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Hi All, - Everyone's getting on board with the exercise. I did 10 minutes of level 10 on the bike, it was a struggle, but I think I got the same results of 20 min at a lower level. Going to try for 15min at level 10 next. Levels 6 and 7 are feeling like 3 and 4. I use those levels as my 5 minute cool down. Tammy, 11 pounds, you'll hit soon. Then it's on to maintaining your brand new weight. I won't be there any time soon. But look forward to seeing you get there. Then you can tell us what's it's like on that side of the fence. Did that scale come in yet? If so, how is it working for you? Didn't order mines yet, still trying to find it cheaper. metawnny- when I feel that I'm about to blow it, I take a yogurt drink filled with fruits and powdered "Protein mix" or have tunafish and crackers or deli slices. Anything to keep from eating a full meal. And I mean a full meal. Even though I measure them, they're still a full meal. I've come across the word P-bing, what does that mean? I have an idea but need to be sure. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but do anyone have trouble eating semi-solid foods in the mornings, ie scrambled eggs/omelets? The first bite and they were small and I felt it was well chewed felt tight going down. The second and third bites did the same. I felt so bad, I thought they would just sit where they were. My throat and chest began to burn and I felt like I couldn't breath. The one time I wished it would come back up. When they reached my stomach it felt worse. After about 15 minutes the sensation began to ease and the food went down. After my stomach calmed down, I was then able to finish it. I'm not sure if this will be a morning thing to be careful with. This has happened after my last fill I had last week. I understand why it happened with tunafish and crackers also egg sandwich, for Breakfast dry food, but "eggs"?. I hope this won't be problem now. I know some meats, like chicken breast is suggeted not to eat. I haven't had any since my fill, so not sure if that will be a problem too. Now that I'm thinking about it, I really haven't eaten meat since last week. Mostly fish, am I on the road to becoming a vegetarian? My daughter would like that very much? Well, everyone have a great weekend. Looking to read positive results from everyone.

Don't quit posting....you are a mentor for a BUNCH of us. And just look at those SKINNY LEGS !!! WOO HOO I was having trouble with constipation and feeling tired, and it was your posts from the past that led me to the low carb vegetarian site. I'm now feeling more energy and less consti....(well you know) lol You look fabulous and are definately MY inspiration. :thumbup1: VSG 4/7/2010 Highest Weight: 365 Surgery Weight: 349 Todays Weight: 304

Not getting Protein in for two weeks won't kill you. I lived on strained Amy's no-chicken noodle soup, vegetarian vegetable broth with a dash of A-1 sauce for flavor and Water with cranberry juice added for the first week. The second week I added Amy's Tomato Bisque, hummus and guacamole - just a teaspoon here and there. By the third week I was eating really soft foods and even though it wasn't in my surgeon's official plan, he was ok with it. I got to skip pureed with his blessing. He made it really clear what I could and could not do, what was myth and what was fact as far as stretching and staples went, and I was fine.

Soy and whey are both excellent sources of Protein. Both are complete Proteins (meaning they have all nine essential amino acids which the body cannot produce on its own) and both have a perfect 1.0 score on the PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score) which ranks proteins based on their digestibility and has been adopted by the Institute of Medicine, the FDA and the World Health Organization. Soy is a plant based protein which makes it ideal for vegetarians or folks who are lactose intolerant. Whey protein is made from cow's milk and may or may not be tolerated by those who are lactose intolerant depending on the how highly the whey is filtered. If you're not vegetarian or lactose intolerant, you really can't go wrong with either soy or whey protein. There is a difference in taste so a good starting point might be to buy one of each and see what you think. I always caution folks to stay away from most (not all) products marketed as protein "shots" or "bullets". With one exception that I am aware of, all the rest are made with collagen protein which has a PDCAAS score of 0.08. These products are attractive to bypass patients because they are low volume - usually around 3 oz, and high protein - usually 30 to 50g. But any amount of protein, high or low, is useless if the body can't absorb it. The one exception which I learned from another forum member is "Yes Whey" which does not contain collagen protein. Hope that helps!!

@@ekmw, I'm currently a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but I plan on going back to vegan once I reach maintenance. If you want some info, tips or to recipe swap, just send me a PM. It doesn't seem like many of the vegetarian/vegan sub-groups are very active on here unfortunately.

Are you talking about chinese food per se or americanized chinese style fried fast food? I've has seitan (japanese "wheat" meat for vegetarians) in various asian dishes - with loads of fresh veggies, hold the oil, no rice since I've been on solids without a problem.

I do between 40 and 60 g of carbs a day. I think I lose better with fewer carbs, but I eat a lot of vegetarian Protein sources, Beans and seeds, dairy, etc. and so my carbs creep up even though I eat no bread, Pasta, rice, etc...I get plenty of Fiber and food based Vitamins, though, which for me is important. At the beginning of my program my nut told us no more than 60 g of carbs daily and no more than 20 g per meal. Lots of people do fewer carbs than that, some do more. It worked for me, but now I do try for a lower carb number and higher fat number. Still doing 70 g protein a day.

If you are strict vegetarian, you ate likely not going to find a solution in the form of a whole unprocessed food. You can however get your Protein requirements filled by using alternatives such as : Hemp Protein powder TVP (textured vegetable protein) Soy Protein powders or RTD Sifted vegetable Proteins Just remember, almost all vegetarian proteins are not complete proteins. So you will need to use a protein blend or have several different protein sources. There are definitely obsticals to overcome doing this 100% vegan, but it can be done. Now if you were willing to do the lacto-vegetarian or ovo-vegetarian thing it becomes super easy very quickly.

Hi Indian. I am also vegetarian and am looking to get sleeved in February. I follow and Indian vegetarain diet, but try not to eat Indian food so much because it's very high in carbs: rice and rotis (like wheat tortillas), curries with potatos etc. Sorry to cross post, but I asked this somewhere else: how do sleevers tolerate spicy foods? Since I travel alot, sometimes my only food choices would be rice and spicy curries and sometimes there's no choice! Feel free to chime in what your thoughts about this are. I too was wondering what other good protien sources there are for vegetarians. Thanks...

I thought a vegetarian could have dairy? Or is that the octo-tarian? Or whatever....I get them all mixed up.

I actually would like to try Quorn. The cranberry/goat cheese options sounds interesting. Love that combo with chicken. I kinda chickened out about trying Quorn cuz I read that you could have super bad reactions to the mushrooms? I eat other mushrooms though without problems. In the old days I used to love Morningside Farms grillers. I actually miss them. I may have to see if there are Quorn crumbles in the freezer section. It's not that I'm looking to go vegetarian, vegan, or to up my veg/fiber consumption cuz I already eat over 1lb per day (per Dr. Weiner), but I do love to just have options and variety. One of my most satisfying meals is the combo of mixed mushrooms sauteed with garlic and greens and egg/egg whites. It's very meaty and substantial without making you queasy cuz it's so heavy and rich. Sometimes I'll add turkey sausage crumbles or will add a bit of cheese like feta or goat cheese.

I tried the Fairlife milk based on comments on here. I also like the OWYN vegetarian shakes. I tried the shakes warm and it was much easier to get down. I also like low sodium chicken bone broth. College has 10grams of protein per cup if you can find it.

Actually I posted a question whether spicy foods are okay as I love them. So far, I haven't had any problems but I had my 1st fill yesterday and haven't had rice since. I did eat about 1/2 of a vegetarian pizza and I kept waiting to fill full but never really did.

I can't answer for that person but in my humble opinion, the need for such a high amount of protein isn't really needed. I think in the beginning, to follow through the best you can. But I just ordered Dr Garths book called a Proteinaholic today. He's a bariatric surgeon who went vegan and encourages his patients and everyone on a vegan diet. I'm currently doing vegetarian. I'm going to read it and see what he has to say. He dispels the myths about protein, protein, protein. Even though my doc wants me to do protein (min of 65g and that's where I keep it) he does promote more veggies and grains too, which is what I'm doing. So far so good. Still losing the weight too. 😊

There's a Facebook page called WLS Vegetarians. You might join there.

DONALI 1. You are NOT hungry - hunger is not the problem for you. You have NOT been hungry since surgery. girl) well I get hunger pains at times.. but I have never cared about them much at all in my life.. I have gone days without eating in the past and just dont care.... Its just a little weird thing about me. 2. Your sole purpose in getting the band was so that you would not be able to eat - ANYTHING, period. Because if you can eat, you will - hunger or not. girl) NO.. smaller amounts of food.. but it doesnt work that way. but yes, I will eat whether I am hungry or not. 3. Whether you can eat or not, there is absolutely no hope whatsoever that you will make healthier, more nutritious choices. IF you can eat, you will eat more cheetos, more Cookies, more chicken nuggets, more milk, more juice, more soup. If you CAN'T eat, you will subsist on less milk, less juice, less soup, less cheetos, and less cookies. girl) yes I KNOW, There IS 'help' what so ever".. but I am not willing to keep trying when I have been trying for so long.. trying everything and with 100% effort. and failing.. WHY WHY WHY keep doing that.. I BUT KNOW I STILL DO IT!!!! I HAVE NOT GAVE UP>> I STILL TRY DAILY.. I just have no hope.. or tiny bit I will ever be able to do itt 4. You have already had so much therapy regarding your head issues with food that you "have a degree" in it. girl) I have a bachelore degree in psychology.. Thats what I meant. I said that just to show I have a tad more experience in the mentallity of it all than usual. 5. Prior to banding, you lost 48 pounds. girl) 41, yes 6. You want more consistent/stable restriction so that you can have liquids/cheetos/cookies throughout the day, not just at night. girl) lol... I guess so... I dont see it was want.. I flipping HATE them.. lol Its OUT OF CONTROL. I tell everyone to NOT to allow the crap, I write it on my grocery list "NO CHEETO"S".. I tell my kids they can never go buy any for me no matter how much I beg.. ect.. I TRY! Just out of curisosity, how did you lose the 48 pounds? girl) Low carb.. under 20 carbs a day.. its eAsy. Do you really have absolutely no intention of migrating yourself to a more healthful way of eating? I have EVERY intention.. I want to be a vegetarian too.. I want to cut WAY down on milk products mostly.. (I joined peta)...I do I do I do. Do you really intend on subsisting on milk, juice, cheetos, soup, cookies and chicken nuggets for the rest of your life? No.. I hope and I will try to get UNDER CONTROL.. as I lose weight and I get surgery I need and my life becomes "easier", I really think as I can get fit and my life together that will include the eating and diet as well.... we'll see.. I believe once upon a time you said you were a nurse - am I remembering that correctly? Are you supplementing your daily intake with a good multivitamin like Alex hopes? lol, nope.. my17 yr old daughter is a sophmore in college trying to get into nursing school. I take a flintstone chewable.. maybe theres more I need though. I do understand about eating when you are not hungry. I do understand about eating as much as possible, as often as possible, stopping only because I am out of food or because there is literally not room for even one more bite. I dont do that.. I never have... I mean I have pigged out.. but it wasnt common for me to do. Like For lunch I would have a 99cent plain cheese burger or a small KFC snacker and tons to drink. and be full. I just drank like gallons a day. What I don't understand is your inability/unwillingness to include more healthful/nutritious choices in your menu.I'm not talking about cutting out any of your current choices altogether - I'm talking about choosing to eat lean Proteins and veggies first, and then (if it's physically possible), indulging in the less nutritious stuff. ..not unwilling.. I am trying... see my first post.. I have NEVER ate meals and I just cant seem to want to or get any discpline to do so. I honestly don't know what to tell you - everything I know about banding success hinges on people being able to modify their habits at least somewhat. This is something you wouldn't have to do all at once - make the changes one at a time, in a gradual way. I think its modifying that I dont cram food into my mouth or try to eat whe my band says no.. or dozens of other things. If you are able to be successful going about this "your" way then I am happy for you. But it doesn't seem to be working for you too much at the moment. I lost 30 pounds this last two months so all the crying about not losing weight was for nothing.. I did.. AND YET I am not all fine and dandy.. INFACT I am MORE motivated to NOT eat the crap at night and try to do it better. If you had nothing but healthfood foods in the house, you wouldn't eat them? Even if there wasn't anything else? It is not your children's responsibility to resist your pleas to bring home junk food - I cannot lay the blame at their feet. And they dont.. I try to tell them but ultimately they do as I say. and or I get it my self. They help as much as possible.. All the blame is mine.. Throughout my life I have often wished I could be locked in a room for a year or so where the exact amount/quality of food I needed to be my perfect weight was slid under the door - nothing more, nothing less. That I didn't even get to see or interact with people - the sole purpose was to have my diet managed for me. It sounds like you might benefit from that kind of fantasy situation. for sure..lol, I still wish I had like a cook who could cook delious food that was low in fat and sugar so I didnt notice It was "yucky"..lol Unfortunately, I am unaware of any place like that (I still wish there was one for me!). I have only myself to rely on for my choices. When I choose well my life swings towards health - when I don't, my life swings towards sickness. Sometimes I'm healthy, sometimes I'm not. But I try and make it easier on myself by limiting what I have available at home, so that my choices are a little easier, at least in that one place in my life. I know.. I do limit what I have at home.. its too easy to go out to fast food or the corner store, that "whats in the house" means nothing... I buy all decent stuff when I grocery shop.. I have made sure my kids NEVER got fat.. (thats the biggest reason) Hoping you can make a place in your life where making more nutritious choices is a little easier, and that once you make that place, that it grows throughout your life until you come out on the other side a more healthy, nourished soul - inside and out. ((hugs)) THANKS SO MUCH... you really did listen VERY WELL!!! Good advice too!! (as always

Hi Chickie, I am curious about vegetarianism. Do you eat any meat? If not, what do you eat for Protein? What do you do when you eat out? Sorry for all the questions but I am willing to do just about anything that will help with the weight loss and you are living proof that someone with PCOS can do it. Thanks in advance!

My relationship with food is much friendlier than it used to be. We had a bit of a love-hate relationship before in that I really liked eating, but I really hated the fact that doing so made me fat. Kind of like in that Austin Powers movie..I eat because I'm sad and I'm sad because I eat...or something along those lines. Not to blame my parents, who are wonderful people, but we had a strict "clean your plate" policy, so I always felt guilty about wasting food. As a result, I never wanted food to go to waste, so I would eat it, and then I would end up eating everything in the house. Food taunted me. Now though, I can eat a few bites of whatever I want and because I physically cannot clear my plate, so to speak, there is no longer the urge to do so. If I want to have a bit or two of pie, then I do that, and unlike before, I don't have any really interest in finishing the pie later. The fact that nothing is off limits anymore purely for the sake of being on a diet has been freeing. That being said, it is also probably helpful that my sleeve is a bit of a B. She just does not like food at all, especially the good stuff. So, I have been classically conditioned to understand that I can enjoy literally maybe two bites of rich food and that is it, or I will spend the next 20 minutes barfing, panting, and having hot flashes. So, this again reinforces the idea that I can eat what I want in teeny tiny portions and there is no need to keep eating, or ultimately I will be miserable. In terms of taste, I have always had a sweet tooth and I still do, but unfortunately sugars also tend to make me sick and I just generally don't eat them often anymore. I went through a phase where I craved steak...I never cared much about meat before. I was hardly a vegetarian, but it just wasn't my first choice of food. I had this one steak dish probably everyday for about a month. Right now I am 16 months out and I feel like my relationship with food is like an old boyfriend that I care less and less about as time goes on. First, I really missed him, then I tried to replace him, then I mourned him and my inability to find a suitable replacement, and now, eh, I can take him or leave him. I eat when I'm hungry, but I don't really enjoy food in the same voracious capacity as I used to. Hope that gives you a little insight...

Even if you are vegetarian your body still needs protein.

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!

Edamame is immature soybeans and is an excellent source of protein, although it does have carbs also. Tofu is a form of soybeans and is used in vegetarian diets as meat substitute. I never really thought about how to use them in recipes because I just love them straight from the pod. There are several recipes on Allrecipes.com so search there and enjoy!!! Kathe

I personally eat tacos routinely with my family...just less the shell. I cook with either ground turkey or 90% lean ground beef. I eat the meat, low fat cheese, lettuce, tomato, vegetarian refried Beans, avocado, and FF sour cream. I can eat the equivalent of 1 taco...or like 1 cup....just in a salad form, not taco form. i like it because there is usually leftovers for the next day.

Hello, chickabo. Please know that I come from a place of wanting to help provide you some information and share my experience. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong, this is just my experience over the past 8 weeks. And I know when I was pre surgery I wanted as much information as I could get to help me. Before I go into my story below, I found a doctor online, Dr. Garth Davis, (http://www.thedavisclinic.com), who is a Bariatric surgeon in Texas -he is a 'plant based' doctor. I found this guy after I had my surgery, but he seems to be a good resource and one that I wish I would have found pre-surgery. You may find his information helpful or at least contact his office to get information sent to you so that you have some to help you with your doctor. Here is my story, if you want to read further: I was a vegan for several years pre-surgery. So was my family (husband and two sons). We did it for the animal issue, not the health issue. Trust me when I say I have seen more than most people on animal cruelty and food and I battle mentally with it everyday. When I first started looking into the Lap-band, I didn't find anything on vegan and Lap-band. All I kept seeing was 'Protein, protein, protein' and more 'protein.' But I knew, as a vegan, that I could get enough protein to hit 60 grams or more a day per what my doctor was telling me I had to have. I had done it for years and didn't see the issue. (When I say protein here is what I mean: There are only a few "complete proteins" (a protein that contains all the 8 essential amino acids that your body is unable to make on its own) for vegans and they are soy milk, tofu, and tempeh (these are the only true "complete proteins" for vegans). All other Proteins that you get from plants are called "incomplete proteins" like grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts. Now as vegan, you can take two "incomplete proteins" and combine them to can get a "complete protein." Example: grains + legumes or legumes + seeds/nuts.) So the issue wasn't getting "protein" per say. The issue that I saw right away was getting the enough of the right "protein" (complete proteins) which lead me to where I would have the biggest issue being vegan-- the volume of food that I would need to eat to get a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day. You see, when I was vegan (pre band), I could eat a large tofu "egg" wrap with a cup of broccoli and vegan cheese inside for Breakfast. This would give me ~14 grams of protein for ~350 calories or so (including a low carb wrap). However, when I look at the numbers in more detail with my post-band rules, this just doesn't give me the right amount of protein for the calories (10/1 - for every 10 calories in the food it should have at least 1 gram of protein). So, even thought it would give me "complete protein" for the meal, it wasn't the 10/1 rule. But more importantly, that is a HUGE amount of food to be eating after Lap-Band surgery. There is no way I could eat that much in one sitting. I might be able to make two meals of it now. That means for two meals I would only be getting ~14 grams of protein. So, having said that, I could (and do on occasion) supplement with Protein drinks (Sun Warrior Original Flavor chocolate or vanilla is the absolute best tasting and it has a 80 calories / 4 carbs / 15 grams of protein - which is great), but I quickly learned after I moved to soft solid foods (after the liquid diet pre and post surgery) that I wanted to eat food - I was SICK of drinking my calories. So protein drinks can fill in the gaps for getting more protein, but I found that I wanted to eat my calories instead of drinking them. So this wouldn't be an option for me longterm. So, what's an animal loving vegan who really wants / needs a Lap-band to do? As I was doing research, I ran across an article that talked about a devout vegan (animal lover) who was vegan for years and all of a sudden started craving animal protein. Long article short, she took a bite of something that had animal protein in it and as she said, "guess what, the world didn't end!" That was my moment. I thought, I have spent years battling my weight and part of that was doing everything that was 'best' for everyone else and it was time that I took care of me. So that is when I made the switch to vegetarian. I had huge amount of guilt (that I still carry around) but I knew I needed to at least try it versus continue down my road of being obese and miserable. You see, WLS patients aren't choosing the easy way out, contrary to what you might think, read, see, or hear. We chose surgery where we are cut open and surgically altered - that is not easy. We chose to eat very minimal amounts of food when others around us are eating pounds of it - that is not easy. We chose to exercise at least 210 minutes a week - that is not easy. We chose to have to chew every little bite we take 20-30 times - that is not easy. We have to take Vitamins that are horrible every single day - that is not easy. So to me, making a few food changes to my diet didn't seem that hard compared to all the other "not easy" stuff I was agreeing to do. So, after my pre-op and post-op diet of all liquids (which I had for 3 weeks), when I made the move to soft proteins I incorporated some yogurt (which I still can't stand) and then I incorporated some string cheese and some egg whites (not eggs). I did this very slowly. I then progressed to eating salmon, tuna, and shrimp. I still use all my vegan condiments (vegan mayo, cream cheese, sour cream, etc.) but I chose to add in easier proteins to my day. I'm not going to tell you how great I feel or how I'm losing weight by the lbs daily, but I'm just going to tell you that it is working for me right now, today and that's all I have. Opening my mind and putting more focus on me is working for me, today. And everyday is another day to do it better. I have tried to get away from "I did bad today," to "I will try to do better tomorrow" and that has helped to. I hope some of this has helped you a little bit. It's okay if it didn't. I just want you to know that whatever you choose to do, do it for you. This is YOUR time and no one or no thing can take it away from you. Sending you all the best and well wishes. Keep us posted on here! Jen

Hi everyone, I'm having a hard time finding a chewable/liquid/ez-melt calcium/D3 vitamin that's (1) vegetarian or vegan and (2) with no added sugar OR sugar alcohol (fructose is OK). I haven't considered vitamin patches - but I have an allergy to adhesive (tape, bandaids), so that complicates things! I figured I'd ask here in case someone has any good calcium products they can recommend. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! xxx

My diet is not plant based but I do eat a variety of foods and happy to eat vegetarian or vegan when I visit my sisters (one vegan, the other vegetarian) or go to their preferred restaurants. As much as possible I will buy free range and locally/grass fed and the local farmers market is excellent. Fortunately where I live is a food bowl.