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OK, so I am totally back with my program! Chris brought over fat-free frozen yogurt last night (he asked first, LOL) and I tasted 1 bite and was done (poor guy had to eat the whole HUGE thing by himself - I am determined!). I want to lose these cravings, which means that I have to cut ALL of the sugar and all of the starchy carbs. I have to quit with the wheat again too; both of my hands are painful & peeling, and I'm having digestive stuff again. So out with flour and sugar, back in with protein. The PROBLEM is that I have now become super sensitive to soy! It causes me smelly gas to no end, and if I have more than 2 servings it's horribly painful gassy stuff. So I have added poultry back in, I had already added fish back in. No wheat and no soy??? No more vegetarian Riley :-( Breakfast: 1/2 cup egg beaters with 1/4 cup reduced-fat cheese & tapatio sauce (150 cals) Tina I will PM you my number so we can do accountability :-)

I am like Elfie, I love to cook, bake, and I love to eat. food Network is a great channel. I am also a cake decorator by trade among other things. I have learned to cook some really cool meals that agree with me and what I want for myself, substituting ingredients for a healthier dish, and cooking smaller pots so that I don't feel obligated to eat so much. I am almost entirely giving up on meat of any kind since any of the PB episodes I have had included meat. ( truth is I am a vegetarian at heart) When bake sweets I keep some for my family and give the rest away to the teachers at school and friends, Chiro office, massage therapist etc. So i still feel good cooking for others. I am becoming more satisfied seeing others enjoy what I cook vs the need to gorge myself on a tasty meal. I have also been watching Dr Oz a lot... I like how he explains what we are doing to our organs and his show and tell examples.... big time wake up call. My family watches together. I love how he spends time on weightloss issues and solutions and showes a typical plate and how it can be made better and with half or less of the calories. Ha Ha just the other day my freind took me and my 2 kids out to lunch for vietnamese food... I didn't order anything. I had some hot tea and then after that I picked off the veggies of everyones plate and was very satisfied. Now I am a really cheap date ;o) It was a relaxing meal. I enjoyed it. Like astrasmom, I am so happy I did this, I am more confident now and I wish I had done it sooner... I am thankful for today and my future. Betsie, it is fun meeting the challenge of altering a recipe, and very satisfying when your family loves it!

Tamra, my son was a vegetarian for several years after he was born. We ate diary but no meat. If your daughter doesn't get fries and chicken nuggets, she'll be healthier for it. Look at the childhood obesity statistics these days. I'm delighted that my son never followed in my eating food steps and at 36 wears a 29 or 30 inch jeans. I think you're very aware and are doing a really good job trying to keep yourself on a good path. I bet that BF being on the 1200 cal will really help you. He'll get it how difficult this is for you and won't try to tempt you. Big kudos on the exercise you've been doing!! Hey, how does that couch look? Do you love it? :smile:

I'm not a vegetarian, but I like them, and keep a box in my freezer for a quick, easy, and healthy protein meal. Personally, I don't find them to be very similar in taste to a hamburger, but they are the shape and I use the same condiments. I think I've only had Morning Star Farms.

Has anyone tried Boca burgers or Morning star foods? How do they go down? I thought this may be a good sub when my kids are eating burgers and such. I don't want to buy a huge package of this stuff because no one else in my family will eat it:)

Never heard of such a prohibition. I could eat soft ground meats and soft fish during my soft food stage after two weeks. Solid meat proteins are generally very important for bandster's satiety, but there's exceptions to every rule, particularly when it comes to band rules. I would probably investigate some band vegetarian menus for good ideas for non meat and filling meals.

I just thought I'd put this out there for any interested. A few years back I had great success with this very simplified version of the Rice House Diet. Obviously there are many many more choices you can make regarding food, but this is what worked best for me. I know 'rice diet' sounds like a fad diet but it's really just a very healthy vegetarian way of eating. It's a low fat, low sodium diet and the calories run roughly 1200-1300 per day. Breakfast -2/3 cup of rice & Beans 2 small fruit OR 3 cups of low carb vegies (raw...half that if cooked) OR 1 fruit and 2 cups vegies (raw) lunch and dinner are the same thing. I usually would save one of my fruits and eat it mid-meal as a snack. I lost 9 lbs in one week and 5 lbs the following week. I was never hungry, most likely because the beans and rice make a complete Protein. Here's my bean & rice basic recipe: Saute 1 med. onion and 1-2 cloves of garlic in 2 tsp olive oil. Toss in three 15 oz cans of beans (rinsed) and 3 cups of cooked brown rice. Pour in enough low sodium chicken broth to cover. Add spices and bring to simmer. Turn off and add any additional ingredients you'd like (e.g. cilantro) From here you can get adventurous depending on your mood of the day. Here are some varieties we've tried: Southwestern: 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin. Add a handful of chopped cilantro after it comes to a simmer. Spanish: Before adding chicken broth, toss in a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (we puree them because my son hates tomato bits). Then add chicken broth to cover and 1 tsp oregano, 2 tsp basil or just a tablespoon of McCormack's Italian seasoning. We like to mix up the beans as well. I'll use 2-3 different kinds of beans in a batch which might include pinto, red beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans and, when I remember to make them ahead of time because they're dried...Jacob's cattle beans. .

I'm with Jachut. It appears to be perfectly acceptable to rag on people re. weight on here. On another thread I am on, the op and others have found it perfectly acceptable to say rude things about someone due to their eating habits (vegetarian) and the size of their children (thin.) hypocrites. I have been fat and I have been thin. My personality is mine regardless. I enjoy food regardless. I will continue to enjoy good fun, good food, cooking, etc., when I am thin again.

ya know thinking about what you said, every time i have lost some weight, my life long friend who is overweight has been the meanest to me..and i have friends at work who are skinny vegetarians and are the sweetest people Ive ever met..i guess it is who you are inside really huh?

WOW her kids are on a gluten free, lacto-free, vegetarian diet? Wow, I would consider that child neglect in some form. Malnution is so easy with adults... Kids I am sure can be stunted in their development with such a diet. Maybe your friend needs an damn intervention! You sound sane to me =).

Hi, I'm hoping to hear what other docs issue as the post op diet. I think I have some pretty conservitive rules which i am fine with following. I'm wondering what other folks have to do? I have to do some traveling one month out- and want to be prepared for that since I will be away from home (just on a relaxing vaca)- but all the same... It's also a challenge for me b/c I'm a vegetarian. Here's thier diet plan goal: 60 grams of protein a day 10 day pre op full liquid diet 4 day clear liquid post surgery 10 days full liquid 14 days blenderized I had to do a practice 3 day liquid diet already, it wasn't so bad. Lots of protein shakes and some blended soups. 38 days... start to finish...I wonder how much I will loose in that time alone? How much did you loose in the few recover weeks post op? If you could recommend one solid food to introduce first, what would it be? thank you! scheduled for March 15th!

I'm not doing anything differently since my surgery, I still know what my limitations are, what I can and Cannot eat, it's the quantity in which I eat, that has been my problem, because I have no restriction, so my "full trigger" comes a little late. I know there are no "special circumstances" when it comes to the band, but I don't eat fish, as I am severely allergic to most of them with the exception of certain shell fishes. The smell of tuna gives me hives. I'm also a vegetarian so I seek a lot of my protein sources from the Gluten/dairy free Protein shakes. I barely exercise, as half the time it is excruciatingly painful for me, I have severe hip arthritis and there are things I can and can not do physically. But thank you though, I appreciate it.

Hi there! We can all associate with this experience. Let me tell you my worst story of a stranger's comments (I won't go into how much my "loved ones" have said over the years). I was in a local grocery store one day. Its a store known for being frequented by health nuts. I was about 70 pounds into my weight loss, and was feeling pretty good about myself. I was in there to get a little fruit and some crackers. Now mind you, a box of crackers lasts a month! So, there was some issue at the register so we were all there waiting for it to be resolved and I started looking at the dark chocolate bars, reading the nutritional content. I wasn't planning on buying one, but was taking a moment to inform myself. The guy behind me, who looked like he had been a vegetarian, raw food eater for years said "you know if you are worried about carbs, you shouldn't be buying crackers". For just a second, I was dumbfounded and went to the place I always used to go when strangers made comments... the sad, fat girl. And then something in me clicked. I looked directly at him as said "Who the f*** do you think you are, and why do you think you have the right to make comments like that to a complete stranger. You have no idea where I have been, my personal history or what I have done to get here". He immediately went on the defensive and tried to make me feel bad. I told him that he was rude, and out of line, and that he should, in the future, keep his nasty comments to himself. He said, "fine, if you don't want to talk about it, then let's end the discussion". I said, "I never wanted to talk about it with you, and it's not in your power to end the discussion... you started the discussion, now be man enough to finish it". He said no. So I paid, and waited at the door outside, and when he came out, I followed him to his car, to continue the discussion. That was the moment I realized that the power had been shifted back to me, and that I was finally in a place where I would no longer take that kind of abuse from strangers. As for my family... when they say things, I always tell them that since I don't obsess on their weight, I think they should find a way to stop obsessing on mine. Weight is one of the last socially acceptable forms of descrimination. That being said, I am not a "fat acceptance" kind of girl... I am a "human acceptance" person. Treat others as you want to be treated, or suffer the consequences. I always wonder if that rude man in the store thought twice before doing that to another fat person. Probably not, but I like to hope so. Another favorite of mine: "Weight can be changed, but base personality can't. I can lose weight, however you are stuck with your awful personality forever"

thanks for the tips everyone. what really sucks is that i'm living in a foreign country where finding real cheese is next to impossible. i'm also a vegetarian so i don't eat meat, eggs, pork, fish or poultry. veggie chili is something i love and i figured i'd get the Protein from the Beans, but i'm going to have to really limit my intake since it's probably a slider for me. i think i'll try it with less sauce and more veggies. i'm also going to start searching for other sources that are available to me - maybe soy meats or something. i'm really hoping that with the right food and maybe another fill i reach the sweet spot *fingers crossed*

Well I could use that 10 pound thing........From Kaiser? Is that a Fremont thing?? So does it really work?? I am not suppose to have bread not that it gets struck or anything now........but Dr. Baggs said no bread for me..... I am vegetarian but I think I have some veggie meat stuff I could use in place of the tuna. Ok so than you go to regular 1200......pre op diet?? Hmm I might try it. I am down again today but I am so up and down lately it is hard to know how long it will last. I think I will try it but have to start on Thursday or else figure out what to do when I go out to lunch tomorrow. I was planning to get a salad......not sure that would work. I plan to be there Saturday!!

I feel so dumb. I really thought I should just be open and honest. I started out this process thinking, it's really just for me ... then I kept thinking, you know, I'm an adult. I make my own decisions. If I can make these decisions I should be adult enough to stand by them. So ... now that I am around 1 month in, I told two of my friends my intentions while we had coffee the other day. FYI one of them is thin and I think she has a form of anorexia (gluten free, lacto-free, vegetarian) ... she keeps her kids on the same diet and they look like ghosts. The other one just believes she carries around an extra 20lbs but really probably does not. She looks fine to me. Anyway, after I told them, they got together and apparently are trying to have some kind of intervention with me, like they are going to be my new trainers and train me how to eat well and conquer this thing without letting surgeons cut me open. AHHHHHHHGGG !!! I then told them, 'you know, I am thinking of just doing this on my own with the dietician' to throw them off the track, and they are still like 'let's be DIET BUDDIES' .... OMG, I could just smack myself that I ever said a thing. :thumbup::thumbup:

I'm a vegetarian so beans are a staple in my diet. I can eat pinto, baked, kidney, red bean, etc. I try to get in some form of beans every day, simply because they are a good source of protein and fiber for me. I haven't had any problems so far and I had some veggie chili last night - a day after my first fill. I think I will try out salad this week, but I've heard some people refer to it as a slider food, so I'm not sure.

okay if its situational food concersn I have run the gamit in 5 weeks and managed fine - I usually get aplate, put a small spoon of offered foods and take tiny, tiny bites I have been to a wedding (I asked for a vegetarian meal said my tummy was upset) they were serving steak and i was early post op 3 birthday parties pizza/pasta/salad/mexican - I have managed it all and no one noticed I wasn't chowing down like I used to so its about moderation/quanitity and smart food choices on the pizza I actually ate the toppings - i was concerned the bready crust would get stuck so I didn't even try it

Hello All, Hope everyone is doing well. It's good to see you all online posting. I think I saw Donna few pages away :-), I have not been to meeting yet and I have pledged to come to the next one. Donna I hope to see you at my place. Heather you are welcome, i always enjoy our hangouts. It seems like Feb 6th is our hang out day. How is 4p.m. for everyone this way it can be a dinner. Since almost everyone is doing protein, this is what the menu is going to look like: -Baked chicken breast and thighs with Pesto sauce -Mixed Veggies -Salad -Baked red potatoes with onions and bell pepper -Eggplant stew and Tofu for the Vegetarians. How does this sound to everyone?? For those of you on liquids I can add soup to the menu (clam chowder?). I would love for all you guys to come and enjoy yourselves. You are welcome to bring anything that your heart desires. I make plenty food so don't worry. I am super excited! :thumbup:.

Ankpta, so glad you got your fill and you are back on the road. Terri, looks like you are on the right road. I am thrilled that things are finally going your way. You deserve this, you have worked hard and not given up. Me, I am close to tears. I am starving all the time. I have become Vegetarian, mostly, and now drink a Vegetarian Protien drink. I still get gas, but not like I get when I eat animal protien. I don't know what is up with my body. It would be nice to see my surgeon, but I am still fighting. I have begun getting pressure in my chest and at least this time I told my Dr. I am now on an asprin a day, low dose. I don't know what the pressure is but I know I am stressed over my weight staying the same for a very long time and now it is going in the wrong direction. I am discourage, extremely, all this and now a fight. I knew it was too good to be true. I always waited for the other shoe to fall and I guess it did

Hi everyone, so I had registered here awhile ago but never really participated, but now I think I need all the help I can get. I have had the surgery year and half ago (19 months now), and I have not lost a single pound. I am really ashamed about it, but there is nobody in my life that knows I have the Lap-band (and I mean NO ONE, friends or family), so I really have no one to talk about this. I have also moved to a different state for a job right after the surgery, so I haven't seen my doctor (or any lapband doctor) in over a year. Before you judge me, yes, I know I was not mentally ready for this, but this thing has been inside for almost two years, so it's time I get my life back in order.... Few things about me: I am in my 20's female. I moved to different city 2,000 miles for a job, so I have no family or close friends here to help me get through this. I weighted 195 lbs before surgery and weigh exactly the same right now. I have had one fill after surgery, and at first I felt little restriction but it went away with time. I have also been vegetarian for 10 years now, so I survive on carbs. Is there any hope for me??? Is it possible I had stretched my pouch over the time? I know I need to start by finding a doctor in my city, but what else do I need to do to get on the track??? Any little suggested or words of incouragement will be greatly appreciated :cursing: Also, if anyone from NYC, maybe can recomment a doctor here. Please help, I feel like I lost control of my life :scared2:

6Th sounds good Tina, since you pioneered the date does the 6th work for everyone? I know we do need to have lunch. What is your schedule like for tuesday? There is a great Thai place on Bradshaw and I know they have Vegetarian menu. Let me know. Keep up with two day streak, it gets easier after the third day. I am going to start the 5 day test. But I still have restriction.

I'm a vegetarian and I have studied foods that are high in Protein. This is what you could eat: Breakfast: Peanut Butter on whole wheat toast or a Yoplait Light yogurt. Lunch: Hummus with pita bread or an awesome spinach salad Dinner: Tofu stirfry or Quinoa casserole (VERY HIGH IN PROTEIN) You can also have a glass or two of soymillk or cows millk for some extra protein.

I love reading blogs that include personal experience with the band, so thank you. Also, I'm a vegetarian but "Santa knows I love meat, Mommy" just cracked me up She's too adorable!

Growing up in rural Kansas my whole life, I understand the need for population control in wild animals. Deer are a major roadway hazard that can KILL PEOPLE. I am pro-life in all areas which means I'm also a vegetarian and therefore I don't believe that animals should be exploited for our own comfort and taste buds, however, when animals are causing a roadway hazard to me and my kids in the backseat, I am above feeling sorry for the deer and I would rather have a licenced hunter thin the population out for a good purpose. That may seem contradictory, but like I said, I understand why people hunt deer at least...they are very dangerous to vehicles.