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I had my surgery 13 years ago and the biggest disconnect I have noticed is the lack of support as it pertains to working out after gastric bypass. When I first had my surgery, I walked around my office during my breaks but didn't join a gym. The lack of this lifestyle change, and developing some bad eating habits resulted in a regain of 40 lbs during the first ten years. I finally managed to change my eating habits to vegetarian and started working out regularly. I joined the gym and have been a loyal gym rat ever since. I think the thing that kept me away was the insecurity of not knowing how to use the machines and thinking "everybody knows I had surgery!' I finally hired a trainer and she knew little, if anything, about gastric bypass and some of the limitations. She read up on the surgery and developed a workout routine to suit my needs. Since I joined this and another forum, I have received a lot of messages from local people who wanted to workout with me and I have met some of them at my gym and given them a workout. I have looked for trainers who offer workouts to gastric bypass patients and I cannot find anybody locally! So I'm wondering if any of my fellow gastric friends have received training from someone who focuses on the gastric/lap band community? I am thinking of getting my personal trainer certification and just focusing on this community!

It bothers me how little people check into this stuff. Its heart warming to see those who did. Yes, that is dead on - some of us need different types of supplementation. Having a dairy issue, and a few other things, I need something different than what some of the others I've seen get. The problem comes in the ability to get doctors to test per person and not just some standard lab panel, not just the regular stuff. I've had high copper levels before and borderline high. That would make 0 sense given my eating. Deficiencies are common but not high ones. That's why testing and supplementation should truly be unique and not blanket. As the above shows, I think people can get in their food but again, its WHAT they get in that makes a difference. I eat more fresh veggies, fruit, and lean Proteins than the vegetarians I know. However, the large combo of problems and the specific problems I have gives me a greater risk for some things. The other item that hasn't been thrown out here is our athletic endeavors. Now that I'm sidelined, I don't need to eat certain things, do certain things, because of that. Those who do, need extra help.

My Dr wants me to try to primarily eat my calories too. I don't eat but about 3/4 to 1 cup of food 2 or 3 times a day and being vegetarian, it really is hard to get in the 50plus grams of protein my nutritionist recommends for me plus the Fiber that I need for my IBS without eating too many carbs (still on a diebetic med and occasionally have to take a post-prandial med (after meals). A lot of people are "tight" in the mornings and can't eat so that is an acceptable time (via my Dr) to drink your meal, but otherwise he doesn't recommend it because it can make one more hungry. I'm never hungry and have to remind myself to eat my second meal a lot of the time. I'm older (51) and disabled now (I have a neurodegenerative disorder) and am so happy with the lap-band besides the slip (caused by being ill and vomiting). I was 300 lbs and now I'm below 220lbs in less than 6 months. Very happy indeed. Hoping that I continue to stay that way:) PS : Even totally deflated and on liquids only for over a week, I'm not hungry...

Puja - where are you in India? I was in Mumbai, with a short trip to Delhi and Agra. 10 day trip in total. To answer your questions, well, I took some Pure Protein Bars with me, and ate one per day. I also ate eggs for Breakfast. I'm pretty sure that some days I was below my Protein still, because there were a couple of meals at a friend's house that were vegetarian. I ate chickpeas and lentils those meals, but those aren't as protein rich as meat, I think. I tried to focus on protein as much as possible, and ate veggies like cauliflower when it was available. Like I said before, I still had rotis and rice and stuff, but just small helpings to tone down the spiciness. When it was available (it wasn't always served) I used raita to tone down the heat. I'm also pretty sure that my calorie counts were above normal (but apparently not more than I burn, maybe 1500-1700), especially the days I ate Butter chicken (YUM!). But I didn't really have a way to log it, and it was just 10 days, so I just listened to my sleeve about when it was full, and hoped that would be enough. I actually wasn't sure if I would lose weight or just hold steady while I was there, but I ended up losing, so that was great. It was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, and I love Indian food, so I just decided I wasn't going to worry about it. The only time I really had a moment of regret was when I was eating some fabulous butter chicken, and wanted to eat more, but I just savored it as much as I could and then stopped when I got full. likasulema - good luck on your weight loss! I'm sure you'll be able to fit without a seat extender on your next trip. Its the little NSV's like that that really make a difference.

I’m also bipolar. Had my gastric bypass last July. Ive been sad for a few months now,since Christmas,I think it was due to being around family at that time of the year. But I am aware that I invited 21 people to my home to celebrate Christmas Day,so maybe that was a manic episode and the sadness I’m feeling now is the low (?). I’m feeling quite confused. The good news is that I need a lower dosage of clonezapam at night. I’ve gone from 3mg to 2mg (a significant amount) I think in 2/3 days time I’ll reduce my dosage to 1.5 mg. I was on 175mg quetaipine and now I’ve reduced it to 125mg. These are the positives. Im not so clumsy during the day anymore from feeling drugged,I’m also more alert. I can definitely say though that surgery didn’t make me depressed. I did suffer from a few nervous days post surgery but I think everyone who has surgery feels that. It’s normal. Good luck with the surgery. Eating less bad carbs and sugar has changed my tastebuds,vegetables and fruit are delicious and sweet. I feel cleaner now from eating the healthy food. I don’t rely on potatoes like I used to,to feel sated,it’s great,as I’m vegetarian. Apologies for writing too much !

Sister C it occurs to me that you may be feeling hungry early because you are eating foods that are able to slip through the opening to your larger stomach. You really need to be concentrating on getting enough hard Protein (chicken, fish, beef, pork or legumes if you are vegetarian). The softer foods like yogurt, Jello, puddings are not going to stay in the upper stomach long enough for you to feel full. You may want to touch base with your clinic dietician to review your intake - and then get another fill if you are still not reaching satiety. Good luck - it does take time. Cindy

Hey Debi! You'll probably get some varied responses on that, because different people follow different dietary regimes, i.e. no-fat/low-fat/full fat (for those on ketogenic diets), meat/vegetarian, and on and on. Personally, I'm all about getting in that Protein any way possible, so adding a little extra protein to your eggs...all good as far as I'm concerned. As long as you still watch how much, and don't advance too quickly, should be fine. And if your body decides, nope, that's not happening, just listen to it. Turkey sausage is leaner, but be careful because it also tends to be more dry...and I found dry meat will not go down for me, so I did/do 1 regular sausage link...not every day, but when I feel I need to get some more dense calories in to let my body know I'm not starving it. Sent from my SM-G928V using the BariatricPal App

Thanks!!! I LOVE curry but am just starting to make it, and learn. My brother is a vegetarian and with two of my closest friends being veg as well, I cook a lot of veg dishes! I will absolutely try your recipe and cannot wait-thank you so much!!! MMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been researching the lapband and rouxenY for a while. RouxenY is out of the question for me because I and my family are afraid of death. Besides this, I am twenty one years of age! Young, and I highly doubt that the staples will survive until I am 30. (much less 40,50, or however long that I hope to live).. My story: I have ALWAYS been a big girl. I was tormented as a child, and in middle school and at 12 I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and Pre-Diabetes. Thats a scary thing, and embarrassing thing at twelve years old. I didnt want any doctor telling me about my menstration, and I didnt care about diabetes. I was eating donuts and chocolate milk everyday for lunch, and nothing mattered. at this point I was prescribed glucophage to regulate my bloodsugar and bring my hormones back to normal. :phanvan I remained between 240-220 throughout highschool, but through running and trackpractice and other whatnots, I was able to get down to close to 200 pounds by graduation. :straight (I have been a vegetarian for 9 years as well, but often and always choosing the bad foods):straight:straight:straight Come college, I was suffering from depression and anxiety. I was in a highstress environment because I was going through a very intensive music program at a conservatory. Through an even stricter vegan diet, and from overdoing things at the gym, I had lost 20 more pounds and gotten myself down to 180-182. I couldnt understand why I couldnt get a boyfriend. This was the thinnest I had ever been, and it was unhealthy. I was weak, my hair was coming out, and I was constantly exausted from overexercising, low self esteem and not getting enough food, and not any protein at all. :rolleyes that very year I came down with a generative joint disease called rheumatoid arthritis/ or rheumatism. I suffered.. boy oh boy did I suffer. Slowly, I couldnt walk, or do anything. I had to quit music, and redefine myself completely. I was completely depressed, however I had gained a boyfriend who didnt care at all about my weight. :clap2: quickly I gained 60 pounds, and my rheumatologist made me go on prednisone for a while, and I my metabolism slowed to a crawl because I could not walk. Me knees got shot, I ended up having to have surgery on both elbow joints, my wrist lost the space between the bones, and my fingers swelled up. Ic ouldnt even bear a sheet on me at night, and when people accidently bumped into my swollen body I would scream bloody murder. this was 2004-2005.. i flunked several quarters at school, and i was just a mess. although I am doing much better. I cannot stand for more than an hour or so at a time. i can no longer run because my left ankle needs surgery and physical therapy. my metabolism is terrible and even though i am eating normally, i still have issues with foods, and I still have been steadily putting on the weight. that is my story. it is ridiculous.

I just ate Chipotle the other night... got the burrito bowl vegetarian style with bean and no rice. Ordered with the guacamole and the yummy tomato and onion salsa and all of the fixins. It went down just fine. You might have to improvise, but trust me, you can eat anywhere... and last night, Chipotle could not have tasted better. YUM.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I have been finding that I hardly eat red meat anymore since being banded. I find it too hard to swallow. I ordered a steak last night, first time in weeks, and barely touched it. Two swallows and forget it. And it was not that tough either. Just wasn't worth it. So, I may be very interested in what others have to say because I may just go over 100%

I am on soft foods too and have been handling them well, overall. Finding some high Protein recipes, like the ricotta bake, has been helpful as I am vegetarian and struggling a bit with protein. Trying to get these habits into place before going back to the chaos that is my job...how about you all? Back at work yet?

I'm on a bleak 2 week pre-op which only allows 3 Protein shakes, Jello, one serving of veggie Soup, and green vegetables. I'm a vegetarian and am used to eating a lot of fruit...this is day 2 and I'm already losing my mind. Anyone know why they don't let you do apples or berries? Is having an apple every few days going to be a real problem?

I think the blood sugar concerns are valid for many people but I am neither diabetic nor pre-diabetic. My glucose has never been high- even at 285lbs. I've also never had high cholesterol, and my blood pressure is consistently 100/80 or 90/70- which is odd for someone my size but my Dr. attributes this to my vegetarian diet even with my sugar binges 5-6 times a week. I won't need an apple every day but I am most likely going to allow myself 2-3 per week at this point. They make me full and because I have ulcerative colitis, I need some of that Fiber to "keep me going". Pre-op is really low on fiber. I am going to go ahead & notify the nutritionist at my Dr.'s office that this is what I've decided to do. Oh and I've lost 8lbs since Sunday! I'm not worried about an apple derailing my progress.

Im a vegetarian, and do eat some eggs and dairy, however I have become lactose intolerant, so the milk product are minimal right now. I like tofu, but its pretty bland out of the box, find good recipes with yummy sauces. I make seitan and this kind of product is high Protein and does fill up the sleeve nicely. It can be done! I don't want to contribute to the meat industry either. There are good ground "beef" products in the refer section in Supermarkets, Soyrizo, dry TVP (texturized vegetable protein) which soaks up great flavor when cooked, You can also get "chicken" powdered broth that can jazz up Soup and such with a chicken flavor. just found this link with some ideas... I have used most of these and they are really good. They are not meat, but close enough for me. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/460945/top_10_vegetarian_meat_substitutes.html?cat=5

Bad habits: I do not exercise. I drink 2 iced coffees with real Hershey's syrup (only a tablespoon or so) on a typical day. I don't eat breakfast--never could handle it. I do eat a few almonds around 10 or so. I eat WAY too fast. I don't eat and never have been able to eat the recommended amount of protein; my blood work shows that everything's okay, though, so I'm not worried about it--and I feel good. Good habits: I do not eat baked products, flour, Pasta, fried foods, or sweets (other than the chocolate syrup in my coffee); sleeve doesn't tolerate them very well. I do not eat fatty Protein foods and have almost become a lacto-vegetarian (again, not on purpose--sleeve just doesn't tolerate them well). I routinely take Vitamins and supplements for the first time in my life. I stay well hydrated. I weigh every couple of days to make sure things are still okay.

I think you might be able to eat the whole sub because it's a veggie sub. Are you a vegetarian? (I am). I am wondering if you could eat it all (plus bread) if it included meat protein (I'm guessing not). Your calories don't sound like they are excessive. You might do better having some solid protein for breakfast instead of the shake--it would get your metabolism going and keep you full longer. My dr doesn't like us to drink protein shakes once we are on solids bc the protein in them is more bioavailable so your body doesn't have to work as hard to process it--which makes you stay full for less time and contribute to losing more slowly.

I'm currently doing my pre-op diet. I am not supposed to have more than 60 grams of carbs a day. I am constantly over this because of all the veggies I eat. If I don't eat a bunch of veggies, I stay hungry. My NUT didn't really explain if carbs from veggies count. Do you think it will be OK to go over the 60 grams of carbs a day as long as it's from veggies? Broccoli and Brussels sprouts are the only thing saving me from hunger and since I'm vegetarian, I'm eating meatless "chicken" strips which has a small carb count as my protien. I'm at a loss. Sent from my XT1254 using the BariatricPal 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.

Hey all. I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jessica Kolman. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina and I'm 24 years old. I'm 5'3'' and 235lbs. I've struggled with weight loss for a short time, but I feel like I can't do anything. I've done gym memberships and went to the gym at least 6 days a week. I didn't lose much weight at all. I lost maybe 10 pounds and never went below that. I'm a vegetarian and so my eating habbits are very selective but I tried to make them healthy. I even tried the Alli pill but that didn't do much even when I stuck to the plan. I feel helpless and I don't know what else to do. I honestly think that this may be the key. I know that with the Realize Band Surgery that there are going to be risks and downsides, but I'm willing to take the chance. I know that I'm going to not only change my eating style dramatically but work out a lot more as well. I went on the REALIZeBand.com website and I do qualify for the surgery. I plan on attending the seminar in September with my husband. I just hope that my health insurance can cover most if not all of it. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield. I'll keep you posted on what I do.

Thanks, this helps a lot. Only thing is I'm vegetarian, but I can do some of this.

I use it, but I don't do a specific percentage configuration. ETA: I rechecked because I have my calorie limit set to 900 and I want to get no more than 100gms of Protein a day. My numbers look like this: 900 calories 35 carbs 45 protein 20 fat. I typically get between 80 -100 gm of protein/ 750- 900 calories a day. Doing an average of the 7 days my numbers for this week are 794 calories, 65 carbs, 28 fat, 88 gms protein. I know it's a weird combination, but since I have so far to go I try to keep calories low and protein high. My carbs probably are higher than what most eat, but they are mostly plant based because I am vegetarian.

Hi GreginMI, The instructions that I got from my surgeon are as follows: "For the first month following surgery, make sure to drink at least 2liters of fluids/day and get between 60-80 grams of Protein from soft vegetarian sources, eggs, fish and seafood." This is followed by a list of acceptable foods (i.e. cream of wheat, mashed potatoes, eggs, Beans, veggies burgers, yogurt, soups, fish, rice, egg noodles, etc.) Of course he also told me to avoid foods high in sugars, fats, and alcohol. At the hospital he told me just to try things as I felt like it, but to really push and prioritize liquids, especially for the first three weeks. Some surgeons are like this I've been told. He's one of the best in the country and has own reasons for not having his patients follow a staged plan, I'm sure. There are quite a few people on this site who have used him and have nothing but the highest praises for him. Incidentally, he also doesn't make his patients do a pre-op diet. The only thing I had to do was a clear liquid diet and drink Colyte 1 day before surgery. However, I tend to find it easier to have stricter guidelines to follow, which is why I plan to discuss the plan Golden laid out above when I meet with my surgeon on Friday. To be honest though, aside from the one attempt at the meatball, I have been sticking to a strictly clear liquid diet, simply because I didn't feel like eating anyway. Right now, clear liquids are about all that I can seem to consume comfortably, and sometimes if I accidentally take too big a sip even the liquids make my tummy hurt. Sorry, I guess this is a really long answer to your question. But maybe it makes more sense now? Anyway, ever since my adventures in meatball land I've gone right back to clear liquids and am doing ok here for the time being Thanks everyone for your advice and concern!! I think I'm on the right track now thanks to everyone's input. I have to say, this is such a great site!

I was just thinking about this old feeling I used to have my entire life. I always felt I was born in the wrong place at the wrong time. I used to dream of being a homesteader and pioneer wife. I was actually very lucky as a child because we always had many different animals, goats, horses, pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, parrots, etc. We had a neighbor that owned 200 acres of ponds, woods, rivers and fields. We kept our horses there and THAT was my playground. I loved to innertube the river, canoe the ponds, catch frogs, lizards and snakes, hunt for treasure, pretend we were cowgirls and chase the cows on the horses (until we got in trouble for driving them thru a fence), we used to build castles in the hay barn, camp, etc. It was amazing. I miss those days. I was actually a vegetarian the first 7 years of my life. My dad was raised on a "dude ranch" in colorado and by the time my parents married and moved to Oregon they were a bit hippyish. We always had a greenhouse full of vegetables and a sailboat we took out on the nearby lake. It was also a bit of a tough childhood because of my parents divorce when I was 8 and being overweight. I went to the same school with the same classmates my entire life. At graduation I was reminded of events that had happened in first grade (peeing the swingset at school and forgetting to put on my bathing suit during swimming lessons. I just walked out to the pool area as naked as a jay bird and had no idea. Of course I was even heavy at that point in my life so I never lived that one down. LOL. Funny thing is, I NEVER see any of those people since graduation. Not even my two childhood best friends. We all just went our own ways. Anyhow enough rambling. I was raised a bit funny I guess.

I eat the same things all of the time. Chicken tenderloins and steamed broccoli. Dannon fit and lite. I make a great vegetarian chili. Sometimes I will eats whatever at a restaurant if we go out but just lost interest in food when I had the surgery.