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Hey, Chickie, I saw on another post you have PCOS and have converted to vegetarianism. I too have PCOS, but my doctor has never given me any medication for it. What have you done through the years that has helped you? I know Atkins has been the only thing that's worked for me in the past. Are you happy with your band? I'm worried that with PCOS that even the band isn't going to help. Linda

I am a vegetarian and I love this one it’s amazing. It’s just like drinking iced coffee

So I see so many posts about the food types that need to be consumed post surgery but from the looks of it, it seems that one MUST consume at least egg and fish which I don't!!! I do consume dairy and milk products though but nothing else i.e. egg or fish etc. so what can I do? And just in case you're wondering, yes I am an obese vegetarian. I'm 440lbs and I'm vegetarian! lol... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi Robin! I'm also a vegetarian! There's not many of us out here. My nutritionist helped with showing me many different high-Protein vegetarian items, most I already knew about but it was very helpful to go over it all. I had my surgery Nov 16. I've had some complecations (but not because of being a vegetarian) so I'm still on a full liquid diet. I'm having trouble getting all my Proteins down. I mix my Protein powder with Westsoy soy milk which has 11g protein per 8oz. I try to have a serving of unjury chicken Soup (it's vegetarian) it has 20g protein. If you have any questions let me know.. and let me know if you find any high Protein shakes that taste good! Kelli

Sure no prob guys. Here are some of the books I found with the higher ratings and reviews. 1) 101 BEST Paleo Diet Foods by Health Research Staff 2) Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso 3) Paleo Comfort foods: Homestule cooking for a gluten- free kitchen by Julie & Charles Mayfield 4) The Power of Paleo! By Mario ans Vienna Zander's 5) The Paleo diet solution: the modern caveman's cookbook 6) The Paleo diet cookbook by Loren Cordain, Ph. d. Now, don't forget this will be a lifestyle change not a temporary fix. Basically your body will be burning fat for energy instead of carbs. This is a very carb restricted diet. You're body will be in ketosis. But many people who assume they just do this for a week or 2 and than go back to a higher carb intake bight find the lbs coming back or weightloss stalling. I think this works for me bc I can live without rice for the rest of my life now.ni made the decision that is rather be healthy and I want to motivate my mom and dad who have a plethora of health issues and only cook very salthy, MSG infested, high fat Filipino food. I want them to live past their parents (bfathers died at 65ish) and have them walk me down the aisle and meet my kids. Besides my house is kind of a slaughter house. Sorry vegetarians:( but we love seafood and meat over here. I think it'd be the perfect diet for me. Also, did you ever think about this?: white rice doesn't taste like anything! Hahahah my nephew told me that the other day saying "Awww mommmm, but whats the point? It doesn't taste like anything!" smart 4th grader. I just found another good book by Loren Cordain and Friel: the Paleo diet for athletes. The first 20 pages are very good.

Oh, can I add one? I bought "Hungry Girl's 300 calorie Recipes", which has some great, small-portioned foods, including a bunch of recipes that need a mug and a microwave. She seems to lean towards the vegetarian side of cooking, but the few I've tried have been good. And, there's always Egg-face's blog. She's got a ton of WLS friendly stuff on there, including tons of shake recipes for Protein drinks.

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.

One can of vegetarian retried beans split between 5 1/2 cup bowls with a sprinkle of cheese on top. Just ready to be popped into the microwave for a minute or so for a meal.

I LoVE refried beans and eat the vegetarian ones with a little salsa. Be careful because they can be pretty thick so go slow - even refried beans can get stuck!

okay if its situational food concersn I have run the gamit in 5 weeks and managed fine - I usually get aplate, put a small spoon of offered foods and take tiny, tiny bites I have been to a wedding (I asked for a vegetarian meal said my tummy was upset) they were serving steak and i was early post op 3 birthday parties pizza/pasta/salad/mexican - I have managed it all and no one noticed I wasn't chowing down like I used to so its about moderation/quanitity and smart food choices on the pizza I actually ate the toppings - i was concerned the bready crust would get stuck so I didn't even try it

Hi all! I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian. Vegetarian foods are great with the band. I've had no problems at all yet (knock on wood). I do a lot of stirfry. Firm tofu, snap peas, Water chestnuts & carrots cooked with Pam for about 5 minutes is quick and simple. I eat 3-4 Morningstar chicken patties a week as well. Taco salad with Morningstar crumbles and black Beans is another favorite. I've been cooking a lot more since banding, which is great for the pocketbook and the waistline! Let's keep this thread going. It's hard to find a good vegetarian bandster support system. Take care,

Monster muffins (sweet spinach), vegan breakfast oat bars, sweet potato banana bites (vegetarian), and oatmeal energy balls....just some things on the menu today. My house smells wonderful!!!! For dinner I'm making spicy black bean nachos. I feel like I should be barefoot and pregnant lol I'll be in the kitchen most all day today.

Hi Snow, My life is unrealistic to MOST, so you're not alone. Believe it or not, Im a corporate professional and have been a single mom for 12 years. Unlike my peers, I don't sit in the lunchroom during lunch but I take a 1.5 mile walk. Also, during my 15 minute brakes, I walk down and back up this hill..which takes no more than ten minutes. I pick up my son from school, get him home, usually have something cooked in the crockpot or made the morning, so I can feed them both quickly (16 and 20) and then I go to the gym. Yes, it's very busy but I enjoy the gym and I won't miss it. I think ANY exercise is good, to be honest. What do I eat? Well, I eat a lot of Protein...eggs, Beans, tofu "based" foods..veggie hot dogs are my favorite. The good thing is that I live in San Diego where we have a lot of vegetarian options in terms of restaurants and markets. Also, I don't eat sugar at all...my body rejects it to this day. Milk is also out of the question although it used to be my favorite beverage (along with COKE)... Have you had surgery yet or getting ready to start the process? Betsie

LongerCurlz, Thank you for sharing your story. It is great to see you have maintained weight loss for 12 years! I had my decision visit last Friday and now waiting for insurance clearance so I can get my date! I am amazed at your work out schedule. I must admit it seems unrealistic for me... And probably most folks. I am trying to get some walking in before work and then something more strenuous after work... Run, basketball, etc. as a single mom I am constantly balancing my time between work and my son. I'm trying to add a piece for just me, too. For exercise and health. Congrats on your fantastic journey. You look amazing! As a vegetarian, what Proteins do you eat? Beans, tofu?

I am just starting puree, so i will be sticking to my puree menu of some sort. I will be however cooking as my son is a vegetarian, daughter is high protein low carb and son in law only one to eat whatever LOL.. So i will cook, they are all in their mid 20s and i do not want any of them to be without. We always get together for the hanging out and maybe a venture out to see the crazy black friday stuff, or just stay in and watch movies. It will be a later than normal dinner because daughter has to work in the morning. ( She works for Disney- and gets out at 4) so dinner will be at 6

If you're thinking of the Jamba Juice by Kohl's - then it is a Qdoba. There is a Chipotle up the road in front of Meijer if people prefer that. I personally would choose Qdoba - they have a great vegetarian tortilla Soup.

So, my program has me on fruits and veggies and even grain if one can tolerate right from month 2. I don't do much grain (may be once a week) since I don't like eating it much. Though based on our outlined eating schedule, we should take 3 to 4 servings of fruits (depending how we tolerate ofc). I don't have any issue with tolerating any ofthe fruits (I don't dump). But ofc if I do that my carbs shoot quite high especially cuz I am vegetarian and I get my protein mostly from dairy (yogurt, milk, cottage cheese and other cheese), which again has significant carbs. My average net carbs are between 60 to 70 grams. Anyhow, so I was wondering how did y'all carry your carbs during the weight loss phase? And when did you introduce fruits and veggies in your diet?

who paid the surgeon for your surgery bottom line? i do get it, you dont thank you very much. im done arguing with you. you have your mind set on the fact that your employer took care of your WLS and not the insurance company; then you come on here bad mouthing insurance companies for not taking care of their policy holders when they took care of you. that is a hypocrite. youre like the self-proclaimed vegetarian who loves BLT sandwiches. nuff's said from me

I wouldn't worry too much about the fat. Someone posted about fat grams per day recently and I shared my thoughts then, too, that it's less important to track fat than it is to track Protein and calories. We don't want to go all out and give ourselves heart disease but let's be realistic here: even on a day when we feel like we've had a lot of fat post op, it's likely nowhere near what we were eating pre op. We need the fat now more than ever because we're not getting it from other sources. It's very tough to go low-fat on a protein based diet! I relied heavily on cheeses when I first got here to Bishkek. We had no good source of meat so we were living the vegetarian lifestyle. I have no easy access to prepared or convenience vegetarian foods in this country. The best I could do was make my own soy milk and tofu, or order vital wheat gluten online and make seitan! And yes, tofu and seitan are good ways to get protein but let's not lie to ourselves and say they're as dense in protein as meat is - you have to make up that slack somewhere. There are only so many bean dishes or hummus spreads I can make and only so many ways I can prepare eggs before I'm tired of them! cheese was critical in reaching those protein goals. I even ate a lot of Peanut Butter, something I don't really care for normally. I still get one Protein shake in each day (two scoops of protein, about 50 grams) because I could not possibly hit my protein goals (90+ grams/day) otherwise. I eat as much cheese as I can. I'm still mad that my lactose intolerance makes cottage cheese impossible for me. I'd eat that day in and day out if I could! As it is I eat a few ounces of hard cheese each day. If you're really concerned about your fat intake, record your food on a site like myfitnesspal and be sure your fat intake isn't too high. So long as I'm not "in the red" on my fat totals when I track, I don't let it bother me much. The people that super-restrict their diets DO get results, but then they get to goal and have to figure out how to eat like normal people. Just eat a balanced diet now and save yourself the trouble. ~Cheri

TES, I'm going to go ahead and PM you! Just to give a basic idea to anyone who is interested, though: There are many different causes for anemia, of which nutrition (rather, the lack of it) is the most common cause. Iron, B12, folic acid, and even Vit. C (and lots of other nutrients) all play their rolls in preventing anemia. If in case nutrition is not a factor, then the other causes left include decreased absorption of nutrients, or blood loss. A blood smear helps to confirm the cause and point us towards obtaining a diagnosis. Decreased absorption can be easily tested, if that is suspected. In women, heavy or prolonged periods are usually implicated in low iron levels. These days, there is an increase in gastric and duodenal ulcers, which cause minute amounts of blood loss that go completely unnoticed. Stool samples and medical histories will help with these situations. Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg! The point is, being a vegetarian will not cause anemia, if you take steps to ensure your meals are nutritious and balanced. At the same time, eating loads of meat will also not prevent anemia, if there is an underlying problem!

I found a really good SF maple syrup that is low in carbs and calories. It's called Carey's. I'm going to try that, along with some chipotle as you recommend, in my next batch of vegetarian chili, PotterGirl! Thanks for the great ideas.

I am a few days away and so excited and nervous all at the same time. Thank you all for sharing and keeping us updated. It helps so much for us who are waiting and have questions. My surgery is a revision from sleeve to bypass due to Hiatal Hernia which my surgeon will repair, GERD and never getting to goal with some weight gain. 2017 HW 284 I’m 5’3 LW after sleeve 194 after I juiced for three days to break the 200’s. Then two years ago I gained up to 224 and I turned vegetarian. Got down to 187. Then COVID hit. I have gained and lost the same 30 lbs for the last few years. Now my current weight is 225. My revision is set for Thursday, 2/17. I am hopeful all my efforts will get me to goal this time. I’m scared to end up the same. Wish me luck.

I was/am a big-time closet eater. I'm the one who nobody can figure out why I was fat because they never saw me eat. I'd open a package and eat the whole thing so I could toss the bag and hide the evidence. I'd eat a whole pizza or a whole pie or 6 cupcakes or a pint (or a quart) of ice cream. The worst was when I was all alone, in my dorm room or after I got married, when my husband was away for the day or (much worse) traveling for work for a few days. I'd eat the whole time. I may nit have finished it all in a sitting but I'd get it done. I used to go to mcdonalds and order: 1 quarter pounder meal, large, and 1 double cheeseburger. The quarter pounder just wasn't enough! But I was in huge denial especially to my husband, who had no idea about my binges. I lost weight on programs like Weight Watchers, but my food journals never showed my binges. They showed me eating perfectly. It was an exercise in self-delusion. I know why I did it and I've had lots of therapy. I was a physically and sexually abused child and food was a comfort as a kid. Also my parents had me on diets from a very young age (and I wasn't even fat) and my bone-thin brother was allowed (even forced, also abusively) to eat to the point of vomiting. He got pop tarts for Breakfast and I got fruit. Of course I snuck treats into my room and ate them in the middle of the night. Of course I binged when I went to friends' houses, or on birthdays/holidays/special occasions when I was allowed to eat as much as I could hold. On pizza nights my brother and I were praised for how many pieces of pizza we could get down. Then I was put into foster care at age 12. Age 14 my foster parents decided we were all vegetarian. Loss of choice around food again. I ate meat and junk whenever I could get it. They also sent me signals that I was fat and limited my food. I was in so much pain and turmoil and food was the only thing I felt like I was choosing in my life. I'm an adult now and I have control of all my choices. Knowing this wasn't enough to break the cycle. Therapy helped me understand but didn't break my food patterns. The sleeve has (so far) been that extra push and given me that control. It has also been enough of a disruption to give me a chance to think and to breathe. I have been working on myself, hard, since before surgery, knowing that there will come a time (probably soon) when the restriction doesn't keep me on the straight and narrow anymore. I've already done food misdeeds in small ways and I can feel that it would be so easy to go for the sliders to feel that temporary comfort. I'm well aware of my issues. Thanks for this thread. It's important to check in with the demons and look them in the eye on a regular basis.

After three fast days without any loss, I changed my aproach a bit, lower carbs on fast day (around 60- being a vegetarian makes it a little harder to keep it low), more raw and nothing before dinner... and lost a pound.... VERY happy to see this. lowering the carbs really helped the Water weight to come off. Still there, and fasting tomorrow... so hope this is a sign the stall is over and I'm heading south again! Good job ladies! Stick with it!

Hi! I'm 16 months out right now, and still measure my food to 4 or 5 ounces. I can do 4 ounces of greek yogurt with an ounce of granola. On occasion, if I don't measure, I'll find I can eat up to 6 ounces, which gets scary. So, I try to keep portions to 4 or 5 ounces. 2 low fat string cheeses with a half cup of grapes (about 3 ounces) is perfectly satisfying, without me feeling full. If I'm eating something more liquidy, like lentils or curries, I will usually go up to 5 or 6 ounces. I'm vegetarian, so can't give you much input on the denser meats, which I've heard feel heavier in the stomach. Good luck!