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I just thought I'd put this out there for any interested. A few years back I had great success with this very simplified version of the Rice House Diet. Obviously there are many many more choices you can make regarding food, but this is what worked best for me. I know 'rice diet' sounds like a fad diet but it's really just a very healthy vegetarian way of eating. It's a low fat, low sodium diet and the calories run roughly 1200-1300 per day. Breakfast -2/3 cup of rice & Beans 2 small fruit OR 3 cups of low carb vegies (raw...half that if cooked) OR 1 fruit and 2 cups vegies (raw) lunch and dinner are the same thing. I usually would save one of my fruits and eat it mid-meal as a snack. I lost 9 lbs in one week and 5 lbs the following week. I was never hungry, most likely because the beans and rice make a complete Protein. Here's my bean & rice basic recipe: Saute 1 med. onion and 1-2 cloves of garlic in 2 tsp olive oil. Toss in three 15 oz cans of beans (rinsed) and 3 cups of cooked brown rice. Pour in enough low sodium chicken broth to cover. Add spices and bring to simmer. Turn off and add any additional ingredients you'd like (e.g. cilantro) From here you can get adventurous depending on your mood of the day. Here are some varieties we've tried: Southwestern: 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin. Add a handful of chopped cilantro after it comes to a simmer. Spanish: Before adding chicken broth, toss in a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (we puree them because my son hates tomato bits). Then add chicken broth to cover and 1 tsp oregano, 2 tsp basil or just a tablespoon of McCormack's Italian seasoning. We like to mix up the beans as well. I'll use 2-3 different kinds of beans in a batch which might include pinto, red beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans and, when I remember to make them ahead of time because they're dried...Jacob's cattle beans. .

Mary Jo I can so relate. I ate food because of the years of sexual abuse that I received as a child. Not making excuses because the minute I can identify the core I am now free- fre to choose - to get in the solution. I am a very pretty woman. The little girl in me says that if I am pretty and fat- I am protected and no one will take my body- so I would lose the weight - ( been exercising, no red meat since 1999, vegetarian since 2011, working out since 1999 and l.) however, once weighing 375, I began to change and lose weight. The moment I get close to 250 lbs, I would plateau and gain the weight back. Not platuea in weight loss...but that block..mentally of fear of the attention...so I would self sbatotoge. I just spoke to a doctor about these same issues. I will and are working on healing from the pain and void that I am feeling with food. I would love to join a group that will help me with this or a psych dr. That focuses on barbaric patients. Not doctors that just want approval but really will deal with the issues that brought me to that weight in the first place. Since my surgery in march 2013, I began at 290 lbs. I am now 252. I have not seen 240's as an adult. So I am so close. I can feel the block trying to trap me to stop eating healthy and I have slipped in some ways. But this article and discussion has allowed me to identify one of the major things I must work on to live healthy physically and emotionally. I can't wait to see what 249 feels like! Thanks

I was taking the sub-lingual but quickly outpaced it. There is a concern with getting this from foods and the myth that vegan/vegetarians aren't able to absorb enough from foods, but my level tripled while taking the supplement. I haven't needed it since 6mths post-op.

I have one slice of vegetarian pizza once a week.

I started with Dr. Kim but couldn't get past being forced to buy certain shakes for pre-op. I heard about Dr. Cribbins (Plano Presby is where I had surgery) and his pre-op being fat free vegetarian. My experience with Dr. Cribbins and his staff has been AMAZING. He I had surgery Friday and he came to see me sat and sunday. He is very easy to talk to and I will say it again: NO PAIN WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!

Yes, it wasn't bad at all... I had to say "No" when a cna asked for help (I usually help them alot), so it was kinda weird. But i will NOT injure myself or my sleeve for anything...I have little episodes where i feel a little weak, but it passes pretty quickly. IThese are coming less frequent each \day. Decided i need to really take it easy today. I can't believe i'm down 13.8 lbs already! I feel for sure now that i did the right thing. I'm taking in about 75g/day of protein through shakes/powder...My body is not use to this much protein! I'm eating better now than i did before surgery. My thing was CARBS....I'm a vegetarian for the most part. Love peanut butter...

Teresa, you made me spit out my coffee with that one... lol Yes, the worms have feelings, too! I have alternately fished worms out of puddles to save them, and then turned around and used other less fortunate ones as bait. Some life forms seem lower on the hierarchy than others. I have no problems cleaning fish, but do have pangs of guilt throwing a live lobster into the pot! Yes, I'm with DeLarla on this one. Can we agree to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that all that wonderful meat grew on trees or something? I did give up meat for about two years. Emotionally I'm a vegetarian - physically and socially I crave meat. That old lady with the goats from "Cold Mountain" seemed to have a very balanced view of the whole thing... If I were starving I'd have less problems making my own meat... But being so well fed, I'm grateful there's someone else to do it anonymously on my behalf... :sick

My friend, Brad, thinks vegetarians should be shot. He says we have to kill and eat cows because their manure destroys the ozone, while carrots and vegetables growing supply us with necessary oxygen. He also thinks meatloaf if evil. Meatloaf is just a place to hide evil vegetables. He says carrots don't "crunch" when you eat them, that noise is them screaming. Great, now I gotta feel guilty for eating salad.

Hello every one I'm 5 months post op, I've lost 35 pounds, the last few months no weight loss and I always feel hungry. I'm a vegetarian so I know it's harder to get the Protein. I'm always switching from shakes to cheese or greek & yogurt. You know what I mean. I talked to my good friend who went through a gastric and she advised me that there are times like this where you just don't lose weight. I can not eat a lot when I do eat but every few hours I eat a snack or food. Sometimes I feel like I eat too much. I'm still learning how to eat right and how much. I'm not giving up just always looking for new ways to eat and what I can eat. Oh forgot to mention I had to have my gall bladder removed about 6 weeks ago. Anyways my friend said it took her a year and a half to lose all her weight so I figure we're all on the right track it just takes time and EXERCISE!!!! Which I do 2 to 3 times a week. I did this to lose 50 pounds it doesn't matter how much you are over weight because you know it and you feel it. That's why I went to Tijuana to have my sleeve because I couldn't have it done in the US. SO I have 15 more pounds to go.

I am not a vegetarian or vegan but in our pre-op classes the dietitian told us that it would definitely be possible to be a vegetarian and have the sleeve however it would be harder to get all of your protein in. She said that as for vegan that it would be impossible to do after having any type of gastric surgery.

Also, have you considered trying the brown rice protein? It's not made of milk products and is totally vegetarian, but still has 25 grams of protein per serving? I'm going to try it!

I get hungry sometimes too... have from the start. Carbs seem to play a roll.. I do eat more carbs than some here, I am a vegetarian, and many Protein sources come with some carbs too. Some studies show that thirst can masquerade as hunger. Ghrelin is also made in other parts of the body. Its production is reduced when the fundus is removed... but not eliminated completely. http://lowcarb4u.blogspot.com/2010/01/ghrelin-hunger-hormone.html ....Another hormone that plays a role in energy homeostasis is ghrelin, a 28-amino acid peptide discovered in 1999. Its name includes the Proto-Indo-European root word "ghre," meaning "to grow." Ghrelin is produced in the hypothalamus, kidney and pituitary gland, but most of it is synthesized in and released by the stomach. ..

I think using lower-carb foods as vehicles for getting more Protein in can be helpful. I was a vegetarian for nine years, and still am not inclined to eat meat on its own, so I usually try to blend it with vegetables like in a stir fry or a salad, or as an open-faced sandwich using crispbread. My mother-in-law is Swedish, and has long been making open-faced sandwiches with crispbread. I gathered ideas for sandwiches from her (and Pinterest!). They have the satisfying crunch of a cracker, but are lower in carbs. You can find the Wasa brand at many grocery stores, and IKEA has their own brand. I very rarely eat foods designed to be low-carb because they often taste a bit off to me, but I will have breads that are naturally lower in carbs such as ones by the Ezekiel 4:9 brand. My dietician recommended sprouted bread to me because it's a complete protein and is lower in carbs. A friend who has Celiac loves to make Pasta from spaghetti squash and top it with Trader Joe's turkey marinara sauce. It's tasty! What's a slippery slope for one person is firm ground for another, so I would experiment and see how you react. Pinterest has a heap of low-carb recipes.

First of all, I'm glad you're feeling restriction now! But as far as your meal plan goes, where is your Protein? I'm not sure what your doc's guidelines are, but I don't see any protein in that other than a VERY small amount in the yogurt. My doc said to eat 3-4 oz solid protein plus 1/2 cup veggies at each meal. I'm supposed to target 60 grams protein. Can you eat chicken, fish, beef, shrimp, Beans, tofu? Are you vegetarian? If so, you need to get some other protein sources in there! It sounds like you have plenty of restriction if that's all you can eat in a day. I think if you try to eat more solid foods you'll find that you have plenty of restriction. Yes, yogurt and bananas and even avocado can be classic slider foods--they mush down to nothing. Even crunchy cracker type foods mush down to nothing. You need some solid foods to a) get in your nutrients and make use of your restriction to get some lasting satisfaction. Personally, I'd stay away from the avocado while you're in active weight loss mode. Yes, the fats are "good" fats, but if you're actively trying to lose and aren't getting in your protein, you need to save that pouch space for more protein-rich, nutrient dense foods, not high fat foods. I hope you find this restriction gives you the kind of progress you're looking for.

I am vegan and doing fine! If you drink soymilk and tofu along with you vitamins you are going to be fine!!! One thing to be careful of is alot of vegetarians eat a lot of breads and rice which after banding was very difficult for me personally. I actually pretty much gave up on bread. The key is to eat slow. Chew a lot. I have a ton of great recipes if you ever want them. If you send me your email I would be more than happy to send them to you. All are high in protien do to the fact that my daughter who is 3 is also vegetarian so I am always making sure she gets enough protein. Hope this helps!!

1. Weight Watchers 3x 2. Starvation 100x 3. Slim Fast 20x 4. Atkins 3x 5. Phentermine 4x 6. Six Week Body Makeover 1x 7. The Firm 1x 8. South Beach 1x 9. Detox 3x 10. Vegetarian Diet 3x 11. Vegan Diet 2x There are probably a few more I am forgetting, but I have been struggling with my weight for the last 20+ years.

I'm also going on the 26th. Very excited. Slightly nervous. Mostly about the preop diet which I start this coming Tuesday. I'm going to go shopping this weekend and get everything all together for the preop and 2 weeks post op. I decided to use a vegetarian protein shake called Vega one. The whey protein really upsets my stomach, I've never really done well with dairy. While this shake is a little pricey, it tastes amazing (I like the vanilla chai and the chocolate) and has 1/2 your daily vitamin intake in one shake.

I am active duty wanting desperately to get lap band. I have done a lot of research and each doctor is different with the bmi requirements. I am just under 34% bmi. I went to my PCM on Wednesday, he said he would put in my referral but today said he needed to talk to me. Don't know about what, but hoping its not to pop my bubble. I have high cholesterol and triglycerides. I got my blood work back today and found out that my cholesterol went up 20 points since Jan. I became a vegetarian 3 months ago. I have been dieting for the past 7 years with no luck, every time I get 10lbs off then I gain 15 more. I haven't been able to run for 2 and a half years. I NEED to lose about 75lbs to get back in shape. I might be facing a MEB and I only have 8 yrs till retirement. If anyone has any advice on getting TriCare to pay it would be very much appreciated.:thumbdown:

I was never a frosting girl but I'm a serious baker. Usually I can sample a small bit of whatever I make and give the rest away. But I made these banana rum cupcakes with a brown butter frosting last week and oh my word - that was the best frosting I have ever tasted. When I have a little left over at the end I normally just give each kid a little taste and then toss the rest...but I stuck this in a small bowl in the fridge for later. I've never understood the spoonful of frosting thing before this, but man...I could really just eat that frosting with a spoon. I wound up frosting some butter Cookies with it and giving it away. It was okay to have a taste here and there but consuming two cups of frosting over the course of a week or two isn't good for me. And my husband has always maintained that I'm un-American because I absolutely hate both Peanut Butter and ketchup. Luckily the peanut butter jar and the Nutella jar hold absolutely no temptation for me. But I do see what you guys are saying about the constant struggle. And I can see how maintenance can make it easy for us to forget that we still really love food. It's easy to get cocky and say we made it to goal and now we know how to eat better, etc. But if I'm not careful it is easy to dismiss a handful of candies or a not-so-healthy snack between meals simply because my choices are really good ones 90% of the time. I never really see an impact on the scale, but I wonder if that's a bad thing. I mean, it gets easier for me to dismiss my food behaviors if I'm not seeing an impact...but then, if I'm not seeing an impact is there an issue? I mean, am I simply worrying and punishing myself because I'm not a "perfect" eater? What's a particular challenge for me is this pregnancy. I am repulsed by meat and my lactose intolerance is worse than ever while I'm pregnant. I don't live in America: I live in the land of grilled lamb, bread and plov. There aren't solid vegetarian options here to sub in for the Protein I'm missing. I eat far more carbs than I've ever eaten since surgery. I don't mind that...but they really do feed the carb monster and they do make it harder to choose good foods. But there are only so many ways I can make Beans and lentils or prepare eggs before I'm going nuts because I'm so bored with my diet. I had my husband's coworker bring me some tuna from the states...ugh. I can't even eat it. This child is making me insane! It's like the first few months post op all over again. All food smells or tastes terrible and I can't eat what I really want! The only two foods I really want and cannot stop eating are chickpeas (which I can't seem to find locally, even though I know they have to be somewhere) and quinoa. I'm out of quinoa and chickpeas now. I actually ate garbanzo bean salad every day last week with both lunch and dinner. What a bizarre food to eat as a craving! And it's easy to say the reason I gained weight last month is the pregnancy. I can't be sure how much of it is my choices and how much of it is the baby. I know I'll lose weight afterward. I know that it will be the same as it was in the second year post op. I'll still have restriction, I'll just have to make the right choices. But somehow it feels like I'll be starting all over again, in more ways than one. After all, my twins are now five and like a crazy couple, we're having a newborn now of all times. Ugh. Anyway, I just got my flights back to the states because they don't let us deliver here. So my time in Central Asia has come to an end. I'll get about a year and a half in the states before we go overseas again. You better bet the first thing I'm doing is shopping at a Whole Foods once I get back! I'll be hitting that salad bar for some chickpea salad and every other vegetable I've missed for the last two years. ~Cheri

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.

Mexican can be very healthy and filling. Veggies, healthy fat, complete Protein with rice and Beans. Rice isn't bad per se, plus you'll only eat a tablespoon of it or so. Any restaurant can make you steamed veggies. Other than that and Pasta most American restaurants won't be able to do much for vegetarians unless you're lacto ovo. We're just not populous enough. Try to convince people to go for ethnic (Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese), basically anything non American. Or eat before you go out then have just Soup or a small salad if you're hungry and don't eat if you're not. I've experienced issues like that for 16 years.

I had trouble with cottage cheese eating it plain. I would add one or two tablespoons of mashed potatoes and some salt and pepper to it to make it taste better. It is only a couple of spoons of potatoes so you should not have to worry about too many carbs. String cheese for a snack gives you a 5 g protein boost, tuna with mayo and dill pickle relish was another favourite of mine (not sure if you consider fish a meat). Glass of milk and add a scoop of powder milk to it to boost the protein. Plus you can count the glass as a Fluid. Peanut Butter sometimes I would take a spoon and eat it right off the spoon. Any nut butter for that matter. Are you a vegetarian? Or does meat bother your stomach?

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.

I haven't experienced any hair loss, but I am menopausal and wear locs. I was already taking Biotin before surgery. What I have noticed is that my fingernails are shot. They constantly split and break off. I just cut them down yesterday. I've found a vegetarian friendly supplement I may try because I really dislike fake nails. @@Redefined - There are many different protocols and food plans. I was allowed oatmeal on purred stage as well.

I'm with Jachut. It appears to be perfectly acceptable to rag on people re. weight on here. On another thread I am on, the op and others have found it perfectly acceptable to say rude things about someone due to their eating habits (vegetarian) and the size of their children (thin.) hypocrites. I have been fat and I have been thin. My personality is mine regardless. I enjoy food regardless. I will continue to enjoy good fun, good food, cooking, etc., when I am thin again.