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Okay fellows, Here's my take. As I am only 7 weeks out, have not had a fill and am still losing here is my opinion: I have become very calorie conscous. I love fitday and have based my weight loss on my caloric intake which is between 1200 and 1500 calories a day. My meals typically are a 1/3 the size they used to me. Yesterday I had 2 oz. ham for lunch, 1/4 cup of homemade Pasta salad, and 1 slice of cut up cantaloupe. Breakfast today was 2 morningstar vegetarian sausages and one egg. I try to spread my calories out, eat more fruit, excercise a little more and allow myself one real treat a day. I am a chocolate addict so most times I'll allow myself 200 calories towards a special chocolate treat. I don't get anything that is in a bulk package as I probably would cheat but am safe if servings are individually packaged. I am trying to find the perfect calorie count to allow the most comfortable weightloss. Teresa Dr. Lopez 5/8/04 -32 362/330/?

I am still on protein shakes until November 12, then mushies for 2 weeks. After that my doctor wants me on protien but no carbs. He is not thrilled with the idea of tofu or beans. Any suggestions out there.

Check the label, most of those shots are heavy in low quality collagen protein (made from animal skin) . I was told not to bother with anything but whey isolate. I was tempted too, but they are not lacto/vegetarian, which I am.

@ - I was just wondering because I'm a vegetarian AND I'm allergic to seafood. I wouldn't have been able to eat that tuna fish @@lovemychihuahua - no yogurt? That's crazy! I must get half my Protein from greek yogurt. This is why I had to ask at the seminar if they had problems with vegetarians. I would never have survived either of these programs.

The further out you are from surgery, the more you'll find your restriction varies depending on what you're eating. A serving of chicken breast or a turkey meatball or two will fill me up and stave off hunger longer than a serving of greek yogurt or veggies, or cheese. Dense Protein is your friend. I don't see any meat products in your list of what you're eating, are you a vegetarian? You may be able to get advice from other vegetarians on how to maximize satisfaction with particular foods.

I was at a WLS conference this weekend and the dinner speaker, Dr. Garth Davis (of Davis Clinic in Houston and one of the doctors in Big Medicine) was promoting a vegetarian diet, non gmo, and organic. I'm working myself that way.. maybe someday I'll make it there.

LOL It's funny to me, I have to remember to be afraid. Being a vegetarian for a few years and then eating meat again it's one of those things -you know- you put on a mental backburner. I always thought red meat was the worst culprit, and I do not eat red meat. But I forget how they can pack all the meat full of stuff!

I am a teacher so I'm hoping for Christmas break. Surgeon said that would most likely work out fine. Fingers crossed! I was a vegetarian for many years. I was raised vegetarian and have gone back to it on occasion as an adult. Now i eat meat, but try to Stick with organic as much as possible. You have inspired me to start to add some stair climbing to my planning period at school. I'm trying to Do a lot now, so I will be able to get moving as quickly as possible after surgery. I was a member of a gym last year, but dropped it because I felt Guilty about picking my son up from pre school and then asking him to the gym nursery. Now I'm trying to do things together. We just got back from a 5.2 mile hike. Feeling excited for surgery! Mile

Actually, if you would have read my posts more thoroughly you would see that I am not from the south. I am from Kansas. I stated that his familyhad just moved here from Alabama. Additionally, in another post, I stated that he doesn't know our situation and I do not know his and I decided to just leave it at that. His past experiences may have led to that statement, and I understand that. Even then, it was not appropriate to say that to someone. It really caught my husband off guard to think his boss feels that this would be something he would be concerned with. It has now created a little bit of discomfort between them I think. As for how he is treated here, I am not sure. We live in the only consistantly blue county in Kansas. It is an extremely liberal town. The town is full of all races, ethnicities, sexualities, and religions. It is also full of vegetarians, vegans, and hippie types. It has a University, so it is very diverse. The area is very accepting as far as I can tell he probably receives less "looks" here than he did in Alabama. But I am not a minority, so I can't say for sure.

I did a bunch of research when I was first looking at protein shakes, probably around January. It really wasn't difficult at first but it got harder to find the information the more I got into it. Example, the stuff in the plastic test tubes, that is made from collagen. That is the cheapest and most poor quality of protein available on the market today. Sad thing is, even though their quality is absolutely horrible and they use the cheapest raw materials possible, they are some of the most expensive products on the market today. That kind of information was easy to find. The hard part to dig up were the other details on quality of protein. For example, some companies have a decent product but the raw materials they use to make their protein products varies from month to month. One month it is excellent quality and the next month it is poor quality. When it comes to Isopure, Matrix, and unjury they consistantly have excellent quality raw supplies to work with from month to month. Protein is nothing but a chain of amino acids. One chain (23 total??) equals one full protein. The reason it is more challenging for vegetarians to get a full protein from a veggie diet is because one veggie has part of the chain and another has the rest of the chain. So they have to consume two or more foods to obtain the full chain. This is just as good as eating meat, no doubts there. But veggies need to know what they are doing before they venture out on a veggie diet. But it is totally doable, it can be done quite easily. I know because I used to be a vegetarian, I'll likely go back to it again. I think Isopure is beyond disgusting. It tastes like it has a component of pond scum. But I've only tried the pre-mix, I never tried the powder form. I've never tried Unjury but lots of people like it, especially newbies that need the chicken broth type and the unflavored type they can mix with anything. I prefer Matrix but I can't stand their nector line. I only like chocolate. The nector line may taste good but I can't get beyond the stench. Gahhh... With that said, I hear soooo many people that like the lemonade the most. I don't get it, I think it stinks. But lots of people like it. Bottom line, the worst protein quality bandsters consume are the plastic test tube types. Hopefully they are getting their protein from their diet because it isn't going to come from the test tubes.

I've bin allowed tea without sugar - doc asked me to switch to Sugar Free drops. And frankly I haven't really gone out shopping for any protein shakes & the ready made stuff which I'm sure is available somewhere! Remember my doc saying something like since I'm not vegetarian I didn't need to get those products right now!

I am.. mostly vegan. When talking with the dietitian, they said that it isnt a good surgery for vegans simply because you need to start each meal with a Protein, and vegans tend to not be able to get enough protein. Vegetarians are another story because you can eat dairy, cheese, and eggs. As a vegan you are pretty much limited to legumes and nuts... and soy, but soy is really not something that you are supposed to eat if it isnt fermented, and most soy isnt, so I dont recommend to people that they eat it, I sure as hell dont. Which, the idea of Beans 3x a day is pretty gross to most people. My dietary preferences are different, in the sense that I am a celiac and a pescatarian/ vegan, so I eat seafood and fish, no eggs, dairy, soy or wheat/gluten or refined sugars. A typical day of food for me is granola w/ fresh fruit and coconut-milk yogert OR potatoes with sauteed veggies for Breakfast (Will have to change after I get banded) Tuna and salad with hummus and veggies for lunch, dried fruit and nuts as a snack, and shrimp/crab/or fish with sauteed veggies and more salad for dinner. Then I may splurge on coconut-milk ice cream for dessert, which, ironically is pretty high in protein for a vegan and soy free dessert. I assume that I will probably puree up some veggie/bean Soups. I have a recipe for a vegan black bean chipolte corn chowder that is to die for.

All meats! I became vegetarian 2 years ago because I became tired of eating all meats. I was only able to eat chicken and it had to be in a sauce or roasted. Along with the "stuck" episodes and the health factor, I just gave up all meats. Everything else is pretty much fine now!

Please chk out vegetarian website - I have a hard time eating meat too and getting Protein. http://thegastricbypassvegetarian.blogspot.com

I'm down over 100 lbs since rny on March 7. I've also begun to hit the gym (6', male, down to 306 lbs from 410 lbs and a peak of 432 lbs). I started lifting weights last week. I lifted on a 5-day split for 20 years, maintaining a solid 190-210 lbs on my frame before some health issues started the downward spiral. I'm doing a push/leg/pull split on M/W/F with cardio on T/Th/Sa and rest on Sunday to provide adequate recovery. I'm surprised at how easy it was to navigate my workout at my old gym! My calorie intake is now up to 1400 per day with 80-100 g of Protein. I'm vegetarian, so most comes from dairy, Beans, grains, and the rare egg. I drink a supplement on occasion. I'm able to eat salads again. Some store-bought veggie meat replacements still don't sit well, so I avoid those. I ate a bean tostada from a taco place yesterday and loved it! It was only $0.89 and I was full, lol! Sent from my LG-H810 using the BariatricPal App

-breakfast is either an egg and a morningstar sausage (vegetarian) sausage patty, or chobani simply 100 vanilla yogurt with 1/4 c high Protein kashi Cereal (usually not able to finish the second selection). Have some P28 high protein bread but I have not tried it yet (14 grams/slice). -lunch is usually 2-3 ounces of grilled chicken, grilled fish, steak, or a small hamburger patty cooked on the GF grill. I try and add some veggies-wilted spinach is packed with nutrients in a small serving-or asparagus tips a couple times a week. -dinner is pretty much the same thing as lunch, or I have sliced chicken/turkey deli meat roll ups with a slice of sargento thin cheese. -snacks (try and get in 2 a day)-cottage cheese is a go-to for me (2% Breakstone in the 4 ounce cup), baby bel cheese, or half a small apple (peel included) with PB2. Guilty pleasure is pork rinds 1/2 an ounce <ducks> The only Protein Drink I can stomach is Chike's high protein coffee drink when I need the caffeine in the afternoon (I work swing shift into the evening hours) and I drink it only once or twice a week at work. The thought of eating a Protein Bar or a different shake makes me gag...my hat is off to you guys who can still tolerate them Calories average about 850-900. I am trying to increase my protein to 75-80 min with my increased exercise, and carbs, well, I try and keep it below 50, some days I do better than others but I am trying to keep a variety in my diet so I do not get bored. I drink crystal light, iced tea and coffee (no carbonated drinks at all-stopped about 4 months before surgery)...not enough fluids but I am working on that as well.

Ahhhh, we all do it every now and again. It's part of the "process" we go through. Nonono... it wasn't rationing, it was what they grew and caught for themselves. Blech..... I have a hunch if we had to catch and "clean" our own food today we would have a LOT more vegetarians today. ;o)

Try pinterest for low carb and vegetarian recipes. Sometimes you might have to make substitutions. For example, spiralized zucchini in place of Pasta or veggie "fake" meat crumbles in place of ground beef. Once you have some recipes you like, meal planning and prepping just takes some basic organization. Pick a day of the week to come up with your plan for the week, your grocery list , and shop. Some people like to cook a bunch of stuff all on one day, then portion it out into tupperware for each day of the week. Personally I usually take a less regimented approach. I cook each day, and the leftovers of dinner become lunches for the rest of the week or go in the freezer. Sometimes I will make a big crockpot dish on Sunday and portion it out. I'm not a vegetarian, so I don't have a ton of advice on recipes for you, but there are people who make it work with wls. (I do love all the frozen Morningstar vegetarian items at my grocery). There is a food and nutrition section in the main forums on here that might help. I've also run into vegetarian wlsers on reddit and youtube so those might be places to look for suggestions. What were your main sources of Protein pre-op? Or did you become vegetarian post-op?

There are a multitude of reasons people choose not to eat meat, or certain kinds of meat, and all are valid. She stated that she is a pescatarian, which means she eats fish. She may also be lacto-ovo which would mean she drinks milk and eats eggs. But even if she's not lacto-ovo, I don't think we should be trying to convince her to eat meat when she has religious/moral/health reasons for not. I am no longer vegetarian, but was raised that way for religious reasons (we were lacto/ovo/pescatarian in practice) and I can assure you that there are MANY ways to get plenty of protein without eating meat. There are a number of high protein foods that are not animal-based. http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4771/10-Vegan-Sources-of-Protein.html To the OP: I have been trying to find meal planning help with my own food issues, and have found that in general the options are not very good. There's tons of recipe ideas here in the recipe section and on Pinterest, but not a lot of information about how to plan meals especially if you're planning to do once-a-week or once-a-month cooking. There are resources for OAW/OAM cooking, but it's with their recipes and doesn't offer a lot of insight as to how to put your own recipes in place of theirs. If you search once-a-week or once-a-month cooking, and read enough of the books/resources, there are basic principles you can apply. Like which kinds of food freeze well, which are good for make-ahead, etc. I personally have found it very hard to implement from scratch. But if you dig enough you can find them. I will offer that if you're doing low-carb, you shouldn't worry overmuch about fat. The concept of low-carb requires a higher fat content than in a "normal" diet. I wouldn't go overboard, but since you don't eat red meat, your fat options are going to tend to be the "healthy" fats, so I really wouldn't worry much about that. Also, I advise getting some clarification around "only 3 meals" a day. Post-op, your intake at a sitting will be so little that I don't believe only allowing 3 meals a day is wise. My instructions are to eat every 3-4 hours. Many of the people here who have 3 meals only as instructions, were allowed 2-3 Protein Drinks outside of those 3 meals as "snacks". Others are told 3 meals with 2 or 3 low calorie high protein Snacks. Good luck! If I remember when I get home (feel free to PM me to remind me) I can post some of the OAW/OAM resources I've found. I would love some of those resources. I had not considered looking for once-per-week/month / foods that freeze well, etc. I definitely will look for that. I am supposed to have three meals with Protein shakes in between (I guess as "snacks" but they said, "No snacking" -- I guess just another way of saying the same thing!).

Prior to WLS I was the same way. I aimed for 50gms of Protein and actually loss weight at that amount. Of course being a vegetarian it's the first question everybody asks you. I use to use it as my breakfast/pre gym drink. I use it as supplement now because of the sleeve requirements. I too do a morning shake. Sometimes I just add it to my morning coffee. After that I eat regular food for the rest of the day.

Stage 1: Liquid Diet There’s no denying that your diet the first few days or weeks after surgery can be pretty boring, but you can still make the best of it. After surgery, you may need a little comforting as your body tries to recover. Plus, you may start to feel cold as you lose weight. So, why not try some hot tea? One option is to go for apple cinnamon tea. Stew dehydrated apple slices and cloves for about 10 minutes, then strain the liquid into your teacup and serve with a cinnamon stick. If you don’t feel like simmering dehydrated apple slices and spices, you can go the quick route with apple tea bags (make sure they’re decaf!) and a cinnamon stick instead. You can get a warming protein boost instead if you make spiced chai with soy milk or non-fat milk instead of water. For a warming protein drink, you could curl up with an instant cup of BariatricPal Hot Protein Drink – Classic Hot Chocolate or with marshmallows, or BariatricPal Hot Cappuccino Protein Drink – Vanilla. No problem if your surgeon forbids caffeine. Just opt for BariatricPal Hot Protein Drink – Creamy Cappuccino (Decaf). They’re low-sugar and each has 12 to 15 grams of protein. Stage 2: Mushies or Pureed Foods You don’t need to give in when that leftover pumpkin pie in the fridge calls your name. Listen to it, and you’ll end up with hundreds of calories, tons of sugar, and probably a stomach ache. Instead, you can mix pureed canned pumpkin with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice or cloves, beaten egg whites, almond milk, and your choice of calorie-free sweeteners, such as stevia. Bake it until it sets. Once you’re on the semi-soft foods diet in stage 3, you can turn your pumpkin pie into pumpkin cheesecake by swirling the pumpkin mixture with low-calorie cheesecake mixture made from fat-free cream cheese, egg whites, fat-free cottage cheese, vanilla, and sweetener before baking. And if you’re craving some crust, add a bit of crunch with crushed high-fiber cereal. Need something a little more substantial? Go for the comfort without the carbs at breakfast with BariatricPal Maple Brown Sugar or Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with 14 grams protein, or whip up instant BariatricPal Chocolate Chip Pancakes with 15 grams of protein. Stage 3: Semi-Soft Foods You may have heard about using pureed cauliflower to satisfy your cravings for mashed potatoes. What about taking it up a notch with a high-protein, low-carb shepherd’s pie? Blend cooked green peas and beans for the bottom layer, and cover it with a layer of lean ground turkey mixed with broth to season it. Spread pureed cauliflower over the turkey. If you want to go whole hog, sprinkle shredded low-fat cheddar cheese on the top so it browns while baking. As long as we’re talking about cauliflower – which, by the way, is in season in the fall – don’t forget you can also use it as a great alternative to fried rice. Pulse cauliflower in a blender until it is in small pieces. Then stir fry it with diced veggies and some protein, such as egg whites and cooked chicken breast. That sure beats Chinese take-out! For something a little meatier, you can try meatballs without the bad stuff! Take a packet of BariatricPal Light Sloppy Joe (or Vegetarian Joe, if you prefer), and mix it with an egg white and some low-fat parmesan cheese. Cover it in low-sugar tomato sauce, and you’re ready to eat. Stage 4: Full or Solid Foods Diet Roasted candied nuts are a big hit in fall, and you can make your own version once you’re several months out of surgery. To make sugar-free candied pecans, mix a cup of pecan halves into a beaten egg white until the pecans are coated. Roll them in a mixture of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and your favorite calorie-free sugar substitute, such as stevia. Bake them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. They’re high in healthy fats, protein, and antioxidants – just remember they’re high in calories, too, so watch the portions. Here are a few other comfort foods you can try without guilt. Vegetarian chili with beans or chili with ground turkey, or BariatricPal Vegetable Chili with Beans. Veggie burgers with black beans, lentils, or chickpeas, oatmeal or quinoa, mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini. Serve as sliders on lettuce leaves with avocado or low-fat cheese. Lasagna made with eggplant instead of noodles, low-fat ricotta, and fat-free mozzarella cheese. Breakfast casserole made with egg whites, turkey sausage, low-fat cheese, and onions. Crunchy salty snacks like BariatricPal Lite Bites pretzel twists and chips. One More Tip – Watch Your Portions! With comfort foods, part of the problem is the “what.” The other part is the “how much.” Portion control is key when it comes to the weight loss surgery diet. When you can, try making recipes so you know how much you’re getting and so it’s naturally easier to take a small serving. Here are some suggestions. Measure your ingredients and know how many servings you should get out of the entire recipe. Make use of a muffin tin instead of a so you can pre-portion foods like meatloaf, egg-based muffins, and pumpkin pie. Make naturally pre-portioned foods, like deviled eggs and meatballs so you know a serving size is one piece. Weight loss surgery doesn’t mean giving up comfort foods. It just means choosing your foods wisely so they make you feel comforted, not bloated. Whatever you’re in the mood for, you can find a version that’s WLS friendly and simple to make. What are your favorites?

OMG... I REALLY love tofu. I finally found/bought/ate the tomato basil tofu. I put a little parmesan cheese on it and it was HEAVEN!!!! No worries about getting stuck. I just enjoyed my meal. I may have to go vegetarian until my band loosens up... but hey with the flavors out there... who cares!!!! Thanks all for the heads up! Ralheit... you gotta try it.

I am eating my lunch right now and having a DEEEEEE-Licious one. It is an Amy's brand entree called the Sante Fe Enchilada Bowl. It is packed with goodness and real ingredients. 350 calories. 16 grams of Protein. 9 grams of Fiber. 11g of fat, 2 which are saturated. 10% of Calcium, 40% of Vitamin C, 20% of Iron. You can find it in the healthy food/ vegetarian option frozen section of the super market. I have had it two days in a row. YUUUUUUUUUM! ********************* Also (and I can believe I saying this) but cottage cheese done the right way is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. 1/2 cup with 1 equal packet and cut up peach slices (sugar free of course). Such a nice snack. **************************** So what good finds can everyone recommend? Do share! recipes are great also.

You made those dumplings??? They look SO good & I'm a vegetarian! Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Ann, I sort of measure what I eat, one serve is about 1/4 cup. So I would have 3 serves vegetables plus 40-50grams of protein (in my case tofu, fish etc. cause I'm vegetarian). Yes, losing Steve Irwin was awful. He was terrific. It just shouldn't have happened. Let us know how you go following banding! Jenny