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Good luck! Just my experience from having ex's and friends with various diets over the years. On a scale, pescaterian is easy peasy, tons of options and lots of good protein sources. Vegan is tough, eating out is hard, having someone cook for you is hard, convenience food is hard. On top of that plant based protein isn't as dense, so it can be hard to get enough without supplementing. When I became intolerant to whey protein I tried out various vegan protein drinks, powders and bars, and found nothing that was palatable, but YMMV. Vegetarian is somewhere in the middle, mostly with more limited restaurant choices. But I'm sure you know all this having done plants based in the past

No - he can be a jerk, but he's not controlling that way. I have fingerprint protection on my phone anyway, and it is the only number I give out. The insurance company is always sending statements, and I open and discard them because he is not even interested in seeing them. I have my own business working from home - but I can pretty much do my own thing right up until 5.30pm on weekdays for appts and he would be none the wiser. My daughters know about the surgery and are very on board. They can keep a secret - we are always doing things without him knowing. They aren't all that close to him because he's not around all that much if he's binge drinking/binge exercising/binge online game playing - and often the 3 of us will just go off shopping, out to eat, to fairs, festivals, etc. I mean, it's pretty telling that we go off to the UK for 6 weeks in the summer and leave him behind... They are only 11 and 10, though - so I have at least 3 good friends that could take me to the hospital (including the 1 that had gastric sleeve last year). Once it's a done deal he'll be Ok with it - but I'm pretty sure he would do anything to stop it. Because he'll be worried that something will happen to me, yes - but also because he'll be jealous (having done his stupid yo-yo diets for 17 years himself) and because he is so much older than me and he dislikes me getting any male attention as it is (he's 66, and I'm 41 and don't look it). My BMI is not huge - at 36 with diabetes, PCOS, and high cholesterol I *just* qualify, so I have not been told to lose any weight prior. The surgery for me is more about future-proofing my health. For the last couple of years I have made sure to do at least 10,000 steps a day, and keep my calories around 1300. I have logged it all in MyFitnessPal going back to 2015. I should lose weight, but with the PCOS it is almost impossible. What I am looking to get out of the WLS is the complete reset of hormones and metabolism that follows. Because I don;t know how I could keep this up in 10 years, 20 years, etc. No joke - I already have a protein shake for breakfast and one for lunch, for 2 years now. He's used to seeing that. I have been vegetarian since I was a child and only use skim milk, etc. and cook healthy meals. I don't think he's going to notice much difference in my pre-op diet. Plus I can hide any odd looking stuff in my room - we have separate bedrooms.

Sleeved Dec. 12 ... down a total of 85 pounds. I had significant orthopedic issues which in the past month have magically started to ease. My co-workers are always telling me to slow down. Because of that and a crazy schedule, exercise has been a difficult piece for me, but everything in time. I overcame being a vegetarian to eat high-protein, so I can do anything. I am going broke replacing my jeans and my hair is just, well, weird, but otherwise, I feel really great and an optimistic I'll get there. I've got my six-month appointment Friday. Will be interesting to see what my surgeon says.

The difficulty was lack of hunger and capacity at that stage. I have no real problems now. If you can find a protein powder you can use, pure plain and unflavored like Cabot whey protein you can add it to everything. I believe that one is mostly used for cooking so you can add it to soups etc. Eventually you will be asked to try to get all if your protein requirements from food. I only have trouble with this because I still cant handle meat because I really am better off a vegetarian or some flexible version of it. So I add premade shakes to coffee to easily meet my needs.

I don't have food allergies but I have a kosher diet which is super restricted so I became a vegetarian/vegan. Then just back to kosher after surgery. So I started with several unflavored proteins but couldn't tolerate it, I found I could only tolerate one brand so far and it's not vegetarian lol, premier protein, so I leave that as all the artificial ingredients I have in my diet, otherwise everything else is scratch made, well except for cheese. I can't make that... Yet lol

@NobodyYouKnow I've avoided posting for a while because I was thoroughly disappointed and upset with my appointment -- I left in tears. Half way through telling my dietary story the dietitian stopped me and, from my perspective, seemed to act like they'd heard the whole thing. Truth be told I had much more to say and felt like if they'd taken the time to really consider these things they'd then have gotten a much better picture of who I am and my particular struggles with food and how to progress from there. But they didn't do that. The dietitian proceeded to tell me exactly what I couldn't eat, followed by counter-productive information specifying that I could eat the foods they'd just told me not to eat. They then proceeded to show my the size of plate I'd be eating off of after the surgery like it was a big revelation (smaller plate size is the FIRST thing you read about on the google result that comes first for googling bariatric surgery for me). This was followed by the dietitian stating incorrect information about muscle/fat metabolism in regards to long term fasting, and present to me a leaflet with the information detailed information on what they want me to eat. However, the information presented to me was a 1000 kal diet big on the protein. If I was able to stick to this diet long term I would not be getting surgery?? I have no problems with the types of food they want me to eat but am concerned with my ability to hold up the quantities long term WITHOUT surgery. I also note that while reading the leaflet to me, they kept on pointing out vegetarian options even though I'd previously mentioned I eat meat. Not a big deal, but it felt like twisting the knife a little because I knew already the dietician wasn't listening to me. All in all, I don't have a /huge/ issue with what they have asked me to eat. But, I think if the result of an hour long consultation was going to be 'eat 1000kal of a 3:3:1 protien:carb:fat diet' irregardless of what I said, it could've been a 15 minute appointment instead. Instead I went in expecting to be listened to and considered instead of brushed over, ignored, and quite frankly, patronized (I already knew a lot about diet and what the post surgery diet would be like. None of the information was new to me.) I would appreciate it if people were sensitive in replying to me I am still quite hurt by the consultation. EDIT: to clarify though, I am doing exactly what they told me to do and have every intention of following it to the best of my abilities. I've come too far to get stopped in the road by a bad dietitian.

@Losebig - Wendy’s has fab bean and mince chilli. I love it occasionally because my wife is vegetarian. I buy a big one, and freeze it in 1/2 cup portions. The Wendy’s website gives nutritional breakdown - I don’t have it regularly (I love cooking these days) but it is a great occasional treat - where I really feel like I am treating myself! (Sometimes I add sriracha, or sliced jalapeños or chilli flakes, before freezing!)

I'm wading in , not vegan/vegetarian but starting to tilt that way after Dr Matthew Weiner et all. My favorite and it's soy based is Svelte, a little lower protein count but I don't taste a pronounced soy taste, I like the French Vanilla, it satisfies me pretty well I don't seem to get a quick hunger return.🍶

I'm a sleeve person...wrote this up on another post. My clinic sets a goal of 1200 calories and 60+ grams of Protein per day during weight loss phase. We can either eat three 400 calorie meals, or six 200 calorie meals...or any combination we'd like as long as net calories are 1200 per day. I personally prefer to do three tiny meals during the day, a bigger meal for dinner, and another tiny meal around 8pm (usually it's got a desert vibe, like fruit or cupcake yogurt, or a chocolate protein bar.) This is how my day usually works: (with a few different meal options...I like to mix it up a lot...variety is necessary!) 200 calorie Breakfast (oatmeal and coffee with Protein Shake for creamer/an egg and half a slice of whole grain toast/fruit and yogurt/etc) 200 lunch ( 3 ounces of pork chop or chicken breast with green beans/sweet potatoe with pecans and salad/BLT wrap/chef salad with hard boiled egg/homemade veggie Soup and slice of homemade bread) 200 midday snack (protein muffin/half a cup of potato salad/veggie and hummus/etc) 400 dinner (Crab boil/steak salad with eggs and swiss/protien Pasta with salad and homemade wholegrain bread/chicken stir fry/stuffed pepper/ vegetarian chili and cheese on a baked potato/etc) 200 after dinner snack (strawberries with chocolate sauce/watermellon/frozen grapes/cupcake yogurt/oatmeat with pecans and cherries/chocolate protein bar) I like a little sweet after dinner, and usually do this after I finish my 12,000 steps for the day...sort of my reward. I eat a lot of really satisfying delicious food. I'm getting an education about portions and making healthier choices. I'm eating a ton of fruits and veggies, lean Proteins and complex carbs. I LOVE my diet. I feel better on it. Tons of energy. Exercise is a big part of my day, too...and I have the energy to enjoy doing it. I drink at least 64 ounces of fluid a day. I have been in the habit of drinking all day and paying attention to drinking a lot because I used to take a diuretic and dehydration has been a risk. Water goes in the car with me anywhere I drive. I drink steadily anytime I'm at my desk or at home. Coffee, tea, lots of iced tea and Mio recently, herbal tea, water, etc. If my pee is darker? I drink like crazy. I typically walk 4000 steps by noon, 8000 by 5pm, and get a full 12,000 by bedtime. 1am? I do a variety of cardio activities....an hour, three times a week. (in addition to the walking) Weight loss has been slow and steady:) Getting close to goal:) Loving life:) PS...I'm a sleeve, not a bypass...but figured so much of this is universal it couldn't hurt to add to the conversation.

There is no reason to do any of those fad diets that you hear about online (Atkins/keto, etc.) and generally long term most do better without getting involved in those. Your sleeve works just fine on most any diet that you may choose, but the important part is what will you stick with long term that will allow you to eat sensibly and control your weight. I second the motion to discuss this with a dietician, particularly if you are new to vegan/vegetarian as there are nutritional issues that one needs to address - plant vs. animal proteins, iron, etc. It is difficult to do early on owing to the low protein density of plant proteins, but after a few months is quite workable. A couple of specific references to look for is Dr. Alvarez on Youtube and other social media, who is a Mexico based sleeve surgeon and is also vegan and helps many of his patients take that approach if they are so inclined, and Dr. Matthew Weiner, also on Youtube, who, while not stictly vegetarian, does advocate a veg first approach to his WLS and weight control patients. Both are useful in helping take a non-traditional WLS approach

Hi everyone, I just had my gastric bypass done on 5/30/2018 (last Wednesday). I am on stage 2 diet and it's a lot of liquids. I am also vegetarian, so it's hard to get my protein in. I like Genepro and I was wondering if I could add it to No sugar added "light start" instant breakfast. In my handbook from the hospital it says "sugar free" instant breakfast. I'm just so confused if the "no sugar added" and the "sugar free" are the same. It has 60 calories per packet and 7g sugar. I'd mix it with almond milk. Is it okay to drink? Thanks everyone. I'm new to this site, so i hope I'm doing this correctly! ps- Any vegetarians on here? What ways do you get protein in?

I think you need a new doctor. I think the advice you're being given is dangerous and sets you up to overeat and stretch your sleeve. It also sets you up for low blood sugar, hunger, fatigue, and fainting...that can be downright dangerous if you have to drive and difficult to have a productive day. It's not teaching you to eat the right foods. It's not teaching you to consume sensible portions. It's not teaching you much of anything other than starvation. Re-educating yourself how to deal with food is essential to long term success. I just don't see how this is a sustainable "forever diet". And if it's not....how and what will you transition to when you haven't been given any skills? My clinic sets a goal of 1200 calories and 60+ grams of protein per day during weight loss phase. We can either eat three 400 calorie meals, or six 200 calorie meals...or any combination we'd like as long as net calories are 1200 per day. I personally prefer to do three tiny meals during the day, a bigger meal for dinner, and another tiny meal around 8pm (usually it's got a desert vibe, like fruit or cupcake yogurt, or a chocolate protein bar.) This is how my day usually works: 200 breakfast (oatmeal and coffee with protein shake for creamer/an egg and half a slice of whole grain toast/fruit and yogurt/etc) 200 lunch ( 3 ounces of pork chop or chicken breast with green beans/sweet potatoe with pecans and salad/BLT wrap/chef salad with hard boiled egg/homemade veggie soup and slice of homemade bread) 200 midday snack (protein muffin/half a cup of potato salad/veggie and hummus/etc) 400 dinner (Crab boil/steak salad with eggs and swiss/protien pasta with salad and homemade wholegrain bread/chicken stir fry/stuffed pepper/ vegetarian chili and cheese on a baked potato/etc) 200 after dinner snack (strawberries with chocolate sauce/watermellon/frozen grapes/cupcake yogurt/oatmeat with pecans and cherries/chocolate protein bar) I like a little sweet after dinner, and usually do this after I finish my 12,000 steps for the day...sort of my reward. I eat a lot of really satisfying delicious food. I'm getting an education about portions and making healthier choices. I'm eating a ton of fruits and veggies, lean proteins and complex carbs. I LOVE my diet. I feel better on it. Tons of energy. Exercise is a big part of my day, too...and I have the energy to enjoy doing it. Weight loss has been slow and steady:) Getting close to goal:)

What ever is on sale and vegetarian. LOL:) The ones I ate today were Ortega 120 calories for 1/2 cup... 8 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber! Good eats. Had some reduced fat colby jack and hot homemade salsa. I like to save my fats budget in all things "taco" for healthier avocado fat:)

That's fair enough. My sister did very poorly on multiple antidepressants too, and finds she copes better without the chemical interference. I have been on a very low dose of effexor for the past few years once I accepted that I just wasn't improving mentally after having my second child (we had two losses in between and a traumatic birth and first week which I expect had something to do with it, plus when I had a mirena put in it messed me up completely and triggered anxiety too). Regarding your current foods: I don't do well with very sweet things either, especially post surgery. Home made pureed soups made with home made gelatin-rich chicken stock where what kept me going through my liquid phase, along with a morning decaf coffee and less-sweet and non-milky protein waters. I now have a good collagen hydrolysate supplement (derived from beef gelatin) which dissolves really well in hot and cold liquids and doesn't add any noticeable taste. I read earlier that you don't use meat-derived broths, but perhaps you can find a similarly tasteless or savoury vegetarian supplement that you can have in your soups or vegetable broth? If you move on to puree phase in a few days you may find that helps you feel better and a little more yourself. Things like hummus and seasoned mashed avocado are lovely in purees. And thick hearty soups. I hope things improve for you soon. We are all here cheering you on from the sidelines *hugz*

Day one of pre-op liquid ... oh my !!! 7 days to go- my choices are Limited as I am a vegetarian I don’t eat broths from meat. It’s really hard just trying not to think about it & staying busy. Can’t believe in 7 days I will have 3 sleeves in stead of just the 2 on my shirts... hang in there everyone... my friend said on the other side it’s just so much easier this is the hard part but the payoff is well worth it!!! You all inspire me to keep going-especially the people doing two and three weeks I’m only one week!!!

I'm 12 days post OP, also a vegetarian. Premier protein is the best because it's higher in protein than the other ones which means I don't have to drink as much. Even though it's the best I'm so sick of it and can barely choke it down now. Worried how I'm going to get enough protein.

Im with you. I was hungry all the time and thought about food where as before surgery I truly believed I would NOT be hungry at all. This was not the case for me. The inner fat girl does not shut up. I remember out of the hospital I wanted to eat sour power belts, vegetarian nachos, and mexican food. Those were all things I loved so much. Before surgery I made super low carb versions of mexican food which was amazing but it was the taste I missed the most and the thought of not having a savory dish for a while was torcher. Im 2 weeks out and the food craving are less but Im still hungry with the difference that I could only put a tiny amount of food in me. Believe it or not once you start feeling your body say no to certain solid foods you just wont want it anymore because its not worth the pain of feeling like a stuffed sausage with real bad nausea. Also weight drop off is different with people. Some people had sheepishly shed weight others is like a slow peeling of layers...Hang in there my friend...

I have a tentative date for September 24th. I'm also a vegetarian. I have been including and incorporating protein powder into my diet to increase my protein levels as well as to ready myself for pre and post procedure. The problem is is that I get stomach aches and nausea from the protein powders. Is there any suggestions as to what I can try what brands so forth to help me get my protein?

Love that you did it vegetarian:) So healthy! My diet isn't completely vegetarian, but I lean that way pretty hard. Looking gorgeous. Congrats on the payoff for all that hard work!

Like Jess said....post surgical diets are incredibly different. I think Jess's version is more common among American bariatric centers.... and all of her food is stuff I'd eat in a heartbeat...looks delicious. Biggest difference, is that I do a lot of fuit and low glycemic carbs and more plant based protein. I've always done healthy carbs. Right after protein drinks I transitioned to thin cream of wheat and oatmeal per my approved plan. Mashed potatoes and vegetarian refried beans were on my soft food approved list, too. Didn't do whole grain breads until later, they were tough for a while. I know a lot of folks do something closer to keto. My clinic serves a lot of international clients and lots of them are vegan and vegetarian culturally, so my nutritionist was delighted when I said I'd been doing Mayo Clinic Diet. She was like...Awesome, I can work with that! Here's a sample menu from early on: We're only required to do 60g of protein per day, but it's not unusual for me to hit 80-100. The big things that make my diet work (I think), are fixed calories under 1200 per day, little to no refined sugar, healthy fats, fiber, steady blood sugar, lean protein and plant based protein. I don't do much animal fat. Also, my clinic stresses exercise and writes our recommendations on a prescription pad.

Overall weight loss is statistically a little better with Bypass. (that said...both procedures can effectively help bring people to goal weight and both can fail) Overall complication rates are higher with bypass, though. More leaks, more malabsorption issues. Both surgeries carry some risk, but in the grand spectrum of things, both are pretty safe surgeries these days. The safety of a surgery is dependent, also, on the surgeon's experience. You want a surgeon who does a LOT of your procedure and feels very comfortable doing it. That expertise...is crucial to safety and a good outcome. I chose sleeve because my surgery was quick, it's my surgeon's favorite, and I don't want to have dumping issues. I was on the table less than an hour, and was up walking laps around the ward within just a few hours after surgery. If you currently have problems with GERD, you might want to lean toward bypass. Before surgery, my endoscopy revealed chronic gastritis and this concerned me a little (but we figured it was due to multiple daily doses of ibuprofen and a couple of my other meds)...but I went ahead with the sleeve because I don't want to dump. I have not had any problems with acid reflux. I'm off my omeprazole (antacid PPI that you take for a while after surgery) and i've still not hand any problems with acid. (thank goodness!) If you're a vegetarian (I'm not, but I lean that way quite a bit) you might want to consider the sleeve. A big part of my diet is complex carbs, fruit, and lower glycemic index whole grains....I wanted to be able to continue to eat a healthy vegetarian-leaning diet without concerns about dumping. I'm a fruit-bat. I don't eat a lot of refined sugar, but I do eat a lot of fructose in whole fruits. Talk about the pros and cons with your doctor. Either way you go....you have good odds.

For these guys...I use La Banderita Carb Counter whole wheat wraps for the tortillas. I'm not a carb counter...but these low carb whole wheat wraps taste great, only 50 calories per wrap, 4g of protein per wrap, and a whopping 11 grams of awesome dietary fiber per wrap! Go fiber! This recipe will make a BIG quesadilla. You'll only be able to eat a quarter to a half of it...so enlist help:) Throw one whole wheat tortilla wrap in a very hot pan. Top with the following: 2 T. Fresh chopped tomato 2 T. fresh chopped red onion 1 T. Black Beans 2 T. frozen sweet corn kernels. 1/4 cup of shredded reduced fat colby jack cheese Any kinda shredded meat that you like...chicken, pork, beef,...optional, but gives you extra protein bang for your buck and tastes great. (this is an awesome way to use up that little bit of grilled chicken/steak that you brought home from a restaurant cause you don't need a lot) Also great to eat these vegetarian style with just the cheese. Put another whole wheat tortilla wrap on top...cover to melt the cheese before you flip it....and cook both sides until it starts to brown and get crispy. Cut it into 8 wedges with a pizza cutter and serve with salsa, hot sauce, cilantro, gracamole, whatever you like on a quesadilla. Calories and protein for the whole recipe: Two whole wheat wraps 100 calories 8g protein 1/4 cup reduced fat colbyjack 90 calories 7g protein 2 T Black beans 80 calories 6g protein 2 T Tomatoes 4 calories 2 T Onion 8 calories 2 T Corn 20 calories 2 ounces Chicken Breast 94 calories 17g protein Total= 396 calories 38 grams of protein Remember... You'll only be able to eat a quarter to a half of one of these monsters. They're SUPER filling. 1/4 serving 99 calories 9.5 grams of protien 1/2 serving 198 calories 19 grams of protein Good family food, cause you can eat the fancy whole wheat wraps and the family can eat regular tortillas. Add other toppings. Maybe you like olives or cactus or hot peppers? Everyone make their own:) You could serve with refried beans, pico de gallo, lime, whatever your family enjoys.

I could have (and I think I did) written this word for word! The first week I was SOOOO HUNGRY! Not head hunger either, but stomach rumbling physical hunger! Turns out my stomach was producing WAY too much stomach acid. Once I got on protonix, it went away. I just started the soft food diet today, and let me tell you it was a real struggle to eat 2 tablespoons of vegetarian retried beans! And I’m not hungry anymore. Now I have to push myself to eat because I know I need to. Trust me, it’s working. I freaked out to, to the point where at my 5 day follow up I was asking the surgeon “what size bougie did you use???” 😂 Poor man was like 32 French. And I make stomachs smaller than most surgeons do. You’ll start feeling that not hungry bit when you get out of liquids I promise. Just keep trucking and it’ll all work out. Good luck!

I’ve moved to a Paleo/Whole 30 diet which typically limits dairy, grains, legumes, and all processed food sources. I’m finding substitutes with more natural sources where I can, but I’ve also just accepted that the first few months, it’s more important to hit my protein and hydration goals however possible and gradually work back to the way I plan to eat the rest of my life once my stomach has healed, and I can tolerate a variety of foods again. I figure this process is going to be hard enough without adding more complications at the beginning when I’m barely able to eat anything. So, I’ll be doing Protein infused water and sf jello with added whey protein and Premier Protein shakes. I have found Paleo and Vegan protein powder which I will use in my jellos and shakes. Vegetarian broth won’t have the proteins bone broth offers so you’d have to add unflavored protein sources. However, I’ve been told you can’t add the protein when the broth is hot or it will break down the protein and become gloopy.