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I love all of the vegetarian breakfast sausages. They don't have lots of calories, keep you full and are full of protein. Plus you are eating soy instead of meat. They smell and taste so much like the real thing that my dogs go crazy for them!

Shortgal: Yes I do plan on rewarding myself with the food I like. I do not plan on never eating the foods I like ever again. I do not think there is anything wrong with allowing myself a piece of pizza after depriving myself of the things I like for weeks at a time. If I can eat healthy and continue to loose weight I see nothing wrong with an occasional small splurge. I am a strict vegetarian and eat mostly organic so I really do not consider the things I enjoy on a regular basis "bad food". Marimaru: I do understand the rules of my post op. I am on clear for 24 hrs after surgery then I can eat most things as long as they are pureed for the next two weeks, then I move to soft foods for the next two weeks. So yes to me that is being able to eat Fanny: yea I already knew that the pizza was a bad choice. I was having a moment of weakness. I was just hoping for a little support. Gayle: yea this medifast sucks My dietician only allows us 5 packets of medifast a day, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, and broth. I do not eat jello and do not use toxic sugar substitutes so I have been having a really hard time. Thanks for all you replies. In the end I did not have pizza Like I said I was having a moment In the end I think its really crazy that our doctors expext us to be "perfect" on these pre op diets dont they know that if we were that good at sticking to diets we would not be fat and need this surgery :laugh:

Yeah it was at work. Our big boss is leaving so we had a shindig. I have never seen so much food at once lol. It was like OCB times 10000. I think the vegetarian thing hhelped since there were a lot of meat dishes that I wold not touch. It was ymmy though.

Golly BG, It's not like you don't have enough to keep you busy. How many jobs are you working? How young are your children? I couldn't be in school if I actually had to work hard 40 hours a week and didn't share my kid with my ex. But hypothetically, if you did go back to school what would you do? W- BG is the vegetarian, ZZ too I think. I'll join you for that Arby's sans bun.

Aldi started out here in Australia about five, six years ago ans seriously I think we coudlnt afford to eat without them!! I find I have to be careful though because they're big on processed food and not huge on fresh healthy food and the fruit is TERRIBLE! But I do Aldi first for some meat, milk, yogurt, snack foods for the kids, cat food, cleaning and bathroom products (for everyone except me, lol, I wouldnt wash my hair with that crap!), washing powder etc etc. Then I will head to a fruit and vegetable wholesaler nearby and we have a meat wholesaler too, we're very lucky where I am and the 4 Aldi's nearby bring down the prices in big chain supermarkets - we really couldnt afford to move out of this area or our groceries would double. Nonetheless these are the things I do to keep the price down. I stick with basic fruit and veg - apples, bananas, oranges in the fruit bowl, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, basic salad ingredients and some frozen vegetables, I stick with boring plain lunches like sandwiches and crispbreads with things like cheese and tomato, tuna etc. I clean EVERYTHING in the house with cheap shampoo - truly it works better than almost anything (especially on the shower doors) - and vinegar (straight hot vinegar to clean the boys toilet, cuts that lingering pee smell dead), we eat basic meat and 3 veg meals, a chicken breast, mashed potato and pumpkin and steamed veg, we dont eat a lot of fish except for what Doug catches becuase its so expensive, we eat a lot of things like roast lamb becuase whilst a leg of lamb may be $26 here, we get 3 entire meals out of it - a roast dinner, a shepherd's pie and something like lamb souvlakis. Same with a roast chicken - the rest goes in the freezer for sandwich meat for the boys lunches or I eat it in salads for lunch. I never ever buy things like lean cuisines, we dont eat any packaged food like that, we dont do dessert so no ice creams etc, Breakfast remains Cereal, toast, eggs, those basic choices, and deli items are kept for entertaining, not everyday eating. I dont buy orange juice or any other drinks, we have Water, water or water in this house, or milk but none of us are milk drinkers. I also make a lot of things for the kids like cakes and Cookies. And takeaway is a rare treat, I'd sooner make baked Beans on toast than spend $25 on fish and chips. Doug takes leftovers to work and my kids take lunchboxes to school (as does everyone here anyway, schools dont have big lunch programs, you can get a lunch order but there's no eat in cafeterias) We still manage to eat quite interestingly and well, probably one meal out of the seven in the week I'd put more effort into something special. I do quite a few vegetarian things with lentils, I make a lot of Soup with heaps of veges, whenever I buy a jar of spaghetti sauce, I'll add a can of tomatoes and some tomato paste, heaps of grated zucchini and carrot, a can of kidney beans and just 500g of mince beef and turn what would have been ONE meal with the mince beef and jar of sauce into something healthier, full of beans and vegetables the kids cant even taste into about three full meals on spaghetti (I sometimes have stir fried zucchini strips instead of pasta). Lentil patties, lentil dahl, a chick pea and apple curry, lentils and pulses are really cheap! And delicious. Even so, our grocery bill still comes in at around $250 to $300 per week for five of us.

Hummus is made from chickpeas and is a great source of vegetarian protein and very helpful during the mushy stage.Here's a link Complete Protein Hummus

You are not a freak. I had this same concern and some kind soul put it to me like this: If you need a knee replacement so you could walk would say no because it is man-made? If you needed a new heart valve so live would you turn that down? Having this thing inside of you is what you need to have to be healthy, and it's made of a better quality material than Tupperware. You’re freaking because of nerves. Organic and all natural is fantastic. I was a vegetarian for years and certainly understand your point of view. But the flip side is we live in the 21st century and there is something to be said about better living through technology. (Bless tech's ability to get this message to you.) No one can question your commitment to environmental or sustainability concerns, or kick their asses if they do, because you have a lapband. No one is allowed to question your integrity aside from yourself, and it seems like you've weighed all the pros and cons and have determined lapbanding is the best option for you to gain control of your life. If anyone calls you a hypocrite let me know, I’ll kick their ass. You got people.

As my surgery date gets closser I am starting to freak out a bit. I am very excited for the change but also really nervous. Lets start with this: I try to only eat organic, I recycle, I try to only use all natural products, I am a strict vegetarian, and I even worry about plastics leeching into my food so I never put plastic in the microwave..... Um.. well I guess I can stop there now that you all know what a freak I am I have really researched this and know that the band is what I want to do and need to do. The thing that scares me the most is that I am sticking this man made piece of plastic inside my body so that I can loose weight. I kinda feel like a hypocrite doing this to my body. I don’t know if its nerves but now that my surgery date is almost here I really cant stop thinking about this. So ..Just before your surgery did any of you start having any crazy irrational fears about doing this.

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.

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.

Dear Plumpy Pad, Odd little trait I have, huh? I appear with a vengence for a week or so and then BAM! I disappear for months! I am no longer a vegan, I was successful for 9 weeks before I couldn't stand my cheese cravings anymore... I am still a vegetarian. You would think that cutting meat out of my life would help pull off some pudge, but no. I am WAY too fond of fats to let anything healthy happen!! I posted some full body shots of myself wearing my Sunday house-cleaning finest today. I figure I'll put them here too, just so there is no way I can forget what I am trying STOP! Yes... Yes... I know. My husband is SUCH a lucky man! :party: I am back on my calorie wagon. I have searched far and wide for as wonderful of a weight loss hub as there is here on the lapband site, but there just isn't one! I am hereto STAY! I swear I am going to give it my all this time! xoxox, Bridget

Dear Plumpy Pad, Odd little trait I have, huh? I appear with a vengence for a week or so and then BAM! I disappear for months! I am no longer a vegan, I was successful for 9 weeks before I couldn't stand my cheese cravings anymore... I am still a vegetarian. You would think that cutting meat out of my life would help pull off some pudge, but no. I am WAY too fond of fats to let anything healthy happen!! I posted some full body shots of myself wearing my Sunday house-cleaning finest today. I figure I'll put them here too, just so there is no way I can forget what I am trying STOP! Yes... Yes... I know. My husband is SUCH a lucky man! :biggrin: I am back on my calorie wagon. I have searched far and wide for as wonderful of a weight loss hub as there is here on the lapband site, but there just isn't one! I am hereto STAY! I swear I am going to give it my all this time! xoxox, Bridget

Just so ya'll know.. I am eatin more stuff I never liked before, and now like it kinda. I still hate tomato sauces and most italian food.. But I'm eatin more chicken, and getting into spices. I think the lamb & duck really turned me into spices. I read roasting ideas for chicken, and they all have either/or of certain spices.. but I like mixin it all together! I'm making a roasted whole chicken tonight, it's been marinating since last night in lemon, 4 crushed mill peppers, thyme, sage, rosemary, salt, and evoo. AND I'm makin eggplant.. and not frying it. Never made it without frying before, but a co-worker is a vegetarian so I was askin her for recipes that are healthier with eggplant. Going to try roasting slices in some concoction she told me about. I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

No, but I did (and still do) eat organic, whole foods where possible. And I became Vegetarian at about 6 months post op. I don't recall the exact number, but my highest fill was abut 3.5cc in a 4 cc band. That didn't last too long though. I didn't like that much restriction. I like to be able to eat real food. I ended up having a total unfill to stop me from losing weight. I have maintained without any fill for over a year now. Thanks Peabody, Sunwyse, Sue and She Smiles! As promised before and after; (The after is after DH and I got home from dinner tonight)

I hear you on the not doing too much. I think I can do a lot more than I should be doing. Since I have caught up on my sleep I feel really good and feel like I can do anything until Whoa, slow down girl, My post op is a little more conservative than some. Phase 1 in the hospital Clear liquids, ice, popcycles, Jello, Isopure Clear, etc. Goal 4-6 ounces of liquid an hour. First day home, all above clear liquids plus 4 servings of 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 scoup Protein powder. total 60 grams protein and 64 ounces of Fluid. This phase lasts to Day 10 or post op appt. Phase 2 is called semi solid, and includes all foods from above phase plus cream of wheat, cream of rice, or blended oatmeal cheese containing less than 5 grams of fat per ounce Cottage cheese, low or non-fat Yogurt, non-fat Potato, boiled and mashed with skin removed soft cooked Pasta or Soup The following blended soups , cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of potato, and cream of tomato. sugar free pudding scambled egg canned fruit (no sugar added) soft cooked vegatables (no dried beans, peas, onions, cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower crackers containing less than 3 grams of fat per serving, such as melba toast or saltines Phase 3, starting four weeks post-op Low carb Protein Bars, Carb Wise, Carb Minders, etc. deli shaved chicken or trukey seafood, moist whie fish or shellfish and tuna smooth Peanut Butter the following canned soups, chicken noodle, turkey noodle, and vegetarian vegetable Cooked crumbled hamberger or ground turkey (such as sloppy joes, and ground meat casserole Crackers containing less than 3 grams of fat per serving. Phase 4, six weeks post-op other foods as tolerated

Help!! My surgery date is march 4 and my dr requires his patients to do medifast. I eat no meat no fish no eggs no jello and refuse to eat anything with artificial sweetner. First of all they really did not have many options for me to eat most of their soups have meat or meat broth in them. I am allowed 5 medifast products a day along with sugarfree jello, sugarfree popcicles, sugar free drinks and broth. My dietecian dosent seem to really have any options for me. yesterday was my first day I tried the tomato soup, maple oatmeal, vanilla shake, and carmel nut bar.This stuff is soo gross.... I was so hungry and felt light headed and very cranky. I could not make it thru one day I already cheated. I ate 4 saltines with my soup and a bowl of plain lettuce last night. I feel like such a looser. I could not even stick to this for one day. I know part of the preop diet is about loosing weight but the main thing my dr. does it for is so the liver will shrink. Will eating things like plain lettuce and mabey some other low carb veggies really hurt? thanks!

I have never PB'd - thank goodness. I only have trouble with doughy bread. The only other thing I had once was caught in the car I had a Junior Veggie Burger - half the bun only, but my mistake was that I kept sipping the drink and overloaded. I've not had that since coz I leave the drinks LOL! I have no issues with meat as I'm vegetarian and so far can eat meat substitutes fine, and salads as long as I chew well. I still can't work out why the tightness is so great initially after a fill, and then eases off so much after 2 weeks! Does anyone know?

That made me laugh too hard! The Accidental Sodomite, could be a movie. Talking PC, there was a time, when I was the cook at the vegetarian restaurant when I was uber PC. I call it my humorless lesbian phase. Man o man, we could turn anything into a PC slur. Many of the young tattooed and pierced people working with me were college teaching assistants...the conversations were priceless. Oh and there were the stoners too. I could write a book. What a mess. :thumbup:

(hehe I said eat out). ! LOL She said 'eat out' HP burning those chickens was great...A picture's worth a thousand words! So may I ask why you decided to go vegetarian? Health? PETA? I've thought about it before, but I already have a hard time cooking, etc. what would I eat??

Oh I get plenty of hot steamy meat.... Oh you mean like food? Not really. The only time I miss it is when it is like a small ingrediant in something, like bacon bits in loaded potato soup, or pepperoni on a pizza. I don't crave a big slab of flesh ever. As for the vegan part, not quite yet. I am vegetarian and I strive to be vegan but it is really hard. I stopped drinking milk but I really like cheese. Plus it is hard to eat out in a resteraunt when you don't eat eggs and dairy (hehe I said eat out). I hope one day to get there and I am really trying but I am not 100% there yet.

And BG, you vegan girl you, If you want some ideas, toss me a few ingredients and I'll toss you a recipe. Kind of fun. I used to run a vegetarian restaurant for years and years and part of what I did was cook...and it's a place known for soups so I have a bunch of soup recipes in my head...

A Little About Me: Well for starters, I am the youngest of three girls. My sisters are tall, thin, beautiful, and married with children. I am none of these things. I am the smart one or the funny one! That’s a laugh. My Dad tells me “If you could just lose some weight you would be so pretty.” Ya, that helps. My Mom says, “If you lost a little weight you would be so happy” Okay news flash, I like myself! Growing up no one ever picked on me or told me that I fat. In fact I really never knew that I was. The only thing my sisters ever said was that it was “baby fat” and it would go away. Looking back now ya “baby fat” usually is gone by the time you are in high school. Mine was not. I don’t really ever remember being skinny. I have always loved my body and its curves, but I was never thin. And I don’t ever remember NOT being on a diet. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am 26 years old and have been on a diet my whole life! WOW that’s scary!!!! For the last few years I have been a vegetarian and more recently a vegan, because who has ever seen a fat vegan, well again look right here because I am one. I am finally to the point that I have too loose weight; it’s my life we are talking about here. I get winded after walking a few flights of stairs, that’s truly sad. I am now saying something out loud that my mind has been screaming for years, “I am fat, I Am Fat, FAT FAT FAT!!!” Now that I have recognized the problem I can do something about it!!! My breaking point came when a friend of mine wanted to go to Vegas, and do that in door sky diving simulator, and I really wanted to do it but I didn’t meet the weight requirements, so I told her that I was afraid. I didn’t want to tell her that I was to fat to do it. Now this summer we are going to Mexico and my friends (who are all size 2) want to do that canopy thing, where you are harnessed on a pulley thingy and soar above the trees, well again I am too fat but, I have 5 months to do something about it and now it’s on! Lap Band is the tool that I have chosen to help me fight my obesity (Wow! Now that’s a scary word). I have taken the first step, I when to a seminar Saturday February 16, 2008. My first appointment is this Tuesday and I can’t wait. This will be the last year that I am Fat and unhealthy. I want to find the skinny girl inside. More To Come!!!

A Little About Me: Well for starters, I am the youngest of three girls. My sisters are tall, thin, beautiful, and married with children. I am none of these things. I am the smart one or the funny one! That’s a laugh. My Dad tells me “If you could just lose some weight you would be so pretty.” Ya, that helps. My Mom says, “If you lost a little weight you would be so happy” Okay news flash, I like myself! Growing up no one ever picked on me or told me that I fat. In fact I really never knew that I was. The only thing my sisters ever said was that it was “baby fat” and it would go away. Looking back now ya “baby fat” usually is gone by the time you are in high school. Mine was not. I don’t really ever remember being skinny. I have always loved my body and its curves, but I was never thin. And I don’t ever remember NOT being on a diet. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am 26 years old and have been on a diet my whole life! WOW that’s scary!!!! For the last few years I have been a vegetarian and more recently a vegan, because who has ever seen a fat vegan, well again look right here because I am one. I am finally to the point that I have too loose weight; it’s my life we are talking about here. I get winded after walking a few flights of stairs, that’s truly sad. I am now saying something out loud that my mind has been screaming for years, “I am fat, I Am Fat, FAT FAT FAT!!!” Now that I have recognized the problem I can do something about it!!! My breaking point came when a friend of mine wanted to go to Vegas, and do that in door sky diving simulator, and I really wanted to do it but I didn’t meet the weight requirements, so I told her that I was afraid. I didn’t want to tell her that I was to fat to do it. Now this summer we are going to Mexico and my friends (who are all size 2) want to do that canopy thing, where you are harnessed on a pulley thingy and soar above the trees, well again I am too fat but, I have 5 months to do something about it and now it’s on! Lap Band is the tool that I have chosen to help me fight my obesity (Wow! Now that’s a scary word). I have taken the first step, I when to a seminar Saturday February 16, 2008. My first appointment is this Tuesday and I can’t wait. This will be the last year that I am Fat and unhealthy. I want to find the skinny girl inside. More To Come!!!

If you're past the healing stage, I'd skip the Soup and move on to solid foods. My typical day looks like this: Breakfast: scrambled eggs or small eggbeaters omelet with a little cheese and vegies or Kashi (protein fortified) oatmeal Lunch: deli meat, lettuce or spinach, grated carrots, a little lite mayo, and maybe a little cheese on a sandwich made of Mountain bread (a flatbread, thinner than a tortilla, that doesn't cause me problems) Dinner: salmon or other meat with cooked vegetables or Kashi Golean mixed with greek (high protein) yogurt and a little honey Snack if necessary: yogurt or an ounce of cheese or a piece of deli meat I figure it's good practice to mostly eat the solid Protein that will help me stay full when I reach ideal restriction, so I stay away from soup and Protein drinks and try to make more solid choices. You can make a small pizza using mini pita bread or a small tortilla as a crust, if that's what you want to eat :-) Pita, sauce, sauteed vegies, sausage or pepperoni (I use the vegetarian versions), an ounce of mozzarella. Yum :-) Maybe instead of thinking about a cup, think about 8 ounces? My nutritionist's suggestion was to try to stay within 4-6 oz per meal, with half of that made up of protein and the rest vegies and complex carbohydrates. Hope that helps - you've made great progress so far - congrats, and keep up the good work :-)

I know you said you hated fish. Have you tried Tilapia? It is one kind of fish and I am not into any other kinds of fish. I actually gag when my DH makes tuna salad. Blah! He talked me into trying this Tilapia kind and much to my suprise (and dismay as he is ALWAYS right LOL) I like it, Maybe you could give it a try before your surgery if you are not already on the fabulous full liquid thing. It comes in the freezer section and we just thaw and throw it on the George Foreman grill. Just a thought, I know what its like trying to get in all your Protein when you can't/don't want to eat certain kinds of meat. I was a vegetarian for years because any meat just grossed me out. And for the other things on your list (except the hair thing) I am laughing with you not at you as I have thought of all those things if not more. My surgery is next week and I am trying really hard to shove the what if's away. Cheers (clinking glasses of yummy protein shake) and hears to keeping our hair.