Loss Pregnancy Seniors Heart Health Vegetarians Cancer Patients Wound Healing Healthy Lifestyle More... Why unjury is Better Nutrition Facts Quality is Essential How Much Protein? Why UNJURY? Recipes and Tips 7 Great Flavors Chocolate Splendor Chocolate Vanilla Strawberry Sorbet Chicken Soup Unflavored Protein'd cheese Sauce "It’s downright scary" – says FDA's Head of Dietary supplements Daniel Fabricant. If you use Vitamins or protein powders, you need to read this...and share it with everyone you know. "Federal inspections of companies that make dietary supplements - frommultivitamins and calcium chews to capsules of echinacea andbodybuilding powders - reveal serious and widespread manufacturingproblems," For years we have been saying that with UNJURY® and OPURITY®, “Trust is the First Ingredient”. It is also the most important ingredient. Read on! The Chicago Tribune, June 30 reports that it found violations of manufacturing rules in half of the supplement firms inspected. “Some firms don’t even have recipes...for their products”, stated the article. Other factories are unsanitary. In 2009 we told you about a protein supplement maker Quality Formulation Laboratories in New Jersey (whose customers included Costco) was closed after the FDA was finally able to get an injunction after two years’ efforts. The FDA press release noted rats, rat feces, rat urine and gnaw holes in the bags. If you aren’t squeamish, and want to read more, further detail is below our signatures. Here’s the bad news: While Quality Formulation Laboratories agreed to stop manufacturing, according to the Tribune and the government, they simply moved their production to another plant in New York. So some protein supplement users (not ours of course) have been consuming their products. We hope they got a good price on the non-whey protein. It isn’t just grossness. People’s health is being damaged. According to the Tribune, the FDA reported that some of Kirkman Labs’ zinc andstevia products contained undeclared antimony (a heavy metal). There is at least one lawsuit from the parents of a child who was damaged. Some Perspective: At least in the US, we do have an FDA and they are trying. In China, there is nothing comparable, and when there are inspectors, sometimes they work for the same company that owns the Vitamin maker they are inspecting. In short, it's a lot worse in China. So when a company says, “Our ingredients are from China, but they are good”, we don’t believe them. We believe you have to have trust from one end of the production process to the other. And Chinese manufacturers as a group have proven themselves to be untrustworthy. Why do companies use Chinese ingredients? We believe: some big companies want to sell their products into the giant China market -- so they want to have good relations with China. One example is Amway. They sell supplements in China and perhaps hope to have a hundred million multi-level marketing distributors there. We mention Amway because one Amway subsidiary[ii] is Metagenics (Metagenics owns Bariatric Advantage). We’re willing to bet that Metagenics supplements use more ingredients from China, now that they are in the Amway “family”. What to do: Consider the risks of buying the low price products at the big discounters. We believe that pressures to keep price low push quality to the back seat. Buy protein and vitamins from companies you know you can trust. UNJURY® Protein is recommended at America’s top-rated hospitals, and increasingly, OPURITY® is too. Buy UNJURY Protein and OPURITY Vitamins Now Healthy regards,

Hi scrazyp, Thanks for your reply! Im sorry to hear about your bad experience & that you had to go through that. I hope you can still be successful without it! As far as my eating habits, I am the type of person who eats like 2 very large meals a day. I have never liked snacking. I was even seeing a dietitian for a while & she recommended small Snacks throughout the day to keep me full & I didn't like it. Even if I wanted to I am always "on the go" so its very hard; I guess were on opposite ends there. I really only had enough time to eat in the morning & then the evening so when it was time to finally eat, I'd be starving and basically binge. On top of that, since I was always so busy, when I sat down for a meal it was nice to relax & it was comforting. I've always kind of had a problem with over eating but it's always been under control, now that life's gotten more hectic it's gotten out of hand & have gained too much weight. The other problem is that I am a "semi vegetarian" I guess you could call it. I rarely eat meat but the food I replace it with is food that isn't good for me. I don't eat junk food, Cookies, chips or anything like that. I'm Italian & my favorite foods are pastas, bread, cheeses etc. Basically all carbs & food high fat like cheese which is terrible for me. I was hoping since I'm not really a snacker that the band would help me to cut back on those 2-3 large meals I eat a day.

Thank you all....its tough....in Ireland therapy is not so common.....I did go to a psycho therapist here for 2 years....and basically I was told you are the master of your destiny.....so don't eat the bad things......I was never allowed sweets or crisps as a child...we did not have fast food or Drive Thru's ....so when my mother got sick in my teens we had to eat fast food as my father did not cook.....definitely crave carbs having PCOS.....love anything Italian.....don't eat meat as a vegetarian....missing bread.....pasta.....and pizza...would have eaten lots...I am a size 12 which is good....I think I have to have the will power now....and get back on track....thankfully I have this site as support

I changed. I went to my first consult In Feb. Started my 6 month supervised visit, found out about a surgeon who did a 2 week vegetarian diet rather then making me buy a certain brand of protein shakes, went to see him on June 7 and my last appointment for 6modiet is July 24. The coordinator was SHOCKED at how much I knew and all the paperwork I had ready for her. I have complete confidence in the new surgeon. Also, he will be using the davinci robot for my surgery and I am possibly having another surgeon do my hysterectomy in the same process (i have an appt with him wed to make my final decisions). Do you know what is making you feel uncomfortable?