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I feel like I have the energy to start lifting weights 3 days a week. I have a weight bench at home and a set of powerblock adjustable dumbbells that go from 5-50lbs each. I've been poking around online for a beginner dumbbell workout. I'm worried about being able to build muscle due to the caloric restriction. I've asked my Doc/NUT and have not received much feedback. Online resources regarding building muscle after gastric bypass are scarce. Furthermore, my Doc actually encourages adapting a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle... which further complicates things if I go that route. Currently I'm eating meat, and getting around 80g of Protein a day.

Have they mentioned a rationale for pushing a vegetarian lifestyle? I've never heard of such a thing. Sent from my SM-T357T using Tapatalk Well, my bariatric surgeon (Garth Davis) has become a big vegan advocate as a means to curtail the obesity epidemic in this country. He became a vegan a few years back, saw health benefits and has since looked into deeply and feels it's the best diet. He has a book that just came out called Proteinaholic which (my understanding is as I have not read it) goes into detail about the science behind us eating too much protein and instead moving to a plant based diet. That being said, he is not pushy about it with his patients. His dad is also a bariatric surgeon at the same practice. The handouts they give and the nutrition class are not vegan/plant based but rather focus on eating protein first (getting 70-80g per day.) In fact when you walk in the front door, they have an entire storefront of Bariatric Advantage protein powders and Meal Replacements. I don't recall seeing a single vegan Protein powder in there. I eat meat/dairy everyday, but not every meal. I always have a premier Protein shake per day as well (30g.) I'm not entirely sure how to get in 70-80g of protein per day on my restrictive diet of 3-4 small meals of 1/2 cup if I were to go vegan. It might be doable when I'm up to 1 cup of food per meal, but not right now. I've asked my NUT that exact question, but did not get much of an answer. I'm going in for my 2 month followup next week, so I'll be sure to ask. Based on his book, I'm guessing his response is that down the road when I'm maintaining, I won't need that much protein. Again though, I wonder how I could possibly build muscle on a caloric restricted vegan diet with little protein... doesn't seem scientifically possible. I've visited his facebook page, and he often posts links about vegan fitness buffs and bodybuilders... but I suspect many of them became vegan well after the muscles.

My friend told me she admired the courage I showed by taking such a serious step toward my own health. She then listed all of the steps she has watched me take in the past: quitting smoking, going vegetarian, taking yoga, meditation, going to the doctor.... that was my favorite compliment.

Did your doctor give you an eating plan to follow early on? You could go back on that until you lose a few Kgs? There are several vegetarians here, including me. Totally raw vegan would be much harder to get in your proteins. Eat lots of raw if it agrees with your tummy, and add in cooked proteins to supplement. Log your calories and get in some exercise. Its a diet again, but to get back to your goal thats ok right? ...and congratulations on quitting smoking! That will help your health so much in the long run!

As a vegetarian, its really hard for me to get in my protein not go over the cals, Im low a lot... I use: Explore Asian Organic Soybean Spaghetti and their other black bean or mung bean versions... around 24gms of protein in a serving... around 200 cals, and low carb(19). Cottage cheese is a go to.... I use ESA carb control ready mix drink in my coffee and tea.... DO write everything in MFP... even the day before, plan your next day, I find this helps me stick to it... I also use the 5:2 to help maintain... it is really hard for me to maintain as well.. if I gain, it takes a lot longer to lose it than early on. Chin up, fight the good fight! You are not alone. http://www3.netrition.com/explore_asian_mung_bean_fettuchini.html

I went vegan 4 years ago for 4 months and it was the healthiest I ever felt in my life, even though I was still crazy overweight. Then my boyfriend at the time bought a bunch of cheeses for a grill cheese tasting festival he wanted to do and well, that ended my veganism. I LOVE CHEESE! He knew it. Thank you for mentioning this doctor, I will heavily research. My surgeon PA told me I would be a failure at weight loss because I am vegetarian, and have been for so long. She said I would never be able to get the amount of protein I need. I thought that was odd. I have watched so many vegan documentaries, most recently "What the Health" and I am desperate to know how much protein is really needed for the WLS to work if you are Vegan. I want to lose cheese out of the diet if I can. I'm off to research Dr. Garth Davis.

Go down to the Food and Nutrition section on this site to find out about vegetarian and vegan foods.

I've been a vegetarian (no eggs or fish) for the past 30 years. Plenty of ways to get protein: tofu (I bake or saute it till it's crisp and using a dipping sauce of soy, ginger and rice wine), lentils (soup or curried), vegetarian chili (crumble tofu), chick pea salad, pea soup, veggie burgers, etc. There's Protein bread, protein Snacks (100 calories/pack and 19 grams of protein), high protein Cereal,( soy or milk based-- lf cottage cheese, lf cheese, nf yogurt, etc) Protein is protein. The difference with some plant based Proteins is they can also be starches. In the case of Beans, a serving would count as one protein and one starch.

Since my surgery 10/14/14 I have been on a primarily vegetarian diet. My energy is great, I am sleeping well, and I have healed quickly. Some of the unpleasant side effects I have heard about I have not experienced, such as extreme (and noxious) gas, or constipation. I went back to work 1 week after surgery and started working out 13 days after. I have yet to weight myself, I'm waiting for my 1 month Dr. appt.

yeaa its sooo odd im 12 weeks out and have lost 44lbs since surgery im like WOAH howww did that happen. i still go to dinner socialise with friends im not drinking yet though im leaving that for xmas eve (my birthday) i like trying new healthier options im trying that like salads and vegetarian dishes im loving it. i still see the fat girl though its very strange i cnt shake her off. Highest weight recorded: 319lbs surgery weight: 276lbs current weight: 232lbs im pretty happy with that!!! all we can do is keep trying Sent from my SM-G935F using the BariatricPal App

Sorry i forgot to add obviously by the title im a vegetarian actually pescatarian i eat fish..if that helps..and i love almond dark chocolate soy milk..i just need some reinforcment and food info..maybe there are some friendly veggie heads:)

Hi All, I haven't been to the board in a couple of weeks because much has happened. On August 2nd my mom passed away and I'm still having a hard time with it. She has been ill for quite a while with COPD/Emphysema, but she was my best friend and I have no idea how I am going to get on without her. I am saddened because I wanted to have this done and to have lost a lot of weight before anything happened to her. I do have some good news I think, though. I am going in for my H&P consultation with the surgeon on the 22nd. I am supposed to go for the psych evaluation and the nutrition consultation on the 26th, but I don't know if I am going to be able to go to that one because I don't have the money up front to pay for that. I find myself getting the jitters here and there, but I know I have to do this to keep myself on track with any type of diet. I have also become a vegetarian and it's been 33 days since I have eaten any meat and don't miss it. I am worried I am not getting enough Protein though. Anyway, I'm sorry for rambling and I've missed you all. I'm just looking forward to getting everything done.

canned vegetarian chili weight watchers frozen dinner tuna melt egg white omelette with toast oatmeal turkey sausage (pre cooked - just have to heat) leftovers (at least 2 times per week)

*Do you guys ever fear you're going to "mess" it up? I'm afraid of slipping occuring, which is why I chew everything until it's liquid before I swallow. This is next to impossible with meat, so I'm basically vegetarian, not by choice. Trust me- after that surgery, there is NO WAY I will "mess" it up intentionally! *Is the sliming and getting stuff stuck, is that frequent? Does it happen forever? How do you cope with it, especially in public? I had my band placed December 30th and have yet to experience sliming or stuff getting stuck. Perhaps this is merely an issue once the port has been filled. I have another 4 weeks before this occurs, though. *Speaking of in public, how do you eat with out being noticed when you're out with coworkers or friends? Opt for Soup. No one will say anything, because many "normal" eaters get soup for an entree anyway. You could also opt for a salad, once you're allowed to eat solid foods again. Not to sound rude, but, chances are, if you were approved for the LB, you aren't exactly the skinny kid who can get away with eating a cheeseburger and fries. Opting for healthier choices wont look suspicious, no matter how little you eat!

I know a fill can "kick in" up to three weeks later, but even when mine did, I had restriction from the start...it just worsened all of a sudden down the line. If it were me, I would go back for more of a fill. You know your body best, and from what you are describing, it sounds like you need it. As far as slipping, that is my understanding, as well...you would be in total band hell with pain and not being able to eat or drink at all. Now the biggie in the meantime while you are figuring out what to do is the snacking. Don't beat yourself up over the snacking...you are HUNGRY for pete's sake! I have taken to snacking about 90% of the time since meals are a real pain in the ass for me. (Bonus: I think it is speeding up my metabolism some.) I eat things like seedless grapes, sliced fuji apples with cheddar is a fave of mine, Target has fantastic fruit and nut blends like Almonds and Cashews with dried Cranberries...yum! Just a handful will stave off hunger. And salads are always a great choice. These days I live on salads and fruit and nuts. Since I eat so little, I buy the really "good stuff". I really think I could be a vegetarian if I didn't love salmon so much! Oh, and of course I still do the protein drinks and I found a FANTASTIC protein bar, too, with 30 grams of protein in it. I have tried so many others and found them to be chocolate dipped sawdust, but these are YUMMY. (They taste like someone added a later of peanut butter to a 100 GRAND CANDY BAR! You should LOVE this one, SUZZZIE!) This new one is awesome and really makes two meals because its so big. I wish you luck O2B! Only you can decide what to do, but I would SO be running for another fill to make this band do its' job!

I RARELY PB, and I have great restriction. Maybe ya'll should make note of the foods that you PB and avoid them? For me it is meats, the really fiberous veggies (lettuce, broccoli) and cake and donuts. (had my first PB in about a month yesterday - after eating 1/2 of a glazed donut - but DAMN it was good!) Today I went to Panera with a friend and ordered ther Vegetarian Black Bean soup. Sooo good, but I only ate about 1/3 of the small bowl. Of course I ate the bag of potato chips without any issues! Then we went to Starbucks and I ordered a light caramel Frapp and a sugar cookie - their cookies are HUGE, I could only eat about half. We decided that next time we go that we'll just order one cookie and split it. Lol. Ohhh... Joy. Food food food. I was talking to my friend Brian (who drove me the day I had surgery) and he wanted to know what I eat now and then we went into an hour long discussion of what I used to eat pre-op vs. now. ha! I remember when going to a buffet was like a challenge - to eat as much as possible! I'd have a game plan as to what to eat first, etc... NOW the thought of a buffet sickens me! I know I can't eat enough to make it worth it at all... I'm at the point where I hate food. All except for my old standby (creamy frozen goodness)... I was thinking about Alli to make me quit eating bad sugar stuff... cause doesn't it cause diarrhea when you eat high fat foods? That would scare me! And... I'd have a very clean colon! Ha! Soo... I think some of you have mentioned Alli before, what do you think? is it worth it at all? Is it a big pill... can I swallow it? I'm just grasping at straws... and being all super long winded here. Sorry so long and rambly.

can you guys give me some advice on what food to buy and tips??? Or whats a day in your shoes being a vegetarian?? I come from a small town. So, we dont have any fancy organic grocery stores. We got a Walmart and a Vons thats as good as it gets hahaha.

I would like to join this group! My surgery is scheduled for November 30, but if I join November's group, I will be behind. Is everyone okay with that? And for all of you trying to quit smoking, please check out the e-cig! You can use it with or without nicotine and all of the liquids come in flavors. It smokes like a regular cigarette but you are really smoking steam and it will not cause cancer or stink breath or any of that stuff we hate about smoking. You can use it everywhere. I have even smoked mine in a doctor's office and all the nurses and doc went crazy for it. I got mine in March and it was 2 weeks before I even realized that I hadn't had a real cigarette in that long. These things are amazing. My doctors think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread because remember, nicotine doesn't cause cancer...it's everything else. Nicotine is still a stimulant but so is coffee. You should use caution with anything but I think it is better than smoking. I have tried to smoke a real cig since and it makes me sick. I smoked for nearly 25 years, too. You can get them anywhere online and even in some malls, but here is a link to my favorite shop. This is the cheapest price for the best version and they ship super fast. Customer service is great too. e-Smokey Treats Oh, and I haven't finished reading everyones' posts but your diets sound quite different than mine. My surgery was scheduled on the day I should have started the preop diet. Since I didn't have a copy of the diet, the bariatric coordinator told me to wait until I got it. My surgery is in 10 days and I just started my preop diet today. I was not told to lose a specific amount of weight and my diet is low-fat, low-carb AND vegetarian. Basically, I get fruits and veggies plus protein shakes, sugar free pudding/jello and crackers for carbs. It is the end of the day and I have plenty of calories to spare. But I do wonder how important the preop diet really is, if each surgeon is so flexible about it. I'm not going to let it worry me. I know the purpose is to remove some of the fat from your liver, making your stomach more accessible. It helps the doctor get done faster and more efficiently. Some folks were talking about before pics. TAKE THEM. Take lots of them from different angles and get your entire body. You might feel uncomfortable now but you will be glad to have them later. I took mine a couple of months ago because I TRIED (and failed miserably) to do the P90X program. They give good guidelines for how to take those pics. I took mine in a somewhat modest swimsuit. I figured that if people saw me like that already in public at the pool, it wouldn't hurt to put the pics out there too.

lol i'm not what you would call a healthy vegetarian - i just loathe meat/seafood and think it's disgusting. Prior to surgery i ate all kinds of junk food/pizza/pasta/mexican - i just didn't eat it with any meat/seafood. now, by force, i cannot eat the processed stuff and can only eat the fruits/dairy- yogurt/string cheese, Protein shakes, and some salad/veggies depending on the day - i think you will do well with this surgery - i find the more natural the food the easier it goes down keep in mind i did not have restriction until about 4.5 months in = so prior to then i could eat about anything - it takes a while to hit restriction in many cases and up until then it's all will power and you may have a couple months ahead of you of eating whatever you want.

I completely agree with @catwoman7. Your diet is carb/sugar heavy. I know that you're getting your sugar from fruits, but it's still high in sugar, and doesn't keep you full long. I thought you were vegetarian for a second there, until I saw that you have meatballs. You need more protein. I'm a year out, and I can only eat 2 eggs at a time, or a small grilled chicken breast and a couple of brussels sprouts. I focus on getting in my protein, and that makes me full, and keeps me full for a long time.

I don't bother with breads or Pasta. They don't give me a good nutrition bang for the buck and they end up sitting there making me feel uncomfortable. To me that's counter productive to the surgery. #Noworthit I've only been out twice. Once with my sister we went to the diner I love for Breakfast. I was finally on the soft foods so I got a vegetable omelet with cheese. I ended up bring most of it home. I think it took breakfast, lunch and dinner to eat it all, but it was good! I was told at my 6 week appt I could start adding regular foods as tolerated. I'm vegetarian so we went to this vegetarian Soul food place I like. I got mock BBQ chicken, collard greens and brown rice. Again I have most of it left over, but I'll nibble on it tomorrow. I have lots of food allergies and I'm vegetarian. My family has always been really accommodating with this so this new stage hasn't been an issue for them.

Thank you Losin' It! Very good info on that link you provided. I read that the VG band 1st fill should be 3 cc for the 1st- then in smaller increments. I talked him into giving me a 3 cc fill. Drank 3 cups of water no problem. Went down a little slower then last time. Got home and was very hungry. Made some blended black bean soup so it was liquidy. Ate about 1 1/2 cups no problem. We'll see how it goes tomorrow! Thanks for all of yoru suggestions. I really do have to work on the lean protein more since I am a a vegetarian.

Proteins: soy (soymilk, tofu, soybeans, edemame), dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, ESPECIALLY cottage cheese - so much protein), nuts, Beans and other legumes (like lentils)... I'm a vegetarian, but fish and poultry are also packed with Protein. As I said on another thread though, beware salmonella when handling poultry (and eggs), mercury poisoning w/ fish, and avoid red meat, because it causes colon cancer among other problems - like heart problems. Here's a resource for vegan protein, but again things like dairy and eggs are packed with protein (and yolks are high in cholesterol, so beware of that if you have a problem with it... sometimes if I'm making egg salad I'll use like one yolk and 2 egg whites, you can do the same w/ scrambled or you can eat no yolks at all... lots of places these days will serve egg white omelets or scrambles... i like the flavor of the yolk, so i might throw one in there... Vegan food are primarily cholestorol free. I am not a vegan, I'm a vegetarian... people ask me "what do you eat?!" -- I eat everything, I don't consider animals food... even when I DID eat meat, it was maybe once a week or bi-weekly, it's very easy to maintain a mostly vegetarian lifestyle, and even people who love meat, like the New York Times' Mark Bittman are now saying that it's best to be mostly vegetarian... it's not that restrictive, and people like him still eat meat, just not all the time... Protein in the Vegan Diet -- The Vegetarian Resource Group

rcorn60035 <O></O>JackieP12 <O></O>Finallythin@ 34 MkUSmile78 quadmom -you'll be fine. I command you to chill. I'm sure you'll all kick arse. We can't wait to hear back from you (when you're ready) Yeah it hurts a bit but you've just got to wait it out and you'll be better by the day. Pippz, I am a vegan. Have been for 7 years at least and a vegetarian for another 13 years before that. The fattest vegan in the world mind you but they shouldn't make vegan food so delicious, should they? I think I'll find the band transition a lot easier because of it. You showed incredible discipline. I would have caved for sure. You'll have to go back there in a few months and take delicate bites of the dish you had your eye on. I use pea protein powder. Another vegan on this forum recommended it and it mixes deliciously into soups (0 carbs). Have a daily wheatgrass juice too for the vitamin kick. To everyone else on pre-op diets (or pre-preop fun), keep plugging away. It is very hard but it will be your turn before you know it. Well done Minty Fresh on your loss so far. Snoopy, we are all thinking of your and your Mum at this scary time. The wait is the worst.

I do not get the amount of protien that I probably should either. My nutritionist told me that I should try to get about 40 grams of protien. She said that with the amount of food I am able to eat, that it will not be feasable to get much more than the 40 grams. I doubt I even get that much. I have always said I could be a vegetarian. I do not really care for meat and never have. I think for me, the important thing is to learn how to eat sensibly. If I could get my on 600 calories a day and stick with it, than I would not have had the surgery. I admire those of you who can do it, but I know it is not for me. I want to learn how to eat right, and not restrict myself from a normal diet. I don't know if I am making sense or not, but hope you guys understand how I feel. I just want to do this right. I don't want to fail on yet another diet.