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My doctor starts his patients on a 30 day course of colace from day 1 in the hospital. I had my first BM on day 5 post op. It was small and harder than normal, but it was to be expected. I did not have a pre-op liquid diet, just the usual NPO the day of surgery. My first food stage was Full Liquids, so mostly shakes, tea, broth. After my initial BM I managed to have 1 every day since. By 6 weeks out they were pretty much back to normal but only once a day. Now I go anywhere from 1 -3 times a day, but on avg twice a day. I am vegetarian so my diet is naturally high Fiber. During the Full Liquids stage I would add spinach to my Protein shakes. I was also eating Soup made from Beans pureed, strained and thinned with vegetable broth. I've never been constipated or had diarrhea.

I'm going to tell you something we were taught not to do as kids; play with your food! Start with the protein you like and then spin it. Try a new seasoning, check out recipes on Pinterest or Eggface. Try a new flavor combo. One year I tried a new veg every 3 months. I discovered celery root, namé and fiddle head ferns. Go to an ethnic market and try something new. Especially if it's a lose bin market where you pay by the pound. Buy a small amount and try it out. Try vegetarian food, try Italian, Mediterranean, Indian seasonings, etc....

I'm coming up on 2 yes and I have totally fell off. I haven't gained anything but I have only lose inches no weight. As of last month, I'm now a vegetarian. I can't find the energy to workout early in the mornings and tired at night. Protein intake is better as a vegetarian than before but still lack the will to eat anything. Can someone help me out with this, please. ????????????

I am vegetarian, most of my Protein comes from plant based sources and Beans. I eat plenty of fresh veg as well. In the all liquid stage I would add spinach to my Protein shakes. I'm 14mths out and eat raw veg nearly every day. I also do whole grains in small amounts. I avg 100 gms of protein each day but I try to eat a balanced diet.

I talked to a person 3 years post op this last week. I am so confused because everything that has been told to me up to this point has been stick with the diet, excercise, blah, blah, blah. Ok, so I have. What she told me changed the ball game. We have surgeons out of the same clinic who are very pro-vegetarian. Her surgeon told her that her weight loss had become too excessive. She needed to up her calories and fat intake. What?! He told her it was ok to eat ice cream, up the Peanut Butter (which I still can't eat at 7 months) and eat fattier meat. All of which I can't eat or have been told is not on the plan. She scared me a bit. Unfortunately I just saw my surgeon recently or I would ask at my next visit. The things this woman told me have stopped me in my tracks. I have not been scared to lose too much. I have been excited even walking in to stores and buying off racks that are not in the plus size section. However, now the fear that the goal I have been working towards may be exceeded and things like being able to control portions, make better choices and the dreams of maintaining a healthy weight have been waivered. I am curious what your PCP and surgeon say.

I believe this article regarding vegetarian/vegan Protein powders has been linked before on here: http://www.peta.org/living/food/pump-workouts-vegan-protein-powder/

Stage 1: Liquid Diet There’s no denying that your diet the first few days or weeks after surgery can be pretty boring, but you can still make the best of it. After surgery, you may need a little comforting as your body tries to recover. Plus, you may start to feel cold as you lose weight. So, why not try some hot tea? One option is to go for apple cinnamon tea. Stew dehydrated apple slices and cloves for about 10 minutes, then strain the liquid into your teacup and serve with a cinnamon stick. If you don’t feel like simmering dehydrated apple slices and spices, you can go the quick route with apple tea bags (make sure they’re decaf!) and a cinnamon stick instead. You can get a warming protein boost instead if you make spiced chai with soy milk or non-fat milk instead of water. For a warming protein drink, you could curl up with an instant cup of BariatricPal Hot Protein Drink – Classic Hot Chocolate or with marshmallows, or BariatricPal Hot Cappuccino Protein Drink – Vanilla. No problem if your surgeon forbids caffeine. Just opt for BariatricPal Hot Protein Drink – Creamy Cappuccino (Decaf). They’re low-sugar and each has 12 to 15 grams of protein. Stage 2: Mushies or Pureed Foods You don’t need to give in when that leftover pumpkin pie in the fridge calls your name. Listen to it, and you’ll end up with hundreds of calories, tons of sugar, and probably a stomach ache. Instead, you can mix pureed canned pumpkin with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice or cloves, beaten egg whites, almond milk, and your choice of calorie-free sweeteners, such as stevia. Bake it until it sets. Once you’re on the semi-soft foods diet in stage 3, you can turn your pumpkin pie into pumpkin cheesecake by swirling the pumpkin mixture with low-calorie cheesecake mixture made from fat-free cream cheese, egg whites, fat-free cottage cheese, vanilla, and sweetener before baking. And if you’re craving some crust, add a bit of crunch with crushed high-fiber cereal. Need something a little more substantial? Go for the comfort without the carbs at breakfast with BariatricPal Maple Brown Sugar or Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with 14 grams protein, or whip up instant BariatricPal Chocolate Chip Pancakes with 15 grams of protein. Stage 3: Semi-Soft Foods You may have heard about using pureed cauliflower to satisfy your cravings for mashed potatoes. What about taking it up a notch with a high-protein, low-carb shepherd’s pie? Blend cooked green peas and beans for the bottom layer, and cover it with a layer of lean ground turkey mixed with broth to season it. Spread pureed cauliflower over the turkey. If you want to go whole hog, sprinkle shredded low-fat cheddar cheese on the top so it browns while baking. As long as we’re talking about cauliflower – which, by the way, is in season in the fall – don’t forget you can also use it as a great alternative to fried rice. Pulse cauliflower in a blender until it is in small pieces. Then stir fry it with diced veggies and some protein, such as egg whites and cooked chicken breast. That sure beats Chinese take-out! For something a little meatier, you can try meatballs without the bad stuff! Take a packet of BariatricPal Light Sloppy Joe (or Vegetarian Joe, if you prefer), and mix it with an egg white and some low-fat parmesan cheese. Cover it in low-sugar tomato sauce, and you’re ready to eat. Stage 4: Full or Solid Foods Diet Roasted candied nuts are a big hit in fall, and you can make your own version once you’re several months out of surgery. To make sugar-free candied pecans, mix a cup of pecan halves into a beaten egg white until the pecans are coated. Roll them in a mixture of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and your favorite calorie-free sugar substitute, such as stevia. Bake them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. They’re high in healthy fats, protein, and antioxidants – just remember they’re high in calories, too, so watch the portions. Here are a few other comfort foods you can try without guilt. Vegetarian chili with beans or chili with ground turkey, or BariatricPal Vegetable Chili with Beans. Veggie burgers with black beans, lentils, or chickpeas, oatmeal or quinoa, mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini. Serve as sliders on lettuce leaves with avocado or low-fat cheese. Lasagna made with eggplant instead of noodles, low-fat ricotta, and fat-free mozzarella cheese. Breakfast casserole made with egg whites, turkey sausage, low-fat cheese, and onions. Crunchy salty snacks like BariatricPal Lite Bites pretzel twists and chips. One More Tip – Watch Your Portions! With comfort foods, part of the problem is the “what.” The other part is the “how much.” Portion control is key when it comes to the weight loss surgery diet. When you can, try making recipes so you know how much you’re getting and so it’s naturally easier to take a small serving. Here are some suggestions. Measure your ingredients and know how many servings you should get out of the entire recipe. Make use of a muffin tin instead of a so you can pre-portion foods like meatloaf, egg-based muffins, and pumpkin pie. Make naturally pre-portioned foods, like deviled eggs and meatballs so you know a serving size is one piece. Weight loss surgery doesn’t mean giving up comfort foods. It just means choosing your foods wisely so they make you feel comforted, not bloated. Whatever you’re in the mood for, you can find a version that’s WLS friendly and simple to make. What are your favorites?

It’s autumn now. That means longer nights and cooler weather. That means…you may be craving some comfort food. The problem is, you know most of those traditional comfort foods aren’t on your healthy weight loss surgery diet. So what can you do to satisfy the cravings while you keep losing weight? Here are some ideas for every stage of the post-op weight loss surgery diet. They’re lower in calories and healthier than some of the foods you used to dive into but aren’t an option anymore. Stage 1: Liquid Diet There’s no denying that your diet the first few days or weeks after surgery can be pretty boring, but you can still make the best of it. After surgery, you may need a little comforting as your body tries to recover. Plus, you may start to feel cold as you lose weight. So, why not try some hot tea? One option is to go for apple cinnamon tea. Stew dehydrated apple slices and cloves for about 10 minutes, then strain the liquid into your teacup and serve with a cinnamon stick. If you don’t feel like simmering dehydrated apple slices and spices, you can go the quick route with apple tea bags (make sure they’re decaf!) and a cinnamon stick instead. You can get a warming protein boost instead if you make spiced chai with soy milk or non-fat milk instead of water. For a warming protein drink, you could curl up with an instant cup of BariatricPal Hot Protein Drink – Classic Hot Chocolate or with marshmallows, or BariatricPal Hot Cappuccino Protein Drink – Vanilla. No problem if your surgeon forbids caffeine. Just opt for BariatricPal Hot Protein Drink – Creamy Cappuccino (Decaf). They’re low-sugar and each has 12 to 15 grams of protein. Stage 2: Mushies or Pureed Foods You don’t need to give in when that leftover pumpkin pie in the fridge calls your name. Listen to it, and you’ll end up with hundreds of calories, tons of sugar, and probably a stomach ache. Instead, you can mix pureed canned pumpkin with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice or cloves, beaten egg whites, almond milk, and your choice of calorie-free sweeteners, such as stevia. Bake it until it sets. Once you’re on the semi-soft foods diet in stage 3, you can turn your pumpkin pie into pumpkin cheesecake by swirling the pumpkin mixture with low-calorie cheesecake mixture made from fat-free cream cheese, egg whites, fat-free cottage cheese, vanilla, and sweetener before baking. And if you’re craving some crust, add a bit of crunch with crushed high-fiber cereal. Need something a little more substantial? Go for the comfort without the carbs at breakfast with BariatricPal Maple Brown Sugar or Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with 14 grams protein, or whip up instant BariatricPal Chocolate Chip Pancakes with 15 grams of protein. Stage 3: Semi-Soft Foods You may have heard about using pureed cauliflower to satisfy your cravings for mashed potatoes. What about taking it up a notch with a high-protein, low-carb shepherd’s pie? Blend cooked green peas and beans for the bottom layer, and cover it with a layer of lean ground turkey mixed with broth to season it. Spread pureed cauliflower over the turkey. If you want to go whole hog, sprinkle shredded low-fat cheddar cheese on the top so it browns while baking. As long as we’re talking about cauliflower – which, by the way, is in season in the fall – don’t forget you can also use it as a great alternative to fried rice. Pulse cauliflower in a blender until it is in small pieces. Then stir fry it with diced veggies and some protein, such as egg whites and cooked chicken breast. That sure beats Chinese take-out! For something a little meatier, you can try meatballs without the bad stuff! Take a packet of BariatricPal Light Sloppy Joe (or Vegetarian Joe, if you prefer), and mix it with an egg white and some low-fat parmesan cheese. Cover it in low-sugar tomato sauce, and you’re ready to eat. Stage 4: Full or Solid Foods Diet Roasted candied nuts are a big hit in fall, and you can make your own version once you’re several months out of surgery. To make sugar-free candied pecans, mix a cup of pecan halves into a beaten egg white until the pecans are coated. Roll them in a mixture of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and your favorite calorie-free sugar substitute, such as stevia. Bake them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. They’re high in healthy fats, protein, and antioxidants – just remember they’re high in calories, too, so watch the portions. Here are a few other comfort foods you can try without guilt. Vegetarian chili with beans or chili with ground turkey, or BariatricPal Vegetable Chili with Beans. Veggie burgers with black beans, lentils, or chickpeas, oatmeal or quinoa, mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini. Serve as sliders on lettuce leaves with avocado or low-fat cheese. Lasagna made with eggplant instead of noodles, low-fat ricotta, and fat-free mozzarella cheese. Breakfast casserole made with egg whites, turkey sausage, low-fat cheese, and onions. Crunchy salty snacks like BariatricPal Lite Bites pretzel twists and chips. One More Tip – Watch Your Portions! With comfort foods, part of the problem is the “what.” The other part is the “how much.” Portion control is key when it comes to the weight loss surgery diet. When you can, try making recipes so you know how much you’re getting and so it’s naturally easier to take a small serving. Here are some suggestions. Measure your ingredients and know how many servings you should get out of the entire recipe. Make use of a muffin tin instead of a so you can pre-portion foods like meatloaf, egg-based muffins, and pumpkin pie. Make naturally pre-portioned foods, like deviled eggs and meatballs so you know a serving size is one piece. Weight loss surgery doesn’t mean giving up comfort foods. It just means choosing your foods wisely so they make you feel comforted, not bloated. Whatever you’re in the mood for, you can find a version that’s WLS friendly and simple to make. What are your favorites?

Also a good call, certainly faster & easier - presumably if you left the tendon in overnight you'd get a similar protein assay as with the full bone broth of the homemade stuff.I would scope out different phone places and find the best broths. They really do vary. They are so comforting, they keep well and they are satifying. Bone broth is magical if you're familiar with the preparation. Pho varieties also offer chicken, beef and vegetarian broths for variety. If you reheat, you can stir in an egg and add some extra protein. Sent from my SM-T357T using Tapatalk

You can get your protein in through plant based means so long as you're careful. Try going vegetarian for a while until you're further out and your sleeve is feeling more tolerant.

Vegetarian broth for egg drop Soup with tasteless Protein powder. Sent from my SM-T357T using Tapatalk

I'm a little over a year out. I'm also vegetarian. Pre-op I went pretty much 2 hours after each meal. I went 2 -3 times a day regularly. Post-op my doctor started me on colace for the first 30days. I had my first BM on day 5. I had a BM every day til about maybe 6mths in. Now I probably have a BM anywhere from 1 - 3 times a day depending on what I eat. A few weeks ago without thinking I had steel cut oats for breakfast and a kale salad for lunch and diner. The next day was a truly "cleansing" experience.

LipStickLady, Good question! And a lot of good answers. Thanks for not making us differentiate between Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To each her own, and no reason to filter any great answers just because they’re traditionally one meal or the other! Vegetarian chili is a hit at our house. It’s super easy, you can make it ahead of time, it makes a huge recipe, and it’s so healthy. If you want, you can just have the chili. Otherwise, you can top it with shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced avocados, or plain fat-free Greek yogurt. For the diners who aren’t watching their weight, they can mop it up with bread or serve it over rice. For the diners who require meat at every meal, you can add ground beef or turkey. It has cans of Beans (chickpea, kidney, black, whatever you want), diced celery, onion, and bell peppers, and chili seasoning. Pretty simple! But if I’m too lazy to do even that, eggs with spinach can do the trick easily for a one-person, quick meal. Great ideas here – thanks to everyone for sharing!

I'm late to the party. ..I went vegetarian 2 years ago. I lost 30 lbs without trying. But I didn't make any healthy changes with it so the weight came back. You can definitely be an unhealthy veggie. Off to check out Dr weiner materials.

So, weird thing. Before surgery, I loved meat. Now, if any meat sounds good, I give it a try and then the next time I think about it, it repulses me. Since surgery 6 weeks ago, I've tried bits of burger, chicken, even hot dog(I know it's bad) , and now all of them sound completely disgusting to me. am I weird? I can eat turkey burger no problem, but anything else....yuck. Maybe my body just wants me to convert to vegetarian? I don't even know. lol

I am having my sleeve operation tomorrow and I for the past 11 years I have not eaten meat. I eat dairy and eggs. Any vego out there give me an idea on post op first 4 weeeks please. Thanks

@@Skinny Steps - at 8 months you should be able to tolerate more protein heavy food such as tuna, chicken, beef, pork, cheese, Greek yogurt, beef jerky, etc. At 5 months post-op, I do still have 1 Premier Protein shake per day but I am easily getting 50 to 70g per day from food. Are you not able to tolerate these things? What are you eating? If vegetarian, there are also choices such as beans, legumes, nuts, etc. You need to meet with a NUT ASAP and get your intake evaluated.

I have a friend who is a vegetarian and insists that I try one. All the ones she buys are pre-packaged in the freezer section. So, I'm curious to know if there are other options. I may try them.

I went back on MFP and copied what I had at 2 mths post -op. I was only aiming for 60 gms of Protein at the time. In retrospect the only thing I would change is to increase my protein count. Breakfast Cvs Pharmacy - ¼ cup whey Protein Powder chocolate Maxwell House - Decaf Original Roast coffee Swiss Miss - Classics - Milk Chocolate, 1 envelope Carnation - Evaporated 2% Lowfat Milk Egg (Whole) - Raw, 1 Egg, Large Almond Breeze - Unsweetened vanilla, 0.5 cup Kraft Regular Mayo Tblsp - Kraft Regular Mayo Tblsp, 0.5 Tbsp lunch Orgain Organic Nutritional shake - Iced Cafe Mocha, 11 oz 2 Snack Wonderful - Pistachio, 1.5 oz 130 6 11 5 125 2 dinner *I'm vegetarian, if you are omni, just use chicken breast and real bacon Beyond meat - Chicken-Less Strips, 4 ounces Light Life - Fakin Bacon, 1 strips Spinach - Raw, 0.25 cup Swanson - Vegetable broth, 0.5 cup *I'd add a scoop of unflavored protein powder to this Totals: 844 calories 70 carbs 60 protein and 26 sugar

I look at the major hospitals in my area. I knew my insurance would be accepted at most if not all of them. I wanted a Center for Excellence. I then wanted to know if the doctors could accommodate my needs. I am vegetarian with multiple food & medication allergies. Having had a few negative experiences with nutritionist over my vegetarianism, I needed to know if the program would respect that. I looked at one program and honestly wasn't crazy about the doctor. His pre-op diet was 2 weeks on slim fast and he wasn't very open to using other alternative Protein shakes. He was also pushing me towards the bypass and I was more interested in the sleeve. I had a friend who had bypass at UPenn. She raved about her doctor and experience. I attended the seminar. After hearing them speak and asking questions, they seemed a better fit. I actually forgot to tell my PCP who I adore btw, until a copy of my approval letter was sent. She called to follow up (one of the reasons why I like her). I explained I was in the process of pre-op testing. She was thrilled for me and said to let her know if there was anything she needed to do. I am beyond happy with my choice. My surgical experience was event free. I like the team approach that the center utilizes. I like that I have a nutritionist that I can ask questions and have a back and forth conversation with. I like that they provide a handbook with the entire process from pre to post op life with samples and recommendations. That handbook became my bible of sorts during those early months. I am completely satisfied and don't think I would have changed a single thing.

I completely agree that you should see your primary doctor as soon as possible for some blood labs. That will let you know where you are deficient so the the doctor knows how to proceed. I am sorry to hear that you are not getting good follow-up care. I had follow-up visits at two weeks, one month, two months, three months, six months, one year, eighteen months, and my two-year visit is coming up in December. Hopefully your regular doctor can intervene for you and point you in the right direction. We see a vegan or vegetarian on the forum from time to time, and they have to be very clever about getting in their Protein. Until you get in for your appointment, you could investigate how vegans and vegetarians get their protein. I found the fruity clear Protein drinks (like Syntrax Nectars) easier to handle than the milky ones. Good luck. We don't want you to end up in the E R all dehydrated.

I was a vegetarian (not vegan) for like 6 years back in the 90's and you'd be surprised how many people often proclaimed "I'm a vegetarian, too. But I do eat fish." I quit trying to argue. Being from Wisconsin, I think I might get arrested it I didn't eat dairy. . Mmmm.....cheese That one drives me nuts. Especially since I'm deathly allergic to seafood. Like the time I was literally in the hospital due to an allergic reaction, ordered the vegetarian meal and was brought a giant piece of fish!

I was a vegetarian (not vegan) for like 6 years back in the 90's and you'd be surprised how many people often proclaimed "I'm a vegetarian, too. But I do eat fish." I quit trying to argue. Being from Wisconsin, I think I might get arrested it I didn't eat dairy. . Mmmm.....cheese

I've had some trouble with this... Wish they had a bariatric setting, lol... I have been ignoring fats because I am just eating the usual safe bariatric foods for my stage, but will pay more attention to that when I branch out more, food-wise. I set my protein to 68... I was told to get at least 60g of protein a day and I have read between 60-80, so I just randomly picked 68. I set my sugars to 32. I've learned that anything more than 8g of sugar per meal makes me start to "dump" (I hate that word, btw), so i figure no more than 8g x 4 meals, so 32g a day. I just generally watch my carbs because they often fall in line with sugars (but not always!). My doctor kept his advice pretty simple... get in your protein, preferably shakes and plant proteins (he is a vegetarian, lol), and be careful of your sugars. I have trouble with meats now anyway, can not seem to chew beef and ckn very well, so i have been eating a lot of legumes, seeds, etc... He is big on "legumes"! Some of my favorite things... -The Good Bean salted chickpeas -Salted pumpkin seeds -Trader Joe's coffee cold concentrate (I mix with Carbmaster Milk (kroger) or fairlife milk over ice and sometimes add Unjury unflavored protein powder to it). The concentrate is easy and almost 70% less acidic than regular coffee. I have trouble with reg coffee now -Prosciutto wrapped mozzarella sticks dipped in Rao's or Mario Batali marinara sauce (both of them have low sugars) -Simple Mills muffin and bread mixes (had to order these online, but they contain all the stuff that I would use if i made mixes at home... almond flour, cauliflower, etc. low sugar/carbs Just made the pumpkin muffin and i have one each morning! -Practically the only thing I am really jonesing for is pizza... i've made the chicken crust pizza and, while it is good, i am not sure that will cut it for me all the time. regular pizza is out, but simple mill's makes a low carb/sugar pizza crust that I am going to make this weekend... hopefully is is good! -trader joe's sugar free choc covered almonds -diet snapple k-cup lemon iced tea -i'm sick of protein shakes, but i still have premier protein vanilla once a day to get in my protein for the day -I can not get on board with protein bars (quest are supposedly the best for us). I have a stockpile of quest but have only been interested in them when I am out and about and have nothing else. -oikos triple zero yogurt is AWESOME.. tons of protein and taste good, i am jsut tired of the flavors and wish there was more variety. -heb carries the Enlightened brand ice cream bar... i LOVE chocolate mint! only 5 sugars and it has 7 grams of protein! low fat and high fiber... awesome!!!

I've had some trouble with this... Wish they had a bariatric setting, lol... I have been ignoring fats because I am just eating the usual safe bariatric foods for my stage, but will pay more attention to that when I branch out more, food-wise. I set my protein to 68... I was told to get at least 60g of protein a day and I have read between 60-80, so I just randomly picked 68. I set my sugars to 32. I've learned that anything more than 8g of sugar per meal makes me start to "dump" (I hate that word, btw), so i figure no more than 8g x 4 meals, so 32g a day. I just generally watch my carbs because they often fall in line with sugars (but not always!). My doctor kept his advice pretty simple... get in your protein, preferably shakes and plant proteins (he is a vegetarian, lol), and be careful of your sugars. I have trouble with meats now anyway, can not seem to chew beef and ckn very well, so i have been eating a lot of legumes, seeds, etc... He is big on "legumes"!