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Lots of places, try No meat Athlete, and a Google search for Protein and vegan or vegetarian will help you. Go to http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/311018-protein-sources/ on this forum and I listed at least 20 different ones, not to mention powders and drinks. Victoria

I was in my late fifties when I had the surgery...Obese, had one heart attack resulting in surgery, Diabetes with daily injections, high BP, triglycerides, cholesterol, you name it all out of control. I lost my Brother and sister who had the same bad lifestyle I was living. Dr. said I was critical and unless I lost weight, it would not be long for me...I was seeing as many as 5 specialists on a routine schedule. NOTHING was working, because I did not have the discipline. Even when my life depended on it. Tried every diet under the sun for the last 30 years...could not succeed at anything..would start out good, then failed miserably because I did not have the will power and discipline to follow any diet. PCP refereed me for bariatric Surgery, as a Last Resort...never considered it before nor thought I would be a candidate. That was almost 4 years ago...lost ALL my excess weight, have a very low body fat %.....I run 3-5 miles a day. Play softball in a league with guys 20 years younger. can outrun, out perform almost all men I meet my age. I go to the gym as much as possible because I now enjoy and proud of the things I can do there. I am now a vegetarian, and try to eat only the best foods I can find. I feel like a million bucks, a new man, a new life, physically, mentally and socially. Even my employment and financial situation has improved beyond my expectations. Young people tell me they hope they will be like me physically and health wise when they get to my age. What I could not do by myself, surgery as done for me...I will never Diet, or worry about gaining weight for the rest of my life. I still enjoy the foods I want, and eat/drink ,many things people on diets would never dream of doing. Lap band surgery as changed the way I eat, taken away my hunger and cravings, not because I want it to be so, but because physically, from surgery, things have been altered prohibiting me from doing those things. Never had a single problem or complication, as long as I don't force the issue. And I have learned not to. Agreed, in the beginning it was not all roses. Thing about the bad is that it is adjustable, and there is a learning curve where people need to learn new habits and adapt a new lifestyle if they want the band to work. Alas, some refuse to change....some don't want to give up some things that were killing them the first place. I don't even want to think where I would be if I did not have this surgery. I doubt I would be alive, that's for sure. When people say they are not sure, I ask them what is your alternative? You really think there is something else that will work? Then go do it. Show me....Did I want to have to have this surgery? Absolutely NOT! Wish I never had to do it. Don't like the idea of having something foreign in my body wrapped around my stomach. Wish I could do it like other people who are not overweight do it. But truth is I could not. Diets do not work for me. All things considered, I don't regret it one bit. I wake up everyday looking forward to what a great day it's going to be, and what new adventure - experience it will bring. I get a little mad and annoyed , and yes saddened....when people sell this surgery short and don't let it do everything it can do, then complain it does not work or it's a never ending uphill, frustrating struggle. (it's just a tool...phooey!) To each their own I guess....I'm here to say it does work. 100% and then some.

Great post. As an FYI: Vega, Sun Warrior, Plant fusion, Raw Protein, Lifetimes Life Basics is also pretty cheap. Also see http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-protein/. Btw, I sprinkle the powders in stuff. Doesn't have to be the pre mixed shake. I can't handle them either.

Hello every one I'm 5 months post op, I've lost 35 pounds, the last few months no weight loss and I always feel hungry. I'm a vegetarian so I know it's harder to get the Protein. I'm always switching from shakes to cheese or greek & yogurt. You know what I mean. I talked to my good friend who went through a gastric and she advised me that there are times like this where you just don't lose weight. I can not eat a lot when I do eat but every few hours I eat a snack or food. Sometimes I feel like I eat too much. I'm still learning how to eat right and how much. I'm not giving up just always looking for new ways to eat and what I can eat. Oh forgot to mention I had to have my gall bladder removed about 6 weeks ago. Anyways my friend said it took her a year and a half to lose all her weight so I figure we're all on the right track it just takes time and EXERCISE!!!! Which I do 2 to 3 times a week. I did this to lose 50 pounds it doesn't matter how much you are over weight because you know it and you feel it. That's why I went to Tijuana to have my sleeve because I couldn't have it done in the US. SO I have 15 more pounds to go.

There are hemp, rice, pea and sprouted seed Protein products out there. I'm not a vegetarian, and most of my shakes are whey / milk based Proteins, but I like to mix up my protein sources to give my body variety. I love the Garden of Life Raw Protein and Raw Fit products (whole food based....protein from sprouted seeds). And I just ordered a jar of Spiru-Tein banana (soy protein) from the Vitamin Shoppe to check out. Just remember, the less protein you eat, the more fat and carbs you are eating. Protein is better for weight loss and general health (muscle building, cell repair, immune system functions, etc.)

First, I'm a lap bander.... One of the most liberating things I ever did after this surgery was to stop counting calories, measuring portion sizes, etc. I also stopped using my apps like fitbit, MFP, etc...drove me crazy and I was not loosing as good as I hoped. I simply learned to eat good, healthy nutritious foods, and let the band do it's magic....I eat when I'm hungry, and when I do I eat well, and stop when I do not want to continue, again when the band says stop. I have friends who have never been fat a day in their life....yet they go out and enjoy things in life, go to parties, alcohol when they wish, etc, etc. I observed their habits when it comes to food and so forth. Also their activity levels, always involved in something such as cycling, running, swimming....always into something as a past time. My lifestyle is, and has been for a few years now the same as theirs, which I consider a normal lifestyle, that lead to a normal weight and good health.....I don't know if they have to work at it or not.... I know I can do it now because the band enables (forces) me to......before surgery, forget it...absolutely no self control around food, and not much in the activity department either.... This is a new lifestyle, a new day to day way of life....DIET is a four letter word, something I will NEVER have to do or worry about again.... Since I eat so little, less often, and there are foods I will never be able to eat again, I have become a real health nut when it comes to food....vegetarian, organic and natural when possible, and always Protein first and foremost.

Find your balance. Keep track of what foods you eat. I know I've had to change my diet every so often, because your body will get used to certain calories and foods and stop burning fat. Change up your Protein intake. Maybe go vegetarian for a week with Protein shakes. Try eating your biggest meal at lunch. I just started doing this and the weight loss kicked back into gear. Try to drink more Water during the day. And most important to me was eating something small like a spoon full of Peanut Butter or a little cottage cheese 1/4 cup ect. before bed. It keeps your body in fat burning mode instead of storing mode.

I think there's something to be said for trying new cooking methods and new flavors, especially those from a different sorts of cuisines. It can put old ingredients into a new light. For example, I was vegan for a long time* (right now I'm vegetarian, and when I hit goal, I'd like to cut eggs and dairy back out, but we'll see). Before I became vegan, there were sooo many things I didn't like. It's not that vegans are so limited in what they can eat (it's way less limiting than people think), but it terms of the Standard American Diet, yes, it can be a bit limited. So I started trying things I never would have imagined (quinoa, peppers), and started trying things I thought I hadn't liked (like tofu, lentils and mushrooms) in different recipes. For starters, I had some really good cookbooks that helped. Looking at vegan food blogs helped a lot too. I just learned a lot about flavors and textures I'd never considered before. And the funny thing is, I a much wider variety of foods now than I ever did when I still ate meat. It forced me to be creative. So if you decide you want to learn to like, for example, lentils, I'd spend some time looking at different lentil recipes, and then trying different kinds of lentils (seriously, there are so many!). You might find you don't like lentils when they're more firm, but that you like them when they're cooked so much they sort of dissolve into a puree. Or maybe you'd like them when they're in a patty with a yogurt/mint sauce or something. The only way to find out is experiment with new recipes. Consider it an adventure! *Not why I was/am overweight, just for the record. Much more to do with lack of exercise and inability to control portions than because the food I was eating was unhealthy.

I read on here about the Bariatric Choice website where you can order tons of stuff that is high in Protein. I ordered Vegetarian Joe (like sloppy joe), Spicy cheese and Pasta, chicken and Vegetable Cream Soup, and a variety sample package. I love the Vegetarian Joe, but haven't tried anything else yet. It came in 2 days and was reasonably priced. I just wanted to let anyone interested know that they sent me to a link where I can refer people and they (and me) can get $20.00 off their first purchase. If you're interested, send me your email address and I'll send you the referral link. Less than 2 weeks until my surgery! Can't wait!

I've been having soft scrambled eggs- one egg and one serving egg beaters with cheese mixed in. I've had some mashed potatoes, tuna fish and some crab cake. I'm vegetarian so I've mixed some refried beans, hummus and salsa for lunch. I'm staying full and my strength is starting to grow. I'm looking for some more options to start adding. I'm getting about 850 calories a day. I hope I'm doing the right thing. My Dr has monthly meetings at his office with a nutritionist. I'm def going to take advantage of those!

Scrambles eggs, mashed potatoes and yogurt are getting old. Looking for some good vegetarian choices.

I am sleeved but need a bypass. I can eat pizza but get thin crust vegetarian with feta cheese.

Hello, new. Having sleeve 2nd week of October. I'm self pay and from the uk. I've just been told to go on a low fat diet but that's it. I'm vegetarian so am wondering how to get all the Protein in after sleeve and a bit worried about my hair. Anyway hello!

I had to build Protein stores before surgery 80 grams a day. Im so glad I did otherwise I think I'd be more tired than I am now. I wasn't required to do liquids but I did for a week and that week got in more protein 100 grams a day. I also did a week of liquids after removal of my band in April. Followed by a hello to all the veggies I couldn't tolerate with the band. Mainly tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, garlic and more garlic, jalapeno peppers, broccoli. Im a vegetarian so missing my favorite veggies was a tough one. Im still on liquids- 3 weeks tomorrow due to complications and extra hospital stays. I made smelled a tomatoe today and cried. I miss my veggies so much.

There are grocery stores about anywhere there is town (well, except for a resort I went in Wisconsin on a business training week - the nearest grocery was like twenty miles away). Use your Google head to locate grocery stores along the path you are traveling. Last year (pre-op) I took a three day trip with my daughter. She is a vegetarian. If we stopped at McDonalds, we both got salads and I had chicken with mine. Yes, I had a few of her fries and did not feel bad about. We got Thai takeout, and she got her usual noodley something and I got a dish that was mostly veggies. We ate a small family restaurant and she got a Portobello mushroom salad, and I got a grilled Portobello sandwich. We took Snacks in a cooler: cheese, fruits, coconut Water, plain water, etc. We also packed dry snacks like Protein bars, Peanut Butter crackers, and nuts. Your best advantage will be to plan ahead, so that you can have some control. You might be able to eat similar to what she eats with modification to suit your post-op concerns. Also, if you can anticipate what places you might be stopping, plan your eating around what they offer, supplemented with the O K goodies you bring. And if you have a couple of fries, who cares. Relax and enjoy your trip!

One of the things we hear people who don't understand obesity of weight loss surgery say (or we are afraid to hear them say) is that it's "the easy way out." Pre-op I could list a whole bunch of reasons why this isn't the easy way out. Why it's actually really, really hard - just as hard, if not harder, than losing weight the traditional way. But now, admittedly only two months out, I'm not so sure. And that's a good thing! Now, I should preface this by saying that I realize many people have had complications and for many people every day or some days post-op are a struggle - I don't want to try and negate their lived experiences. But I do want to talk for a minute about my experience, which I suspect is more common than we admit. I have been obese or morbidly obese pretty much my whole life. I dieted and exercised, yada, yada, yada, but the weight always came back. We all know the drill or we wouldn't be here. But I am nothing if not pragmatic, so when I started doing research about WLS and about weight loss in general, and read the statistics for long-term success in people who hadn't had surgery (Spoiler Alert! They're low!), getting sleeved just seemed like a no-brainer. Two years of hoop-jumping later, I went into surgery. I was very well read on the subject, knew all the worst case scenarios to expect, knew what the recovery would look like, etc. But my surgery and recovery were super easy. I was on to purees almost right away. Soft solids by week two. Anything but raw veggies at week 4. Anything and everything at week 6. I have yet to be made sick by any food. I get in all my Water, Vitamins and 90g of Protein (on a vegetarian (almost vegan) diet!) every day without trouble. I was lifting heavy in the gym at week 5. My recovery has been stupendous! ...And easy. Now, I know I came into this with some one major advantage: I love, and always have loved, healthy food. Even before surgery, if given the choice between pizza Hut or a black bean and quinoa salad with avocado dressing, I'd say bring on the quinoa (all six servings of it). And now I have become one of those people who doesn't cheat. Ever. Not a single piece of chocolate or a taste of potatoes. But this hasn't been hard for me, because I didn't have to give up every food I love. In fact, I got to keep about 80% of them. My problem pre-sleeve was really volume, which now is no problem at all. But even so, I gotta say, looking back at the last two and half months (if we include the pre-op diet), this has been easy-peasy. Way easier than starving myself and being so effing hungry all the time. Easier than hating myself for not being motivated to get to the gym. Easier than staying fat. But why should that be a bad thing? So what if it's been (relatively) easy? The only reason we think weight loss should be a struggle, is because we look at obesity as a moral failing, instead of a biological one, and thus as weight loss as the penance one must serve before one is rewarded with thinness. Well, I'm calling BS on that. Obesity is a medical problem; WLS is a medical solution. It should be easier than the alternative. That's the point. Maybe it hasn't been as easy for everyone else as it has been for me (like I said, I know I've been very, very lucky in some respects), but it's gotta be easier (barring major complications) than all the alternatives or we wouldn't have chosen it. So, let's stop apologizing and making excuses. Yes, this is the easy (or at least easier) way out. And that's a good thing.

I can't seem to find where your MFP username is listed. I would love to add you since you've been so successful and eat vegetarian. My username is deedeemuffin. Thanks!

I see that the original post is over a year old, but I'm hoping that their are some veterans out there using MFP. I'm 20 months out. Desperately looking for ideas of what successful days look like. MFP user name is deedeemuffin. I would love to have some people in my circle. Vegetarians exceptionally welcome!

I've lost 40lb overall, including the two week preop diet. It seems like I'm a slow loser compared to the others, but I think it's because of my PCOS. I'm meticulous about weighing and tracking what I eat. I hope I don't have to do it forever, but for the time being, it's keeping me on track and accountable, and it's teaching me what's the right amount of what sorts of things to eat. @@tattoogirl233, if I were you, I'd be careful about just eating what you want, even if it's only a little bit. That might not be why you're losing slowly now (everyone's body is different), but it could be the thing that keeps you from being as successful as you could be long term. Do you have any idea how much protein you eat vs. carbs? Or even how many calories? What about your water? These are important things to know. Also, there's no reason you can't eat what you want, as long as what you want is healthy food. I've been pretty lucky, because even though I ate some junk food in the old days, I've also always loved good, healthy whole foods (I just used to eat waaay to much of even them). Yeah, there are some things I miss, but I'm certainly not feeling deprived now or forcing myself to eat things I don't like (with the exception of my morning protein shake perhaps). I realize already liking "healthy" food gives me an edge up in this, you'll feel so much better without all the processed stuff. To give you an idea of what my high protein (vegetarian) diet looks like, here's today: Breakfast: 1 slice of protein bread, mustard, 2 slices of Tofurky deli slice, half a slice of cheddar cheese, lettuce (I ate half) Lunch: second half of the above sandwich Dinner: I made a yummy curried chickpea yogurt dip and I'll have a couple tablespoons of that with some veggies Snacks: I have some Babybells and blueberries in the fridge. I'll probably have one Babybell and some point and maybe 1/3 cup blueberries. Also, dry roasted soybeans (they basically taste like peanuts and are like high protein crack!). I'll also intersperse two protein shakes throughout the day. This is what works for me. You need to find what works for you, but it should be something that will set you up for long term success. The extreme restriction won't work forever, so my bet would be that eating a little of whatever you want, isn't going to do that.

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks for me. I am on purees for another 10 days. It is definitely getting boring and I am a vegetarian so that makes it even more restrictive. Lots of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta. I still need 2 shakes a day to meet my protein goal. I have noticed that I am able to handle slightly thicker textures now- still no big or solid chunks but I have "graduated" from baby food applesauce to regular applesauce!

I'm not a vegetarian but I love veggie burgers and some other vegetarian imitation foods so I will definitely try these products when I'm on solids. Thanks for sharing.

I've been doing really well with Protein post-op. I almost always manage 80-90g of protein a day (a bad day for me would be 75g), but since I'm a vegetarian, I hadn't yet had that really long term full feeling people talk about having with meat. Well, today I was ecstatic to find that my local vegan grocery shop started selling Beyond Meat* and of course I bought some of the chicken so I could try it! I made a chicken salad and dished out my usual 3-4 tablespoons. It took me about an hour to finish (ate half, waited 40 min, ate the other half), and now two hours later, I still feel (almost uncomfortably) full. Now I get what everyone means about the full feeling that comes with dense protein! Like I said, I haven't had trouble getting in protein, but tofu and chickpeas (and even other meat substitutes) definitely sit differently. *If you're curious about Beyond Meat, have a look at this video from the TODAY Show: Or read the wonderful Mark Bittman's op-ed from 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/opinion/sunday/finally-fake-chicken-worth-eating.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Oh, and I might just add, the chicken salad I made was AMAZING! If I hadn't made it myself, I wouldn't have eaten it because I would have been convinced there was really chicken in it.

I love flax seeds and chia seeds! Flax has such a nice nutty flavor. It needs to be ground in order to get the full benefit, whereas Chia does not. I mix Chia seeds into my Greek yogurt to thicken it up so it's not a slider food. The band works through esophageal squeezes up to the brain that will signal satiety, so it's good to have something to chew. I also add a few walnuts and gluten-free Cereal flakes, etc. for this reason. And for another six grams of Protein I also put some collagen in (very low in calories). I'm a bander so not sure about sleeves and seeds -- be sure to check on this as chia does indeed get gelatinous and swell up. Here's a great piece comparing the two -- Superseed Throwdown: http://www.easy-vegetarian-diet.com/chia-seeds-vs-flaxseeds.html#.U8Z6ZKhvtNY

Talk to your nutritionist on how to plan for this trip. They will be most helpful in figuring out what you should bring with you and what you can eat of local foods. There are different types of vegetarians and you don't specify what type you are because that could make a difference of what you can eat. Nuts have protein and easy to carry but you have to ask your nutritionist if you'll able to eat them. Now I'm not a vegetarian but I do buy Kay's Natural protein snacks and cereals. They have 12g of protein in them and some in individual packages. Ask again if your nutritionist says it's okay to use. Quest Protein Bars are great and they are made with Stevia. They have 20 or 21 grams of protein in them. These are okay with my nutritionist but again check with yours. These are just a few ideas but I suggest you find out what the foods are there and go from there to help you plan out a strategy. Have enjoyable trip.

Need advice from people who have traveled to foreign countries soon after surgery. I Will be almost 2 months postop by then (i leave the end of this month). I'm worried about getting my protein in, thinking about bringing a ton of protein bars? Thought about bringing a tub of unjury to mix with bottled water, just worried about being on the go constantly and not being able to get my nutrients in. Plus im a vegetarian so that limits me more in terms of eating out locally. While in Thailand I will be in Bangkok, then flying to Chiang Mai in the north, flying to a southern province then I will fly back to Bangkok.