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I'm trying to get perspective on the big picture of 2013. I started the year at 155, which has been my weight give or take 3# since about 10 mo post-op. In March I found out I was pregnant. I debated having my band adjusted early because I couldn't imagine the discomfort of doing it with a distended belly. My OB didn't think I should adjust it at all, but I wanted to ask a band surgeon. I moved 500 miles from the city I had my surgery in, so I had to find a new dr. She agreed that we should let it out and so we took 2cc. I had a couple weeks of ridiculous indiscretion when I realized I could eat more than a bite of hamburger. I wasn't junking out on bad food, but portion sizes were not modest. At any rate, I realize that started a really negative spiral. I miscarried in May and had my band retightened the second week of June. I'd put on 10 pounds between March and June. Since then I have been back to much more proper habits, but my weight is still gradually coming back. I'm hovering around 170 in spite of moderate portions and a primarily vegetarian/whole food, mostly home cooked diet. I spent all of Nov and Dec being all the more hyper vigilant. I indulged in desserts 2-3 times. Had a few extra glasses of wine than normal and still saw the scale creep up 3 pounds. I don't know if this sounds absurd or not, but I'm wondering if my indiscretions of spring have permanently reset something. The other concern is that this dr used a different technique for accessing my port and I can't help wondering if something went wrong quietly. Since my refill in June I have made a serious effort to moderate portions and such but I am hungrier than I used to be and things that used to get stuck don't anymore (like bread...but I'm still not eating it often, just experimenting because of the confusion). Any insight? Other than weight gain I can't say there are any other "symptoms" of something serious.

Sorry your having such difficulty, I too having issues with food and water. I am now a forced vegetarian. Any meat or fish do not agree with me. However with the milk have you tried lactose free milk? That's what I'm using. I also use skim milk plus too. As for water I started drinking the little hugs juices, they have 2gm of sugar and only 10 calories so I won't dehydrate. I also eat greek yogurts ( dannon lite n fit) I still having issues with textured foods so I stick to soft foods also. It very frustrating, but I pray this will pass too. Good luck

Depends what extent of vegetarianism. Eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt if you are using dairy. Beans, nuts, lentils, soy, tofu, tempeh, quinoa, textured vegetable protein, sprouted wheat are all vegan. Some vegetables have some protein. You need to use a lot of sources because vegetable proteins are not "complete" like vegetable proteins (they don't contain all the amino acids). They are missing different ones so you can get all the amino acids with variety.

I am very interested in finding out why the day to day protein intake and meals for vegetarians are ? I am considering becoming a vegetarian but I want to thoroughly educate myself. Thank you.

My family loves beans, made frijoles refritos last weekend and navy bean Soup is scheduled for this weekend. I have both Cous Cous and Quinoa in the pantry, although I haven't tried the quinoa yet. I'm not in any danger of becoming a vegetarian, but meat consumption has definitely been reduced.

I've bin allowed tea without sugar - doc asked me to switch to Sugar Free drops. And frankly I haven't really gone out shopping for any protein shakes & the ready made stuff which I'm sure is available somewhere! Remember my doc saying something like since I'm not vegetarian I didn't need to get those products right now!

I bought the Protein powders from my doctor at first for the convenience. I discovered EAS Protein powder at Walmart which our nutritionist approved. We were told make sure the word "blend" is not in the powder description on the label. Also, nutritionally speaking about protein (with very low carbs and sugars) Quest Protein Bars have been my choice. 1 bar will feed me and my husband if we are away from home several hours, and were to need something. There are a lot of so called protein bars that have more sugar and carbs than protein, so read those labels!!!!! You can get unjury protein powders online, unflavored. The problem I have with Unjury is I like HOT Soups and food and you can only heat it to lukewarm as far as I am concerned. Or it gets lumpy. I bought the chicken Soup packets and it sits here. I do not want lukewarm soup. I will experiment with it soon I guess as I don't want to waste it. Vegetarian refried Beans and any kind of beans is good protein and goes a long way. They will be on your diet following surgery. Best of luck!

I want to start incorporating more protein in my diet to ease the transition (I hope to.get sleeved in June)- would love to hear advice about which stores/websites have the lowest prices. I am vegetarian so shakes and powders would be especially helpful. Also, are there ways to sign up for free samples or coupons? Thanks!

Hello Cheryl, Do you have a pintrest or somewhere u post ur recipes? I never had tofu and would like to try different vegetarian meals. I eat meat and hopefully after my band I can still tolerate chicken and fish (at least). But I still want to try other Protein supplements to make sure I get enough daily intake while changing up my foods. Definitely don't want to eat the same things all the time. I'm on pintrest at Madahooha28@gmail.com

Southbeach is a very humane eating style. As a vegetarian, it worked pretty well for me (until it didn't!) Choosing low glycemic index carbs makes such a difference.

I should mention that when I say "diet" its not a bad thing. I am asking what everyone is eating also refereed to as a "diet." Even if it is just I eat whatever I please. That is still a form of diet. Just so everyone has an idea of what I am talking about. di·et1 ˈdī-it/ noun 1. the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats. "a vegetarian diet" synonyms: selection of food, food, foodstuffs; informalgrub, nosh "health problems related to your diet"

~The first one that really made a difference was looking at this process as a health process, not a looks process! When I made that change, it put everything else in perspective. So now, lots of the things I am working on have to do with that. Some I have already made changes in...like: ~Drinking Water More/enough has been hard, still working on that. I take a bath every day and put a 4 cup class of water there... must finish it, and maybe one more if a long bath! ~Having good variety of fruits and veggies and Proteins on hand, ready to cook... and making some things ready to grab and eat. (Im a vegetarian, and its really just better if I cook most stuff myself) I have developed a few recipes I really like, including a desert everyday. I make them from scratch using the best ingredients I can afford. I have gone mostly organic as well. I have a kitchen garden and raise some of my own food. ~finding exercise options that I REALLY like. I will just find a reason to stay home if I don't like my exercise plan. Now I dance twice a week with girls I really like, I walk two times a week with a group of adults with disabilities (don't want to let them down!) and started birdwatching... I carry my camera and tripod with me every day and find an hour here and there to hike in local wild locations just for fun and birds! I have found a few people to do this with, and have gone out with groups a time or two as well. I don't even do it for the exercise, just a bonus! I wear a fitbit every day to see for myself how much I'm moving. ~ I have a history of being a bit of a lone wolf! Finding a support system that is personal and enduring. I have a group of ladies here that have turned into friends that understand. And are fun! They contribute so much to my success. I continue to work on cultivating friends out there as well... like my dance gals, we are friends and have dancing (exercise) in common. I go to class to see them as well as get a workout. ~ one I have just started to work on is: Finding time to do some loved activities that I have stopped doing. I have changed my life so much post WLS that some of the things I used to find important and interesting have been squeezed out of my day. Some REALLY important things. The time I used to use to do them have been taken over with my WLS support activities... exercise, cooking, gardening, internet, birdwatching! I have only so many hours in the day, and am trying to figure out how to do it all! I can't just drop my support activities to make time or I will gain the weight back! I'm brainstorming that right now.

hello, many of my doubts cleared. I am a vegetarian....i think thats why my band failed...couldn't get enough protein. what about the sleeve?

I am about 4 months out now so here it goes Breakfast Wake up on time - 2 boiled egg whites Late- Protein shake Lunch- roasted chicken evening. 2 vegetarian sausages/ or shake dinner either egg if not had on the morning / scrambled with vegetables supper- 2 small pots of petit filous yoghurt for kids. Recently started feeling a bit of twinge of hunger so eat one babybel.

I am doing a very low fat, low calorie vegetarian pre-op diet and I have been complaining of the same things. I can't seem to get warm enough, but have been sleeping very well for 8 - 9 hours a night.

My pre-op diet is very low-fat vegetarian (carbs ok, but keep overall calories low). What a difference between mine and the Adkins diet!

I had green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and fruit salad later. I'm a vegetarian but I made prime rib for everyone else

you've had a bad go. Did you drink alcohol? are you drinking alcohol now? why i ask.... i like to have wine. Ive found though that it makes my stomach so acidic that i cant tolerate much either. I have had a lot of trouble in the last 21 months myself. I got to the point where i was having so much pain even inbetween meals that it was hard for me. i lived on antacids. i even went and bought somac. i was having nights where i was afraid to sleep because of regurgitation... and i would have to sit bolt upright. I was sliming and vomiting nearly every meal. My dr. visits were monthly, some months i would need some fill taken out, other months we would try a very small amount again. it was hard to get a good balance. Ive just had a fraction taken out again, about three weeks ago. Im not sliming now.... but i think im putting on a small amount of weight again. With christmas coming up thats going to create another issue in the new year im thinking. One thing i did find out though. Im now drinking orange juice about twice a day with a good two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in it. I started off with much less vinegar but have been able to build it up . this is extremely good in creating the right balance of alkalinity in the stomach. Wine especially is very acid. I originally started having more wine some days because it would relax the band some more but in the end the acid balance was all out and that didnt work at all. At the moment im having up to a half small cup of cider vinegar a day. its also helping me with my joints. Its got to be apple cider vinegar. i do have a lot of Soup. i add veges and meats to my soup... in fact i have 2/3 of my diet with soup. Im quite happy with that, Other than having cut up meat in soup, i do have difficulty eating meat myself. Pork isnt quite so bad. fish is o.k... so long as i take ages to eat it. My dr did tell me that it may be a good idea for me to become vegetarian completely. i dont want to do that though so im very careful but still have some meat. i dont eat much bread at all. i find it very hard to digest fruit. there are ways of getting around that though... for example the orange juice drink with the vinegar in it. i can only eat about a tablespoon of salad. i hope that your second attempt gives you much encouragement that it will work for you. its so good to hear that you havent given up. I believe that you will get there with perseverance. One thing for sure.. .we are all different. good luck

I'm getting sleeved Dec. 31, too. I hate to post this, but my pre-op diet isn't as bad as everyone else's (thought still not easy). I have two weeks of vegetarian very low fat/low cal. eating (with protein shakes) and a requirement to stop eating at midnight the night before the surgery. I went to a Christmas dinner party last night and ate before I left. I had salad with non-fat dressing while everyone ate delicious looking food. I managed, but it was tough. For one thing, I was seated in front of the spiral sliced ham and I watched it sliced and served to each person! Also, they had my favorite dessert (pumpkin pie). I have two more of these dinners to get through (one at my house), but I know it will all be worth it. If nothing else, it is teaching me that I can socialize and enjoy company without lots of eating and drinking. I had my last appointment with the surgeon yesterday and everything is good to go. I am mostly very excited, but hit periods of extreme nerves. I'm very much looking forward to being on the other side. Good luck to all of the December sleevers, and especially those on Dec. 31!

I'm getting sleeved Dec. 31 and am hosting Christmas Eve at my house. My sisters offered to bring all the food (including some vegetarian options that I am allowed to have). I know it will be really hard to smell the ham and see the Desserts, but I feel like the pre-op diet is temporary and I can think about it that way. I certainly don't want to "fail" and not get the surgery! I think willpower can last two weeks. We will see!

Just going to get this rolling. Here is an "official" 5:2 fourm. Not all links are equal, just some reading if your interested... This is where I linked to the 5:2 FAQs page: FAQ: meat consumption. From the original fast diet site. That second paragraph says it all! Vive the Veg-olution! Lots of buzz about at the moment around ‘demi-veg’ and part-time vegetarians (or ‘flexitarians’ – one of those clunky words that may well never take off, even if the activity does). Last week, the International Development Committee pointed to increased meat consumption as a catalyst for recent global food crises. And we all know that too much meat (particularly of the processed variety) is linked to all kinds of health issues. One recent European study found that the biggest consumers of processed meat increased their risk of death from heart disease by 72% and cancer by 11%. The World Cancer Research Fund advises limiting intake of red meat because of its links to bowel cancer. By contrast, a six-year study published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association and reported in the London Evening Standard found that ‘the mortality rate among vegetarians was 12 per cent lower than in omnivores, while demi-veggies had an 8 per cent lower death rate than meat eaters’. This really is food for thought – and it fits in neatly with The Fast Diet mantra of ‘mostly Plants and Protein’. Filling your plate with veg at the expense of meat, even for two days a week, could have a significant effect on your health, your waistline, your pocket and – yes – the planet. As Einstein once said, ‘Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.’ Perhaps full-time vegetarianism is too seismic a shift for some of us, but we could all do with moving towards more plant Proteins, legumes, herbs, veggies. And, really, there’s no sacrifice. A veg-based meal relies on spicing, texture, colour, crunch – and once you’re in the zone, it’s not so hard to come up with great meatless meals (there are tons of ideas in The Fast Diet Recipe Book of course). I had lunch at Ottolenghi in Notting Hill a fortnight ago: bliss on a plate, and no meat, not a sausage. As the Standard says, maybe it’s time to join the vegolution? how many meals on a fast day? and other questions. http://feedfastfeast...t-by-the-horns/ http://www.52fastdie...ting-t7857.html a little 5:2 research-what is the dif between slow and fast losers on 5:2 If you have the time, read it, 12 page article on fasting, fun, fact filled and a little heady....inspirational, confirms the real reason we are all doing it, longevity and health. http://www.scribd.co...ur-Way-to-Vigor Have not read yet (will tonight), but by same author, on the fast diet... http://www.scribd.co...n-the-Fast-Diet This was posted else ware, but I thought it would be good to have it in our "bag of tricks" here as well... http://www.obesityhe...an-fail-part-2/

I would be so appreciative of a vegetarian section as most of the recipes I see for post op are based around a meat for protein! What's about us plant based eaters! I'd love to share some great protein rich legume recipes! This website is so wonderful and continues to improve! The recipe idea would be a wonderful integration! I appreciate your hard work and tentativeness to incorporating new ideas! This is so great!

Thanks to all who have responded. I appreciate all your comments. Not many pple know i have the band so i don't have much support. I've been going back and forth in my mind trying to decide if i'm too tight, if i need more, or if i should just leave it the way it is. I hear the argument about my maybe being too tight since i can't get much chicken or meat down but i have no problems getting down egg omelettes, Beans, and vegetarian tofu patties. And, if i was too tight, i don't think i'd be able to get down bagels (obviously slowly), and other similar foods that i shouldn't be able to get down. But, then again, i do vomit once in a while if i'm eating too fast or if the food is too dry (chicken, for example) I struggle with this decision every day because it costs me a lot of money to go to the surgeon....unfortunately, i have a very high deductible with this new insurance we got and i have to pay my own way for quite a while till i reach it. Going to see the nutritionist would be a waste of hard working money because she'd just give me another diet plan that i am not happy following....and even when i did follow it, i was still hungry, or could still eat more. One of you mentioned that i am probably not hungry after i feel restriction but rather that i eat for other reasons. I will admit that sometimes that is indeed true. But, other times, if i stop when i feel restriction, within the hour my stomach will be grumbling (like i said, it's not always, but there are times it does that). That's why i'm confused about how it works. I know i have to get in my Protein but on the other hand, i'm told to stop eating when feeling restriction....and then the food leaves the pouch pretty soon where i can eat more.....the only difference i feel with the band is knowing i must eat very slow, but i do finish my portions eventually (almost the same portions that i had before the band but getting through it much slower) I think i need to stay where i am with regards to the band fills until i can figure it all out before having to spend so much money on fills or unfills.

Hi Alex, I have been hosting the food and Nutrition section for Sleevers and have been thinking it might be good to reorganize the sections a bit. In particular, it's really hard to find recipes unless you already know they are there. I think we have a powerful resource with all of the recipes people have shared. I also wonder if we could consider combining the Sleeve and RNY ones since the needs are so similar. Too soon? Anyway here is a first draft of what might work. Food and Nutrition - contains posts and sub forums like currently Pre-op Diets and Questions Post-op Diets and Questions Protein, Vitamins, and supplements Recipe Sharing - contains only sub forums By Post-surgery Phase - contains only sub-forums liquids (stage 1) Purée (stage 2) Soft (stage 3) Regular foods (stage 4) Special Needs - posts and sub-forums Non-dairy Vegetarian, vegan, raw foods Gluten-free Other special needs I wonder if we could use tags or something to mark things as mains, sides, Breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc. maybe in the future there is some recipe database app we could integrate with. What do you think? I'd be happy to slowly tackle organizing the current catch-all recipe sharing area if so.

I am new to posting... I have been lurking for awhile now I had my band done the day before Thanksgiving. I am leaving for a two week work trip to China on 01/05... I am not nervous about traveling. I am nervous on what I am going to eat. Per my surgeons instructions, I can not introduce vegetables until week 9 (I will only be in week 6/7 when I leave) and to complicate things more - I am a vegetarian. So basically I have been only living on eggs and cheese the past month. I know this is a tough question - but has anyone else faced anything like this? Not that it matters but I should probably say I am not a vegetarian for ethical or religious reasons, I used to get really sick from eating meat. My body did not process it well. If anyone has ever been to Shanghai - it is not easy to communicate if you don't speak Mandarin. The menus at restaurants basically have pictures with a brief description or word (if that) and you point. So saying I want two scrambled eggs.... not really an option. And it is a 14 hour flight for me so bringing a lot of food is also not an option. Any suggestions?? Anything would be appreciated!!! Thanks,