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Okay trying this again. Looking at the past 7 days I avg about 716 calories a day and 68 gms Protein with 52 grams of carbs. I'm 3½ months out. I was sleeved on 9/18. My carbs are going to be a bit higher than most because I'm vegetarian and get some of my protein from Beans. I'm doing one shake in the morning and regular meals for lunch and dinner. I only eat an afternoon snack if I'm really hungry. As of 12/19 I've lost 48lbs but I'm due for a weight in. I not feeling deprived or super hungry so I'll wait until I check in with the doctor before raising my calories. I was allowed fruit once I hit soft food stage. So far I've had peaches, pineapple, oranges and avocado. Just bought an apple. Apples are hard for me because of the nerve damage from the trigeminal neuralgia, but I'm going to try diced apple with a little bit of almond butter as a snack.

Interesting! You know, I hadn't thought about that. I imagine if we had a vegetarian and/or allergies I would have learned how they accommodate those needs...assuming they do.

@ - I was just wondering because I'm a vegetarian AND I'm allergic to seafood. I wouldn't have been able to eat that tuna fish @@lovemychihuahua - no yogurt? That's crazy! I must get half my Protein from greek yogurt. This is why I had to ask at the seminar if they had problems with vegetarians. I would never have survived either of these programs.

@@HappyinHollywood Thanks. I always have to check because stevia isn't an artificial sweetener. It's from the stevia plant. It tends to show up in a lot of vegan and vegetarian Protein powders. Unfortunately I am allergic to stevia.

There are many variables. The surgeon's own skill level and training. It could be something as simple as whether he's a DO versus and MD. Some doctors are more conservative than others. Some have had more success with a certain technique. Because the surgery is still relatively new, some mirror the protocols they use for bypass patients. Then they also have to customize the procedure to the individual. So you have the patient's age & overall health to consider. You have look at their eating habits. Men and women may respond differently to the surgery. Does the patient have a hernia that needs to be repaired? A gallbladder that needs to be removed? What if a patient is vegetarian or pescatarian? What if the patient has diabetes or hypertension? The basic surgery is remove approximately 85% of the stomach then place them on a high Protein diet to induce ketosis and then transition to high protein regular diet. It's one of the reasons why you need to do your research when choosing a program. You need to find a program that is a good match for you and your lifestyle. Otherwise you may be setting yourself up to fail.

For one thing it's a fairly new surgery. So some surgeons tend to be more conservative and mirror their recommendations based on how they treat bypass patients. Additionally there has to be some variation based on the needs of the patient, and their medical history. For example, I am a vegetarian so the recommendations my nutritionist outlines for me may be slightly different than what someone who eats meat, fish or poultry.

Beans are good carbs because you also get Protein, Fiber and nutrients along with it. Entirely different than carbs that come from white refined flours that bring nothing else to the party. I'm vegetarian and have eaten loads of beans both pre and post op.

Me, too, on loving both of those foods -- can't wait to try this. Side note: I recall that avocado and mango together have all 16 amino acids. That was when I was a vegetarian, many years ago. Maybe I will try some kind of mango/garbanzo/avocado salsa variation. Avocados are such a healthy food for so many reasons. Thanks for your post -- hard for me to read italicized text on the screen and glad I persevered. Happy new year!

I may have to find a vegetarian gelatin and try that.

None of my college friends know about my surgery. At first I felt bad but I'm kind of loving it and also find it ironic to be known as the strange sassy vegetarian with a small appetite. I was once the shy fat girl that no one knows much about. Part of this journey is finding the identity you want for yourself and having the courage to know you deserve it. This is a second chance, and although I'll never forget my past I don't want my past to become a part of my future.

My program hasn't given me any grief with being a vegetarian. They have also worked with me around my other food allergies. I am ana to ALL seafood, get hives & swelling from stevia, food dyes, and most artificial sugars.) I am ovo-lacto that that makes things easier. Things I eat: greek yogurt eggs Beans hummus ricotta cheese kefir TVP tempeh vegetable both raw & cooked fresh fruit almond milk vegetable broth Beyond meat notchicken Beyond meat beefy crumbles tofu In the all liquid phase I pureed beans and mixed it with veg broth and a bit of Protein powder. I use CVS whey, and Orgain organics vanilla powders. I also mixed ricotta, tofu, spinach in the food processor added a bit of tomato sauce, topped with cheddar or daiya and baked in the oven. I cooked fruit with ½tsp of brown sugar then had that with either cottage cheese or greek yogurt If I don't feel like cooking Progresso minestrone is hearty and filling. I may add a bit of tvp for more protein. I work out in the mornings and was used to making a Breakfast smoothie each day so I still do that. Greek yogurt+Protein Powder will give you anywhere from 30 - 38 gms of protein. I also add in various mixins like a peeled orange, cacao powder, a splash of vanilla extract, a tbsp of almond butter or whatever else I have on hand.

Try GENEPRO Protein (available at Amazon). It's been a life saver for me. Mixes into anything without changing the taste or the texture and you only need to add 1 tablespoon to get 30 grams of protein! Also, if you have a Trader Joe's in your area, tgey have yummy vegetarian thin Soups like carrot ginger, roasted red pepper and tomato or butternut squash. Good luck!

Well i was printed to share my story, so here goes.. I'm 26, Mexican-Iranian... That's important because that means that I was raised on rice and corn tortillas. I'm female btw. Both of my parents work two or three jobs, so I was also raised on costco and walmart a frozen meals, like lasagna and chicken and rice... My sister has a disability which mean the I spend the better part of my early childhood in the waiting room of various doctors... Speech therapy, occupational therapy, at the ER, an the mental health therapist... But that not to being said to make you feel sorry, rather so you know that I again was subject to cafeteria food, Jello from the nurses and McDonalds. In high school one of my cousins said I was fat, and a kid in school said I had too much facial hair on my arms and cheeks... Thus the body image phase hit. And so did the diet programs... Slim fast, Jenny Craig, weight watchers, curves, just To name a few. In college I got a personal trainer and a dietician an got put on phentermine, then my knee cap popped sideways and I had to get knee surgery, that was 2009. Then I severely sprained my ankle and was on a boot for 6 weeks... So what brought me down this path for the Sleeve.... I need surgery on my other knee, same thing that happened on my right knee, reconstruction. Due to my weight says the doctor. I've got plantar faciitis on both heels of my feet, that doc said to "to try to loose 50lbs".. Like that was easy before. Ha. I've got pinched nerves on my lumbar and on my neck... That doc said to loose weight, that'd help. And lastly I'm pre-diabetic. My pcp said I'd for sure be on diabetic meds within the next 6 months if no change is made to my weight. No let me also say that since I moved away from home in 2006, after high school, I became semi-vegetarian...eating fish or chicken twice a week, pasta-rice-or-bread three times a week.... Also in high school I learned to cook for the family, and since dad is vegetarian, I learned all sorts of recipes to make. So it's not like I was eating out all the time or eating junk food all the time. So surgery was on 12/4/2014. Thanks to my crap Obamacare insurance I was dropped in June and either way this surgery is not covered. My dad had a good year financially and with the self-pay discounts at the hospital, my dad was able to get a loan for the procedure. Did I mention Ive been living at home with the parentals for the past two years, and I've been in grad school the last two years. My knees feel 1000x better. I've lost 25lbs so far, and even my heals don't get the stabbing shooting pain that they used to after walking for more than three hours. Only negative so far is that I haven't been able to take my anti-depressant/anxiety meds Effixor because when I take it I feel dizzy, light headed, nauseous, weak and that lasts for hours. That's me. Not sure why I had to share.

Well i was prompted to share my story, so here goes.. I'm 26, Mexican-Iranian... That's important because that means that I was raised on rice and corn tortillas. I'm female btw. Both of my parents work two or three jobs, so I was also raised on costco and walmart a frozen meals, like lasagna and chicken and rice... My sister has a disability which mean the I spend the better part of my early childhood in the waiting room of various doctors... Speech therapy, occupational therapy, at the ER, an the mental health therapist... But that not to being said to make you feel sorry, rather so you know that I again was subject to cafeteria food, Jello from the nurses and McDonalds. In high school one of my cousins said I was fat, and a kid in school said I had too much facial hair on my arms and cheeks... Thus the body image phase hit. And so did the diet programs... Slim fast, Jenny Craig, weight watchers, curves, just To name a few. In college I got a personal trainer and a dietician an got put on phentermine, then my knee cap popped sideways and I had to get knee surgery, that was 2009. Then I severely sprained my ankle and was on a boot for 6 weeks... So what brought me down this path for the Sleeve.... I need surgery on my other knee, same thing that happened on my right knee, reconstruction. Due to my weight says the doctor. I've got plantar faciitis on both heels of my feet, that doc said to "to try to loose 50lbs".. Like that was easy before. Ha. I've got pinched nerves on my lumbar and on my neck... That doc said to loose weight, that'd help. And lastly I'm pre-diabetic. My pcp said I'd for sure be on diabetic meds within the next 6 months if no change is made to my weight. No let me also say that since I moved away from home in 2006, after high school, I became semi-vegetarian...eating fish or chicken twice a week, pasta-rice-or-bread three times a week.... Also in high school I learned to cook for the family, and since dad is vegetarian, I learned all sorts of recipes to make. So it's not like I was eating out all the time or eating junk food all the time. So surgery was on 12/4/2014. Thanks to my crap Obamacare insurance I was dropped in June and either way this surgery is not covered. My dad had a good year financially and with the self-pay discounts at the hospital, my dad was able to get a loan for the procedure. Did I mention Ive been living at home with the parentals for the past two years, and I've been in grad school the last two years. My knees feel 1000x better. I've lost 25lbs so far, and even my heals don't get the stabbing shooting pain that they used to after walking for more than three hours. Only negative so far is that I haven't been able to take my anti-depressant/anxiety meds Effixor because when I take it I feel dizzy, light headed, nauseous, weak and that lasts for hours. That's me. Not sure why I had to share.

Well i was printed to share my story, so here goes.. I'm 26, Mexican-Iranian... That's important because that means that I was raised on rice and corn tortillas. I'm female btw. Both of my parents work two or three jobs, so I was also raised on costco and walmart a frozen meals, like lasagna and chicken and rice... My sister has a disability which mean the I spend the better part of my early childhood in the waiting room of various doctors... Speech therapy, occupational therapy, at the ER, an the mental health therapist... But that not to being said to make you feel sorry, rather so you know that I again was subject to cafeteria food, Jello from the nurses and McDonalds. In high school one of my cousins said I was fat, and a kid in school said I had too much facial hair on my arms and cheeks... Thus the body image phase hit. And so did the diet programs... Slim fast, Jenny Craig, weight watchers, curves, just To name a few. In college I got a personal trainer and a dietician an got put on phentermine, then my knee cap popped sideways and I had to get knee surgery, that was 2009. Then I severely sprained my ankle and was on a boot for 6 weeks... So what brought me down this path for the Sleeve.... I need surgery on my other knee, same thing that happened on my right knee, reconstruction. Due to my weight says the doctor. I've got plantar faciitis on both heels of my feet, that doc said to "to try to loose 50lbs".. Like that was easy before. Ha. I've got pinched nerves on my lumbar and on my neck... That doc said to loose weight, that'd help. And lastly I'm pre-diabetic. My pcp said I'd for sure be on diabetic meds within the next 6 months if no change is made to my weight. No let me also say that since I moved away from home in 2006, after high school, I became semi-vegetarian...eating fish or chicken twice a week, pasta-rice-or-bread three times a week.... Also in high school I learned to cook for the family, and since dad is vegetarian, I learned all sorts of recipes to make. So it's not like I was eating out all the time or eating junk food all the time. So surgery was on 12/4/2014. Thanks to my crap Obamacare insurance I was dropped in June and either way this surgery is not covered. My dad had a good year financially and with the self-pay discounts at the hospital, my dad was able to get a loan for the procedure. Did I mention Ive been living at home with the parentals for the past two years, and I've been in grad school the last two years. My knees feel 1000x better. I've lost 25lbs so far, and even my heals don't get the stabbing shooting pain that they used to after walking for more than three hours. Only negative so far is that I haven't been able to take my anti-depressant/anxiety meds Effixor because when I take it I feel dizzy, light headed, nauseous, weak and that lasts for hours. That's me. Not sure why I had to share.

Well i was printed to share my story, so here goes.. I'm 26, Mexican-Iranian... That's important because that means that I was raised on rice and corn tortillas. I'm female btw. Both of my parents work two or three jobs, so I was also raised on costco and walmart a frozen meals, like lasagna and chicken and rice... My sister has a disability which mean the I spend the better part of my early childhood in the waiting room of various doctors... Speech therapy, occupational therapy, at the ER, an the mental health therapist... But that not to being said to make you feel sorry, rather so you know that I again was subject to cafeteria food, Jello from the nurses and McDonalds. In high school one of my cousins said I was fat, and a kid in school said I had too much facial hair on my arms and cheeks... Thus the body image phase hit. And so did the diet programs... Slim fast, Jenny Craig, weight watchers, curves, just To name a few. In college I got a personal trainer and a dietician an got put on phentermine, then my knee cap popped sideways and I had to get knee surgery, that was 2009. Then I severely sprained my ankle and was on a boot for 6 weeks... So what brought me down this path for the Sleeve.... I need surgery on my other knee, same thing that happened on my right knee, reconstruction. Due to my weight says the doctor. I've got plantar faciitis on both heels of my feet, that doc said to "to try to loose 50lbs".. Like that was easy before. Ha. I've got pinched nerves on my lumbar and on my neck... That doc said to loose weight, that'd help. And lastly I'm pre-diabetic. My pcp said I'd for sure be on diabetic meds within the next 6 months if no change is made to my weight. No let me also say that since I moved away from home in 2006, after high school, I became semi-vegetarian...eating fish or chicken twice a week, pasta-rice-or-bread three times a week.... Also in high school I learned to cook for the family, and since dad is vegetarian, I learned all sorts of recipes to make. So it's not like I was eating out all the time or eating junk food all the time. So surgery was on 12/4/2014. Thanks to my crap Obamacare insurance I was dropped in June and either way this surgery is not covered. My dad had a good year financially and with the self-pay discounts at the hospital, my dad was able to get a loan for the procedure. Did I mention Ive been living at home with the parentals for the past two years, and I've been in grad school the last two years. My knees feel 1000x better. I've lost 25lbs so far, and even my heals don't get the stabbing shooting pain that they used to after walking for more than three hours. Only negative so far is that I haven't been able to take my anti-depressant/anxiety meds Effixor because when I take it I feel dizzy, light headed, nauseous, weak and that lasts for hours. That's me. Not sure why I had to share.

Thought it might be interesting to hear what others are eating... and get some ideas for myself Here's what I'm having today: Breakfast was an over-easy egg and cottage cheese Lunch- vegetarian chili Dinner- white fish and sweet potato ** I'm still on boring mushy foods for now haha! Happy Saturday Everyone!!

Sorry. I've had no problems. No hair loss that I can see. And no awkwardness with food. Then again, I'm a vegetarian with multiple food allergies so everyone already thinks I eat weird.

I like FAGE0% greek yogurt. It's 18 gm of Protein per 8oz. mixed with fruit you can get a pretty decent protein boost that way. If it's too think for you, add some lowfat milk and mix in a blender. As a vegetarian there are some organic protein powders out there: Biochem, Vega , Orgain organics to name just a few. There are also great unflavored Proteins that can be mixed with food. GENEPRO, Procource, Isopure and the infamous Un jury. FYI- you may want to talk to your doctor about the gummie Vitamins. They are complete and may not be giving you all the mineral and nutrients needs. My doctor said even flintstone chewables were better than gummies.

Thank you both for the info and suggestions. Tonight I went to a Chinese restaurant and had some vegetarian soup and eat around the solids in it. I ate about half a quart or 16 ounces of it. It was good and gave me some satisfaction. I will probably go shopping tomorrow for some more canned Soups, even if I have to strain the solids out. I begin puréed food on the 30th. I've never been so excited for mushy food. I'm looking forward to hummus the most.

If it's a fancy restaurant call ahead. I'm vegetarian and can eat out most places except steak house or seafood places because of my allergies. I've had some delicious chef specially made dishes this way. I always send compliments to the chef. I think they like hearing that you appreciate them going out of the way for you.

I had surgery 5 days ago and am not having a lot of problem with the amount of liquid I'm consuming (drinking more and more everyday), but am having quite a difficult time finding something savory to drink. My taste buds are very different from before surgery and the things I bought are not good to me anymore. I'm a vegetarian, which puts a little more of a restriction to broths and Soup, but I'm very sick of all the sweet liquid already and have another 8 days before moving on to puréed foods. Any suggestions to a vegetarian non-sweet liquid? I've tried strained cream of mushroom, vegetarian French onion soup and veggie broth. None of them are delicious like before. Thanks!

Most days I don't. I rarely eat processed food at all and I typically do food prep every Sunday. However, in a pinch I like knowing how to eat in public and still be safe. BTW I personally don't eat chicken. I am a ovo-lacto vegetarian. However, my local pizza place does indeed grill it's chicken on a grill. I know this because the way the restaurant is set up you can see it. I ate at iHop at 6 weeks. I ordered a garden omelet and opted for the fruit as my side. I ate ¼ of the omelet, a few bites of fruit and took the rest home. It wasn't an everyday occurrence but I was out longer than I had planned and it was eat or get sick. I'm a long time vegetarian with multiple food allergies. I also have a very active social life and part of that includes eating out. I've learned long ago how to eat in public. Are there horror stories in the restaurant industry? Absolutely. However there are horror stories in the food industry period. Unless you are the one growing and harvesting every bite you eat, nothing is 100%. Don't even get me started on GMO's. The best you can do is be informed. I doubt I'll be eating at McDonald's anytime soon, but I won't ever say I'm never going to a restaurant or take out restaurant again.

I need to look up which is better for my vegan/vegetarian friends. Tofurky versus Field roast.

I have always been big on cooking my family home cooked meals. Actually in my preop visits my nut and I discussed this Many times. My surgery was the week of thanksgiving, I actually came home on thanksgiving night and my main concern with having it that week was that I am the family cook! My husband and I each have a daughter, mine is 8 and his is 5. Mine is with us full time and his is half of the time. It has taken my step-daughter years to learn that will not get macaroni and cheese for every meal at our home. One day when I asked her what ideas she had for dinner she said 1) corn dogs! 2) macaroni and cheese with hot dogs 3) spaghetti-o's....my response was well we do not buy those items for our house, but I will gladly make spaghetti. (Note: we have one child that will eat ANYTHING.....olives, loves beets, Brussels sprouts, radishes, etc. but she is a horrible sleeper....and one child will go to bed and not get up until you wake her up but that chuld will not eat much of anything, God thinks it is funny I am sure) As a family we have meals that everyone loves like spaghetti, chili of any variety, chicken pot pie with homemade biscuits, biscuits and gravy with eggs, mini pizzas(so everyone gets what they like), egg scramble bowls, French toast sticks, and lasagna soup. Now, from a Bari standpoint I am only on puréed foods however we spent months changing our eating habits as a whole family prior to my surgery. We started last winter to make vegetarian chili with four kinds of beans and three kinds of peppers, my kids always take seconds on that. My pantry NO LONGER has a snack section in it like it did before. My daughter loves popcorn and I never have so I keep bags of it on hand for her as a snack when she wants something during movie night. No temptation there. I buy the girls true moo single serve ice cream cups in chocolate vanilla swirl for desserts if I don't make one, that also doesn't temp me because I've always been high maintenance in ice cream....hagan daas, coffee, rum raisin, dove bars. My husband is a cheese and cracker snack kind of man and when I am allowed to have cheese again, I will share that pleasure with him one little piece at a time. Tonight I made turkey chili with two kinds of beans for added protein, and I puréed my portion and added a small amount of cheddar to melt into it, it was delicious. Do I miss corn bread? Yes! But I do NOT miss taking five pills after my dinner so it is well worth the trade off! I hope this helps, and if anyone needs any recipes I will gladly start sharing! Happy LOSING!!!!