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I'll have to look for some of these. Broth is kinda boring for a vegetarian. Thanks for the tips.

Knorr and Herb Ox have a very yummy veggie broth. I am not a vegetarian but so far it is actually my favorite broth that I've tried so far

How are you getting your protein now? I am not a vegetarian but have pretty much given up meat since getting the band. Just a personal choice. My daughter is a vegetarian and I have been cooking meat free for years so I am very used to it ( I cook meat for my hubby and son) I do a lot with tofu and always enjoy finding new ways to make it. Edamame is enjoyed by the whole family and we do a lot of dairy ( not Vegan here) I would think being a vegetarian and getting the band would work out very well! Good-luck to you! :redface:

Well i was printed to share my story, so here goes.. I'm 26, Mexican-Iranian... That's important because that means that I was raised on rice and corn tortillas. I'm female btw. Both of my parents work two or three jobs, so I was also raised on costco and walmart a frozen meals, like lasagna and chicken and rice... My sister has a disability which mean the I spend the better part of my early childhood in the waiting room of various doctors... Speech therapy, occupational therapy, at the ER, an the mental health therapist... But that not to being said to make you feel sorry, rather so you know that I again was subject to cafeteria food, Jello from the nurses and McDonalds. In high school one of my cousins said I was fat, and a kid in school said I had too much facial hair on my arms and cheeks... Thus the body image phase hit. And so did the diet programs... Slim fast, Jenny Craig, weight watchers, curves, just To name a few. In college I got a personal trainer and a dietician an got put on phentermine, then my knee cap popped sideways and I had to get knee surgery, that was 2009. Then I severely sprained my ankle and was on a boot for 6 weeks... So what brought me down this path for the Sleeve.... I need surgery on my other knee, same thing that happened on my right knee, reconstruction. Due to my weight says the doctor. I've got plantar faciitis on both heels of my feet, that doc said to "to try to loose 50lbs".. Like that was easy before. Ha. I've got pinched nerves on my lumbar and on my neck... That doc said to loose weight, that'd help. And lastly I'm pre-diabetic. My pcp said I'd for sure be on diabetic meds within the next 6 months if no change is made to my weight. No let me also say that since I moved away from home in 2006, after high school, I became semi-vegetarian...eating fish or chicken twice a week, pasta-rice-or-bread three times a week.... Also in high school I learned to cook for the family, and since dad is vegetarian, I learned all sorts of recipes to make. So it's not like I was eating out all the time or eating junk food all the time. So surgery was on 12/4/2014. Thanks to my crap Obamacare insurance I was dropped in June and either way this surgery is not covered. My dad had a good year financially and with the self-pay discounts at the hospital, my dad was able to get a loan for the procedure. Did I mention Ive been living at home with the parentals for the past two years, and I've been in grad school the last two years. My knees feel 1000x better. I've lost 25lbs so far, and even my heals don't get the stabbing shooting pain that they used to after walking for more than three hours. Only negative so far is that I haven't been able to take my anti-depressant/anxiety meds Effixor because when I take it I feel dizzy, light headed, nauseous, weak and that lasts for hours. That's me. Not sure why I had to share.

Hi everyone, I posted this on two other forums but I thought I'd post here too. I'm having my bypass next Wednesday, 7/22. I was calm for the most part until the past few days, when I started getting nervous, but that was the nervous that I'm assuming everyone feels when surgery gets close. For some background, I'm 22 years old, 5'1, and started working towards surgery in October of last year at 260 pounds. As of today, I'm 50 pounds down, and that's of course on my own, before having surgery. Yesterday, I started having serious second thoughts. These normal nervous thoughts had me wondering if I could do it on my own since I've been able to lose 50 pounds by myself before surgery, and I keep telling myself I worked hard for this, and surgery is right around the corner, and if I didn't think I needed it, I wouldn't have started the program in the first place. Like I said, I was calm until a few days ago, but yesterday it really started hitting me. I started getting the feeling that I'll be unsuccessful with the surgery. Most, if not all, programs require a high-protein diet after surgery, including my own program. My issue is, I'm an extremely picky eater. I'm a vegetarian, and while I'm not totally vegan since I'll eat products containing milk and eggs, I prefer not to eat (or drink) those things if I can avoid it. So aside from not eating meat, I don't eat cheese or regular eggs prepared in any way (if I try I will not be able to stomach it). I also am grossed out by tofu. This honestly leaves my only options for Protein for the rest of my life to be Protein Drinks and yogurt (which I would prefer not to eat all the time, it's not my favorite thing). My nutritionist said lentils and Beans are ok, but they have a lot of starch so to eat other things if I can. I'm on my pre-op diet so that means I'm stuck on my protein drinks and yogurt for now, and after talking with my nutritionist a few times yesterday, the nerves I was already feeling worsened, and I started having normal doubts to real second thoughts. I was wondering if I'm actually cut out for this kind of surgery since I know I can't keep up with the protein that I'm being asked to eat, and I'm not sure I can compromise since I already know I won't be able to handle things like eggs, cheese, and tofu. If this kind of thing relies on me eating protein all the time, what kind of success can I have if I'm not able to do that? Yes, it'll physically restrict me from overeating, at least for the first year or two, but I'm afraid of a stall after only losing a small amount, or regaining the weight and having gone through all of it for nothing. I'm also thinking how if I lost 50 lbs on my own, I could try to lose the other 100 lbs on my own too, even if it's not the rapid weight loss that the bypass would give me. Like I noted earlier, though, I wouldn't have started this program in the first place if I didn't feel like I needed to go through it and wouldn't have worked so hard to make sure it happens. I'm 22 years old, should I wait a couple of years since I'm having these thoughts and try things out on my own and see how things go with that? Or should I go through with surgery next week? I have no idea between my doubts and the hard work I went through.

Milaxx - I'm vegetarian so I don't know it my foods would interest you.

I have been a vegetarian for 6 years pre op and was sleeved 6-25-12 and a week out I would kill for meat. It's the weirdest thing. It used to gross me out I haven't had it in so long and now I feel like its one of the first things I want. Wish it wasn't the case but we will see I might just be desiring anything I can chew at this point even if it came from a helpless animal

the vegetarians (non-vegan type) in my program are encouraged to eat lots of tofu, beans, lentils, dairy (esp. greek yogurt and nonfat cottage cheese), eggs, and the products made by Morningstar Farms as well as things like Boca burgers.

My sleeve surgery is March 28. I know I will have to supplement with protein powder, I have already purchased genepro powder. How have you fellow vegetarians gotten all your protein? Especially when at liquid & mushy stage? Is it OK if almost all my protein comes from supplement? I would Iike to know what all of you are eating...

Tofu is a soy product . It has good protein in it so lots if vegetarians eat it.. And it can be made into lots of things! I've not tried a tofu smoothie it sounds interesting! I have had ice cream made of it though years ago yummy

I am a vegetarian that eats mostly whole foods and tries to stay away from processed foods. (I am totally serious!) How will the Lapband help me? Portion size! If you are over weight it is a tool to help you lose. It won't do the work for you. The whole mental thing really is a bugger...I mean look it has you convinced you eat healthy even though, if you are looking into getting a lapband, you are not. It sure makes it easier though. It makes me aware of everything I put into my mouth. It is different for everyone. I think eventually it does help you make better choices because you are just so used to making better choices! My husband commented after Easter dinner that he had forgotten I had the band and he was wondering where the rest of my dinner was because I had very small amounts of food on my plate. Then he remembered and it was a huge aha! moment for him. We are starting to forget I have it because it is now second nature for me to not think about eating bigger portions. Well and I just got a fill so it's even less these days ) Try doing a calorie counter for just a day or two and see how many calories you actually consume...you may be surprized. Good Luck! ~A

Sorry, I could easily be a vegetarian so I sometimes forget to add meat. I make sure I get my miminum daily Protein in my Protein shakes, so the rest is bonus for me. Here’s a similar tasting recipe to the Cauliflower Picatta that includes protein: 1 lg chicken breast, diced 5 mushrooms, diced 3 mini bell peppers, diced 5 artichoke hearts, diced 1 large handful of fresh spinach 1 heaping TBS capers 1 heaping TBS Dijon mustard 1 lemon 1/3 cup chicken stock 1 tsp cornstarch ½ cup Italian cheese mix (optional) Saute the chicken, mushrooms and peppers until slightly browned (I just use an Olive Oil mister to oil the pan). Add the artichoke hearts, spinach and capers on top and cover with a lid to steam for a few minutes. Completely zest the lemon, then juice the lemon (don’t juice first, it makes it impossible to zest afterwards). Add zest and juice to a small mixing bowl, add cornstarch and chicken stock, mix well. Pour mixture over chicken and veggies, stir around to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Let simmer until sauce thickens. Top with the Italian cheese. Enjoy! Note: you can add pepper, garlic, or onion if you want, but don’t add salt. You get enough saltiness from the capers and Dijon.

I have had GI Problems for many many years. For the last 6 years I have been on Omeprazol 10mg 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening- I was sleeved 11/2011 and I came off my meds in March of 2012. I also became a vegetarian and eat no fried food. I don't eat much bread and have no carbonation. I do however still have issues with my esophagus which are due to my auto immune issues and will never go away completely- i just had an endoscopy on MOnday to dilate it. The scope will tell you a few things a) if you have any scarring from the acid if you have any blockages causing things to get stuck and most of all enable him to prescribe something to help your symptoms. For me- I had amost instantaneous releif from reflux about a month after surgery and I had lost about 18-lbs at that time but they wanted to keep me on meds a little longer. I now use a Tums if/when needed because sometimes a lettuce or onion(y) dish will get it aggravated. I think that reflux is totally reversable in most cases if/when you change your diet but often times the damage is already done and therefore you may need to stay on meds for that purpose...

Lol. I do both actually. Some dishes vegan, some vegetarian. Mostly vegan though. In fact, I did have an egg this morning! Lol. Say what!?!? But, still don't count. Hey, lost four pounds since last week too. Not too shabby, eh?

Yeah, I'm moving towards the vegetarian life again. I've started purchasing free range and organic animal products. My spouse and daughter are committed carnivores, we've come to a reconciliation on this matter. moooooooh.

Hey, Banders!The weather’s warm, zucchini and watermelons are abundant and the Summer Games are providing inspirational moments for all of us. We hope life is good for you and you’ve been achieving your own goals this summer. To help you stay focused, here’s another newsletter from LapBandTalk.com. This is what we’ve got for you: Burning question: What are the Best Sources of Protein? Member Spotlight: Meet kll724! Bander Challenge: Record Your Diet! Life with the Lap-Band: What’s Your Emergency Plan? We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and you get inspiration and a few great ideas from it. Of course, when you’re done reading, come on over to the LapBandTalk.com board and talk about the newsletter or anything else that’s on your mind. Also remember to drop me a line any time if you have comments or suggestions for the boards. Thanks! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder LapBandTalk.com Burning Question: What are the Best Sources of Protein? Last week we talked about why you need protein when you’re losing weight after surgery. But where should you get your protein from? There are a bunch of good sources. When you’re on a liquid diet after weight loss surgery, Protein shakes and Protein powder can help you meet your needs. Fat-free milk is another good source, and it also has Calcium and Vitamin D for strong bones. In the pureed foods stage, you can add in things like canned flake chicken, extra-lean ground beef and light tuna. Tuna has an extra benefit because of its heart-healthy omega-three fatty acids. Fat-free yogurt is another great option. You always want to look for lean meats and fat-free or low-fat dairy products instead of full-fat ones. That’ll help you limit your calories and reduce saturated fat, which is unhealthy for your heart because it raises your cholesterol levels. By the time you get to the soft (semi-solid) foods and solid foods stages, you have a lot more options. Fish, crab, white-meat, skinless chicken and turkey, and egg whites are almost pure protein – plus some essential nutrients. Be very careful to avoid any bones or gristle in your fish or meat. Some vegetarian options are tofu, Beans and low-fat cheese. Melted cheddar cheese makes a delicious topping for almost anything. Always eat slowly, savor the flavors and chew your food well before swallowing. Choosing Proteins that are lowest in calories and saturated fat will help you lose weight and stay healthy. Did you miss the previous Burning Question? You can always see the earlier Burning Questions in our Newsletter Archives. You don’t have to miss any important information! Member Spotlight – Meet kll724! This week we have the honor of featuring kll724 – or Karen – from Lakeland, Florida. This 64-year-old woman had gained weight over the years, ending up at a size 24 from her young adult size 7. She decided to get banded when she saw the success that her friend’s daughter had with the surgery in Mexico. Her surgeon in Florida had her follow a six-month pre-surgery diet, along with taking phentermine, so she could “learn to eat like a skinny person.” Not everything was smooth sailing. She had to get a complete unfill and revision due to slippage. She got dehydrated because she waited until Monday to call her surgeon before finding out that she could have called on Sunday! Karen is now down 100 pounds from her high weight of 244 pounds. Her arthritic knee is no longer troublesome, and she walks every day “without breaking a sweat.” Her husband calls this beautiful lady his trophy wife! Success with the lap-band seems to run in the family – both of her children have also been banded. Karen truly appreciates the warmth of LapBandTalk.com, where, as she says, “no one cares if you are 20 or 70.” Having maintained her goal weight for a while now, she offers wise advice for other banders. First, follow your surgeon’s advice. Second, be patient with yourself and don’t compare your weight loss to others. And finally, “remember that the band is a tool, and you do need to work at the weight loss.” We know that her advice works – if you need proof, just head on over to kll724’s profile and take a look at her photo gallery. She’s looking awesome! Thanks, Karen, for being such a supportive member of the community and for being in our spotlight! Each newsletter features a different LapBandTalk.com member in the Member Spotlight section. Let us know in the member spotlight forum if there’s someone you want to learn more about or if you want to be our spotlighted member! We’re all eager to hear more about you, so let us know who you are! If you’re shy and don’t want to post publicly, just PM Alex with the message that you want to be in the spotlight. This is our favorite part of the newsletter! Thanks for making it happen! Bander Challenge – Let out your inner Olympian! The Bander Challenge is the section of the newsletter when we suggest a challenge for you to try. The goal is to motivate you to push yourself to the next level – and that’s definitely the focus of this newsletter’s challenge! The Olympics are in full swing, and the whole world is watching these phenomenal athletes chasing and achieving their dreams. You may not have the grace, power and strength of the world’s best athletes, but you do have goals, hopes and dreams – just like Olympic athletes – and the chance to make them happen. So this newsletter’s challenge? Go for the gold and act like an Olympian! Olympic athletes put 100 percent of their effort toward achieving their dreams, and you can put 100 percent of your effort toward losing (or maintaining) weight and living a healthy lifestyle. Your challenge is to figure out what specific actions you might take to ensure your success. These are some ideas. Eat for success. Olympians choose nutritious foods over junk food because they’ll perform better. A meal with vegetables, fruit and lean meat will go a lot further than a hamburger and fries. The same is true for you – you’ll feel better, think more clearly and have more energy when you eat nutritious foods. Plan your meals and exercise. Success is no accident. Olympians plan every aspect of their training programs from training and recovery to diet and sleep. You should plan your own diet and exercise so that you always know what to do. Keep a log. An Olympic athlete keeps a training log to record each day’s workout and be able to look back and see what worked and what didn’t. Keeping your own diet and exercise log keeps you on track and lets you look back to see what patterns led to success and where you could have improved your choices. Visualize success. Most successful athletes take time each day to visualize their victory. They think about running that last lap in record time and accepting their medal on the victory podium. You can think about the bikini that you’re planning to wear next summer and the proud look on your spouse’s face when you two go out to dinner in the future. How will you let out your inner Olympian? Let us all know in the member Challenge Forum! Tell us what you did and whether you think it worked for you! The challenge is completely non-competitive, but we’d love for you to share your experiences. You’ll help inspire others to chase their own dreams. Miss a challenge? No problem! Just go back to the old newsletters to see what the challenges were. It’s never to late to try something new and tell us about it on the forums. Life with the Lap-Band: What’s Your Emergency Plan? It’s Sunday morning and you haven’t been able to eat or drink all night because of nausea and vomiting. Your surgeon’s office hours are from Monday through Friday. You wait miserably until first thing Monday morning, when you call your surgeon. The receptionist is horrified to hear about your ordeal and says, “Why didn’t you call yesterday? We have someone here 24/7 for emergencies!” This scenario comes up all the time on the boards, and it’s truly heartbreaking because in most cases, the suffering you feel is entirely unnecessary. You should know what number to call when you have trouble. If your surgeon didn’t give you an after-hours number, ask for one. You should never have to wait a whole day just because your emergency happens on a weekend. And with that advice, we’re done with this newsletter. You can always read it again and look through old newsletters in the Newsletter Forum. We’re always happy to hear from you and to see increased participation on the boards, so log in and get talking! Thanks for your support. Take care of yourself and each other, Alex ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/index.php?app=core&module=usercp&tab=newsletter

Well by the title I thought you meant you were a vegan. But FYI, Person who practices "SEMI-Vegatarism" Which is what you do is still by definition considered a vegetarian. Sorry, I didn't mean anything by my earlier comment. Anyhow, even though I am not banded yet I can still tell you shouldn't have any problems getting your Proteins. Here's a link to a small site to look up high protein veggies. But if you eat fish alot then you will be fine. Protein in the Vegan Diet -- The Vegetarian Resource Group :teeth_smile:

The Morningstar products are good (vegetarian protein). I like the breakfast patties (like sausage patties) for 10 g of protein and 80 calories, plus they are tasty--and the "meal starters" (also Morningstar) vegetarian meatballs. Also, fat-free crumbled feta cheese is a good source of protein, though it's a bit high in sodium so I don't eat it every day (same with fat-free cheese). I like greek yogurt with chocolate protein powder and splenda mixed into it. Or PB2, the dry peanut butter. Tastes like peanut butter or chocolate mousse....

So u reconnected several years ago with an old high school friend. She had gained a lot of weight and we saw eah other at weight watchers. I lost 12 pounds in 6 months and she lost 50. Fast forward 5 years we're good friends. Hang out at least once a month and she went in vaca with me to Florida this spring. She's lost 80 pounds and still has 150 to go and determined. I have supported her the whole way. She started teaching Zumba I started going with her and telling people about her classes, for instance. She is single I have a family She is bitter about past issues, lives In the past can't get over past hurts some real some perceived. I am blunt and tell her she had to get over these things to move on. She just can't. Can't get over a divorce from 18 years ago, wrongs done by a friend in high school 25 years ago, and just bitter. Frankly the bitterness has been getting to me a lot, especially since surgery. When I told her I was doing this she was completely negative - I know blah blah regained it all blah blah. I should get lap band and consider that first or come to more Zumba and go vegetarian as she did and lose 80 pounds. Well that is not what works for me. A few weeks ago we were at a friends and she was watching me eat and was super critical in my opinion She would never have this because look at my sacrifice and stupidity of this "diet". And how I would have to eat animal flesh forever etc etc Last week she critiqued my ALS bucket challenge. Basically posted on my Facebook that people who do it are stupid idiots. Mknd you I dedicated it to my father in law whondied of ALS 2 years ago. So two nights ago I responded to her post of how she has followers on Facebook and how to correct it. She posts her Zumba stuff and her friends do as well and people follow her. She responds that it was twitter and doesn't use it. So I say deactivate the account. Her response ... Duh if I wanted to deactivate it I would. And proceeds to ask if any other friends can respond. Really? I felt dismissed, offended and said so and responded she didn't have to be such a jerk about it. I then defriended her and unfollowed her on FB. I sent her an email that she had hurt my feelings. And what I got back was that I had called her a name and saw only my side. And that I should go hang our with some of those old HS friends she still has I'll feelings toward. Like really? Is it my emotions or am I crazy? I just don't feel supported and she is bitter. She has never asked me how I feel how I am doing just criticized that one meal quite extensively.

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

yes, it's from a vegetarian site, but that's hardly the point. The point was that lots of awesome plant based proteins exist that might provide a little variety and culinary splendor to an otherwise repetitive animal based palate. Meh, to each their own. Personally, I'm attracted to the longevity and health benefits associated with Mediterranean diet and other low animal protein, low animal fat diets. Not for everyone for sure...but plant based protein sources make a nice culinary change even for meat eaters. I'm pretty omnivorous. I like a little lean meat in my diet, too. Want to put your chia seeds and flax on a nice steak? Add some nuts and pumpkin seeds to your chicken salad? You have my blessing. LOL:)

A lot of veggie protein(morning star and boca) have wheat gluten in them, so you have to be careful, especially if you have an intolerance. like me! I eat a mostly vegetarian diet. Have you heard of complete proteins? I just learned about them in culinary school. Like beans and rice, hummus and pitas. Those pairings are considered complete proteins, providing your body with all of your essential aminos. Greek yogurt is high in protein and also provides you with good bacteria for healthy digestion. Check out complementary proteins. I'm not a vegetarian, but out of necessity I have eliminated most meats from my diet. You can have a healthy lifestyle eating meat( red meat in moderation), but i would suggest free range, grass fed organic meats. I drink raw milk. Just milked from the cow. It's not pastuerized or homogenized. It's illegal in most states, so you must own dairy cows in order to get it. If it's possible, consider a herdshare. We lose so may nutrients from store bought milk, which is why they're added back in. It's not for everyone. It's an aquired taste, but I grew up on farm fresh milk. Anyway before I go all activist on you, I just wanted to say that you can get your protein from other sources in food.

I'm not advocating nor am I doctor. I do eat a meat free diet. Some goat cheese. I am trying a new life style of eating. Which does consist of raw veges and fresh fruit. Plenty of Water. Absolutly no processed foods in my house. Which I believe caused me to stall constantly and have a sluggish feeling. I was exercising like a mad woman to no avail with the scale moving. I decided since nothing was working for me I needed to try another approach. I researched the hell out of the benefits of vegan and or vegetarian lifestyles. I decided I could try and possibly acheive a better, healthier me. And I did. I have been meat free for two months. And I am so glad I did this. I did this for me. Not my friends or family. For me. What works for one may not work for others. Everyone will find what does and will do excellent with it. I wish everyone nothing but the best! Deb

I do Protein shakes as well, take my vits (received a great lab report yesterday), and drink my Water. I also went from a vegetarian to a vegan. Due to a handicap, I am unable to exercise much but I do what I can. In need of a strong support system which I why I am on this site :-). My keys to success - I haven't totally abandoned protein shakes (I usually drink at least 2 a day to get my protein in), trying to limit my carbs, and exercise (even if it's a 30 minute walk around the block). My active support systems - message boards (such as this one), a therapist, and I have at least 3 "real life" friends who have also had bariatric surgery. The last one is to NOT GIVE UP...Right now I'm fighting the battle to get below 200 pounds. I see you're also a little over a year post op. How has your experience been so far?

I'm seriously considering the VSG, but I notice pretty much everyone talks meat, meat, meat as post-recovery foods. Are there any vegetarians on this board? What do you guys eat?