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I like the boca burgers, or Morningstar grilled patties. I’ll heat up one for dinner with a fried egg on top. I can’t generally finish it but it’s good! I’m a huge fan of Morningstar sausage links. I’m not a full vegetarian, I’ll eat poultry or fish on occasion, but I won’t eat any mammal so that rules out pretty much everything else.

I just like it better. Meat has never been my thing. I do eat meat, but have always eaten a lot of vegan and vegetarian dishes simply because I enjoy them. I'd a lot rather get my protien from oats, whole grains, beans, chickpeas, peas, potatoes, mushrooms, soy. I do eat dairy and eggs quite a bit, greek yogurt and cottage cheese go into a lot of recipes. I do like fish, shellfish, mollusks. I do like roast turkey and chicken...but I avoid deli meats and prefer the real deal. Red meats are a very rare thing in my diet. Ground meat is a total turn off...don't eat it. In the end, it's all personal preference. No one size fits all. Eat what you enjoy:)

Reading all of these posts, I may have to give it a try. I am very leery about eating plant based meats for some reason. Is it more protein than regular meat? Why do you eat it? Are you vegan, vegetarian, etc.?

It's not selfish or greedy at all. It's no different from a diabetic buying special foods to replace things they can't eat often. Wouldn't you think it inconsiderate if someone ate all the diabetic food knowing that person did not have the option to eat regular treats? Or let's say you live with a vegetarian - who would eat up all the vegetarian food, knowing that person is not comfortable eating meat? Well, your medical condition is just as valid as diabetes, or a severe allergy or being vegan or any other kind of need for special food. 🤷🏽‍♀️

I’m totally a lazy cook with brief moments of inspiration but not much since early last year. My favorites are : 1. Morningstar farms meatless products for my “vegetarian” BF (really he’s just a pizzatarian😂). 2. Kirkwood (red bag) chicken fillets found in Aldi. I can eat just these with a salad but *feel* like I cooked.

Iron deficiency can cause hair loss and dry brittle hair. Sometimes it will NOT show up as anemia. It is VERY common in bariatric surgery patients, particularly women who menstruate. (or are vegetarian, or give blood regularly) Make SURE your doctor is testing your Ferritin level and not just your hemoglobin. You can be incredibly low on available iron and not be anemic. Non-anemic iron deficiency could explain your hair loss. And make sure you're taking your iron supplements separate from your calcium. Also, taking it with vitamin C helps.

It considered vegetarian not vegan. Vegan can not have anything that came from anything living.

Calories In, Calories Out. It's sort of the traditional view of weight management -- eat more than you burn and you gain weight, burn more than you eat and you lose weight. If you look at it this way, it doesn't matter what the calories are (protein, fat, carbs, meat, vegetarian, organic, GMO, etc.), just how many you're eating vs. burning.

Home made vegetarian PF Chang’s lettuce wraps. Made with Quorn mince, onion, water chestnuts, mushrooms, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha, rice wine.

I really wanted soup but my BF is a vegetarian so Tofu noodle soup and lazy biscuits. (Traditional noodles and flour used) and tofu soup w/o noodles. I didn’t want noodles in my soup and also didn’t drink the liquid

I think we have to change our mindsets about ‘dieting’ on this journey. I don’t follow a particular ‘diet’ or consider that I’m on a diet anymore. ‘Diet’ has such a negative connotation & has been a negative experience especially to those who’ve struggled with obesity like we have. I look at my food choices as just how I eat, what I eat, what I don’t eat or what I rarely eat. It’s not a temporary thing but a lifetime change. Honestly, I never really had cravings. Sure, some days I’d think oh some ice cream would be nice or those chips looks yummy. I never craved them as if I’d go crazy if I didn’t have any but if they were there I’d eat them. So, like @kelly Lake, I stopped keeping any unhealthy snacks in my house. If it’s not there I can’t eat it. I cut out a lot of sugar too & that includes artificial sweeteners & sugar alternatives. It’s hard because artificial sweeteners are in so many foods which is why I try to prep & cook my own food. If I do eat anything sweet now, which I do on very rare occasions, it tastes super, crazy sweet. Take the time after surgery while you’re losing & first in maintenance to research & introduce healthier & more nutritious food options, methods of cooking, etc. You may decide to become a vegetarian or vegan. (Wouldn't work in my family we’re big carnivores 😆.) Then work out what works for you to maintain your weight & still allows you to enjoy your life. You’ve mentioned how many sleevers have regained some or all of their weight. I would expect they had returned to their old pre surgery ways of eating & food choices & had not dealt with any emotional issues that may have driven them to eat & that includes cravings. I don’t know what the future will bring. I accept I’m a weak human & there’ll be many, many days when I may be tempted. But I’m going to work damn hard to keep on my new path. (Keep thee behind me Satan - lol.)

Hello everyone! So just to give details, I had surgery 5/29/18 and lost 95lbs originally post surgery. However since, I gained back 35lbs and have been depressed about it. I’ve lost the 35lbs then gained it back (and the cycle repeats). I’ve tried Keto, Vegetarian, Whole30, the works! And it seemed as if my stomach stretched out and I was back to eating almost all the way normal. This time around though, I figured I would go back to what I learned pre-op and make the lifestyle changes I made 2 years ago to lose the weight. I restarted about two weeks ago, eating my food slowly, listening to when I was actually hungry, taking my supplements, drinking my water, eating protein first, getting active each day and eating 3 meals without snacks. Two weeks later, I’m already down 6 pounds and now it seems like I’m eating the portions I was eating 2-3 months post-op! Even the dumping sensations I felt when I eat too much came back (something I TRULY didn’t miss lol) I realized that I was seriously overeating and not utilizing the tool I’ve been given. All of this to say, if you are someone like me, going through regain loss and have been a ways out from surgery, don’t overcomplicate it. Go back to basics and use your tool. It hasn’t stopped working. It hasn’t stretched out. It’s just not being utilized. And you can pick it back up again. We got this! Don’t give up.

Are these foods that were in your normal diet and tolerated well before surgery? It sounds like it may be a matter of adaptation of your gut biome (all those little buggers that live in your intestines that help digest your food.) A probiotic may help repopulate your gut with the bacterial species appropriate for digesting what you are now eating. This is an adaptive thing, and our gut adapts to what we eat; make big changes to our diet and the gut needs to adapt to the new diet. Vegetarians can eat a lot of legumes and cruciferous veg that would have most of us farting to the moon are hardly bothered by them because their gut has adapted. Just having WLS and the major dietary changes (along with the anti-biotics that can kill of some of the gut bacteria) that typically go along with it can cause digestive problems owing to the biome no longer being compatible with the diet; a malabsorptive procedure such as the RNY or DS compounds this as it also changes the way digestion is done, but we adapt over time. Now you are adding in a new phase of changes that the gut needs to adapt to. It will pass in time (so to speak) but a broad spectrum probiotic can help speed the process.

I am a vegetarian. I had my surgery on 12/30, so the jury is still out on whether or not I’’m lactose intolerant now... but regardless, if I stumble upon some dairy free protein sources that are awesome I’ll let you know. I already had issues drinking straight milk before my surgery. I could eat cheese, yogurt, and ice cream (on occasion) with little difficulty though. I think their processing makes it easier on my stomach. Anyway, like I said I’ll keep you posted if I find something awesome!

My nutritionist said the first week I didn’t have to worry about getting protein so much, if my body doesn’t tolerate it, it’s ok. She said I can try drinking protein waters and bone broth (I’m a vegetarian, but I found a vegan protein vegetable broth), but the first week is just to rehabilitate, and keep it easy on the stomach.

My dietician recommends Vega One for vegetarian/vegans. I always have trouble with whey protein so I'm switching over to Vega today. I had it before surgery too. It's a pea protein and is a little odd in terms of taste but there are plenty of flavors so you can find one you like. My go to is the Chocolate. You can get them on Amazon and they're in retail stores too. I've seen it at Target, Kroger, and Whole foods. Hope this helps! Sent from my SM-G988U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Look under the Forum tab for the Food and Nutrition Forum. There is a sub Forum for Vegan/vegetarian the 4th down.

Heya thanks for your reply. I've just discovered this forum and don't know which vegetarian vegan section you're referring to

Heya, thanks for your reply. I live in the UK and it's definitely the best country for vegetarians and vegans! I do not cook a lot so it's great that I have a lot of options here!

There is a whole section of the forum dedicated to vegan/vegetarian, with over 1500 posts. Check it out. I am vegan and follow a Whole Food Plant Based eating plan. I started this about a year after surgery, and have never felt better. Protein supplements are necessary immediately after surgery until you can get at least 60 grams of protein from normal food. I've used Orgain shakes and Garden of Life powder. I think there are a LOT of good recipes in the Forks over Knives magazines that come out quarterly. The fall issue featuring Comfort Foods was excellent. Even if I tweak the recipe a bit to my own spice preferences, they give me great ideas and a starting place for a meal. I just made a really yummy jackfruit chowder and added some cannellini beans and corn to up the protein a bit. Anyway, I get great ideas from the mags and my family likes them, too. PS: AnaBar, almond mild doesn't really have much protein. Can you switch to soy or pea based milk like Silk or Ripple?

I had my surgery on 30 November in Turkey. I got a generic meal plan which is not tailored to me as a vegetarian. I also don't get the hype around protein shakes but I am planning to buy some vegan protein to mix with almond milk. Any other veggies out there?

I lost a lot of weight prior to surgery following a diet similar to this: Unsweetened almond milk latte for breakfast One string cheese as a snack Premier protein for lunch High protein/low calorie dinner like eggs and a vegetarian sausage It sucks but it’s effective!

Hi I just wanted to follow up with you. We have really similar stories and I can completely relate! I’m 36, currently 202 lbs (after WLS), I was NEVER a meat eater and was a carb/snack Queen. Anemic, a mostly vegetarian but on a non balanced diet just ate all the wrong stuff. Nobody though I “needed” WLS, but I felt old, tired, loss of energy and my happiness was slowly slipping away. I needed naps, and always was exhausted beyond belief. I didn’t see how I could make all the changes, I was already too tired! I made a decision to set my mind and commit 100% to this process. Yes I had doubt moments beforehand but I dismissed them and followed everything that was asked me to. Once I started the protein supplements I felt great! I didn’t realize my way of eating was making me feel so terrible. I’m 1 1/2 weeks post op and never felt better. I track everything, my energy is up and my addictive hunger cues are silent. Yes there’s pain, there’s intense recovery but I couldn’t be happier. If you want this, tell yourself you can’t fail, put a positive mind on and don’t look back. If it’s not for you, there is great info from nutritionists that’ll help you fix your diet and feel better. Best of luck to you.

2020 holidays are going to be very different! I usually host 25 to 30 people; We did a backyard brunch with 12 people back in mid-October so we could see some of the extended family that usually comes knowing we would not be able to host during Covid. We will be 5 people; me, my husband, my two adult kids and my son-in-law. My daughter and her husband are moving back to NYC December 1 (they rented an Airbnb near us for the last 4 months) so we won't see them again until spring I bet. I decided to order Thanksgiving for 6 people from a local restaurant; my daughter is vegetarian and they are a vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurant. The meal includes a turkey breast and a bunch of yummy sides including vegan butternut squash macaroni and cheese, whatever that is! lol. Our Christmas will be only 3 of us, my adult son and my husband and I. We usually host 18 people for Christmas! We are using Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving as "fake Christmas season"; getting our tree, decorating the house, watching Muppets Christmas Carol (our family tradition), opening one little present each and having our traditional Christmas pancakes on Sunday morning. My daughter and SIL just bought a house, so their real present from us was some household stuff, delivered to their new house, and my son is moving into a new apartment March 1st, so we are getting him a new bed. We agreed that we would like a donation in the families name to our local foodbank as our present from the kids this year. (and grandkids, we want grandkids, but no commitment there....). Christmas Day I am sure will feel pretty isolated. We are doing an extended family zoom with all my brothers and their respective spouses/partners, my nieces and nephews, and the grand nieces and nephews. That many people on Zoom is very chaotic, but we are going to sing "The 12 days of christmas" (everyone has an assigned day) and Silent Night, as we usually sing carols when we are together. (we are almost all terrible singers, btw). I am about to go fully remote, again. I am missing my friends, missing my family, my colleagues, and I feel scared and overwhelmed at times. I am actively trying to focus on gratitude, staying in the moment, and appreciating the connections I have with so many dear people, albeit in a new form. I am also trying to get outside for walks as much as I can, and have invested in a warm and waterproof pair of walking/hiking boots and bought some thermal under things in my new size. Chasing the endorphins and Vitamin D. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! I'd love to hear how other folks are planning for this year, both from a food, health and mental health perspective.

IDK what the solution is to the time issue is with dry beans I feel like you have to start a week in advanceb because I soaked them at room temp for about 16 hrs with 3 water changes band STILL had to cook them (regular pot) for 1+ hr 😩 The only consolidation is that I made a large batch for a meal prep so several portions went to the freezer (for my vegetarian boyfriend who barely eats vegetarian food... so now I'm fighting back 😂)