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Ok, so I did some quick research on heme vs non-heme iron, and it's true you don't need heme iron. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/#h2 According to this website, a vegetarian menstruating female needs to consume 32mg of iron a day. That would take 4 cups (24oz) of canned white beans (the best source of iron in vegetable foods on the chart). I don't know about y'all, but that would take me about 6 meals of just white beans to accomplish! Lol! Compare that to a non-vegetarian menstruating female needs only 18mg a day, accomplished by eating 3.5oz of pan fried chicken liver plus 1/2 cup spinach a day. I really like this page: http://www.sheilakealey.com/sports-nutrition/iron/ BUT, who is eating 3.5oz chicken liver every day? Lol! Just take your iron pills, or eat your fortified cereal, and go about your merry way

I know many vegans and vegetarians. About half of my church are one or the other. Our monthly potlucks are always meatless. Some are the picture of health and some are whatI call junk food veggies. They consume way too much sugar, pizza, bread, ect...and are overweight. There is so much difference in how people eat. I hope to be a healthy WFPB example.

I've only known one vegan and one vegetarian. (I don't get out much). Interesting story about the vegan. The first time I saw her (she owned a little health-supplement store.. homeopathics and the like).. anyway, I go into her shop, and she is something like 8 months pregnant. Rail thin, pale, sickly looking. She mentions she's Vegan. Second time I go in, she has her baby, is lactating, and she looks no better. She was planning on raising her daughter that way. I left the store, feeling sorry for the babe. Skip forward about 5 years (I didn't frequent the store). Her daughter is as cute as a button, dancing around the store, and the Mom looks MUCH better. She had put on 20-30lbs, had color back in her face.. she looked so much more healthy. I told her as much and she said, "I used to be Vegan, but it didn't agree with me". For all I know, she was a sugar-aholic, and didn't really eat well or take all the required supplements to sustain that way of eating.... in other words, the poster child for how NOT to eat a plant-only diet. But since our relationship was so superficial, I never could find out. Her store is closed now, so it will remain a mystery. The lacto-ovo vegetarian is quite healthy. My first college was an all-girls school. It was a very small college, but it had 2 dinner lines: vegetarian and meat-based. I always looked at both before making my selection.. and the vegetarian food always looked better!! Lol. I'll see what I can turn up about heme iron. Mercola isn't necessarily my favorite dude, but he has had some interesting things to say over the years...

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

I haven't transitioned yet, but I'm curious and would like to follow any vegetarian or vegan food blogs for bypass patients.

There will be at least one obligatory business dinner. To make things more difficult, I am vegetarian so I can't just order grilled chicken. I may have to feign not feeling well to get out of it The social drinking is a very good point. I didn't drink much before so I was used to turning down drinks already. I should be in soft food stage when I travel. Are protein bars OK? Figure I can pack those and use them as a back up if I can't find things on menu.

I did want to interject a morsel. For those that find they still need a bit of animal foods, don't despair. The Okinawans of Japan DID eat a primarily vegetarian diet, but even so, they did also consume a couple eggs a week, the equivalent of one 4oz serving of fish a week, and two 3oz servings of pork a week. If you add that up, they had a full-size portion of animal protein 4 nights of the week. Which is substantial for us bariatric folks. (It's just not much when compared to the lumberjack that eats 4 eggs and 1/4 pound of bacon for breakfast, 8oz of hamburger patties for lunch, a 12oz ribeye for dinner, and a pint of ice cream for dessert.)

My weight has been the one thing I can't really control in life. I come from a long line of tall, big-boned giants in my family. (Seriously, my dad is a non-athlete and needed a knee replacement the size of a football player's.) I am 5'9 and have always had long legs and curves, even at my highest weight. I developed earlier than other girls when I was in my teens, and owned a size 12 (Between 165-185 lbs) until my sophomore year in college. I've always loved my body and felt that it was beautiful even if I was more voluptuous than other girls in school. During college I ate more. I discovered that beer and wine were good. (You know, before you realized they contained boat loads of empty calories?) My sleep patterns changed and the stress of tests, papers and social life added up-- and so did the pounds. By the time I graduated I was larger (Size 18-20, 240-260 lbs) but still had my curves. Dieting became more of a priority now, but the dieting almost made it worse. I would lose weight, regain. Cut carbs, try intuitive eating, then go to a doctor, go to the gym and try to get on a new plan, try the South Beach Diet, Eat Vegetarian... you get it? Right? I felt like my energy was sucked up with trying to lose the pounds and it was discouraging thinking about it. I worked hard at my career while still trying to work out and eat less carbs. I was supervised by a doctor, personal trainer and nutritionist-- but somehow I just couldn't stop the lose and regain cycle I had started. Every time I stepped on the scale, I was more than 20 lbs heavier than the last time. I wore nice clothes to the office, but as my weight creeped higher and higher-- my heels got lower and lower-- because my sitting and walking posture were losing strength. I felt my muscles weaken and it was weird for me. (By this time, I was about 300-320 lbs.) I added more time in the gym to help keep me active and to prevent myself from becoming completely glued to my office chair or in meetings. I gave up alcohol and only drank water.For a year and a half before my wedding, I worked out 4-5 days a week (cardio and strength). My diet was balanced, (whole grain, lean meats, vegetables, occasional treats) but between working out, going to work 40-55 hours a week-- I ate way more when I came home. Not out of stress, but because I felt HUNGRY. No fast foods, no crazy fried foods-- just balanced meals choices... but HUGE portions. I ended up losing 5 pounds in a year and a half for my wedding. Then gaining 15 while on my honeymoon-- my highest weight. (376 lbs.) So let's fast forward to today: I am a successful profession in marketing. I have some competitive skills and work well with others. I am able to look people in the eye with the same confidence I have always had. I love myself, and I love my life. I just want to be a winner of my own health, too. I am working out in the gym still, eating a balanced diet, now reducing my portions and I weighed in today at 358 lbs. I am currently at a size high 24 and low 26. I still wear heels to work, but low ones. I am at a point where I can walk up and down stairs, quickly through hallways and to my car with a bit of a heavy breath-- but still doable. My chair is snugger than I would like it to be, but it works. I pass on the endless parade of employee birthday cakes, but still participate in the celebrations. My struggle now is trying to control the urge to eat at night and keep my calories in check. It's hard. It's hard not to be tired after work. It's hard to be as focused on my duties, be a leader and ensure I take care of my body with the proper nutrients and exercise it needs. I have some aches that I didn't have before. My lower back gets tight and my joints crack more. This is a new development and one of the reasons I am moving forward with the VSG surgery. Working out IS HARDER at this weight, and it still feels like I am not getting anywhere. However, I am staying positive no matter what. I have decided that I am going to take control and apply this tool (the VSG, is a tool-- not a cure-all) to my gym routine and eat like my nutritionist instructs. Protein, small amounts, stay away from those starchy carbs. I only drink water and iced coffee with a little light cream in the morning. I am already learning to love my scale and thinking of it as a unit of measurement. (The same way I would measure success at work.) I can still be my big-boned, tall self at work-- I just need some help and taking these next steps will help me do that. Anyone else struggle with the weight and work? (In the office or at home?) I'd love to hear about it. I will continue to write more. The good, the bad and the UGLY It's here we can all share these experiences and learn from each other.

My weight has been the one thing I can't really control in life. I come from a long line of tall, big-boned giants in my family. (Seriously, my dad is a non-athlete and needed a knee replacement the size of a football player's.) I am 5'9 and have always had long legs and curves, even at my highest weight. I developed earlier than other girls when I was in my teens, and owned a size 12 (Between 165-185 lbs) until my sophomore year in college. I've always loved my body and felt that it was beautiful even if I was more voluptuous than other girls in school. During college I ate more. I discovered that beer and wine were good. (You know, before you realized they contained boat loads of empty calories?) My sleep patterns changed and the stress of tests, papers and social life added up-- and so did the pounds. By the time I graduated I was larger (Size 18-20, 240-260 lbs) but still had my curves. Dieting became more of a priority now, but the dieting almost made it worse. I would lose weight, regain. Cut carbs, try intuitive eating, then go to a doctor, go to the gym and try to get on a new plan, try the South Beach Diet, Eat Vegetarian... you get it? Right? I felt like my energy was sucked up with trying to lose the pounds and it was discouraging thinking about it. I worked hard at my career while still trying to work out and eat less carbs. I was supervised by a doctor, personal trainer and nutritionist-- but somehow I just couldn't stop the lose and regain cycle I had started. Every time I stepped on the scale, I was more than 20 lbs heavier than the last time. I wore nice clothes to the office, but as my weight creeped higher and higher-- my heels got lower and lower-- because my sitting and walking posture were losing strength. I felt my muscles weaken and it was weird for me. (By this time, I was about 300-320 lbs.) I added more time in the gym to help keep me active and to prevent myself from becoming completely glued to my office chair or in meetings. I gave up alcohol and only drank water.For a year and a half before my wedding, I worked out 4-5 days a week (cardio and strength). My diet was balanced, (whole grain, lean meats, vegetables, occasional treats) but between working out, going to work 40-55 hours a week-- I ate way more when I came home. Not out of stress, but because I felt HUNGRY. No fast foods, no crazy fried foods-- just balanced meals choices... but HUGE portions. I ended up losing 5 pounds in a year and a half for my wedding. Then gaining 15 while on my honeymoon-- my highest weight. (376 lbs.) So let's fast forward to today: I am a successful professional in marketing. I have competitive skills and work well with others. I am able to look people in the eye with the same confidence I have always had. I love myself, and I love my life. I just want to be a winner of my own health, too. I am working out in the gym still, eating a balanced diet, now reducing my portions and I weighed in today at 358 lbs. I am currently at a size high 24 and low 26. I still wear heels to work, but low ones. I am at a point where I can walk up and down stairs, quickly through hallways and to my car with a bit of a heavy breath-- but still doable. My chair is snugger than I would like it to be, but it works. I pass on the endless parade of employee birthday cakes, but still participate in the celebrations. My struggle now is trying to control the urge to eat at night and keep my calories in check. It's hard. It's hard not to be tired after work. It's hard to be as focused on my duties, be a leader and ensure I take care of my body with the proper nutrients and exercise it needs. I have some aches that I didn't have before. My lower back gets tight and my joints crack more. This is a new development and one of the reasons I am moving forward with the VSG surgery. Working out IS HARDER at this weight, and it still feels like I am not getting anywhere. However, I am staying positive no matter what. I have decided that I am going to take control and apply this tool (the VSG, is a tool-- not a cure-all) to my gym routine and eat like my nutritionist instructs. Protein, small amounts, stay away from those starchy carbs. I only drink water and iced coffee with a little light cream in the morning. I am already learning to love my scale and thinking of it as a unit of measurement. (The same way I would measure success at work.) I can still be my big-boned, tall self at work-- I just need some help and taking these next steps will help me do that. Anyone else struggle with the weight and work? (In the office or at home?) I'd love to hear about it. I will continue to write more. The good, the bad and the UGLY It's here we can all share these experiences and learn from each other.

I'm not vegetarian or vegan but I'm not a fan of meat/chicken/fish etc. I've been making soups with lots of beans and protein powder that you can stir in. You can also get sugar free waters with added protein to boost it. Only problem would be dairy intake. Good luck! Sent from my LG-H850 using BariatricPal mobile app

I recently changed my diet to vegan (about 3 weeks ago). Has getting enough protein in your diet daily been a challenge?

I am no longer eating eggs, dairy, or any animal products with a few exceptions 1. Yogurt- I am still eating this 2-3 times a week. 2. Wild Salmon- I ate 2oz of this last weekend, but most likely will not eat it again. I will continue to cook it for my hubby though. 3. The whey protein in my Chike protein coffee shake. I am not stopping this anytime soon. Thank you for posting the recipe though as I am sure there are still some vegetarians reading this thread that are still eating eggs. I just can't do it anymore after all I have learned.

Hi peeps, I had sx on 8/9. Was back for readmission last week bc of dehydration. At first my weight loss was slow. Now it seems to be about a pound a day (or more). But I feel it's all muscle that I'm losing, not fat, and I'm worried. I'm definitely NOT getting in all my fluids or protein- maybe 40ish grams of protein and 32 oz liquids. I'm also exhausted and dizzy. I can't eat/drink anything with artificial sweeteners/flavors since they make me sick. I'm also a vegetarian. Last week while inpatient my labs showed I was in ketosis. Now I'm on phase 2, so full liquids and purees. Still getting in a protein shake each day, plus eggs, and some carbs like potatoes and sweet potatoes. I'm hoping that any muscle mass I'm losing will be able to regain once I can exercise. Is this how it's supposed to go?

I too had a similar situation well into my first month after surgery not feeling full no throwing up . Things definitely changed when I started solid foods exspecially meat (chicken, beef). Liquids are easier on the body and only stay in the stomach for 15-20 mins where food sits and digests for a bit longer. You will get to know your body and what you can an can't eat, how much and what puts you over the edge. I'm three and a half months out and I am still learning what I can eat. My nutritionist said sometimes you cant tolerate meat till 6 months. So as of right now I am a practicing to be a vegetarian. Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

What is a pescatarian? According to the internet, a pescatarian (or pescetarian) is a person who eats seafood but not other types of meat. Pescatarians are similar to vegetarians, but the difference is that pescatarians eat fish and shellfish in addition to an otherwise vegetarian diet.

I was sleeved July 25th and today is my 4 week mark and I've felt great honestly. All my incisions have healed tremendously well and I'm down 37 pounds as of today - feeling extremely ecstatic about that. I have no issues with the solid stage - I am a vegetarian so no issues with any foods being caught since I am strictly plant based. Wishing everyone the best of luck Sleeved on July 26, 2017

Sometimes our tummies decide to go vegetarian, at least for a while. That might be what has happened...

This will be long. It'll be for those who are checking out the thread and those who just want to be reminded. It's a rant about Type II Diabetes from Dr Garth on his FB page some time back. LOL ENJOY READING! So, this is going to be a long rant with lots of scientific references, reader beware. The cliff notes: carbs do not cause Type 2 diabetes, meat does! I will provide references at the end of the post. "But wait a second" you may say. "My sugar goes up when I eat carbs, so carbs must be to blame". You are not alone in this thought. Even the President of The American Society of Bariatric Medicine thinks this way. He believes that if your sugars are low you are cured of diabetes. SO he puts people on low carb diets , and in fact the studies show low carb diets will lowers blood sugar, go figure. But has diabetes been cured? Are they healthier? Low carb studies are very short term and use lab results as their end points, not end organ disease. They don't prove that low carb diets reduce heart disease, they show that it raises HDL and since high HDL is associated with less heart disease they assume that heart disease is lower. Likewise, they assume diabetes is cured when blood sugar is low, but has diabetes been cured? Not at all. As soon as the patient eats a carb the blood sugar will rise. Why? Because they still have insulin resistance. So many people make the mistake of thinking diabetes is a disease of high blood sugar. High blood sugar is just a symptom, the disease is insulin resistance. This is why I see so many failed Atkins and protein fast patients. So what causes insulin resistance. This is the big question. Treating the symptom and not the cause is the typical western medicine paradigm. We need to look beyond. The fact is the biggest consumer of sugar, the organ most affected by insulin, are your muscles. I find it ridiculous that people, like Robert Lustig and Gary Taubes, talk about insulin as some kind of awful hormone. Why would we evolve to have an evil hormone that is in every single person. Insulin is only a problem when the body is resistant to insulin. Insulin serves a vital purpose, which is to get the fuel into the cells, and muscle needs glucose to generate fuel. Our bodies are built to live off sugar. Insulin is supposed to join to an insulin receptor on the surface of the muscle cell which allows the sugar to enter the body and then be utilized to produce energy in the mitochondria. In fact, the healthiest people in the world eat tons of carbs. The Sardinians and the Okinawans eat 80% of their calories from starches and yet their insulin levels are not sky high, and their blood sugars are normal. So what causes the muscle to become insulin resistant. Well this is a little more complex but it appears that it is fat build up in the muscle cell. Excess fat entering the cells interferes with the muscle cells ability to produce insulin receptors. If the muscle cannot make insulin receptors then sugar cannot get into the cell and then the sugar starts to build up in the system. Then the pancreas has to produce even more insulin to try and force sugar into the cells, and now you start getting high insulin levels. Moderate insulin is good but high insulin inhibits an enzyme called hormone sensitive lipase causing even more fat accumulation, and a vicious cycle begins. This then begs the question, "what causes fat to accumulate in the muscle cell"? Well, there are many theories. One is that insulin combined with lipids in the blood stream after eating causes intramyocellular fat. This makes sense. So if you eat steak believe it or not your insulin rises. It is also filled with fat. The insulin will cause fat to be accumulated in the cell. The same thing would happen if you ate a donut or a pizza. These are not carbs. They have carbs but they actually have more fat than carbs. Other theories are that inflammation causes the muscle cell to dysfunction and not oxidate fat, causing fat accumulation. There is definitely evidence that acid accumulation cause insulin resistance likely from muscle cell dysfunction. Type II diabetes has been rising at astounding rates. How does our diet differ? We are eating a very acidic diet with too little of the bicarbonate producing plants as our ancestors did! Meat based diets are very acidic and cause inflammation which results in intramyocellular fat. There are even models that show certain amino acids will cause direct deposit of fat in the muscle cells. There is some fascinating research looking at MRI's of people's muscles which show that athletes are able to mobilize fat easily from their muscle but overweight people cannot. This raises the additional question as to whether exercise has an affect on intramyocellular fat. There is also a good body of studies showing high iron stores can affect insulin resistance. As you may know, meat is high in a particularly toxic form of iron which can further attribute to insulin resistance. Interestingly, carbs are readily burned in our body or stored as glycogen. It is actually very difficult to turn carbs to fat. The only time carbs become fat is when glycogen stores are full and calorie intake has exceeded expenditure. A nutrition professor proved this by eating a high sugar diet but keeping calories less than 1800 calories. Despite eating almost purely sugar, he lost weight and his insulin resistance improved. So if what I tell you is true then it should work in a randomized control trial and in epidemiologic studies of populations of people. In fact, it does. Dr. Turner-Mcgrievy and Dr. Barnard have put it to the test. They took diabetics and randomized to either vegan diet or the typical ADA, high protein diet recommended by doctors. Despite eating high carbs and lots of fruit, the vegan group had significantly greater drop in A1C. We can see this in action in many different epidemiological studies too. The EPIC/Panacea study, which is the largest epidemiological study ever done on food and disease, found no correlation between carb consumption and development of diabetes, but meat had strong correlation to diabetes. In fact, fructose consumption was associated with less diabetes. This becomes more understandable when you know that meat causes inflammation, acidosis, stimulates insulin, and has fat. People tend to think Type II diabetes is genetic, but diabetes is affecting all races at this point. In fact, Japanese had low rates of diabetes but if they migrated to Brazil, which is having a crisis of diabetes, they get very high rates of diabetes. In fact, the Brazil government has made recs to decrease meat. The same recs are being given by the Japanese government which has noted an increasing rate of diabetes with the increasing meat consumption. One of the best long term studies is the Adventist Healthy study as they followed a large population for many years. The population was healthier in general due to lack of smoking and drinking and moderate exercise, making them an excellent study given less confounding factors. The vegans had considerably lower diabetes than the meat eaters. Even Harvard's Nurses Health Study, which is the largest and longest epidemiologic study in America, shows a significant relationship between animal protein consumption and Type II DM formation. Let me also add that the randomized control trials and epidemiological studies, unlike the low carb studies, show improvement in end organ function. Less heart disease, less kidney dysfunction, less neuropathy, and longer life. Most of all. Let me tell you that it is absolutely ridiculous to eat less fruit, as the president of the American Society of Bariatric Medicine claimed at our meeting. Studies show that fruit consumption does NOT increase A1C and is actually associated with weight loss and diabetes control. Studies show increasing carbs actually controls diabetes if they are whole grains, fruits and veggies! There are so many studies that prove this point. I have included just a sample below. Gimeno, S. G., et al. (2002). "Prevalence and 7-year incidence of Type II diabetes mellitus in a Japanese-Brazilian population: an alarming public health problem." Diabetologia 45(12): 1635-1638. de Carvalho, A. M., et al. (2013). "Excessive meat consumption in Brazil: diet quality and environmental impacts." Public Health Nutr 16(10): 1893-1899. Morimoto, A. (2010). Trends in the Epidemiology of Patients with Diabetes in Japan. JMAJ. 53: 36-40. Adeva, M. M. and G. Souto (2011). "Diet-induced metabolic acidosis." Clin Nutr 30(4): 416-421. Souto, G., et al. (2011). "Metabolic acidosis-induced insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk." Metab Syndr Relat Disord 9(4): 247-253. Sebastian, A., et al. (2002). "Estimation of the net acid load of the diet of ancestral preagricultural Homo sapiens and their hominid ancestors." Am J Clin Nutr 76(6): 1308-1316. Dawson-Hughes, B., et al. (2008). "Alkaline diets favor lean tissue mass in older adults." Am J Clin Nutr 87(3): 662-665. Jenkins, D. J., et al. (2003). "Type 2 diabetes and the vegetarian diet." Am J Clin Nutr 78(3 Suppl): 610S-616S. Holt, S. H., et al. (1997). "An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods." Am J Clin Nutr 66(5): 1264-1276. Barnard, N. D., et al. (2009). "A low-fat vegan diet and a conventional diabetes diet in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled, 74-wk clinical trial." Am J Clin Nutr 89(5): 1588S-1596S. Barnard, N. D., et al. (2006). "A low-fat vegan diet improves glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in a randomized clinical trial in individuals with type 2 diabetes." Diabetes Care 29(8): 1777-1783. Barnard, R. J., et al. (1998). "Diet-induced insulin resistance precedes other aspects of the metabolic syndrome." J Appl Physiol (1985) 84(4): 1311-1315. Stubbs, R. J., et al. (1997). "Carbohydrates and energy balance." Ann N Y Acad Sci 819: 44-69. Bloomer, R. J., et al. (2010). "Effect of a 21 day Daniel Fast on metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk factors in men and women." Lipids Health Dis 9: 94. Snowdon, D. A. and R. L. Phillips (1985). "Does a vegetarian diet reduce the occurrence of diabetes?" Am J Public Health 75(5): 507-512 Tonstad, S., et al. (2009). "Type of vegetarian diet, body weight, and prevalence of type 2 diabetes." Diabetes Care 32(5): 791-796. Fung, T. T., et al. (2004). "Dietary patterns, meat intake, and the risk of type 2 diabetes in women." Arch Intern Med 164(20): 2235-2240. Jornayvaz, F. R., et al. (2010). "A high-fat, ketogenic diet causes hepatic insulin resistance in mice, despite increasing energy expenditure and preventing weight gain." Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 299(5): E808-815. Valachovicová, M., et al. (2006). "No evidence of insulin resistance in normal weight vegetarians. A case control study." Eur J Nutr 45(1): 52-54. Frassetto, L., et al. (2001). "Diet, evolution and aging--the pathophysiologic effects of the post-agricultural inversion of the potassium-to-sodium and base-to-chloride ratios in the human diet." Eur J Nutr 40(5): 200-213. Flanagan, A. M., et al. (2008). "High-fat diets promote insulin resistance through cytokine gene expression in growing female rats." J Nutr Biochem 19(8): 505-513. Cai, H., et al. (2007). "A prospective study of dietary patterns and mortality in Chinese women." Epidemiology 18(3): 393-401. Schulze, M. B., et al. (2003). "Processed meat intake and incidence of Type 2 diabetes in younger and middle-aged women." Diabetologia 46(11): 1465-1473. Song, Y., et al. (2004). "A prospective study of red meat consumption and type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and elderly women: the women's health study." Diabetes Care 27(9): 2108-2115. Vang, A., et al. (2008). "Meats, processed meats, obesity, weight gain and occurrence of diabetes among adults: findings from Adventist Health Studies." Ann Nutr Metab 52(2): 96-104. Pan, A., et al. (2013). "Changes in Red Meat Consumption and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Three Cohorts of US Men and Women." JAMA Intern Med: 1-8. Ahmadi-Abhari, S., et al. (2014). "Dietary intake of carbohydrates and risk of type 2 diabetes: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk study." Br J Nutr 111(2): 342-352. Lara-Castro, C. and W. T. Garvey (2008). "Intracellular lipid accumulation in liver and muscle and the insulin resistance syndrome." Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am 37(4): 841-856. Cozma, A. I., et al. (2012). "Effect of fructose on glycemic control in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials." Diabetes Care 35(7): 1611-1620. Azadbakht, L. and A. Esmaillzadeh (2009). "Soy-protein consumption and kidney-related biomarkers among type 2 diabetics: a crossover, randomized clinical trial." J Ren Nutr 19(6): 479-486. Sørensen, L. B., et al. (2005). "Effect of sucrose on inflammatory markers in overweight humans." Am J Clin Nutr 82(2): 421-427. Montonen, J., et al. (2013). "Consumption of red meat and whole-grain bread in relation to biomarkers of obesity, inflammation, glucose metabolism and oxidative stress." Eur J Nutr 52(1): 337-345. Barbaresko, J., et al. (2013). "Dietary pattern analysis and biomarkers of low-grade inflammation: a systematic literature review." Nutr Rev 71(8): 511-527. Muraki, I., et al. (2013). "Fruit consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective longitudinal cohort studies." BMJ 347: f5001. Ye, E. Q., et al. (2012). "Greater whole-grain intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and weight gain." J Nutr 142(7): 1304-1313. Chiu, T. H., et al. (2014). "Taiwanese Vegetarians and Omnivores: Dietary Composition, Prevalence of Diabetes and IFG." PLoS One 9(2): e88547. Goff, L. M., et al. (2005). "Veganism and its relationship with insulin resistance and intramyocellular lipid." Eur J Clin Nutr 59(2): 291-298. Esposito, K., et al. (2003). "Effect of dietary antioxidants on postprandial endothelial dysfunction induced by a high-fat meal in healthy subjects." Am J Clin Nutr 77(1): 139-143. Jiang, R., et al. (2004). "Body iron stores in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes in apparently healthy women." JAMA 291(6): 711-717. Hua, N. W., et al. (2001). "Low iron status and enhanced insulin sensitivity in lacto-ovo vegetarians." Br J Nutr 86(4): 515-519. Watzl, B. (2008). "Anti-inflammatory effects of plant-based foods and of their constituents." Int J Vitam Nutr Res 78(6): 293-298. Chandalia, M., et al. (2000). "Beneficial effects of high dietary fiber intake in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus." N Engl J Med 342(19): 1392-1398. Pickup, J. C. (2004). "Inflammation and activated innate immunity in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes." Diabetes Care 27(3): 813-823. Deopurkar, R., et al. (2010). "Differential effects of cream, glucose, and orange juice on inflammation, endotoxin, and the expression of Toll-like receptor-4 and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3." Diabetes Care 33(5): 991-997. Ghanim, H., et al. (2009). "Increase in plasma endotoxin concentrations and the expression of Toll-like receptors and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 in mononuclear cells after a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal: implications for insulin resistance." Diabetes Care 32(12): 2281-2287. Bao, W., et al. (2012). "Dietary iron intake, body iron stores, and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis." BMC Med 10: 119. Romeu, M., et al. (2013). "Diet, iron biomarkers and oxidative stress in a representative sample of Mediterranean population." Nutr J 12(1): 102. Cooper, A. J., et al. (2012). "A prospective study of the association between quantity and variety of fruit and vegetable intake and incident type 2 diabetes." Diabetes Care 35(6): 1293-1300. Rizzo, N. S., et al. (2011). "Vegetarian dietary patterns are associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome: the adventist health study 2." Diabetes Care 34(5): 1225-1227. Consortium, I. (2013). 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I so agree Jess9395 and also think a WFPB diet is awesome (for some people). And I'm always interested to read of peoples' anecdotal experiences with it. I know I will learn by watching/reading those experiences. (Just wanted to set the record straight that I'm not a rabid low carbing carnivore. I'm a very thoughtful omnivore.) But it seems that unlike vegetarians/vegans (and this is a gross generality, so my apologies for over-generalizing), I just don't want to demonize any sect of food (such as animal protein) or way of eating (other than the SAD--lol I will demonize that one!). Neither do I believe that my diet is the "right" diet for everyone. I believe that the best diet to follow is the one that is right for each individual and is one that can be easily followed every day, consistently--for life, so that it does not promote anxiety or stress within us. I only get riled up when the way I choose to eat is labeled and indicted as unhealthy. (BTW, I eat "adequate" protein for my LBM/not high protein, 5-9 veggies+ and some fruit, and healthy fats to make up 900 cals pre-surgery--heading up to 1000cals per my surgeon. That diet includes pastured eggs, pastured/grass fed meats--we hunt wild game, limited dairy, organic produce/seeds/nuts, healthy fats.)

Hello!! I had my surgery the same day! I do count calories and I haven't stopped at all. Currently I'm at 1400-1600I recently had to bump it up because I workout so much and wasn't getting results. No weight loss or significant muscle gains. I'm happy to report the scale is going down again and I have more energy during the day. I'm currently 146.7 lbs and my goal is 130. [emoji4] hope this helps you..... I'm also a vegetarian.

I was thinking the same thing last night. Once you have been introduced to the research and start learning the truth it is hard to read all the posts about the excessive amounts of protein people are eating. So many doc/nuts really push the high protein low carb diets. I am so grateful you posted this information and that I was open to looking into it for myself. I think to each his own though. If the diet you are eating is working for you and you are happy then that is all that matters. But if you are searching for a diet that will give you optimal health you need to look into the research because the science is clear. Why would our bodies be designed to process and use sugar for energy as its first choice if we weren't supposed to eat a diet heavy on carbs? Fat burning for energy is the alternate process. The light bulb went off for me when the science showed that vegans and vegetarians have the lowest percentage of type 2 diabetes.

I'd love to know more about and to try exotic/foreign produce and how to cook with them-or even just more international vegan dishes. I've been doing many meals from the vegan (and a few vegetarian) recipes on budgetbytes.com it's pretty much my go-to site now. I need to venture to others. I think there's only two recipes that I've (or my hubby) made more than once. Otherwise, we've been having a new meal most everyday for the past month or so! It's been quite fun.

Great job!! I had the option today at a barbecue and I chose a veggie burger. I would not have made that choice 3 weeks ago. I am feeling really good about my decision. I do wish there was a cooking course for vegan/vegetarian near me. I think it would be fun and educational to learn better ways of preparing these types of foods.

Hang in there. It does get better. I am almost 8 weeks and I noticed that I started to feel so much better once I started to eat some food. Yogurt, beans, cottage cheese (since I am vegetarian) really helped a lot. I think that it is super important to find a protein drink or powder that you can tolerate. I've tried so many of them. Even the unflavored Unjury didn't agree with me. I did have good luck with using high protein milk and Unjury Chocolate Spendor and Syntrax Nectar Latte Cappuccino. Also using sugar free syrups to alter the shake flavors helped me. Now that I have a system down that I can tolerate, I have been feeling much better. I feel better than I did before surgery.

I exercise 6/7 days. Mostly cardio. I'll try to increase calories but like...nutritionist typically likes mostly vegetarian/vegan diet. Absolutely no cheese. So may throw a protein shake or 2 in.