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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.

@@Algae, I'm glad some one is speaking out about this. I am the chef for the family. We bring our lunches to work/school and I cook dinners ava breakfasts at home and it's a real treat for us to eat out. I've been on crazy diets before like not eating solids food for 60 days at a time but it's still hard and requires Iron will. I too have thought about ideas and recipes that I could serve for my family and myself without breaking up the program too much. But it sounds like you and me are similar in that it's enjoyable to figure out food quandaries!! We host a lot of parties and I have friends who are gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, lactose intolerant, no nightshades etc etc etc. Most ppl would scoff but I love a challenge!! Lol :-) I would say that when I've made a separate dish or dessert for myself that is in keeping with whatever the DOM (diet of the month!) is ppl usually really liked it when they taste it! I thinking some sort of bariatric no crust sweet potato souflee might work for dessert in the pureed stage during the holidays..sweet potatoes, Protein powder, sf egg nog syrup, egg, milk...baked and chilled...in a teeny tiny ramekin....yum.

I will be having my surgery just 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. I guess I will still be on pureed or soft foods then and likely not eating much at meals at all. We weren't planning on doing anything special - we usually don't do the whole big turkey dinner since none of us really even like it and I have one kid who is a vegetarian, one who is lactose intolerant and one who won't eat any carbs and another who is just picky as hell. Yeah, holidays are always fun! Usually I just make a variety of appetizers and we graze all day. But, I got a call that my son who lives far away that he is coming and bringing his girlfriend who we haven't met! So, now I don't know what to do? I don't know if she will be expecting a full traditional dinner or not. I don't even know if I will be up to cooking anything, much less a huge spread. I also haven't told my son about my surgery - he's always been critical about my weight and I expect some snarky comments from him that I just need to eat like him (he's always been naturally thin) or other ignorant remarks. But I guess that will be a bit hard to hide two weeks out, right? I don't want to make things awkward for his girlfriend. So - what would you do? Would you tell him ahead of time? Would you plan on cooking a big traditional meal and trying to fake your way through it? We have also been invited to friend's for dinner that day if we all want to go there instead - in a way that would be nice since I wouldn't have to do all the work. Eating out isn't an option since there aren't any restaurants in our area that will be open. And I also worry I won't even know at that point what I can keep down and I don't want to chance losing my dinner in front of everyone! Arrrggghhh!! Thanksgiving is really stressing me out!! Any advice would be highly welcomed!

Sounds like a good reason to become a vegetarian! Seriously, I became one eleven years ago after getting a lap band. I would like to think I did it for ethical reasons, but I really couldn't handle the meat, so I just quit eating it.

Welcome to the forums. Both the Vitamin Shoppe and Vitamin World have a good selection of different types of protein. You can check both of them out online. Are you able to have soy, coconut or almond milk? I mix my shakes and make my protein icecream with them rather than skim or lowfat milk, they seem to make it creamier. Also check out the website "the world according to eggface" she has a great selection of recipes and many of them are vegetarian. Hope this information helps and best of luck on your journey!!!

Dragnowillow- I LOVE the morningstar "bacon"! My fiance is a vegetarian, and I LOVE meat... but I really like this stuff with a little sugar free honey. And if I'm in a hurry for breakfast, I grab one of the sugar free Instant Breakfast packs. Kristin

I think keeping track of your body fat percentage and lean mass is the best marker of progress. Which is why I like DEXA scans so much. I'm doing great. I have been struggling during Lent since I have up meat. Protein bars have made sick a few times. I am so excited for Easter! Back to all the meats. It has been a great learning experience and I have learned that the way I eat normally really works for me and I can never go Vegan or vegetarian like I had been considering. Too hard to eat right even with seafood included, no meat at all would be impossible. Oh well. Culturally it is interesting to see how people react to me being so small now. I'm heavy in weight at 188 ish but I wear size 8s and 10, a 9 in juniors. So that is pretty small for a Black woman my age. My RNY associate has commented she would never want to be this small it isn't her ideal, lol, but when she first had surgery all she talked about was onederland then she got a man at 250 pounds and decided that was enough weight lost. Now she is back around 300 and borderline diabetic again. A good lesson about losing as much as you can for health and not just losing enough to meet a physical ideal. I liked being curvier, but I enjoy being healthy. Just a few more pounds and I will have lost more than I weigh!

Lemons and Weight Loss - Lose 5 Pounds in a Week By Kuunal Desshmukh Ads by Google Weight loss college www.WellspringAcademies.com Weight Loss School for Ages 18-25. Credit & Non-Credit Programs. WeightLoss Surgery Mexico www.HealthTravelGuides.com Bypass, Sleeve, Band, or Plication Which is right for you? We'll help. Raspberry Ketone 400 mg www.purehealth100.com New 90 count size - 30% savings, 100% pure,vegetarian & authentic Many questions arise when people explain the importance of using lemon for your weight loss diet. People ask "how is lemon beneficial for weight loss?" or "can lemons make me lose weight fast?" The answer to all this skeptic is yes. They help in losing weight. Let me Explain How.... Lemons are well known for their Vitamin C. They have a lot of it. They are also a very good detox agent to consider. Detox of your body is by far the most important and the first step in any weight loss program. And it starts with drinking a lot of Water. Taking a right amount of water in your body everyday is a must to keep your body functioning well as it tends to help the body clean up toxins and other unwanted stuff wee intake everyday in our meals. But, drinking a lot of water is a bit of boring to many people. So, I would suggest adding a small teaspoon or two of lemon juice in it. It will help dramatically for the functioning of your body, as the citric acid present in them is a very good detox agent. The other thing is that this acid move the extra flab of your body helps in using it for your daily activities. Ultimately, this means you lose that extra flab and lose weight in the process. Losing 5 pounds a week can be achieved if you do the following steps... Mix lemon juice in a glass of lukewarm water, and drink it on an empty stomach when you wake up in the morning. This helps to move that extra flab in your body and use it right from the start and remove that fat of the body. If you do it continuously on a daily, you will automatically see the results. Apart from using lemons in your weight loss plan it is vitally important to exercise as it goes hand in hand with the weight loss process. And if you have a good exercise regime built up for yourself, it will help in using that moved fat of your body to build muscle also, and apparently losing weight. Using honey along with lemons also speeds up the process dramatically. Honey is well known for its detoxing capabilities. And having it with lemon is like cherry on top of a wedding cake. So, change your diet plan and include the lemons and exercise schedule in the new one. More tips on creating a good diet here on Weight Loss Diets [http://www.easyweightlosstipsandguides.com/category/easy-weight-loss-diets] Kunalsingh Deshmukh owns a blog has also provided his journey to weight loss by giving his Weight Loss Photos [http://easyweightlosstipsandguides.com/category/weight-loss-photos/] Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kuunal_Desshmukh

Damn! Wow I give you soooooo much credit. I know I couldn’t do that diet. Not even for a day let alone 2 weeks. That has got to be the craziest diet. I can’t do it for a few reasons. I’m allergic to dairy and I’m a vegetarian.

I have a coworker who keeps giving me diet recommendations. I "should be" eating this and I "shouldn't be" eating that. She knows that I have had surgery, and I keep reminding her that I'm on a "special diet" with a reduced stomach, so the "recommended" way of eating (half a plate of veggies and a very small portion of protein) isn't going to work because my focus is Protein first - whether it be via Protein shakes or lean meat (she's also vegetarian). She doesn't agree with protein shakes and meat as protein sources, because she says "I should be getting them naturally via veggies/beans." I am tired of explaining this to her, LOL. My other pet peeve - my family keeps telling me that I'm getting too small and that I don't need to lose any more weight. Even though I'm tall - I'm still a size 12. Far from skinny IMO.

Want... dont beat yourself down, today is a new day and you are on the right track! Yesterday i had: Breakfast-yogurt mid morning-----2 cups of ff milk Lunch----3/4 c cream of chick soup-vegetarian of course,lol Dinner---1/4 c each of green peas, black Beans and black eyed peas or beans,, what ever they are called. It was all pureed, dosent that just sound wonderful,lol And i walked 2 miles. I am stil on pureed/soft food for another 2 weeks. I miss my Quasadia's from Chili's :thumbdown::seeya:

The directions my surgeon gave me were a bit vague, and sort of encouraged me to be intuitive. I was eating purees a few days after surgery, and soft/moist solids after about a week and half or two weeks. I was eating pretty much everything* other than crunchy stuff and raw veggies/fruit by week 3, then after 6 weeks I started adding raw produce in. I've never had any problems with anything I ate, except for some almond butter about a week and a half out, which made my stomach clench. I added healthy nut butters back in at about two months and haven't had an issue. *I'm a vegetarian, so I can't speak to meat.

Here is some of what I eat. Try the less-soft stuff slowly, as tolerated, and chew very well. scrambled eggs with tomato and cheese blueberries and yogurt (w/ wheat germ) strawberries + ricotta Protein shake kefir tuna hummus with veggie sticks deli sliced turkey garden burger w/ avocado and tomato special yummy salad dressing: I mix dry Ranch dressing mix with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It's delicious! I have it with baby spinach, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, etc roasted salmon chicken fajita filling Trader Joe's vegetarian chili -add tomatoes snacks: cheese stick hard boiled egg yogurt Protein Bar hummus and veggie sticks mandarin oranges cottage cheese nuts edamame orange slices

I am not a vegetarian or vegan but I have friends and family that are and I have great respect for the motivation and commitment of those who make that choice. That said, I believe that it is important to recognize the value of whey Protein (including whey isolate) for those whose goal it is to get the most protein possible with the fewest possible calories. Whey isolate is the result of a high tech nano filtering process which removes virtually all of the lactose and fat from the whey. The resulting product is about 95% pure protein. The tradeoff for the increased purity of the protein (and reduction of calories) is the loss of the immune system boost provided by those healthy fats that are filtered out. That does not mean that whey isolate is unhealthy. It is simply a product produced to provide a very specific benefit - very high protein content while limiting calories. For those who are lactose intolerant, whey isolate is often an excellent choice since it is usually well tolerated. Whey isolate is also highly digestible. All the protein in the world is useless if your body cannot metabolize it. Whey, milk, soy and egg Proteins all have the highest digestibility score possible - 1.00 (based on the PDCAAS scoring system adopted by the Institute of Medicine, World Health Organization and the Federal food and Drug Administration). Protein is a nutrient. Protein, along with fat and carbs, are the three "macronutrients" required by the body in relatively large amounts. So whey isolate is certainly nutritious - but targeted. Garden of Life certainly seems to be an excellent product which is about 75% protein (17g of protein and 90 calories per serving) and appears to be a good choice for those seeking a vegan or vegetarian alternative. But there are other healthy and nutritious options for RNY patients who have not made the vegan or vegetarian choice.

I disagree with what you say about whey isolate. The calorires supposedly saved by the denuding process to make isolate are insignificant. Look at the ingredient list of any whey isolate: it is full of chemicals. People can do what they want but the whey isolate is denuded of the very important benefit of healthy fats. Even on weight loss, we need those good fats. It might be good for those who are lactose intolerant but I have never understood why someone who is lactose intolerant wouldn't just find a vegetarian Protein powder. If you buy natural flavored ones, you can doctor up a vegetarian powder to be chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, coffee, mocha -- anything you want and entirely avoid the lactose issue. I have not yet eaten any vegie protein powder -- awaiting delivery of my first order. I went with Warrior because it has a Warrior Blend with nothing added but three kinds of protein. I don't want to pay the very high prices charged for these products for the additives. I can add the nutrition I want buying it myself at much lower prices. And I note you do not discuss organic whole whey versus whey isolate which is rarely organic -- weight loss might be our main goal but my overeall goal is to eat highly nutritious, 'real' food. I don't buy anything processed except protein powder, only 100% usda certified organic. I have yet to find a 100% organic whey isolate.

I eat that way naturally. I'm a vegetarian

Bariatric Dietitian Elizabeth Anderson didn't exactly love school but she has an odd fondness for it now as September approaches and she's had a great deal of quality time with her teenager! Find out what she learned in all those nutrition science classes as she answers some common WLS questions in Protein 101. Which foods have protein? Protein is found in meat, fish and chicken. For vegetarians and those less keen on meat, there’s protein in cottage cheese, eggs, Greek yogurt, tofu, cheese sticks all the beans you might put in chili—except green beans. There’s also protein in meat alternatives like products from Morningstar Farms and Boca. You can usually find these products in the frozen food section. Protein amounts vary so check the labels. How much protein do I need? I tell my clients aim for 60-80 grams per day. Anyone with kidney issues might need to be much lower so it’s important to work with a dietitian specializing in bariatrics and kidney disease to get the protein prescription right for you. Can you get too much protein? If you’re drinking more than a two protein drinks per day along with multiple servings of protein, it’s easy to get up to 90 grams per day or more. There IS such a thing as too much protein and greater than 95-100 grams per day is starting to push healthy levels. p.s. Did you know the body simply cannot absorb more than 30 grams of protein per meal? If any of your protein drinks or bars are promising more than this per serving, don’t be fooled into thinking you are giving your body that full amount. Is protein really that important, anyway? Oh yes my friends, it is. Here’s why. Your body needs protein for its daily operations—cell building, transportation and repair work-- just to name a few. If you don’t feed it enough protein it will use the protein it has in storage (your muscles!!!) while stopping all fat burning activity. It does this because it senses that this is a crisis situation and perhaps a famine is ahead. Any body fat on hand has become more precious than a winning Powerball ticket and will be protected appropriately. It’s a common myth that after WLS you can eat whatever you want because you can’t ‘overeat.’ My advice? For optimal weight loss, that you can sustain, pull a Goldilocks and strive to get the amount that’s not too low and not too high but just right.

As far as I know indefinitely...my urologist is giving my kidneys a month to "rest" and then I go in for more studies. I agree, I need to consult with my bariatric surgeon and get his suggestions. I'm going to research the vegetarian approach. I asked my kidney doctor about soy protein and he frowned on that as well. It's troublesome that's for sure.

Same at my house... and we were vegetarians on top of that! My brother and I asked for Twinkies for Christmas one year. My downfall was in college where I discovered Ben and Jerry's and fried chicken strips!

Vegetarian taco salad (with any kind of lettuce) is one of the few foods I can eat without issue - while being slightly too full (band wise).

Heya, thanks for your reply. I live in the UK and it's definitely the best country for vegetarians and vegans! I do not cook a lot so it's great that I have a lot of options here!