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@@drmeow I LOVE my food saver ????. And yes, we do have some organic farmers that do what's right for the animals when it is necessary even if it means removing them from production. Those are the ones I support. And I kind of guessed you were a vet...love your user name ???? @@My Bariatric Life I was raised on home raised/grown food. My dad was a farmer and our neighbors raised various livestock. We had 2 huge chest freezers where we kept all the veggies and fruit and meat my mom froze to carry us through the winter. My mom did not buy candy except for holidays like Easter and Halloween. We drank milk, Water and juice, never soda. Each of us kids were allowed to pick out ONE box of sugar cereal/year. I always went with Captain Crunch Berries. My little brother always went with the one with the best toy. Fast food was a rare "treat"... Maybe 6-8 times/year when we were traveling. I think I was in high school before I had my first piece of white, store-bought bread. Oh yeah, and we were only allowed to watch 1/2 hour TV on weekdays and 1 hour of cartoons on Saturday morning! Mom was a badass When I went to college I rebelled and ate every kind of crap food I could find....along with lots of beer! Didn't care where it came from or what it was...as long as it was cheap and tasty. After college I went through a vegetarian stage. I was very conscientious about what I ate and really shot for healthy stuff. That lasted about 6 years before I went back to not caring anymore. I spent most of my 30's and early 40's eating unhealthy. I became so unhappy with myself I didn't care if I was doing damage by eating crap or not. It wasn't until I had WLS that I started making good food choices again. And I just happen to live in an area now where I have direct access to local farm raised food. Being in the veterinary field is a bonus because I can witness everyone's husbandry practices directly. I guess choosing to eat this way is just a cyclic state of mind for me. Whenever I get on a healthy kick, I research the latest and greatest, but I have witnessed so many theories and "food truths" change through the years, I always take the extreme claims with a grain of salt and ultimately just use common sense.

I basically lived off of sugar free jello, pudding, and popsicles during my liquid diet. I hated it, but that's what I used. To prepare, my fiance made some homemade baby food for me in our Magic Bullet. Mostly chicken and turkey - gotta focus on that protein. Lean protein like chicken, turkey, and fish is better for you. Morning Star vegetarian meals are fairly decent, too. I ate that once I was given the clear on solid foods. What you need to get beforehand, though, would be some chewable daily multi-vitamins. I had the orange flavor (that of which I wasn't a fan of) and the spearmint flavor (which tasted better). My recovery time was about two weeks, I think? Might have been three. I would ask my doctor about it if I were you, though, just to be sure.

I'm with Swizzly--I have significantly less gas post-op than before. I think it's my diet, not much to get gassy when it's all protein. If I were a vegetarian I expect things would be different.

I was an avid vegetarian for years and a vegan for a few. Marriage changes so many things. Anyhow, have you tried agar agar? It's not quite the same a Jello, but it's still good. Agar Agar comes from seaweed. It's not crystal clear like jello but still relatively clear, rather like the Isopure clears. You can make all sorts of different flavors is you want to use fruit juice. You will boil the agar with the juice to dissolve. Now I haven't tried this BUT when it's cooling and gets down to about 105deg and still in a liquid stage before setting, it might work to stir in some unflavored Protein powder like from unjury? I wish you well!!!

Are you a vegan, or do you eat dairy or eggs? I was a vegan for a few years in an earlier stage of life, too--and post-surgery, I find I'm tolerating vegetable and dairy Protein MUCH more easily than meat or even seafood. I joked with my husband yesterday that I was on my way back to vegetarianism, but not on purpose--it's just how I eat now and what feels good to my body. Protein can be tricky. Beans are a wonderful source of protein for vegetarians--you can sneak them into all sorts of foods. I even made a smoothie with beans in there--almond milk, about a half cup of white beans (rinsed very thoroughly), cocoa powder, ice--and it came out creamy and yummy with extra protein from the beans. You can't taste them in there, either, so it's a win-win. Adding some Peanut Butter or peanut butter powder (I have some of the PB2 dehydrated peanut butter stuff--all the flavor and protein minus the fat!) would probably be yummy too--will have to try that. Getting enough daily protein is still a challenge for me, but I'm working on it every day. Protein Bars are a good thing--if you eat dairy, the whey protein products might be a good option, and if you eat eggs, there are egg-protein powders (I just saw a Jay Robb mix in Whole Foods yesterday) that might work for you. I didn't have clears, either, just liquids post-surgery, and I was slurping yogurt like a crazy woman (all 1 teaspoon of it at a time, LOL). You might look into those Isopure drinks, although for me they were not a good fit--I think others on this forum relied heavily on them during their postop clear phase. Edited to add that vegetarian Soups can be protein-amped by the addition of some Greek yogurt stirred in, or dried milk powder, again, if you do consume dairy. You can also zap some tomato Soup in the blender with a combination of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, get it to a smooth consistency, and heat that gently--it's good without the meat broth.

Hi all I was a vegetarian prior to surgery and would like to return to it now that I'm three months post op Wondering if anyone has experienced hair loss in excess being plant based and the main sources of proteins consumed Thanks

Let me start off by saying I am not looking to be yelled at or coddled...something in between might be helpful. As some of you know I landed in the hospital 2 weeks ago because I got severely dehydrated. They also ran a pregnancy test which came back positive, but it was a false positive. I am definitely not pregnant. I do not know what is going on, but I have been totally out of control since then. Prior to that I had been drinking & getting in my Protein just fine. (Aside from a bread incident many a month ago in case NurseGrace is lurking ) I am full blown eating whatever I want with no problems. I am a vegetarian so no meat binges. I have not been drinking Water & I have been straight up eating , garbage...crackers, chips, pop corn with butter, Pasta, Cookies, candy, ice cream & so on & so forth. I have no desire for anything except carbs & sugar. I'm not eating bread or anything that will cause physical pain to my sleeve, but things that if eaten slowly enough cause no problems. I'm not drinking water or exercising. Today the only liquid I had was 2 cups of coffee this morning. I still weigh myself every day. Although I haven't lost any weight, I haven't gained any weight either. I have been under a lot of stress lately...waiting for our mortgage to approved, looking for work, struggling to finish my semester which I was given an extension on. At this point I am ready to just give up on everything. I am ready to give up on school, looking for work, cleaning & packing up our apartment. I am feeling like I just completely lost control & I don't know how to get it back. I don't want to go to OA. Been there, done that. Therapy is not an option either. Has anyone else been through this? I feel like I'm so lost that I just don't even know where to start to get back some semblance of normality.

I thank all of you for your concern and advice. I don't think I could possibly go back to liquids now and as I haven't had any adverse effects I feel it is O.K. to continue? I chew the food really well and follow the "rules" about not drinking with food etc. I seem to be able to eat quite a lot though... Today I had to have chocolate and ate 100grams. I felt really sick for 3 hours afterwards but wasn't sick... I have lost 6 kgs in the 12 days since I got my band. That is about 14 1bs. I am eating one crispbread with marmalade for breakfast and a fat free yoghourt with fruit in it but not "bits". For lunch I have been having either chicken or fish with vegetables and vegetable soup. Sometimes followed by some fresh fruit without skin. For dinner I have similar or tuna with tomatoes or cottage cheese and small potatoes.Today I had a small tin of baked beans,3 tiny boiled potatoes and 2 crispbread with cottage cheese and gherkin followed by one fig and apricot. I then kept looking around for things to eat all evening but didn't! Today I have had more carbohydrates than before today but I am getting fed up with the protein as it has never been my favourite and I am virtually vegetarian in that I eat chicken and fish but rarely before this week. Tomorrow hopefully they will take my stitches out as I am longing to get rid of them. I usually heal very well after surgery but this time the wounds are less healed than I would expect at this stage. I think it may be to do with the food. I tried a protein shake but it was really awful and I relegated it to the bin. It is no good trying to have them as if I could do that type of thing,I wouldn't have needed the band in the first place...... The Dr said tomorrow he is going to give me one that is odorless and tasteless so I'll see but I am not keen on so much dairy and definitely not used to sweeteners or added sugar. Until now I have had a very healthy diet apart from the chocolate and have been used to eating that way for many years so just cannot tolerate the very sickly sweet stuff! Likewise the vitamin syrup they gave me...Yuck! I only managed one dose. I will buy some tablets. I know it sounds contradictory to say I had a healthy diet and be this whopping weight but it is only the last 7-10 years I've been gaining and gaining due more to immobility and zero metabolism because of other health problems. Obviously I ate more than I am now and lots of bread and other carbs so I hope this band will help me lose but I am already fed up with it!!!!! I am not immobile by the way but have been a lot of the time.

I like these tips! Dr. Gail, I do think I'm over-relying on shakes. I still have at least 2 per day. (Pre-surgery, I was similarly reliant on Protein bars - at least one per day.). Pre-surgery I was mostly vegetarian, with some low-fat dairy, eggs and fish a couple of times a week. I ate a LOT of legumes and whole grains, and some nuts, for my protein. Unfortunately, those are high in carbs (part of why I got obese) so I've had to cut them out except as a treat. Fish is my main "solid" protein source now, at least once per day. I try to eat chicken and turkey but am getting a little burned out on it. Ditto cottage cheese. So all that is to say: (1) my body may be adjusting to a new, low-Fiber part of dieting along with the low-carb part. (2) since I'm still relying on shakes to meet my protein goals, I might not feel as satisfied - mentally at least. Maybe adding more fat will help. What are some good,non-red-meat fat sources? I do get some from oily fish. I have my 2% cottage cheese (higher fat, harder cheeses are not tolerated now). I could add more eggs. I used to (pre surgery) have ground flaxseed and olive oil on popcorn - nearly every day - but I know popcorn is out for sleeve patients, and nuts and hummus have too many carbs. I had a little avocado yesterday. I haven't reacted well to salad dressing, so that's out.

Hi Everyone, I am brand new to this site. I decided to join in hopes of getting some information and support. Here's my story: I got banded in January 2008 in San Diego by Dr. Sunil Bhoyrul. I paid out of pocket since my insurance wouldn't cover it. I have been over weight my entire life and I thought the lap-band would be the answer to my prayers. (I was over 200 pounds). I literally had problems with my band from day 1! I had to drive from Temecula to San Diego just hours after my operation because I could not keep Water down. I was vomiting after every sip which caused intense pain since I had just had my surgery! My Dr. took everything out of my band that evening. (I didn't even know that they started you with Fluid inside your band). Initially, I lost weight, but not without struggles. I would suffer from this constant pain in my left shoulder. It hurt every single day! I would throw up my food almost daily. I went from being such a huge lover of breads and meat to now being a vegetarian and I rarely have bread. The lowest weight I ever hit was 162, which lasted for maybe a month and then I've never seen that number since. I'm currently dead stuck in the 180's. About two years ago, I got sick with a common cold. I took alka seltzer and began to vomit, and vomit, and vomit. When I tried to drink water it felt as if I was swallowing glass! The pain was unbearable. Then I would vomit again and it would look like blood. I had to visit the ER twice in one weekend. The first time, they basically just sent me away. The second time, they performed an upper GI and it showed major restriction on my stomach. Imagine the band around your stomach and then your stomach flopped over the band. The doctor that was helping me that day had never performed a fill before but she knew I was in so much pain that she did it anyways with my help. I had to explain to her exactly what to do. I was in such a state of unbearable pain that I could care less that she had never done it before. Since then, I have never had fluid put back into my band! I thought that I would just go on living with my unfilled band and it would be as if I didn't have one at all. That wasn't true either. Now, every time I get sick and I vomit, it irritates my band so much that I start dealing with painful acid reflux, I cant eat, and I fight to keep liquids down. Which is where I am right now. Friday night, 4 days ago, I got sick and threw up. Ever since I have been in bed. This is and has taken so much from my life. I hurt so much from the constant absence from my husband and kids I must go through every time I get a common cold or stomach bug. I think it is safe to say that my band was a failure. I only lost 15-20 pounds and I have had endless complications. I am now on the hunt to find a surgeon who will take my band out. However, I would like to to hear from the people who have similar stories and had their bands taken out. What was the recovery process like post op? Can you eat without vomiting? Do you have any kind of pain anymore? Thank you for reading my story...I can't wait to hear back from you -Lyse8432

Thank you so much. From what I’ve been reading, vegetarians and vegans are not common in the gastric surgery family. I’m glad I’ve found at least one.

I’m glad I found this thread. I’ve been a mostly vegetarian eater for the past few years too and all the articles I’ve read online say it’s very difficult to get the necessary protein without eating meat, which I find hard to believe. Have you had any assistance of a nutritionist with your bariatric program or have you been figuring it out yourself? I have my appointment for my sleeve in May so I’m trying to get prepared.

Many people have vid D deficiency. Its a sign of the times. I was VERY low before I ever had the sleeve. And we have to use calcium citrate because it it hard for us to absorb any other calcium if we are on acid reducing drugs such as PPIs (which can cause brittle bones) because calcium needs an acidic environment to be absorbed. Iron can be a problem mostly if you are pre-menopause. Vit B12 must be supplemented by taking sub lingual pills or B12 shots because of loss of intrinsic factor in the stomach as stated earlier. That is my understanding.... I was very low on B12 before surgery because I am a vegetarian....sublingual tabs brought it right up over a couple of months.

Just to present a different view, my experience is totally opposite from Sugarplum's. I eat out every week. Even with being vegetarian (which presents its own list of menu issues) I don't plan ahead and I've never gotten sick in public. I do, however, often only order an appetizer, which sometimes requires explanation to the waiter or dining companion. You have a choice as to how tight to keep your band and what lifestyle you wish to maintain while banded. Many people choose to be tighter, which means that they have to be a lot more careful about their choices, restaurants, etc. The upside is that they get a lot of control from their band in the weight loss journey. That is absolutely the right choice for some people. For me, I'd rather be a little looser and be able to eat any texture of food (even bread, though I don't often choose it). It's important to my lifestyle (I'm an attorney that takes clients out a lot, I'm single and I live in NYC so eating out is inherently part of the picture) and it hasn't interfered with my weight loss goals yet, so it's working for me. The band really dimms my head hunger, though quantity control I have to work on myself more than some, given that I chose to be looser. My point is, you have choices. Getting the band will not make you miserable. It's adjustible for a reason!

Vegan food has to be blessed by a Veganite whereas anyone can eat vegetarian food. Fruit can be consumed by either one but must have all the sugar removed first.

I love this website!! If you aren't already a member, sign up. They send you a daily email with product reviews & information, along with diet & exercise tips, and recipes. A few products I love that I discovered because of that site: Weight Watchers English Toffee Crunch Ice Cream Bars: 1 bar = 110 calories, 6 grams fat, 13 carbs, 2 Fiber, 1 Protein The only thing I don't like about them, there are 12 in a box and I want to eat them all!!!! Morning Star Farms Parmesan Crusted Chicken* Patty: 1 patty = 170 calories, 7 grams of fat, 17 carbs, 2 fiber, 10 protein * Morning Star Farms are vegetarian products. If you have really good restriction, use caution. I really like the Black Bean Burgers too but they have rice and corn in them so again, use caution depending on your restriction level. Discovered any new products you want to share with us?

I am totally unfilled, and never ate the 1/2 cup that people go on about even when I did have a fill... But To give you an idea of what I eat; Breakfast Cup of coffee, bowl of oats with nuts and a banana. Snack; A home made ricotta cake. Today's are mango ricotta cakes ((drool)) and a cup of tea. Lunch; Tabouleh with 2 vegetarian sausages. Snack; An apple, a handful of nuts, and a big bottle of Water. dinner Moroccan chickpeas (a tomato based dish with chickpea's, zucchini, sweet potato, pumpkin, sultanas, nuts, and couscous) Or if I can convince DH that he has the energy to go out, Bruschetta. Snack Cup of tea and a couple of squares of this fab organic chocolate I found at Mrs Flannerys.

Not sure how much mine will help, but anyway: Yesterday I had Breakfast: 2 poached eggs, a bit later a pear. Snack: banana, skim milk latte Lunch: tuna sandwich on wholegrain bread dinner: glass red wine, Pasta bake, green salad, coffee (dinner at my sister's). Today so far I've eaten: Breakfast: 1/3 cup muesli with a bit of natural yogurt and some stewed plums on top. Skim milk latte Just made another tuna sandwich for lunch to use up the other half of the can. Dinner tonight is a vegetarian recipe - roast butternut pumpkin salad with walnuts and fetta cheese, have made it before its yummmy. I'm about to go to my sisters and pick up my daughter who had a sleepover, I'm not going to come back and admit to what yummy carb laden indulgence I've slipped in, as she said she's baking, lol.

As my surgery date gets closser I am starting to freak out a bit. I am very excited for the change but also really nervous. Lets start with this: I try to only eat organic, I recycle, I try to only use all natural products, I am a strict vegetarian, and I even worry about plastics leeching into my food so I never put plastic in the microwave..... Um.. well I guess I can stop there now that you all know what a freak I am I have really researched this and know that the band is what I want to do and need to do. The thing that scares me the most is that I am sticking this man made piece of plastic inside my body so that I can loose weight. I kinda feel like a hypocrite doing this to my body. I don’t know if its nerves but now that my surgery date is almost here I really cant stop thinking about this. So ..Just before your surgery did any of you start having any crazy irrational fears about doing this.

I dont think it'll be hard at all. I'm tolerating pea and soy protein well. Here's how I'm getting over 80 grams of protein a day in soft foods: Breakfast: Siggis simple ingredients protein yogurt (15 grams) Lunch: yellow squash and 3.5 oz of impossible meat made into a meatball (16 grams) Dinner: 2 oz of refried beans, 1 tbspn of sour cream (4 grams) Snacks: thin slice of Provolone cheese (3 grams) and the big Kahuna, a protein shake made with 2 scoops of isopure and almond milk (use soy for extra protein). (50 grams) ...total for the day= 88 grams of plant based proteins! You can switch this up too. Do an omelet, scrambled eggs, tofu scramble, stir fry tofu and other low carb vegetarian meat subs. I was scared at first to try vegetarian meat substitutes but as long as theyre not super breaded and you chew them really well, they seem to be working. My dietician approved of them too! Everyone tolerates food differently after surgery but so far so good. Best of luck. I did my gastric bypass a month ago and I still will not go back to eating meat ever again. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I've been using GENEPRO for several months now and absolutely love it! The package does say 30 gr Protein per scoop which is equivalent to one tablespoon. I also have heard some folks say this may be a physical impossibility as well. Here's what I do because the powder is literally tasteless and mixes into anything hot or cold. I mix a little scoop into my coffee in the morning, then one more into each meal during the day. Now if I were getting the full 30 gr of protein technically I would be eating 120 gr of protein each day. But often I cannot finish a cup of coffee or a meal... and I do think about the claim that it may not really be a full 30 gr of protein... so in the end of the day I estimate I probably eat around 60-90 gr of protein which is exactly where my doctor wants me. This is in addition to any other protein sources I might get during a day which isn't a lot because I am a vegetarian. I just had my 6 month follow-up visit yesterday and all my lab-work came back awesome, I feel great, My dr and nut are on board with my eating plan... so I will keep going. Good luck everyone!

Be careful, though-it looks like Newme17 is vegetarian, not vegan. Not judging or calling her out, just letting you know.

I wish I'd taken a picture for you guys! @Apple1 and @Newme17. I just made the most delicious lunch that is a riff on Eggface's Ricotta Bake--only I gak over the texture of ricotta, so I used low fat cottage cheese (Daisy brand). We grew up eating cottage cheese in lasagna because we were poor and very white bread and it's what Mama thought was 70s era authentic. LOL. To this day I lasagna made with cottage cheese! I had some leftover dry sauteed mushrooms and super greens trio and leftover yellow squash/zucchini along with an open jar of Central Market Taste of Italy Marinara (no added sugar, super low carb, 5g carbs 2g fiber per 1/2 cup). So I made quick lasagna. I don't know how you would alter it to be vegan. But it's awesome as lacto-ovo vegetarian! Quick Lasagna Bowl 113 g, 2% Cottage Cheese 1 large, Egg 1 cup, Roasted Yellow Squash 0.50 ounce, Onion 1 clove, Garlic, raw 2 ounce, Mushrooms 2 fluid ounce, Super Greens Trio 0.12 Tbl. chopped, Fresh Basil Leaves 0.12 tsp, Oregano Leaves 1 tbsp, Cheese - Parmesan, shredded 0.50 oz, Cheese - Mozzarella, part skim milk 0.25 cup (120g), Marinara, Taste of Italy (RG) 1 tsp(s), Cheese - Parmesan, shredded Combine the cottage cheese with the egg, leftover cooked squash, onion and garlic. Add dried basil, oregano, and 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Cover bowl with a glass plate and nuke in 1 minute intervals, stirring between each addition, until egg is mostly done. Add leftover cooked mushrooms and greens. Stir to combine. Top with Marinara and mozzarella cheese. Cover and nuke until melted (about 1 additional minute). Sprinkle with the last tsp of Parmesan cheese and some cracked red pepper if desired. Enjoy! Pre-WLS this makes 1-2 servings. Post WLS, this would likely make 4 meals (once you can eat cooked veggies again). 1 serving: 359 cals, 30g protein, 18g fat, 20g carbs, 5g fiber, 15g net carbs It's so good you don't notice the lack of pasta or meat.

Oh, BJean, that green bean recipe sounds profoundly awful!!! :car: Thanks for sharing this with me. Now I know to avoid any restaurant which advertises home cooking or country style cooking when travelling through Oklahoma. LOL :heh: As for the ma-in-law, she is German and is a Fan of Meat and Cold Cuts but at the same time she is thrifty and so often the stuff which she presents is meat which only a true Fan of Meat can eat. :phanvan As for me, my sensibilities lie more in the Italian, Indian, or Asiatic line of nosh when eating cooked food, and I love salads. When I do eat meat I want the expensive stuff and when it comes to beef I like it very, very rare. This means that I am usually on the wrong page when it comes to dining with the in-laws. :rolleyes I am also a fan of sauces. It was eating cheese, pasta, food in sauces, and bread that made me a fatty grrl. :tired My own ma was born and raised in England and she had a nasty way with meat. She bought the good stuff and then carefully cooked it until it was grey all the way through. :omg: She would squeal in horror if she saw any sign of pink. It took an hour to chew your way through a slab of her roast beef. :help: She turned lamb chops into lamb chips. I actually thought that I was a vegetarian until I lived in France. My ma had a lovely way with a sauce or a gravy, though. :car:

I told no one....didn't want to put myself through all the cross examination, etc. I'm one of those where a lot of things about me is none of anyone's business but mine. I simply took a week off from work. Since then I have lost all excess weight, I am a normal body fat%....a slim physically fit person. That was over 3 years ago....everyone has forgotten I was ever fat, and new people I have met since then never knew I was fat and there's no reason to tell them.......no one talks about it anymore. No One! Even with my PCP and Cardiologist, they never bring it up anymore...no more "You need to loose a few lbs" I did it, completed it, now live a new life because of it. Life is good.... People look at me today, and see an energetic, vegetarian, daily gym rat, no junk food, 63 year old male. And I'm fine with that.