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I had VSG (2015) to RNY revision on January 18th due to GERD. I also had regained almost 70 pounds from my VSG post-op low weight. I've so far lost about 20 pounds since the pre-op diet & surgery. I need to lose another 20 pounds (for normal BMI) to 50 pounds (for calculated ideal body weight). I'm now on unrestricted food textures, and per my program's dietician, I'm supposed to be on my "maintenance" diet now. However, they refuse to discuss any calorie goals or macros other than protein. I'm someone who needs very clear goals and guidelines (thanks, long-undiagnosed ADHD), and I'm feeling very lost about what my diet should look like moving forward. The lifelong guidelines for my program, as I understand them: 60-80g protein per day Up to 4 oz. (1/2 cup) per meal, consisting of: Up to 3 oz. protein per meal Up to 1 oz. (total) veg, fruit, or starch per meal 3 meals per day 1 snack per day (the program guide I was given says 1-2, but per my surgeon I'm only allowed to have 1 snack per day and it has to be between lunch and dinner) - I have no guidelines for the amount I'm allowed for the snack. I assume it's not supposed to be as much food as the meals, but I don't know. Protein shakes/powders are frowned upon The only sample menu provided in my program guide is as follows: Breakfast: Egg omelet with sautéed peppers & onions Snack: Protein shake OR Greek yogurt with berries [removed per my surgeon's instructions] Lunch: Lettuce wrap with turkey and avocado/cheese [it is not clear to me if the / means avocado OR cheese, or avocado AND cheese, but I assume the former] Snack: Apple slices with 2 tablespoons nut butter OR carrots with hummus Dinner: Pesto chicken with spaghetti squash, sautéed spinach, and cherry tomatoes I plugged this menu into the Baritastic app to try and get a sense of what the calories and macros are supposed to look like. The sample menu gave no amounts other than the nut butter, so I used the 3 oz. protein + 1 oz. veg/fruit/starch rule. With the carrots & hummus snack option, here are the macros for the day: 593 calories 62g protein 32g fat 17g carbs (13g net carbs) 4g sugar 4g fiber And here are the apple & nut butter (I used natural peanut butter) macros for the day: 739 calories 67g protein 43g fat 21g carbs (16g net carbs) 8g sugar 5g fiber So from that, I'm extrapolating that I should be aiming for the following daily: 600-750 calories 60-80g protein 30-40g fat less than 25g carbs less than 10g sugar I have a few concerns... I have already been going well over those amounts at just over a month post-op. I've typically getting around 800-900 calories per day. It seems like a real struggle to get to the upper range of protein daily while sticking to the allowed amounts and without using any shakes or protein supplements. Even then, 80g seems low for a protein goal. I have never been a big meat eater (I was vegetarian through most of my teens and 20s), and I absolutely cannot stand any fish or seafood. I do eat a lot of dairy, eggs, and beans, but it seems like that's not going to do it. The standard daily fiber goal I've always heard is 25g per day. I've been getting about 12-15g per day right now, but knowing that I'm overeating and already having too many carbs means even that's not sustainable. I've struggled with post-op constipation... I have gotten to a much better place recently, but if I need to cut back to 4-5g of fiber per day to be within my other limits, I'm afraid of going backwards. That I'm limited to 1/2 cup of food per meal for the rest of my life came as a shock to me, as a revision patient. I knew that my pouch would be smaller than my sleeve, and like with my original surgery, the amount I'd be able to eat at one time would be very small initially. But with my sleeve (which was done by a different surgeon in a different program), there was definitely not the expectation that the amount I could/should eat at 1 month post-op would be the same as what I could/should be eating at 6 months or 1 year out. My bypass surgeon also told me that she left my pouch a little larger than normal so that I wouldn't lose too much additional weight, so my pouch is already larger than a regular bypass patient's. Do these amounts seem in line with other people's experiences? Or am I way off-base?

I was a vegetarian for 12 years before I gave it up, and then life and the vicious cycle of weight gain and weight loss began for me. You can 100 percent get your protein without meat substitutes (which tend to be full of carbs btw). Beans with rice is a great way to get protein. Nuts and seeds, whole grains like oatmeal, couscous, quinoa, cheese, yogurt, and protein powders made out of peas. Ripple is a pea milk that is pretty good and has 8g of protein, it is very comparable to regular milk. I believe Ripple has other products too like protein powders and coffee mixes. If 8th continent still exists, that was the best milk substitute, I had a vegan bodybuilder friend who drank it like it was going out of style, lol. Don't forget about tofu, tempeh, edamame, and lentils (Not my fav). Chickpeas (hummus), peanut butter, There are other vegetarian and vegan protein powder options as well. I would suggest getting a good vegetarian cookbook, look for one that focuses on protein sources.

I'm about 90% vegetarian. I rarely eat meat substitutes. I get my protein from dairy products, beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc - I also have a protein shake most days and occasionally eat a protein bar if I'm out and about.

I started week three today and I got to add: yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, re-fried Beans, mashed potato, lactose free milk, sugar free low calorie pudding, mashed hard boiled eggs. I think there might be one or two other things but that's pretty close. I have that for the next two weeks. I made myself some pumpkin tofu custard, greek yogurt does down just fine and I made some vegetarian chili that I plan to puree. I tried last night but the yellow split peas weren't totally mushy yet. I also plan to do a little egg salad with yogurt instead of mayo.

i'll be banded soon and just wondering what other vegetarians out there are eating post-op. are you having a lot of Protein shakes or ??

Crock Pot Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe 1 container soft tofu 1 container firm or extra firm tofu ¼ cup soy milk ½ tsp garlic powder 2 tsp lemon juice 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped 1 tsp salt 2 10 oz packages frozen spinach, thawed and patted dry 4 cups tomato sauce 1 box lasagna noodles Preparation: In food processor or blender, combine the tofu, soy milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil, and salt and process until smooth. Add spinach to this mixture. Place about a cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the crock pot or slow cooker. Then place 1/3 of the noodles on top of the sauce, and 1/3 of the tofu and spinach mixture on tip of the noodles. Repeat these layers, being sure to end with sauce on tip. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or until noodles are soft. * DO NOT OVER COOK!!! THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE CROCK POT DISHES THAT THE LONGER YOU COOK IT THE BETTER!

I am active duty wanting desperately to get lap band. I have done a lot of research and each doctor is different with the bmi requirements. I am just under 34% bmi. I went to my PCM on Wednesday, he said he would put in my referral but today said he needed to talk to me. Don't know about what, but hoping its not to pop my bubble. I have high cholesterol and triglycerides. I got my blood work back today and found out that my cholesterol went up 20 points since Jan. I became a vegetarian 3 months ago. I have been dieting for the past 7 years with no luck, every time I get 10lbs off then I gain 15 more. I haven't been able to run for 2 and a half years. I NEED to lose about 75lbs to get back in shape. I might be facing a MEB and I only have 8 yrs till retirement. If anyone has any advice on getting TriCare to pay it would be very much appreciated.:rolleyes2:

9/25 was my same surgery date. I added canned chicken to cream soups. Some other things I'm eating now: tuna salad, egg salad, mashed avocado on liquid egg whites, vegetarian refried beans, cream of wheat with skim milk and protein power, sugar free jello with protein powder, chicken salad (canned not just cooked), I've blended vegetable beef soup, mashed sweet potato, cottage cheese, pureed baked eggplant with marinara.

I hated the puréed phase. I felt the same way. Nothing puréed wanted to go or stay down. Turns out, my sleeve hates purée, to this day I can't do it and I'm 1yr out. I ate a lot of yogurt and vegetarian chili that I pulverized with my teeth during the purée stage to get calories in. You're not alone in this.

Refried Beans are a staple of mine (I'm a vegetarian). I just head them in the microwave with salsa and a little cheese. A cup or less of that and I'm great for the evening. They are sort of high in carbs, but all the fiber and nutrients in them make them a great food, I think. Emily

Tracey, I am not a vegetarian but I have seen several posts from folks who are so I know they are out there! My response should put your message back into the "new content" list and hopefully you will get some responses. I am sure VSG can be done with a vegetarian diet!

Im curious if the forum has any Vegans, Vegetarians or Raw Foodies out there? Was this your choice before banding or did you convert after banding?

I was on a vegan diet for a few months last year and really liked it. I know most of you sleevers are low-carbing it, but I wonder whether anybody has tried vegetarian/vegan eating with the sleeve? Have any of you discussed it with your doctor? I plan to talk to my surgeon about it but would love to hear from you about it, too. Thanks!

Hi Coach! Good for you for listening to your body and eating healthy. People are funny about other people's eating habits! It seems they sincerely don't really "get" that it's really none of their business...but for those who are simply curious, maybe the term "partial vegetarian" makes it confusing. So, if you decide to respond at all, maybe saying you eat mostly vegetables and Protein would take away the mystery that draws them to comment! And when offered something you don't eat, a simple No Thank You is sufficient. If they persist, you can always try giving them the "look"-- like they have two heads or something. I don't pursue it, but I've had impulses to turn on someone and ask why they are so curious about what I'M eating. Of course, doing that would just continue the thing I'm not wanting -- keeps the focus on my food. So, I keep things lite and let their actions/comments be THEIR thing, their issue, not mine. And as others have said, eat what is good for YOU - you owe no explanation to anyone Sounds like you're doing well! ~hiddn

Alex has reorganized the food and Nutrition forum to make it easier than ever to find information and recipes for whatever stage of your journey you are on, no matter what surgery you are having or had! Also make sure to check out the special sections for vegetarians, gluten free, and other special diets. We ask for your patience as we manually categorise existing recipes into the new categories. Please jump in and share new ones and use the Search function to find old favorites!

What are your favorite convenience foods (frozen dinners, canned, etc.) I discovered Dinty Moore Beef Stew has only 240 cals per half can. l/3 can seems to be plenty. Nice and soft. I also like frozen meatballs--but they are about 100 cals each. Some of the vegetarian frozen burgers are a good choice. Cans of refried beans and a package of corn tortillas is another staple I like to have on hand. Anyone find something good out there?

Meat just isn't really agreeing with me and right now I'm eating mostly beans, cheese, Greek yogurt. Any vegetarians that can give me an idea of how they've been doing since surgery. I'm 2 months post-op.

Some problem! I'm at 4 months, I can't eat no meat or chicken. Trying to look at a vegetarian eating plan