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I make sure to get enough protein and I take a high potency Multivitamin for vegetarians, plus a Vitamin D pill every day. Unfortunately, most of my protein is now coming from Protein shakes. Relying on vitamin and protein supplements goes against much of what I feel to be a healthy approach to food and I feel that I ate healthier pre-band (except for the massive portions) than I am eating in this last month. I'm thinking this is just a phase. As I mentioned, if I weren't forcing myself to eat more, I'd usually end the day at about 500 calories. Today, I've eaten 368 calories according to my calorie counter, with 40 grams of protein, mostly from a high quality whey isolate powder. Before I go to bed, I'm going to have another scoop of protein with a full cup of 2% milk to bring up the caloric and nutritional content. And I'll definitely have some fruit and veggies. That'll bring me up to 650 or so calories. Tomorrow, I'm going to try to eat more calorie-dense items that don't take a lot of time to prepare or eat, but those are somewhat difficult to find for a vegetarian looking to keep fat intake down to 24g a day. The problem with losing interest in food is that you can't be bothered putting an effort into preparing and cooking when you don't really want to eat. CheckYes, I think you should purchase a really high quality and good tasting Protein Powder if you haven't already. I find Protein drinks really easy to consume even when I don't want to eat anything. On days when I manage to eat 800 calories, I can usually get in 100g of protein largely with the help of whey. There's obviously a limit to how much people should get from supplemental sources as opposed to whole foods, but at least we'd be getting our protein until our appetites come back.

How far out from surgery you are what percentage have you lost? Just over three and a half months out of sleeve surgery. From my day of sleeve surgery weight, I have lost 42% of my excess weight. (From highest weight, have lost 60% of my excess weight). How many times a day are you eating? Four times - I eat Breakfast, lunch, snack when I get in from work and dinner. I also drink a Protein shake and a diluted juice with flaxseeds in, but they don't really count as meals. What is the amount of normal food (non liquid) you are now able to get down? Don't know exact weights - but a typical dinner for me is around 60g of fish and a few broccoli florets topped off with some gravy. That's my biggest meal of the day and is really filling. Can't get anywhere on carbs still! What kind of supplements are you taking? Types and Brands I take a supermarket branded Multivitamin, an Iron tablet and two Calcium tablets as I'm trying to cut out dairy as much as possible. How much protein are you supposed to be getting and how much are you actually getting in daily and what are your sources of protein (brands of shakes etc), I haven't been given any set goals on protein or anything from my hospital, but I've got a self-imposed goal of at least 60 grams a day regardless. At the moment, I'm hitting around 90 grams. Main sources for me are soy milk, vegetarian soy sausages and soy bacon, flaxseeds, broccoli, a little bit of fish and houmous. I also do a Nutrisport 90+ Protein Shake (with half soy, half water) to top off the protein. How much Water you are actually getting down each day Two litres without fail. (70 oz). Sometimes also added is the odd cup of tea or extra glass of water that I don't count in from my four bottles of water that I don't stop until I've drained every day :-) What is your exercise routine, type of exercise, and how often. I walk part of the way to and from work every day, which is around 40 minutes total. On the weekends, I usually get in one or two big walks - around 5 or 6 miles as standard over a couple of hours. I take any opportunity to walk everywhere and save a bus fare these days - to the supermarket, to go shopping, to visit friends etc. How is your energy level? At the moment, really good. Some times I feel a bit drained if I haven't been strict with my nutrition or have exercised too much on too little calories, but generally great. I feel raring to go the majority of the time right now!

cottage cheese: I believe most 2% has 15 grams of protein per half cup (I still choose 2% over 0% because there's only a difference of about 10 calories between the two, and 0% has higher carbs. Also, I hate the more liquidy consistency and taste of 0%); greek yogurt: You can find brands with 19 or more grams of protein per half cup. I think Liberte has a plain greek yogurt with 18 grams. Look especially for plain greek yogurt, which has higher protein, and lower calories and carbs than fruit flavours; eggs: there are only 70 calories for a large egg, which is a good source of amino acids and important nutrients; chicken breast: 1 chicken breast has 3 times the protein than 1 thigh (30 g vs. 10g), while having a lower fat content; tuna (or other fish): high protein, low calories and fat tofu: only a half-cup provides 20g of protein, while being very low in calories and fat (make sure to use a low-calorie marinade; or only a few teaspoons of soy sauce which is absorbed well by tofu) beans: some provide about 10g of protein in a half-cup; low fat, high potassium, Iron, and Fiber. protein powders: some doctors advise against Protein Shakes because you don't get the fullness from them as you would from eating solids. I don't think this is a big deal for many bandsters, as long as they're monitoring their caloric intake well and they know that they're not exceeding it. I don't really have a problem with fitting protein powders into a 1100 calorie or lower diet, while not being hungry, so they've been very useful to me in getting in protein. If you're still experiencing hunger while restricting your diet, then solid foods is probably the way to go. However, if you have room for about 130 calories in your daily budget, a low-carb, low-sugar Protein Powder can boost your protein intake by about 25g or two scoops (260 cals) by 50g. The brand that I use is Optimum Nutrition 100% whey. The flavours that are most popular or almost unanimously liked are mocha cappuchino (I have this and, with milk, it's pretty close to chocolate milk), double rich chocolate, and delicious strawberry. Other people also talk about Muscle Milk and GNC's protein powder. Are you male? If so, your 1000 calorie limit seems very strict compared to most guidelines. Have you consulted your family doctor? Also, I find it hard to get in more than 120g of protein on a 1100 cal diet, while also eating 3-5 servings of veggies a day. However, I'm a vegetarian, and I'm sure it's much easier getting 150g of protein in with a meat diet. And, I'm not very strict with what I eat; I'll have a bite of anything I like as long as it fits into my day's caloric budget and I've met my other nutritional needs. To meet 150 grams of protein, you just need to make sure that every meal you consume is efficient (high protein to calorie ratio). People on the low-carb subforum should be able to help you.

i did ricotta cheese with some spices, spinach, and tomato sauce. it was actually pretty decent. i'm a vegetarian, so i can't help much with any meat ideas.

There is a web site called VegWeb.com. It has great recipes if you are vegetarian/vegan. There are a lot of awesome tofu recipes there!! There are also some good recipes on Allrecipes.com too.

Isn't it yummy? I used to love using my firm tofu with bbq sauce. I have to admit I couldn't let go of the sauce even when I was a vegetarian. I would press the tofu out on some paper towels and get rid of the moisture, and then I would baste it with bbq, bake it for about an hour or so in the oven on 350, and put it on a sandwich. You can do pretty much any thing with tofu. it absorbs flavors, try it with a couple of salad dressing and there ya go. Yummy tofu! It is also great in stir frys, but I don't know if you are doing veggies right now.

Y'all, I'm so excited. My husband loves Chinese food, and I love hot and sour Soup. However, as many of you know from reading my whiny rants on other threads, I have had a really hard time keeping food down--even things like soft-scrambled eggs. So yesterday, we were near his favorite Chinese place, and we decided to eat dinner there; this was scary for me, since there's a VERY short list of things I seem to be able to tolerate, and I really didn't want to get sick in yet another restaurant bathroom (sorry if TMI). So I decided to just have the broth from a cup of soup and go from there. It was yummy, and I ate my couple of bites, tried some of the tofu in the soup broth, and loved it, AND it stayed down and felt good. I asked our waitress about possibly adding more tofu at home, and she said sure, sounded good. We stopped on the way home and got some firm tofu, and I cut half the package up and put it into the leftover soup (probably around 1-1/2 c. of soup, since I didn't eat much of it). Today I got a slotted spoon and got out some of that "marinated" tofu, heated it up, and it was FANTASTIC!!! I was able to enjoy something really yummy, get some Protein, and not be sick!!! Now I'm investigating good tofu recipes. Any of you vegetarian or semi-vegetarian types have good suggestions to share? Thanks! I'm so much happier about things today. Amazing what being able to eat something does for one's mood. Meg

I don't drink my calories with coffee, juice (etc), but I do take two Protein shakes per day. I'm not on a very low-calorie diet. I'm doing about 1000-1100 calories and 130 grams of carbs/day. Also, I have a cheat day once a week, when my caloric intake is about 1600-1800. My weight-loss within the last 4 months has sped up but is still slower than many bandsters (I'm losing about 2 pounds/week). I prefer not being on a strict diet regime. It keeps me from feeling deprived or counting the days until my diet is over. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian and I get in about 45 grams of protein through real food. I don't eat eggs or milk that often though. I take a scoop of Optimum Nutrition 100% whey two times a day with milk. This means that I get the extra protein from the powder and I am now consuming milk everyday, which I find beneficial. This usually brings my protein consumption to 95 grams a day. I could probably find ways to increase my protein without the Protein Shakes and without increasing my caloric intake (while being lacto-ovo veg), but I'm pretty lazy and I'm still within my caloric budget, so this works for me. By the way, if anyone's looking for a Protein shake, Opt. Nutrition (double chocolate, mocha cappuchino, or delicious strawberry) tastes pretty good and is low-carb (3 grams/scoop).

I'm in the same boat as you - vegetarian plus fish. My nutritionist said that because I get my protein from high quality sources, I don't need to do Protein shakes but when I last saw my PA, she said she wants me adding a Protein Shake because I told her I'm having to force myself to eat. I'm burning 500 calories daily at the gym and still have no appetite. I'm not complaining..just worry that something isn't right there! I haven't been able to get going on them again. My daily caloric intake seems to be about 500-600 too. Is your surgeon pushing you to eat more?

the nutritionist at my surgeon's office said he wanted me to have at least one protein shake a day for the first year after surgery. typically i have one or two...i'm a vegetarian (although i've started to eat fish), so they really help me get in the protein i need per day. they also help me up my calories a little. without them, i get about 500 a day; with them (2 of them) i get 800 instead. if you eat meat, though, you might not have near as much trouble hitting your protein goals.

I had a much longer recovery back to eating from you by the sounds of it, but I'd just echo what everyone else has said. Don't eat it just because you can. Believe me, I'm the last person I thought would ever be saying something like this, but the day you get sleeved has to be the day you change your eating habits in every way. And this is coming from a former 375lb crazed binge eater who used to eat at least 6,000 calories a day and thought she could never, ever change her behaviours. I used to be sceptical that the sleeve would work for me and was blase when people said the sleeve is a tool that you have to work for, not the other way round. But it's the truest thing about this whole journey. Think of everything you went through to get your sleeve - emotionally and physically. You don't want to go back to old ways. There's no point in just eating the old stuff but just less of it. It'll get you in the long run. I know it sucks sometimes, but just don't even put it on your plate. I really now believe you get out what you put in. What I've found works for me is being pretty rigid and on point with my nutrition during the week - I eat a vegetarian, mainly vegan diet and keep my Protein in the 70s and carbs in the 30s/40s every day. I'm strict on Vitamins and Fiber goals too. Then if I want to eat maybe a little slice of baguette on the weekend when hanging with friends or have a bite of chocolate or a cookie, I do and I don't panic and feel guilty for it because I know that earlier in the day I hit my nutritional goals and the rest is plain sailing. There are times when I've thought I could push it and eat a lot more slider foods or carbs than I had, but I just forced myself to stop and walk away. You're doing so well. Keep on going and test your limits in other ways!

I was the same way when I started the low carb diet. I was vegetarian for a very long time, and I had a really hard time getting my protein in. I am much more aware of what I am eating now and I can't wait until my next weigh in at my PCP to see how I am doing!

I can't believe it's been 5 months since my last blog entry...thought I'd be better about keeping it up. So...I didn't starve in India....in fact I may have lost a pound or so. That mostly vegetarian diet started doing my head in though....I am not meant to give up meat! It's cute to see me so excited about weighing 219.8 in a previous entry. I'm glad I got there and enjoyed that moment but I realize now that it's still so far from "normal". I made it down to about 213 and then got stuck again. Holiday season and general job stress kept me there for months. While in India, a coworker told me about her sister-in-law who was trying a new workout method....Crossfit. Everything she told me about it sounded like what i needed.....group classes where the coach actually got to know you and paid attention to your workouts, a combination of strength as well as metabolic conditioning exercises, a gym that emphasizes community, not just impersonally walking on a treadmill for an hour. It took me a few months after coming back to check it out but I took their Foundations class and liked it so much, I signed up for the 2x a week plan. I would eventually like to get up to 3x or even 4x a week, but Crossfit isn't your typical workout and when you were/are as out of shape as I am, you have to build up skills and strength before going whole hog. Work has been so stressful lately (which also isn't helping my weight loss) that I struggle to make it 2x a week (their beginner classes are only offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays) but the more I go, the more I enjoy so I plan to keep at it. Crossfit makes you painfully aware of how unfit you are and it also made me painfully aware that one of the ways I was going to get better at it , besides consistently attending class, was to lose weight. Funny how that's been my endeavor for my whole life and a bigger focus in the last 2 years but it took taking on a very physically demanding workout to really make that fact stand out. I started dieting again this week....a very strict and challenging diet...and immediately lost 5 lbs this week. I know that some of that is just water weight but my snug size 16 Lane Bryants from November started to feel loose this week. I caught myself hiking them up a couple of times and seeing some extra material around the thigh area. Signs of progress but....I still ended up slipping this weekend and eating forbidden junk food and sweets. I'm lucky to work somewhere where there are healthy prepared food choices 5 days a week, making it much easier to follow this plan but clearly, I am unprepared for weekends. And as I am actively looking for another job, once I lose access to their food, will I slip again? A friend of mine has been posting blast from the past pictures this week from a time when we were spending a lot of time together. I didn't let a lot of pictures get taken of me at my largest but somehow, she got quite a few shots in. It's shocking to see how big I was....and walking around like I wasn't! Was it confidence? Or complete denial? I think the latter. And while they are tough pictures to look at, they make me proud too....I'm glad I didn't shut myself off from living....even at my largest, I was out there grooving on the dance floor, going to weddings and concerts, and enjoying life. And I'm also happy that I don't look like that anymore...they are a good reminder of the progress I have made. So even when I see myself now and know I still have so far to go....there's photographic evidence of how far I have come as well. Here's to keeping up the good fight....no matter how long it takes. To sum up this blog entry....weight - somewhere around 207-208 (depending on the time of day), mood - unsure if I can keep eating the way that will truly take me to goal. But looking forward to Crossfit which represents progress.

If u won't broth I would talk with them before have about vegetarian. I am certain try will accommodate u. But honest I have had a drop of broth. Havent wanted it. I am just doing water and 50/50 water juice and popcicles. I might have some broth night maybe. They actually said we could have yogurt today. But again I have just focused on liquids

Glad you're doing well. As a patient, I amvegetarian. Would yu recfommend I bring some vegetarian broth or other vegetarian liquids? I can't do chicken ot other meat broths...

HI Kitty, I was sleeved about two weeks before you, and have lost 42 pounds from surgery, and 10 before that. I also have more to lose, so it looks like you are doing really well to me! I cant wait to get below 200 and on down to 180. You look fantastic in your pic. I still have some appetite... I get to starving about every 2-3 hours, eat a few bites and am fine. I eat around 800 cals a day, but eat more carbs than some here, 50-80.... I am a vegetarian, and everything has carbs except the protein drinks! Best of luck to you in getting where you want.

I once lost all the weight I am attempting to lose now on a lowcarb diet. I was a lowcarb size eight but over the years it seemed I was getting more and more anxious -- anxiety problems, mood stuff, that seemed to be fixed by carbs. I'd put the weight back on and go into an UTTER PANIC. I've been on the verge of quitting jobs so I could stay home and starve and do crunches. For a few years I could go back on lc and lose whatever...five, ten, twenty pounds. But then I married a vegetarian who liked to eat in restaurants and was constantly going on and on about how my diet was so unhealthy. This caused me to go quite batty and start hoarding food and going to the drugstore to buy licorice and swedish fish and suddenly nothing worked -- not lowcarb, not vegan, not raw food...nothing. I could drop twenty pounds on anything I tried but I just was not getting down there where I wanted to be. Plus I was obsessed. By the time our marriage ended I had decided to Just Be Fat. Other people are fat, I can be fat, it's not a freakin CRIME you know. Ahem. Anyway,. Point is, I think lowcarb works -- I know it does, but I think it's unhealthy for me personally to get too into FOOD given my psychopathic backgound with all of it. However I have to say that in my first week experimentation with solids, certain breads seem to go down and certain of them DO NOT. I ate three weight watchers mini pizzas ( not a whole serving) last night. They're mostly bread, kind of a soft doughy kind. These things started punching the hell out of my esophagus all the way down, then came back up to complain a second time before kicking my ass again. It was miserable and suddenly the whole concept of doughy minipzzas seemed...unappetizing. Maybe for the rest of my life. I don't have a problem with bread. I will so totally eat it. But I'm kind of finding that as the days pass I'm getting less interested in that and more interested in cottage cheese and mozzarella, and thinly sliced turkey. I have not seen a surgeon yet recommend a low carb diet but it seems like you might end up on one regardless.

If I can make it to my next week goal of 249....yikes, that would be so amazing. I have been trying to lose weight for so long and have not been able to get passed 250 since 2004. I weighed about 250 in high school I think...I know the year after I weighed that and I don't think I gained that much after graduating. I ballooned up to 300 while in a bad relationship and couldn't lose it. I got down to 235 using Atkins but that didn't stick. Once I had my gall bladder taken out, eating a high protein diet like I had (not so much on the high fat like most did) was no longer an option. I am a vegetarian now and have been for over five years. I love it, though I have been craving (in my head) some meat stuff...but I think that is more of a result of the 20 days of a liquid diet followed by mushy foods, etc. You all know what I mean. 249 would be so excellent to see on that scale. I think I'll have to buy that necklace I've been oogling on ebay if I get there. I will need something awesome.

Wow, thank you. I can't wait to try this. I used to be a vegetarian, but recently I started incorporating fish into my diet because of the SO and the idea I wouldn't be able to get enough protein in my diet after surgery.

I just need to vent here a little, sorry.... I am really really struggling with this post-op liquid diet! I did a week and 1/2 of the liquid diet before the surgery, and now I am 4 days post-op and I don't know how I am supposed to make it another week and 1/2. I am on full liquids which means that I can have cream Soup and yogurt, ect. but I am still hungry! I can actually eat an entire can of soup and not feel full! Is that strange? The fact that I can eat like normal and not feel full really freaks me out. Most people have said that they feel full after just a little bit, but not me! I am so tired of the protien shakes and soup that I cant stand it anymore. I even ate a bowl of vegetarian chili today which I didn't even puree first. I ate the whole can of it and then was still hungry! I even tried some leftover crab dip that was almost like liquid when i heated it up, but I know that it's not what I should be eating right now. I am going to try to go back to only cream Soups and protien shakes tomorrow, but I just needed to talk about what a hard time I was having. My boyfriend says it's all mind over matter, and not to think about being hungry. Well after he said that to me last night, I had a major meltdown and started crying about how hard it is not to be able to eat solid food. I am ashamed that I am not being stronger about this. I thought I was ready to do this, ready to loose this weight. I almost wish that I was sick or nauesated so that I wouldn't want to eat. Not to mention that my period started and boy does that make me even more emotional and hungry! I am sorry to boo hoo on here about this, but it's my only outlet for people who may understand what I am going through right now. These last four days have been very hard and I can't wait to get past this point! Also, can anyone tell me how much I should be eating anyway? I think I need to start measuring the soup before I put the entire can into the pot. I haven't a clue about what the max is. Any help would be great with this. Thanks all!

I use and highly recommend sparkrecipes.com and what's cool is you can search for recipes based on your dietery needs like low carb, low fat, sugar free, lactose free, glueten free, and vegan/vegetarian. You can even search for bariatric recipes. Hope this helps!

Since March 26th when I started my pre op and then banded on 4/4 I am done 30! I have been walking 2 miles a day then on my feet all day at work. Eating wise I am using a lot of lap band freindly reciepes. Here is one of my favorite breakfast ones. It keeps me full for at least 4 hours! "Love Your LAP-BAND®" Blueberry pancakes </IMG>Recipe submitted by Tricia Morrison </IMG>Rated: </IMG> (5) Difficulty: Medium Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 15 min Good for: Breakfast, Solid, Low Fat, Vegetarian, Family Favorites Serving size: 2 pancakes Recipe makes: 5 Ingredients 2 eggs 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese 1/2 small ripe banana 2 Tablespoons Splenda 1 cup uncooked quick one-minute oats 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup blueberries frozen or fresh sugar-free Blackberry Maple Syrup (recipe can be found in LAP-BAND® recipes) Directions 1.) In a food processor or blender, add eggs and pulse to beat. (Unfortunately a hand-held mixer will NOT work! Only a food processor or blender will smooth down the batter into a pancake consistency). Next, add cottage cheese, banana, and Splenda, processing or blending until cottage cheese is smooth. Then, add the oats, baking powder, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Process until well-combined. Stir in blueberries. 2.) Heat a flat skillet or griddle over medium heat. Coat skillet with nonstick cooking spray. 3.) Using a large spoon, ladle, or cookie scoop, pour in about 1/4 cup of batter for one pancake. Cook each pancake about 3 minutes per side. Serve with Sugar-free Blackberry Maple Syrup, or your favorite sugar-free syrup. "Love Your LAP-BAND®" Blueberry Pancakes also taste great on their own! Serving Size 2 pancakes Recipe makes 5 servings Amount Per Serving Calories 150Calories from Fat 35Total Fat 3.5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 90gSodium 250gTotal Carbohydrate 21gDietary Fiber 3gSugars 6gProtein 10g Enjoy....my 17 and 12 year olds like this one too!!

Like everyone else said there are a lot of protien shake option for vegetarians. Just keep in mind a good protien drink has 20gms or more of protien per serving, 7gms or less of carbs/sugar, 5gms or less of fat (all per serving). Have you tried mixing with almond milk? Haven't tried that mixture yet, tho almond milk alone isn't too bad. Also check out the special K drink mixes, some of those also have added protien.

Welcome to the forums. Both the Vitamin Shoppe and Vitamin World have a good selection of different types of protein. You can check both of them out online. Are you able to have soy, coconut or almond milk? I mix my shakes and make my protein icecream with them rather than skim or lowfat milk, they seem to make it creamier. Also check out the website "the world according to eggface" she has a great selection of recipes and many of them are vegetarian. Hope this information helps and best of luck on your journey!!!

Going out to dinner at a place with a salad bar, so will find something there. I will drink a protein drink in the am, to make sure I get in enough protein. I'm hoping there will be some cottage cheese or garbanzo beans. Being a vegetarian with a sleeve, eating out is not that great a place to get protein... I'm there for the company.