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That sucks Are you a vegan, hence no chicken stock? There's so much sodium in those broths anyway. Vegetarian with multiple food/medicine allergies. Hence the reason I always read labels and write companies about ingredients. I can never trust catch all phrases like "natural flavorings". Most products are very good about clearly labeling things, but some are vague. Guess I'll just stick to low sodium vegetable broth and miso.That's a lot of extra planning added onto our already crazy busy Bypassed Lives. Totally worth it of course. I quite enjoy measuring out everything and adding it to MyFitnessPal. Makes me feel like I'm working my goal full force.

That sucks Are you a vegan, hence no chicken stock? There's so much sodium in those broths anyway. Vegetarian with multiple food/medicine allergies. Hence the reason I always read labels and write companies about ingredients. I can never trust catch all phrases like "natural flavorings". Most products are very good about clearly labeling things, but some are vague. Guess I'll just stick to low sodium vegetable broth and miso.

I was back eating salads and fresh/raw veg at 6 weeks. I was adding spinach frozen and fresh to my protein drinks from week 1. However I am vegetarian and I think my system is used to it. Follow the food guide your nutritionist has provided and take it slow. Some people have trouble with raw veg as the roughage is hard on the tummy.

Yeah!!! I finally cought oup on the 4 pages I got behind.. Where was I? Friends came from New Zealand, and it was all about road trips and EATING. They were nice about going out to Vegetarian when possible. I gained 3 1/2 pounds, on top of the other poundage piling up for the last year... I have been really good the last three days (they left on sunday) and doing 5:2 and writing down everything I eat (finally) Watching the pritein first, drinking enough water and staying away from almost all refined sugar (the devil!). My show came down on sunday, Craig was nice and wrapped every piece in craft paper for future protection in storage. I did pretty well, some of the old buddies came out of the woodwork... when you get to my age, you better see'em while you have the chance! ...being your own charming self? So glad you had your work in the show! I never know how many people will show up... I just figure the people who do, the show is just for them. Its all good. I so love oils too... they just get a look that other paints cant get... and the smell is devine. Try not to get them on your hands.... the pigments can cause you to develop sensitivities... my hands start pealing if I get to lax about it. Getting older is a bi+ch! I have bone spurs in my knee.... they said they were not too bad, I was continplating cutting my leg off for a minute.... perhaps a peg leg would hurt less? I was told after you shave them off, they tend to grow back.... . I do think move it or lose it is true... as long as you can stand the pain. Me too. And I have to say, after bakeries three times a day on the road, I feel MUCH better doing the 5:2 than I did then!

@@TLW Thanks! I REALLY hope I don't have to do a 3 or 6 month dietician visits. I have been supervisied by 4 doctors since 2005 with no luck. I have tried every crazy diet and pill and medication and workout known to man. I did Insanity and T25 and lost it and the next week gained it right back. I even went vegetarian and no salt no carb no sugar and still gained. Its frustrating! Everyone says I carry my weight well and don't look over 200lbs but my knees and back beg to differ. I hope RNY is my savior too to somehow reset my body and life.

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

After my surgery I could never drink the protein shakes. I still can't. I am 11 weeks post op. Right after my surgery I barely drank protein. I waited until I got to the puréed stage and I would eat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, puréed beans, and I even puréed certain meats. I just tried to get as much of those high protein foods in. Skim milk has like 9 grams per serving. I would try and drink milk as much as possible even though I hate it. I still don't get enough protein. I try but I can't only eat so much meat. I have actually began to hate meat. I want to become a vegetarian but I would never get any protein because I can't stand the shakes lol.

I'm vegetarian and most of my foods are high fiber and plant based. I must have the stomach made of steel because I have no issues at all. I know from pre surgery life too much *Beans will give me loose stools, but otherwise I am fine. *day I over did it black beans and eggs for breakfast, bean burger for lunch and lentil Soup for dinner..... not a good idea.

Well its great to see I'm not "off my nutter" here. Seems you all have had similar experiences with vegetarian or grain/nut-based foods. Everything in moderation, right? I've probably eaten the equivalent of 1-2 pounds of nuts these past 2 weeks, between the almonds, macadamia, walnuts and pine nuts I've consumed in all of my dishes. Tragic! Delicious AND so much fat...! I went for a band adjustment today, and a little 2cc fill has made a HUGE difference. Normally I don't feel the difference until about 10 days later, but this one has delivered a noticeable and profound change in sensation. Eating a salad (raw, but no nut dressings!) tonight I could barely make it through 20 bites. (Chew, chew, chew...) @@Bandista I am so very much like you - require that 'chew factor' in order to get the brain signalling that satiety. I experienced my first "soft stop" tonight during dinner - sighing and pushing my plate away. Nice to have noticed that soft stop, that is a great signal that I definitely want to continue to notice and honour. STOP EATING. So today is a pivotal day for me. Another band fill that has, dare I say it, brought me into the green zone (!finally?!) and an end to my experiment with re-introducing (yummy) raw cuisine. A small haiku to the end of my raw food dalliances: Raw cuisine (delish) I will miss you, my old friend Weight must be lost now.

While I'm not a raw foods gal I totally identify with being overweight from extremely healthy foods. That was me. I was a vegetarian for 17 years. One of the things I miss is those volume salads. We still eat a lot of nuts, etc., but I try to have four almonds and chew them into pulp then go back for more if needed. No more nut burgers or burgers of any kind, really, though I did make some fantastic fish cakes the other day. Glad you're doing so well. I have watched you because we have such similar stats in addition to other characteristics. You're doing beautifully! Oh, I should add that I continue to be surprised by what can be a slider for me. Yogurt I chunk up with a few walnuts, chia and gluten-free cereal, for example, so there's plenty of chewing. That seems to be the thing for me, the chewing activates the full signal. My beautiful fish cakes? Kind of a slider for me.....

I had WLS in December, 2014 - 4 months ago. My pre-surgical starting weight was 259 lbs. This excess weight came from eating too much (volume), rather than the wrong foods or junk foods. I'm not vegetarian however I have always incorporated a lot of raw food habits into my diet. To those who are not familiar with "eating raw" - I'm not talking about crudités or peeling a banana and eating it. I'm taking about "raw" lifestyle foods like breads, crackers, wraps and veggie burgers that have been created using nuts, seeds, flax, hemp and vegetables, often in a dehydrator. Before my surgery, I incorporated a lot of raw cuisine into my diet and used my dehydrator constantly to make delicious foods like raw falafel, flax crackers, pureed veggie wraps, kale chips, mushroom burger patties, etc. Since my December surgery, I have stayed away from raw and been stringent about adhering to a low carb, high protein diet. (Yes, this included meats). Lots of salads, raw fruits and veggies, but no "raw cuisine" per se. In the 4 months since my surgery I have dropped 45 pounds and feel terrific. Or I should say, I HAD dropped 45 pounds, until 2 weeks ago when I started eating raw cuisine again. These past 2 weeks eating mostly raw, I am sad to say that I gained almost ten pounds back. Ah, the irony. Eat well! Gain weight! I had missed my beloved VitaMix and my Excalibur dehydrator terribly, having not used them since two weeks prior to my WLS. I decided a couple of weeks ago to get back to incorporating delicious raw cuisine back into my diet. Foods I created over the past two weeks from my old favourites included nut cheeses (cashew...mmmm mmmmm!), walnut-spinach pesto, nut burgers, raw "onion rings", sesame seed/hemp seed dressings and more. As I was blending, spreading and dehydrating, I became worried about the sheer amount of fat, calories and carbs that made up the ingredients going into these dishes. Those nuts, seeds and avocados really pack a punch. The ingredients in my raw food dishes were wholesome and nutritionally dense, BUT they contained a ton of unwanted complex carbs and sugars (Mejool dates, for example). So I feasted (in small amounts as only my lap-band allows) on raw falafel, vegan hummus with garlic aioli with marinated vegetables in a flax/carrot wrap, marinated portabello mushroom caps stuffed with cashew/garlic nut cheese and walnut-spinach pesto, raw zucchini pasta with sweet marinara sauce... it was a great 2 weeks. Unfortunately it also triggered some pretty major weight gain. What I've learned: Even with smaller lap-band sized portions, and although most raw food dishes are densely nutritious, they pack a significant caloric punch - too much so to be aligned with my weight loss goals. So I am back to salads and lean meats and steamed veggies, no wheat, no white, no sugar. And, unfortunately, no raw cuisine. (Or at least very, very little). Has anyone out there managed a raw food diet (60% +) and managed to keep the surgical weight off? Would love to hear from you!

I'm only telling my mother who is going with me and having it done the same day! It's no one business!! People are mean nasty and judgy and I don't have time for that!!! My BMI is on the lower side and I don't want to hear "oh you don't need it" or "just diet and exercise" Uh clearly that's not working for me! Lol It's really a personal choice I feel it's private. I mean do you tell everyone you meet that you are a vegetarian or don't use salt on your food etc.... or feel the need to tell them any other eating routines or health habits you have? I don't see why we would tell everyone anyway. Hi I'm April I had the gastric sleeve..... ???? no one cares, it just opens you up for people to be negative and ugly!

@@Smye Thank you for your recipes. At my house we eat whole food, no artificial sugar and our diet varies from meat to vegetarian... After surgery, I was shocked at how my bariatric center's nutrition guidance included so many low quality and artificial foods. My other awakening was that they only had three follow-up nutrition appointments in 9 months (1 month, 2 months, and then 9 months which I haven't reached yet)...but I digress. Since my surgery, we've used and perfected cauliflower pizza crust, coconut flour biscuits (which would go oh so good with your BBQ), and our own coconut chicken tenders recipes in addition to revising other non-healthy recipes to not only fit my new eating style but my family's needs. However, due to my lifestyle I am always searching for recipes made by others that do not include artificial sweeteners or processed foods for nights when I want to just make a recipe and be done without conversions and thinking about end results of the product. I want to thank you for posting your recipes, as it has made my life a lot easier. Also, If you create a blog, I'd be willing to send you some of my recipes as a guest blogger. I just don't have time to create one on my own (and have wanted to!), but I can really see that there is a strong need for those of us who have had the surgery to have access to appropriate and healthy whole food recipes, and I'd support you any way I could. THANK YOU!!!!! CleoSays

As someone who is on a fixed income, I can say what helps me most is food prep and food logging. On Sunday I boil a few eggs (a cheap and easy source of protein). This way I always have a go to breakfast so there's no excuse for skipping breakfast. I also make a pot of whatever grain I plain to use for the week. Typically quinoa or brown rice. Both can be used for sweet or savory meals. They can also be served as a side dish or made into a stir fry. I shop farmer's markets because they are plentiful in my area. I buy fresh fruit in season and freeze half. If strawberries are on sale for $1 a pint, but 2 freeze, one. Over the winter I can still have fruit. If canned Beans are on I buy that. If not I buy dry beans and make a pot at during Sunday food prep. It's another great source of Protein and can be added to stir fries, made into a Soup or served with sunny side up or poached eggs for a protein rich meal. I'm vegetarian but if you eat meat, again make your protein during food prep. Something like chicken breast prepared simply with salt and pepper. Through the week it can be pulled and served with BBQ sauce, made into chicken salad, and added to a stir fry. I also find cooking from scratch tend to be healthier and cheaper. I buy plain rolled oats. I add them to smoothies, make over night oats or serve them hot. It take a while to get started, but once you get into the mind set of making a freezer stash and doing Sunday night food prep, you can do prep in an hour or less. The best part is through the week each week should take no more than 15 - 20 mins to assemble and you save money because you have less waste since everything is accounted for.

Why do I post more about my plastic surgery and not about my weight loss experience? Very fair question:-) My surgery for weight loss was a very personal thing for me. This was my SECOND time losing more than a 120 lbs. I gained weigh the second time after having two more beautiful children. (I have 4 kids in all) The last two pregnancies put 120lbs on me. Heck, I had to lose weight all over again! When it was time to lose the weight, I knew I could do it. Gaining it back was the problem. I never wanted to gain weight ever again! This is the reason I had weight lose surgery. I just remember the first time - it was extremely hard to lose, but I did it in a year. The second time I lost weigh was with the sleeve, it was still just as hard. When losing weight, I used this site for motivation mostly, not for posting. I never felt I had any questions or comments about weight loss, so I only posted maybe one time about it. I always read on this site about exercising and running. Plus, I eat vegan/vegetarian and so I had to use other sources of information other than this site. I also stayed in the gym and went to many boot camps. After getting up at 4am every morning, I was too tired to do anything during weight loss :-) When it was time for plastic surgery, it was extremely difficult finding a plastic surgeon that would meet my needs. It took me a year to locate my plastic surgeon. Since I have been on this site for a while now, I have seen many pictures of after plastic surgery results that have made me cry, the results were so bad. I mean awful! I felt no woman should have to suffer like that! It was not fair! We have worked so hard to achieve our weight loss goals, then a butcher of a plastic surgeon get his dirty hands on a beautiful woman and completely messes up her body. It still make me sad, mad, and upset to see someone who has plastic surgery and their results are hedious. No one should have to experience that. No one! I am still very passionate about it, as you can see. My results were very, very good! I felt people should know about my plastic surgeon, so I started to post. Why keep something like this a secret I told myself. Posting is not a easy thing for me. I am a quite person. I do it so people can know their are options. I receive no benefits from posting. I am just a person who loves and cares about people and want the best for them. I never want to see anyone hurt and deformed because of plastic surgery. I hope you understand :-)

Age: 51 Sex: Female. Location: Philadelphia, PA Single, but proud owner of Stormie the cat who generously allows me to feed her and change her litter box in exchange for the occasional cuddle. Major nerd. Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, you name it. I'm a vegetarian with multiple food and medicine allergies. I can be a bit mouthy. I was the kid who the minute you told me I couldn't do something I had to go out and do it. That meant I was the fat kid who biked, skied, skateboarded, traveled the world, you name it. Being fat did not hold me back in the least. You could say I have a bit of a stubborn streak. I can take a licking and will get back up and keep fighting. I am also very much into fashion/makeup/clothes. I have a wonderful circle of friends as adventurous and crazy as I am.

@@Smye I have a challenge for you! What do you have in your Bari Bag o' Tricks for those of us who choose not to eat meat or eggs? I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't care for the taste of most meats (can't tolerate them anyway) and the thought of eating an egg or drinking a glass of milk makes me gag. I'm living life on Syntrax & less than 30 carb a day & would love some suggestions of "real food"- I miss chewing!

I eat everything. I seem to have a cast Iron belly that tolerates everything I've tried. I eat salads, but they always include Protein. You don't have to put meat on a salad for protein. I'm vegetarian so I typically add egg, cheese and Beans to my salads. I make my own dressings so I sometimes emulsify a bit of unflavored Protein powder into the them for an extra protein punch. I can go out to eat and get an appetizer for my main. I still log on MFP daily. I work out 5 - 6 days a week and make sure to have protein pre and post workout.

I am a Louisiana - Texas girl. I travel between the two states daily. I really do not know how old I am. I have to guess everytime someone asks me. I am either 44 or 45. My husband still tells every one I am 42 - and I do not correct him. Makes me feel young. I guess I should try to remember, but after the age of 35, I stopped keeping up. B'days just come around too fast now. Second marriage - 10 wonderful years. I have 2 sets of 2 children. First marriage — Ages 24 and 22; Second marriage — Ages 7 and 5. My baby - I finally had a boy and he looks like me too! I love my family. I love to exercise! I love to eat organic vegetarian foods. I love my job. I make most household items my family uses regularly such as bread, toothpaste, Vitamins and laundry detergent. I love it here on these boards. I am more of a reader than a poster. It helps me to stay focused, knowing I am not alone in my goals to stay healthy and beautiful.

I'm actually not doing a liquid diet. Mine is vegetables, fruit and since I'm a vegetarian I've been okayed to eat fish. But it's tough.

I felt the same way. I'm a vegetarian and loooove vegetables but after 4 days I'm so over them. The sweetness from the shakes helped a bit and my dearest friend coffee.

I agree with @KateP. Additionally, some of us have food allergies that prevent us from using the things you just mentioned. I, for example, have an appointment to speak with my Dietitian about the massive food allergy list that I just got. In checking the labels of processed foods, ALL of them either have something that I'm allergic to in them (eg: tomatoes, bell peppers, onions), or are processed in factories using things I'm allergic too (eg: tree nuts, peanuts, legumes). So, while what you are saying sounds *great*, and it's what I want to do so very much, it's not possible for me and some others to do. Also .. salads ... I miss them. Oh my do I miss them. Sure, I can have cabbage, spinach, and kale ... but they aren't the same as a nice romaine lettuce. Considering that I'm allergic t most other things that go IN a salad (cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes (again), and bell peppers (again), it's not as satisfying. So, without going into the entire list of things I'm allergic to, what do you do with patients like me who can only safely consume meats, *some* fish, and poultry? I used to be a vegetarian. Now .. with these new allergies, I'm forced to be a carnivore ... and I'm GAINING again. Not to mention the pain in my joints and feet that I didn't have when I was on a vegetable based diet.

@@nancynew I'm vegetarian, so I don't eat meat, but eat a lot of cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, tofu, veggies, fruit (with protein) - also PB --

Too much of anything is not a good idea. I would actually look to address the sweet tooth rather than OD on fruit. (For me eating heavily processed foods made me crave sweets). I eat fruit quite regularly, however I make it a point to limit that to 1 - 2 sleeve size portions. I may have a bit in my morning Protein drink and then again in an afternoon snack if needed. I'm a vegetarian so I also have to keep in mind all the fruits that we commonly think of as vegetables. So if I have a salad that means tomatoes, peppers and avocados.

VITAMIN A – Vision, immunity, and healthy red blood cells Risk for Deficiency Nutrient malabsorption procedures: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, BPD-DS Very low-fat diet Food Sources Orange fruits (mango, cantaloupe) Orange vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, Green vegetables (kale, spinach) Liver Deficiency Information Blood test: serum retinol (vitamin A) Consequences of deficiency: impaired vision; changes in iron metabolism Supplement Notes High doses can be toxic – take only if your doctor prescribes them. VITAMIN D – Calcium metabolism and bone health, affects immune function and heart health Risk for Deficiency Nutrient malabsorption procedures: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, BPD-DS Very low-fat diet Little skin exposure to sun, live in northern climate, or older age Food Sources Fatty fish (salmon, herring, mackerel) Fortified milk Egg yolks (if you are a bariatric surgery patient, you might mostly be eating egg whites) Some fortified cereals Deficiency Information Blood test: 25-hydroxyvitamin D Consequences of deficiency: osteoporosis (low bone mineral density and higher risk for fractures); possible higher risk for heart disease Supplement Notes High doses can be toxic – take only if your doctor prescribes them. Need for supplementation is very common. VITAMIN B12 – Healthy red blood cells, homocysteine metabolism (important in heart health) Risk for Deficiency WLS that reduces nutrient absorption: gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, BPD-DS. Plant-based diet. Heavy bleeding: e.g., complication after WLS) Older age Food Sources Animal-based foods: meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs Some fortified cereals Deficiency Information Blood test: vitamin B12 Blood test: CBC (complete blood count) Consequences of deficiency: risk of heart disease; megaloblastic anemia; permanent neurological damage; osteoporosis; depression Supplement Notes High doses not likely to be toxic. Supplements may be necessary if you are on antacids such as proton pump inhibitors FOLIC ACID – Healthy red blood cells, homocysteine metabolism (important in heart health), prevention of neural tube defects (for pregnant women) Risk for Deficiency Nutrient malabsorption procedures: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, BPD-DS Low dietary intake – especially when grain intake is low after weight loss surgery Food Sources Fortified grains (most grains in the U.S.): including spaghetti, bread, cereal Lentils Asparagus Orange juice Spinach Lima beans Deficiency Information Blood test: serum folate Blood test: homocysteine Consequences of deficiency: cognitive dysfunction; neural tube defects; megaloblastic anemia Supplement Notes High doses can hide vitamin B12 deficiencies. CALCIUM – Bone health, muscle function Risk for Deficiency Nutrient malabsorption procedures: Roux-en-Y, gastric bypass, BPD-DS Diet low in dairy products – either because of lactose intolerance or other reasons (such as avoiding milk because of the calories). Food Sources Dairy products: milk, cheese, yogurt (choose fat-free) Fortified milk substitutes (almond milk, soy milk) Fortified orange juice Canned bony fish (salmon, sardines) Green leafy vegetables (absorption is poor) Some fortified cereals Tofu Deficiency Information Blood test: calcium levels – note: this is not a good test for adequate calcium! You can have normal test results and still not have enough calcium in your diet! Dietary intake analysis: see if you get at least 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams per day from your diet. Rough estimate of dietary intake: at least 4 servings of high-calcium foods each day Consequences of deficiency: decreased bone mineral density (osteoporosis and higher risk for bone fractures) Supplement Notes Taking too much calcium can cause kidney stones and be bad for the heart. Ask your doctor how much calcium you should take in a multivitamin and as a calcium (or calcium and vitamin D or calcium and magnesium) supplement. Don’t take your calcium supplement at the same time as iron because you will interfere with absorption IRON – Healthy red blood cells, energy and other metabolism Risk for Deficiency Nutrient malabsorption procedures: Roux-en-Y, gastric bypass, BPD-DS Vegetarian or vegan (plant-based) diet Adolescents and women of child-bearing age. Individuals with excessive bleeding (such as with a post-op complication) Food Sources Fortified grains (most grains in the U.S.): including spaghetti, bread, cereal Meat, seafood, and poultry (animal-based sources have a more absorbable form of iron) Beans and lentils Green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, broccoli Potatoes Raisins Deficiency Information Blood test: serum iron/Fe Blood test: ferritin Blood test: total iron binding capacity (TIBC) (high value means low iron status) Blood test: hemoglobin and hematocrit Supplement Notes Iron supplements can be toxic even if your dose is not that high. Don’t take them unless your doctor prescribes them. That includes iron in multivitamins. Don’t take iron supplements at the together with calcium supplements. Try to take supplements with vitamin C (in food or as a supplement) to increase absorption. THE OTHERS The above deficiencies are most common among weight loss surgery patients, but other deficiencies are possible. You are at risk because of your low food intake as you restrict calories. Malabsorptive procedures, such as gastric bypass and gastric sleeve, also put you at risk. Ask your doctor if you are concerned about any of the following vitamins and minerals. Often, a simple blood test or even a run-through of your daily diet can help you figure out if you need an additional supplement over your daily multivitamin and mineral supplement. B vitamins: B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin) Vitamin C Vitamin K Magnesium Zinc The Bottom Line Nutritional deficiencies are a big risk after weight loss surgery, but they depend on a few different factors. Type of weight loss surgery – sleeve and bypass patients are more prone to nutrient deficiencies than lap-band patients. Your diet – eat protein first and choose nutritious foods to lower your risk of deficiencies. Genetics and other uncontrollable factors – women are more likely to need iron supplements, for example, than men. Megadoses of vitamin and minerals can be toxic, so don’t prescribe them for yourself. Instead, contact your surgeon or regular doctor. Simple tests can often let you know your nutrient status so you can know which nutrients to supplement.