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I eat that way naturally. I'm a vegetarian

This reminds me of another story. Dr. Robert Adkins introduced the world to low carb diets. One day he slipped and fell on the ice injuring his head. That sent him to the hospital in a coma for which he never recovered. His body was pumped full of fluids (like ours during surgery) and when he finally died, he weighed significantly more than when he entered the hospital. A vegetarian advocacy group called Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) surreptitiously obtained a copy of his private medical records and used it to attack a dead man, Dr. Adkins and the Adkin's diet. [They then apparently made false claims that he was obese at the time of his death, that his diet didn't work and that he died of a heart attack.] That's low! http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-02-10-atkins-health_x.htm

I discovered that the fat free rosarita has hydrogenated fat in it. Check the ingredients. I bought the vegetarian instead

You could always buy dry beans, then boil and mash them. It's more work but you can be sure they're vegetarian and they'll probably be lower sodium.

Can I get any kind or vegetarian refried beans only?

It's fine to deviate within reason. Because of food allergies and being a vegetarian my eating plan was very different than most. However I reviewed and discussed everything with my nutritionist. I made most things from scratch. What you were doing is still on program. However there are folks who will say things like how they ate noodles ( a slider food) during their all liquid stage. That's just bad advice. There's a difference in being creative and just plain going off course.

My first memory of being overweight is in 1974. I was 10 years old, in 4th grade and I wore 13/14 size pants. It was just normal in my family. We were all big, except for my oldest brother. He could eat anything! My four sisters and both parents were heavy. My brother is the first child after a long history of miscarriage for my mother. He was adopted and then the pregnancies came rolling in. Six kids in just over 9 years! Yikes! I remember in 6th grade watching Miss America, the winner weighed 13 lbs more than me, but probably had Six inches of height on me. That's when I started my first diet. I would lose a little then gain a lot. By the time I graduated high school, I weighed 245 lbs. I distinctly remember my brother telling me I had better lose weight if I ever wanted a boyfriend. I went mostly vegetarian for 3 months and lost 60 lbs. I was a 12. It worked! I met my future/current husband and we are happy. He doesn't like my weight but he loves me and is very supportive. I am blessed. As we got comfortable together the weight crept back on. Wedding date I wore a 22. Through the years and 2 beautiful children, I tried and failed on all of the big name diets. I had heard of weight loss surgery but never gave it a second thought until my younger sister did it and I was so proud of her. I would talk to my doctor about it and he would just say no. A year after I started getting pushy! I studied everything about it and wrote my doctor a 2 page letter about how much this would impact my life and health. I told him I wanted to play with my grandchildren. I was afraid. He finally reluctantly relented. I did the six months required doctor supervised diet. Lost only 15 lbs. Did the whole psych routine and got my date. The night before he called me and said he had cancelled it because there was a spot on my lung. I went ballistic! 2 years earlier I had pneumonia. That was the spot he saw on my chest xray. I frantically called my surgeon and he told me to show up anyway, do the prep and he would repeat the xray. I weighed 345. Surgery followed. I was elated. I lost 137 lbs in one year! Until I got comfortable. I have regained most of it. Today, 9 years later, I weigh 306. That hurts to say. I am back to the scared spot. I am beginning in the morning and re setting my pouch. I will do 5 protein shakes day one. Day 2, four protein shakes and a protein dinner. I am still reading up on how long I need to do this but I am determined! I read about this on bariatric eating.com. I will check back in shortly!

My basic day consists of 2 shakes and 4 oz of food. I'm a vegetarian and I average between 550-750 calories a day and 70 - 100g of Protein. My NUT told me that I'm fine with only eating 4 oz a day. He said the average caloric intake at this point is somewhere between 400 - 800 calories a day. I'm starting to wonder if I should let the protein shakes handle the protein and make my meals non-starchy vegetables since nothing else has changed.

I'm also at week three and struggling a bit to get in enough Protein. Isopure makes bottled fruit flavored drinks with 40 grams of protein in them, though I've lost my love for sweeter tastes since having the surgery. They're around $4 at The Vitamin Shoppe. I don't know if you might tolerate them better than the shakes. This list of high protein foods might be helpful to you: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ultimate-list-40-high-protein-foods.html Beans and lentils are a good source of protein. I'm a vegetarian, so I don't eat meat but of course those who do have many options. I've heard that if you put meat (or soy meat) into a crock pot with broth to soften it it will be gentler on your stomach, but I haven't tried that yet myself.

I make a pot of vegetarian chili (with things like carrots and bell peppers in it) occasionally on the weekend and we take that for lunch that week. I also keep string cheese and Greek yogurt in my fridge at work in case I don't have anything else to eat. Sometimes leftovers from the night before. I used to make hummus and eat that with baby carrots when I was a pre-op - I should start doing that again now that I'm cleared to eat raw vegetables again.

Im a vegetarian but my husband LOVES his meat lol. In our house we eat ALOT of Gardein products. They are by far the best faux meats Ive had. Fieldroast also makes really good hot dogs. Tofurkey makes a Italian sausage that's really good (its in a red pack) but most of their other stuff Im not too fond of. Gardein is in the frozen section and Tofurkey is usually in produce. Hopefully some good tasting faux meats will make plant based a little easier to transition to.

I was all about that pickle allowance. One of the medium-big sour ones. Didn't eat one every day, but it really breaks up the sweet shakes and bland broths. Some sugar free Jello cups are nice too, just for texture. As far as soft foods -- I'm just now getting into this/the pureed stage -- and my mom's spaghetti sauce without the meat is still awesome, I just add unflavored Protein to eat a quarter-cup. But really tender chili has gone over great, too. I got some chili from McAlisters (a Soup and sandwich shop) and did half regular and have vegetarian which is all Beans, mixed it up and eat a quarter cup at a time. Very yummy. I'm interested in some refried beans next! Scrambled eggs are nice as long as they're still soft, but watch out if you go out somewhere and eat them. I heard IHOP puts some of their pancake batter in their eggs to make them fluffier and another person on the forums said they were much harder to eat. Cottage cheese is another soft food I'm glad to have back!

Vegetarian here. I do eat eggs, but I also like plain, greek yogurt. FAGE 0% is brand of choice. For Protein supplement I prefer Isopure unflavored and my nutra bullet. It is plain, 100% whey protein isolate with no added flavorings or sugars. I mix the Isopure with yogurt, with vegetable broth, coffee, tea, etc.. I also eat bean, legumes, seitan, tofu, tempeh, dark green leafy veg. such as spinach, kale or broccoli, and cheese. I am allergic to most artificial sweeteners. I can occasionally use sucralose aka splenda, but try not use it often. I prefer to use raw, locally sourced honey but do not use it often. I use the Isopure and make my own Protein drinks. Typically it's yogurt, Protein powder, fruit, spinach and Water. I can also tolerate the Isopure green tea, black and coconut protein drinks. If you are having trouble with nausea, call your doctor and get a prescription for that.

Anyone have any advice other than a boiled egg? I can't stand the shakes and aspartame in them as well as anything else they want to sweeten with out adding calories.

Hey sleevers, I had my surgery on 08-11-2015. The first week and a half I had no problems with nausea just gas and pain/soreness. Going into 2-3 weeks and I'm constantly nauseated. food is evil to me now. Any kind of food is hard to eat. Everything tastes overly sweet especially that fake sugar garbage they tell you to consume. All the Protein shakes I was made to purchase are disgusting. It's one thing if I could just chug it down but now sine my stomach is so small I have to sip on it for over an hour? Nope. So I know I'm not getting enough protein. Tried to eat more protein in diet although I'm vegetarian so it takes a bit more and being able to handle different types of foods which I can't right now in this stage of recovery. I was on zofran but caused very bad migraines. Then was put on Phenergan but pills was too chalky and made it worse to take, made me more nauseated. Tried to take some pepto bit started dry heaving and eventually threw that up. Finally got a rx patch for nausea and bought sea bands for acupressure. They have helped but it is still hard to eat anything. The nausea kicks in high gear once I start to smell the food I'm about to eat. I've been living off triscuits, mashed potatoes, and cheese. I can't even handle broth or Soups for the most part. I want to do better with my food but I'm in limbo. I drink plenty of ice Water so I'm not dehydrated. It's worse in the morning for some reason. I don't know if it'd because it has been a long time since my last meal? I stopped my nexium after the surgery. I haven't had heartburn. It's all nausea but I started taking it again to see if it's some sort of reflux issue...but no such luck yet. I don't have any other symptoms so I know it's nothing serious from the procedure. Has anyone else had this problem? How long did it last? How did you over come it? I'm at a loss. I was fine the first week then after that it's been a struggle. It's so weird. HELP!!! Sincerely, Would rather be in pain then constant nausea.

Hey, hey, hey...I didn't get to the top of the food chain to eat plants. Aww, that's not true. I'm a vegetarian. Not because I love animals...it's because I HATE plants.

Switch to eating Protein and veggies for a week and just cut carbs except for veggies. Just say if it has carbs, besides from veggies or eggs, then I can't have it. This will not work if you are vegetarian, but you do that and walk 30 minutes a day and you should be good.

Came across this article on FB today. It was exactly what I needed to see. I've gotten comfortable with the fact that I can still indulge in small amounts and not see any weight gain or experience dumping. Well, that's NOT a good thing for someone like me, because it will simply continue and then eventually I will see regain. I don't want to waste all the hard work I have put in and everything I've endured to take my health back into my own hands. Having said that, some parts of this surgery might strike chords. Please remember that I didn't write it LOL so don't attack me if something makes you feel some type of way, especially that last header/paragraph. That's a sentence we all probably will take issue with, but please try to keep things in context... http://www.bariatriceating.com/2015/05/not-what-you-want-to-hear-bariatric-nos/ Don’t eat bread! That latte has 35g sugar! No macaroni salad. NO tortillas. No rice. It won’t last without change There is no delicate way to say this. We have always set ourselves apart from other bariatric groups in that we don’t look the other way while post ops continue to eat the bad carbs. We try and bring them back to the bariatric reality. We coax you to knock off the Pasta, rice, tortillas or bread and often people get mad or try and justify it. For years we’ve watched people blow through this surgery and they all have the same story. Everyone thinks they are ‘Different’, that they can handle the bad carbs and the sugar (they don’t get sick!) and ‘because they have lost 100 pounds in 7 months they must be doing something right’. The first hundred pounds is the surgery Hate to keep making the same point, but your surgery did it, not you. Remember that you are not driving the car for the first year. Eating the same foods that grew you to 300 pounds, but in smaller amounts is not a good long term plan as eventually you will be able to eat larger portions. Ask yourself why eating the same bad carbs would be a good plan. No doctor has advised you to eat the same way post op as you did pre op. Post ops pick this up somewhere, latch on to it and defend it, often to the bitter end of a total regain. No one fights for broccoli carbs! It’s not that the bagel will kill you, it’s that these carbs make you hungry. They rapidly turn to glucose and burn… poof, gone, #Lookingformore. They don’t give you any nutrients. They don’t create a feeling of satiety or lasting fullness. The empty carbs work against what you are trying to achieve. If you were arguing for eating salad or green bean carbs, more power to you… but people are trying to hang on to foods without value. If this big argument was for VEGETABLES… well it wouldn’t be a debate as vegetables didn’t make us fat, it was those ‘other’ carbs. Did you ever meet an obese vegetarian and wonder ‘HUH?’… how’d they get obese if they are vegetarian? Same deal… its not the vegetables, its the other stuff… the carbs… the potatoes, bread, macaroni, rice, tortillas and sugar! Square peg… round hole Stop looking for slightly better substitutes for bad choices and find new healthier foods to love instead. We keep trying to force that square peg into that round hole. Stop EATING crackers and chips… don’t find ones that you can justify because they have fewer carbs. Enough with the terrible fishy shirataki tofu noodles. Learn to live without bread and pasta so it will not call your name. We aren’t changing the behavior or trend if we continue eating them, just slightly shifting it. Before long you’ve got your hand back in the Doritos bag & fork in the Mac and cheese. Look It’s Protein Cheesecake! Don’t add protein to muffins and convince yourself they’re good for you. Stop with the Starbucks Creme Brûlée Lattes because ‘they’re your one indulgence’; they have 500 calories and thin people don’t even drink them. Stay the heck out of Wendy’s. I read an article the other day touting all the ‘good choices’ in fast food restaurants. How about stay out of them. That’s the best choice of all! Why go to the place where you know there is danger. Before you know it, oops… there are fries in your bag! You know people gain back weight, right? In our first month of new Facebook Support group I have cried for new members who have gained back all their weight. I am not immune either after fourteen years, three bariatric books and knowing better. When life hit the fan, I comforted my bruises in the way I knew best and it has taken me ten months to lose fifty pounds of it. People are having revisions, a lovely sounding word for a second serious body damaging operation. What will change? Unless there is major change along with that new surgery, won’t it have the same result? Step away from the bagel! Own that there was and maybe still is something wrong with your food picker! Use surgery as an opportunity to change, not cheat. I used be bothered by the ‘word on the street’ that we were the carb or food police, but am now proud of it. If you want to promote the virtues of Everything in Moderation while eating half a Subway, there are plenty of groups that will help you do it. If you want to eat right and learn new behaviors to make the feeling of slipping on those skinny jeans last… we have a support group that’s a healthier fit. Bariatric Surgery IS the easy way out It’s a personal food cop that is always with us, that helps us push away from the table. We make it hard when we don’t live by the bariatric rules we’ve been given. There is nothing harder then gaining weight back after surgery. There is nothing better than losing it a second time. Control is empowering. If you need to pick up and start losing again… If you need to work off a regain… it’s not too late and your pouch works just fine if you choose the right foods. Clean those lethal carbs from your life and go back to Bariatric Eating – protein first and lots of fresh salad and vegetables. We’ve got the support for you to make that change!

I eat the good ribeye! I have one at least twice a week. Are you wanting to go vegetarian? Paleo/Primal is nowhere near vegetarian. There are plenty of veggies that are low carb. And Paleo/Primal is all about the meat. My Protein comes from beef, pork, chicken, turkey and seafood.

Here are some food ideas I've been enjoying this summer, along with some tips to make the prep super fast. I call these "recipes" (in quotes) because they don't include measurements (except the last one). They're more meant to serve as inspiration. My first tip is that, I've been buying pre-cooked quinoa and brown rice recently and keeping it in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. Brown rice (or your favorite grain, farro would be lovely) can be swapped for quinoa in any of these "recipes", though quinoa has the least carbs and highest Protein of the bunch (since it's a seed, not a grain). Quinoa is really easy to cook, and if you make a big batch you can portion and freeze the left overs. But the pre-cooked version is great when you're too tired to even boil Water. Cheesy Quinoa: - Mix prepared quinoa with skim milk, or fat free yogurt, and your favorite sharp melting cheese. Pop in the microwave and stir regularly. I like to add some veg for Fiber and Vitamins too. Chopped tomato, broccoli, or zucchini are my favs. For an extra boost of vegetarian protein throw in some canned black Beans. -- I like to keep frozen veg on hand for times like this, and I buy pre-shredded extra sharp cheddar (a small grating of fresh, real, Parmesan cheese adds a nice nutty saltiness too) Summer Caprese - Fill your (small) plate with really good fresh mozzarella cheese (tear it from the ball, don't slice, for a rustic feel), the best summer tomatoes you can find, and fresh summer corn. Top with olive oil, course salt, fresh ground pepper, and your favorite fresh herbs if you have them on hand. You'll get protein from the cheese, healthy fat from the olive oil, and fiber and nutrition from the veg. Yum! - I love to have fresh corn in the summer - I throw them in the oven with husks still on right on the oven grates, then store in the fridge in gallon size bags. Frozen, defrosted corn would work fine too though Quinoa Kale Pesto with Shrimp - Some time many months ago I was feeling ambitious and made a kale pesto, and froze the left overs in an ice cube tray, that now sit in a baggie in my freezer (to be inspired, the "recipe" included kale, bacon fat, pecans and Parmesan cheese). Recently I broke out a few cubes, mixed with pre-cooked quinoa, pre-cooked frozen/defrosted shrimp, and some pieces of frozen kale. You can sub a store-bought or fresh pesto of your choosing. I heated it up (microwave) with some anchovy slices for an extra Omega hit and salty kick. I was able to split one small bowl between Breakfast and lunch because it filled me up so much Quinoa Chickpea Sardine salad - in this case I'm using salad as in "tuna salad" or "egg salad", not as in lettuce salad - This one packs a macro-nutrient punch, though it doesn't have any veg the way I made it (celery, or tomato would be good though) - Mix canned chickpeas with quinoa, and a tin of sardines (I used the kind packed in olive oil, but don't pour all the oil in). I then mixed well with some all-natural mayo, and seasoned with salt, pepper, celery seed, and dried thyme. I'm trying to work seafood into my diet more, so this was a great way to get some in. The quinoa, sardines and chickpeas all have protein, and the sardines, oil, and chickpeas have healthy fat. And the mayo, in moderation, is just there because it tastes good! (The brand I bought actually has 25% DV of Vitamin E per serving - so that is slightly redeeming) And finally, last but not least, one of my favorite things I ever learned how to cook: Cheese Sauce. It comes out so creamy and delicious I promise skim milk works great. This sauce is amazing mixed with spaghetti squash which...you can cook whole in the microwave (just be sure to pierce it with a knife to avoid explosion)! Yum. I swear you will not miss the pasta! It goes great on anything you want cheesy. Cheese Sauce (this is an actual recipe - scale up or down using the proportions below) - Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil or butter, 1 tbsp flour, 1 cup skim milk, 1 oz grated sharp melting cheese, salt to taste - Heat the oil/butter in a pot, and add the flour and cook slightly until the flour is fully incorporated and a light caramel color. - Slowly whisk in the milk, ensuring the flour mixture dissolves - Keep whisking over med-low heat until the mixture becomes thick and creamy (this is a bechamel!) - Add your cheese until it melts and salt to taste - This recipe take some actual work unlike the others, but it's so tasty it's hard to pass up I hope these ideas can serve as inspiration! Meal prep doesn't have to be hard. The freezer and microwave can be your friend, without reaching for processed meals.

band to sleeve revision here. I wouldnt call myself a vegetarian by no means. A good Ribeye is heaven on a plate. I know our diet is mostly Protein and some veggie for the most part. Does anyone here use nuts or seeds as your protein vs having a piece of chicken or meat? I want to follow a paleo/primal diet but is all the veggies too high in carbs for us and too low in protein if Im eating so many veggies. I read Dr Weiner A Pound of Cure which for his wls patients he is more plant based and so is Jonathan Bailor, The Calorie Myth. More into the superfoods, etc but no counting calories. Anyone follow this type of diet?

I have always seen more problems with B12 for vegans (and some vegetarians) than I ever have with protein. That being said, the Indians I know are healthy and only one of them does extra B12.

Okay, so we all probably started off with a similar WLS diet post-op. It started with the liquid diet, then moved to pureed foods, semi-soft foods, and solid foods. The focus in each phase was on Protein, plus getting fluids and making healthy choices like eating veggies and choosing whole instead of refined grains. But there’s plenty of room to customize a diet beyond eggs for Breakfast, tuna for lunch, and chicken for dinner. Plus, I know a lot of WLS patients turn to (or stay on) vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, or other special diets. Do you follow a special diet beyond the high-protein, low-calorie WLS diet? Do you go low-carb, or gluten-free, or organic, or anything else in particular? Which foods do you make sure to eat or avoid, and why? And are there any special considerations in your diet or tips you have? For example, how do you get enough protein if you follow a vegan diet? Bonus points for sharing fun recipes!

My doctor's office pointed out that it's not "carbs" that matter so much as the kind of carbs. In other words, there's a big difference between the carbs in soybeans or a piece of fruit than those in potato chips or a candy bar. I was told to keep carbs under 120, but…see above. They said the quality of the carbs is what matters most. They also said I wouldn't be ABLE to eat enough carbs to cause any worries at this point, what with my tiny stomach capacity so early on. Of course, I do follow the mantra to always eat Protein first. I'm not a vegetarian, but have been a pescatarian (eat some fish, plus eggs and dairy) for 40 years. I have always had trouble getting enough protein (I log it every day on Sparkpeople), so I was worried about this. I'm just 10 days post-op, and just started pureed foods. I'm eating yogurt, vegetarian refried Beans with cheese, blended cottage cheese, ricotta, cream of wheat, applesauce or other fruit blended with unflavored unjury, and tofu. (You can do amazing things with tofu!) I haven't yet tried any fish or eggs. 'm not having any troubles to speak of and am hitting my protein goal every day. I'm also using protein powders and drinks. For example, every day I put 1/2 of a New whey Protein Shot (fruit punch flavor) in a 20 ounce bottle of Water. That gives me 21 grams of protein, plus helps me hit my liquid goal. The oddest thing so far for me is that plain ole H2O has always been my favorite drink -- I've never been a big soda drinker, and if I ever drank juice, I would cut it to 1/5 juice, 4/5 water. But since the sleeve, plain water tastes weird to me. So I hope you won't worry! I am finding it very manageable. And you know what else? It may be crazy or sacrilegious or something, but I WANT to lose somewhat slowly! I figure a slower loss will help with the skin sagging (I'm in my late 50s, and concerned about this). I also feel that an extra few months of getting to goal is not a big worry; after all, I plan to lose this weight for life. Unlike all the other times I've lost weight, this time I know it is going to come off and stay off! So if it takes a bit longer (and gives my skin time to catch up), I'm not going to stress out about it! Best of luck to you! Keep us posted!

I feel like an unwilling vegetarian since surgery! I eat Greek yogurt, cheese, lentils, beans, protein shakes etc. meat just doesn't sit right. I'm 7 weeks out.