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ha ha Jack that is funny, I am a fat vegetarian!! oh dear, sigh, and people have actually asked me if I chose to become a vegetarian in order to lose weight, uh...i have gained weight since i have become one over 8 years ago! I am being banded in a few days fellow veggie and i think it is totally an option, however you just really need to make sure you can get in your protein, there are many protein drink options out there! Good Luck!

I also love feta cheese. It is actually lower fat than lots of cheese. Also, you can just use a little since it has a strong flavor. They also sell reduced fat feta. I don't think it's a bad thing, just don't overdo it. PS. My love of cheese is why I left vegetarianism. I eat much healthier now by eating lean meat instead of cheese all the time.

I was wondering if being vegetarian can be an option for bansters?:help:

I'm vegetarian but I hear people say a small Wendy's chili or a small order of beans from Taco Bell....

Since having the band my taste buds have really changed. I no longer can drink Tim Hortons coffee. I could become a vegetarian. Could care less about meat.I might eat meat 1 or twice a week. I eat protein by eggs ,cheese string ,peanut butter. I am nervous to eat green salad. Afraid i can't chew it good.Anybody else experiencing this ?

Mandy---I Love Market Day! Is there something that you can recommed that is bandster and vegetarian friendly??? Good Luck with your IEP meeting!!!!

I had my 2nd fill last week, up to 2cc now in a 4cc band. The first few days were rough because of swelling, so I was on liquids. Then for about 3 days, I felt like I could eat 10 horses (sorry, carrots, I'm a vegetarian, lol). The past 2 days, I have not been able to eat ANYTHING solid without PBing, so I was back on liquids. I was also very nauseas this morning. But now I am starving and can eat again and want more. WTF??? Anyone else go up and down like this?

I am with you Sherrie, I wont be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner either. But, I am a vegetarian, so I really wont be missing out on too much! Good luck to you!

might be B12, which is found in animal protein, helps with clotting, etc. Lack of B12 can also cause crazy itching and sensitivity to spicy and acidic food. This is common in vegetarians, and they often need a supplement. Or could be from aspirin or ibuprofen, which can affect your platelets and cause bruising.

I made this for dinner tonight, and it was delicious! Obviously, it won't work for folks who are avoiding Pasta, or who don't like spinach! I'm sorry, but I don't have nutritional data. I got the recipe from our local paper, and they don't always include that info. Vegetarian Lasagna 1 pkg. chopped, frozen spinach, thawed ¼. lb. lite feta cheese ¼ c. parmesan cheese 1/4. c. part-skim mozerella, shredded ½ white onion, chopped 1-1/2 c. spaghetti sauce 6 lasagna sheets, 8-10” long, cooked, drained and patted dry 1. c. lite ricotta cheese Squeeze as much moisture as possible out of spinach with paper towels. Mix spinach, chopped onion, and feta cheese. Lay pasta sheets out on flat surface. Spread ricotta on pasta sheets, and then sprinkle with mozerella. Spread spinach mix over ricotta/mozerella. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of spaghetti sauce, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Take edge of each pasta sheet and roll inward. Place rolls, seam side down into casserole dish which has been sprayed with Pam. Top each roll with a couple tablespoons of spaghetti sauce. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Enjoy! Tami

Truthfully, I'm only getting about 40 - 60 g of protein a day (I HATE EGGS!) I do like the Morningstar vegetarian products though.

its' an even split between my carbs, fat, protein - i don't eat any bread, its usually good carbs. my carbs are slightfully higher cuz i am a vegetarian.

I was banded June 26th at right around 235. I am just now barely at 220. I am not giving up but I am very, very perplexed. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I have had several fills I use FitDay.com religiously - eat about 1000 calories a day and have been maintaining these calories for 30 days. For the last few weeks I have been Exercising 30 - 60 minutes 4 days a week. Cardio and Circuit Training (my heart rate is up there) I am a vegetarian. I keep gaining and losing the same 3 lbs now for the last month!

I also like Quorn veggie meats...my son, who is very anti-vegetarian due to growing up vegan, even likes that brand. Emily

I love vegetarian meats like chicken nuggets, fake meat crumbles, etc. Low, low fat, low calories, and very high protein. If I make veggie chili with "Quorn" brand fake meat crumbles, no one can tell the difference between that and real beef. It's great! These veggie meats are also nice and soft and go down beautifully.

And in some ways I feel that I am not tight enough. I haven't tried bread, but a bit of rice and a few bites of zuchinni bread hasn't bother me like I think it should. But the Proteins..... salmon or tuna with mayo - hard time............. steamed or broiled fish, salmon and halibut - hard time chicken - hard time.............. certainly beef (which I expected) - hard time................ meatloaf - hard time In fact, I might consider moving to Mexico, chili is the only thing that doesn't seem to bother me. Either that or embrace my inner vegetarian and eat tofu......... Yes, I might be taking too big of bites, and yeeeeeeeeeeeeeees I might not be chewing enough. So will watch that. Anyone else experience this?

I eat a lot of turkey chili w/beans, vegetarian refried beans, low fat cottage cheese....all good protein but not much fat.

there was one at the bariatric clinic but i don't think she was familiar with vegetarian issues. also i hate anything sugar free that stuff causes brain cancer. and after reading all these posts i freaked cuz i've been doing the zone shakes twice a day and just realized how much sugar and carbs it has. oh no.

Wow Laura, you have a large amount of fill. I have been tight with my 1.2 cc's for well over a month now. TOM will effect things. Give it a few days. You might get try a hot tea/coffee before you try to eat anything... even mushies. I have also found the pleasures of tofu on tight days. The silky kind goes down really easy, and tastes great after you marinade it overnight in sauce. My hubby thinks I am going vegetarian now, but really I am just trying to survive without hard proteins because it makes me hurt. Good luck!

spike I know where you are comming from.. I'm not a vegetarian per say but I am sooooo freaking pickey about what type of meat I will eat it is crazy!! It is not the oh poor animal thing(NOT TO OFFEND ANYONE).. I just dont like the taste.. period.... Dont like fish at all(yes I did try it)... not a crazy fan of red meat either... Pork.. ehhhhh... I love chicken though.. and after reading some posts about ppl not being able to eat chicken has me worried for when I am ready to have a fill.. I too have a hard time finding Protein and can really tell when my body is lacking (my feet get swolen)... I have been trying some of the protein powders and OMG they are really icky... The injury is really not for me.. I orderd the sample pack 1 van/choc/strawb/unflavor... Scared to try the choc... LOL :faint: So far I seem to like the EAS Advantage Carb Control Choc Fudge.. Yummm.. about the same price as slimfast 15g prot/ 100 cal/ 0 sug and the main thing already mixed up... yea!! Let me know if you run across anything please!!! :help: TTFN Stephanie

I am glad to hear some people didn't have to do the weeks of liquid, i was supposed to do a one week liquid diet but felt like crap so it went one day liquid one day food. Is there anyone else that has had this and is a vegetarian. I am really having problems coming up with as much protein as needed, esp doing the 2 wk post op liquid diet. (which i have been very good) although i have been experiencing shooting pains from my shoulder into my neck, the doctor said if it gets worse to go to the er. oh and i want one of those cute little count down things!

Here I am. Today I am doing really well and even put on real clothes (ie no sweat pants). I am down 4 lbs since Tuesday, and 7lbs since Sunday. Two days after surgery I was up 1/2 lb, which I assume was due to swelling / bloat. The 1st day after surgery I took hydrocodone for pain every 6 hrs. Day 2 I took it 1st thing in the morning, then switched to liquid x-strength tylenol. Day 3 I didn't take anything, and nothing so far today. Friday I got to take my bandages off, and found a small allergic reaction to the tape, which is itcy. I'm using benedryl cream for that. For the first two days I took a LOT of gas x strips. I think I had about 6 the first day post op, and 4 the second day. They are peppermint flavored, and surprisingly very good. I think they helped a lot reducing my gas pains. It was raining the first two days home, so I did a lot of walking around the house. I never had any problems going up & down stairs. Rolling over in bed was definitely a struggle for the first 2 days. But last night I even slept part of the night on my tummy :puke: . I have been eating about 400 calories / day. I should have more Protein, but havent wanted to drink thick shakes. I have been using unflavored protein with OJ and strawberries, which is quite tasty. lunch and dinner have been broth. I have a Jello cup at some point, and lots of Water. I'm not particularly hungry, but old habits die hard. I almost started munching on a pretzel the my daughter left out, just because it looked good. Fortunately I caught myself, lol. I do have a fairly large lump above my large incision. Probably the size of an orange. I called my Dr. about it yesterday and he thinks it may be a hematoma (pooled blood) and didn't seem to be too concerned. I go in Monday for my post op check up so he will check it then. It does seem to be getting smaller which is good. I was nauseous and dry heaving about an hour after surgery, but nothing since then. My tummy does gurgle and rumble a lot, but it's kind of funny. I was driving 48 hrs after surgery with no problem. I chose not to tell my DD's (7&11) about my surgery. I told them I had Dr. appointments on Tuesday and they would be giving me medicine that would make me tired for a few days. I really don't think they have noticed anything really different. I went to bed about 6:30 Tue when I came home from the hospital, but I told them I would be tired. I was walking pretty slow on Wed, but I don't think they noticed. My husband works odd hours and we don't really get the chance to sit down for family dinner more then a couple times / week. My oldest is a vegetarian, so we always have many meal choices for dinner. I'm waiting for one of them to ask why I keep eating Soup for dinner, but they haven't yet. Shell, That is pretty much it. Let me know if you have other questions. This last week will fly by for you. I'm glad all your tests are OK now. Good luck!

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.

Please don't beat yourself up. If you are able to eat 3 plates, it means 2 things. 1) You have not yet reached a point where you have restriction (and may need another fill, or two). 2) The foods you are eating are not solid enough (solids are Protein & veggies) so it is sliding straight through the band. A third possibility is that you are eating for too long. Most bandsters eat for no longer than 20-30 minutes (or stop if full before then naturally!) Motivation is one of those funny things. I found it really hard to find, and keep motivation in the beginning. It was when I made up my mind that this was not a "diet" but a lifestyle change, one that will be with me for life, and made changes to my diet, and exercise that I could live with, that I saw sustained motivation. And then I started losing real weight. Maybe if you try walking for 10 minutes 3 times a day for a week, then 15 minutes a twice a day for a week, then work up to the full 30 minutes a day the week after that. 10 minutes, 3 times a day, is a whole lot less overwhelming than 30 minutes, if you know what I mean. And as for your diet, well, do you have a dietitian that you can talk to? I found in the early days of my becoming a vegetarian it was a big help (I became a veggie at about 6 months post op) Good luck with everything

Just to present a different view, my experience is totally opposite from Sugarplum's. I eat out every week. Even with being vegetarian (which presents its own list of menu issues) I don't plan ahead and I've never gotten sick in public. I do, however, often only order an appetizer, which sometimes requires explanation to the waiter or dining companion. You have a choice as to how tight to keep your band and what lifestyle you wish to maintain while banded. Many people choose to be tighter, which means that they have to be a lot more careful about their choices, restaurants, etc. The upside is that they get a lot of control from their band in the weight loss journey. That is absolutely the right choice for some people. For me, I'd rather be a little looser and be able to eat any texture of food (even bread, though I don't often choose it). It's important to my lifestyle (I'm an attorney that takes clients out a lot, I'm single and I live in NYC so eating out is inherently part of the picture) and it hasn't interfered with my weight loss goals yet, so it's working for me. The band really dimms my head hunger, though quantity control I have to work on myself more than some, given that I chose to be looser. My point is, you have choices. Getting the band will not make you miserable. It's adjustible for a reason!