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I am pre op, 23 years old and looking at a February date. I have been friends with a woman since we were 12 and together we have struggled with our weight. We were workout buddies, we failed weight watchers together and several other "diets" since highschool she has said" I would totally get WLS no matter what my mother thinks."I've been in the kaiser program for 13 months now and throughout this whole thing she has made stabs at me. Every time that i see her and I'm speaking in absolutes because every time that I see her she makes a comment about having loose skin after surgery, " aren't you worried about all the loose skin, you are going to look weird and deformed" every time I kid you not. She also on occasion makes the remark "I could never do that to myself" really? Because you said you would. I got a new gym membership 6 weeks ago or so because I moved to a new area and it happens to be a nicer facility and in the 6 weeks I've lost 20 lbs, I also happen to be a vegetarian so she decided to get a membership at the same gym I am in, in a neighboring city even though she's in a contract with another gym which is closer to her house, she also said she's becoming a vegetarian to lose weight.... I became a vegetarian because heart disease runs in my family and I wanted to eliminate the saturated fats and the hormones and chemicals in meat. But apparently she thinks being a vegetarian is the reason im losing weight, uh no, it's very easy to be a junk food vegetarian I chose not to be through discipline and I get my ass to the gym rain or shine every day. Her new favorite thing to do though is I swear serial dating where she likes to compare each one of them to my fiancé and send me pictures of them via text. I've spent the last two years preparing to be emotionally ready for this and surrounding myself with positive people and I'm so fed up with this.

Thank God for Linda McCartney and her vegetarian sausages, they have 23 gms of Protein, They are co-starred with spinach paneer.

That's the same antibiotic I use, once I became a vegetarian and lost weight through exercise it became noticeably better. I'm pre op and was hoping it would be less obnoxious post op, sometimes it's a pain to keep trekking at the gym during these flares.

: Vegetarians main Protein source, Paneer or cottage cheese with sautéed bell peppers. Paneer kadhai, yes? Looks very good!

Vegetarians main Protein source, Paneer or cottage cheese with sautéed bell peppers.

It makes me uncomfortable, and let me tell you why... When I started this journey there was a series of events that triggered a shift in the way I thought about gastric surgery. A few years ago I had a friend who died from complications of Gastric Bypass. It turned me off to it completely. I lived with that for years and as I was creeping up above 360 pounds and I felt like I had been on some sort of a diet for the last 15 years of my life. I thought about my weight constantly. I was in deep DEEP denial of reality. The reality was that I was OBESE. I was 6'2 and 365 (my highest) pounds. It was an ongoing frustration where I would take 2 steps forward and 3 steps backwards when it came to food. I simply could not find balance. I was lost in a sea of 'do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that' when it came to healthy food choices. I was like a tennis ball just bouncing back and forth on a very large court. Paleo, low carb, low fat, 5:2, vegetarian, vegan, rice and chicken breast, Healthy Choice meals everyday, multiple gym memberships over the years, $200 trips to Whole Foods for a WEEK of groceries, juicing... I'm sure some of you can relate. Then one day, a coworker came back from a leave of absence and she looked amazing. I walked by her and whispered in her ear that she looked incredible. That innocent gesture would be the starting point that would change my life forever. About 6 months to a year after that another coworker came back from an extended leave (I work in a department with a lot of people so someone leaving for a while is not terribly noticeable until they come back) and she looked AMAZING. She had lost quite a bit of weight. What I didn't know was that these girls we're very close friends and they had both gone to the same surgeon. I approached her in the break room and asked her how she lost her weight and she told me she doesn't tell a lot of people but she had the Gastric Sleeve done. I had never heard of it before. I had only heard of the gastric band and RNY. She told me that she had an amazing surgeon and that she was the happiest she had ever been before in her entire life. It was yet another domino falling in my decision to get the surgery. So I thought about it some more, went through the normal "I'm gonna try to lose this weight on my own one last time" kind of thing and I gave myself a time frame of 4 months to lose 40 pounds due to a flight I was scheduled to take and I was petrified I wouldn't fit in the seat and be able to buckle the seat belt. About 2 weeks before the trip I had only managed to lose 10 pounds and I made my decision to seriously start researching and initiating the process of my gastric sleeve. I actually had my partners approval and support which was SO IMPORTANT to me so I booked the seminar and the two surgeons who perform the surgery's came in and explained all of my options to a small group of us. I felt like I was in a room full of lost souls. The underlying sadness in the room was palpable but so was hope for a better future. Once that was over I waited to schedule the first consult with the surgeon till after my trip. Well I am happy to report that I was able to fit on the flight and not weigh the plane down to the runway, thankfully. And on that trip I started telling those that we're close to me. Well to make this long story short when I got back it took me 3 months to finish the requirements for my insurance to get the surgery. In that time I discovered this forum (quite possibly the BEST resource I had for knowledge) and started mentally preparing myself for surgery. I knew there was complications but I also knew that I would be okay. I knew I was young and healthy and if I was ever going to get the surgery than getting it now at 33 was my best chance for a complication-less surgery. So I went for it. I trusted my surgeon and I bypassed my fear and jumped in head first. I was ready for change. At that time I had no idea what form that change would take. I was very transparent about my decision to get the surgery. I didn't mind telling folks, especially if I thought it would help them. Well, when I came back from my leave (30 days), I had lost about 45 pounds since anyone had seen me. A coworker, not unlike myself started taking notice. She is a friend, a wonderful woman who was just so interested in the whole process. I explained to her that I had little to no complications and that I felt great. She was fascinated just like I was. She had another friend who worked in a surgeons office that performed these surgeries so she decided to go with them instead of my surgeon. They seemed to streamline the process much differently that my surgeons office did. It's like they pushed her through SO FAST. What took me 4 months only took her 1 month and her surgery was scheduled. She was so happy and even though I had some reservations about her process compared to mine I kept them to myself because once you get into that head space you have blinders on. I couldn't blame her, I did the same thing. I was happy for her. Then she had the surgery. I kept in contact with her through her surgery and stay in the hospital. The complications started almost immediately. She failed the upper GI because of the swelling, fluids would sit in her esophagus for a minute before it drained into her stomach. She was in a lot of pain. Almost 4 weeks out she is still in a lot of pain and can barely eat, fluids still taking their time going into her stomach because of the swelling which should have gone down weeks ago. I referred her to this group to check out the 'Complications' section and talk to folks who are having the same (or similar) issues. She can barely eat, drink and I am sure very scared and feeling isolated because of her complications. Plus she had issues with the company who handles our leave and she was only able to be out for 3 weeks. This is crazy because she IS NOT healed yet and her surgeons office didn't extend it. This makes me so mad. She has to WORK, in an office, and be productive while she can barely drink anything and is suffering and out of pain meds. I think I am going to fill my final 2 liquid pain meds that I didn't take for my own surgery and give them to her. I will NEVER recommend this surgery to anyone ever again. It's a shot in the dark if you will recover the way you're supposed to. I will tell people I had this surgery and show them my very obvious progress but the phrase "you should look into it" will never cross my lips again. Because the truth of the matter is, you never know. And I refuse to my the catalyst for someone ruining their life when my intentions were the complete opposite. Sorry this was so long. Your thoughts?

I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one! I think the the most wasteful transition was from Paleo to vegetarian. Can you imagine?

Our turkey is traditionally prepared by my vegetarian sister... Go figure...

Hey,We should be take care of the body weight issues because actual weight of the body so good for ideal personality and fitness.We should be take positively steps for weight loss of the body like,.. Exercise work Swimming and cycling Vegetarian foods and vegetables Soups Green tea Water Push ups and pull ups. Brienshamp personal trainer

Not really beefy. Although I use it to make gravy sometimes, just with boiling water and some herbs, the family refer to it as "vegetarian gravy".

Wondering how everyone intends to deal with the Thanksgiving feast? Are you going to be selective or just eat a little of everything? (assuming you are far enough post-op that it's safe to do so). Or limit yourself to certain things? We usually go to a Brazilian churrascaria where my carnivore son and husband are in ecstasy, and my vegetarian-wannabe son and I are happy with the salads and sweets. It's always been a good deal for the restaurant when we walk in, because my sons and I never could hold too much, although my husband definitely could. But this year, I know I have to be discriminating because I can't eat "a little of everything" there. So I had to think about what I REALLY like, and of the plethora of things, I like a spicy sausage they have, their grilled pineapple, their cheese rolls (pao de quejo), and their to-die-for flan. Four things. Of course, I used to eat a lot more than four things, but this year, I think I will focus on those four things and have a bit of each and call it a wonderful feast. And it will be a feast food-wise because all of those are things I don't allow myself on my regular days (carbs, sweets, fruit). What's your plan?

Make sure you don't use a lot of salad dressing! From the people who I've interacted with that are vegan or vegetarian, most seem to feel they're better than those who eat meats. Kinda funny to me, since I myself, before my VSG (10/24) was a vegetarian for almost 3 and half years...

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.

It's actually a very interesting question and one that caused me a lot of introspection to understand WHY I put on weight. Consider my situation. 5'6, female, 47 years old, not in menopause, underactive thyroid, and acute inflammation from an autoimmune disease the latter two of which will slow down weight loss. Eats 1200-1300 calories a day most days--yes, seriously. Tracks calories religiously for years and years. You show me a food, I can tell you how many calories in it. Ate "badly" at times in one or two ways. Either starved myself on 800 calories a day for months on end, or ate 2-3 pieces of cake one week or maybe those damn little Debbie Peanut Butter things (can we say trigger foods??!). I have never eaten a whole cake, a whole pizza, a whole pint of ice cream in one sitting. I never hid my eating, binged, or purged. Never even finished my portions at restaurants. I don't drink so no junk calories there either. Could not lose weight. Could NOT lose weight. I'm not like those people that lost 100s of lbs only to put it on. I simply couldn't lose the weight (except when I was dying, two years ago). Worked out hard with a trainer for 6 months, ate 6 small meals of clean food--lost ONE pound in 6 months. I think even the trainer was ready to cry. Did Paleo, put on 10 lbs in one month. Did vegetarian diet with 2 lbs of veggies, 3 fruits, 1 c of Beans, 1 handful of nuts for 2 months, lost nothing. So WHY? WHY the hell did I weigh so much? I am not sure I know the whole answer still. But I do know one very important part of the answer. I am a sugar and carb addict. And I do not have the metabolism for it. Even today, I cannot eat a piece of fruit without being super hungry for the rest of the day. Pre-sleeve, I didn't control my carbs. Yes I ate 1200 calories, but often that was almost NO meat. Pasta, rice, lentils, veggies, fruit, no meat. I hated meat. So I think I gained weight because I ate the foods that were the WORST for me, and I didn't realize that. I do wonder what would have happened if I had eaten meat and veggies before I got sleeved. Would I still have needed the sleeve? I don't know. And notice I said I can leave them alone unless they are my trigger foods? Here's a list of my trigger foods. Cake, cake, and more cake. Donuts. Reese's pb cups. Those peanut butter bar things. Those horrid swiss cake rolls that will survive nuclear holocaust. Those things? I can't leave alone. Those, I do eat until they are gone. And notice, they are ALL sugar + fat + Flour. Deadly combination, deadly addiction. I thought I was well educated about food. I tried every diet there was--except the low carb diet because a) I wasn't sure it was good for me and I didn't want to give up my carbs--addict talk right there. There may be more to the story, it's still being written. But I don't have the "typical" signs of a food addict and therefore it's taken me a while to figure out what went wrong. I ate carbs and they caused me to crave more carbs. So I became insulin resistant, overweight, carb addicted, fat, and unhealthy. And always hungry. It was when I could no longer control the constant hunger that I gave up control and admitted I needed help, and got sleeved. Sorry for the long post but it's been an important journey for me.

There is no rule of thumb. There's what works for you. And you could see ten different dietitians that could all give you different guidelines and still none of them might be what's idea for you. I spent fifteen years as a vegetarian so shifting into the Protein heavy diet was hard for me. I relied very heavily on dairy and Protein shakes in the beginning...and then I developed lactose intolerance and had to figure things out again. If you don't care much for meat (and your tastes may still change) there are other options. I love seitan. I love meat substitutes and tofu. I try to keep my substitutes to minimally processed ones, but I splurge now and again. Lentils are amazingly versatile. Quinoa is a complete protein. No, it's not as dense in protein as meat but it's a nice option if you like variety. And eggs. Let me sing my praises of eggs, because I eat at least one daily. I have so many egg recipes jamming up my cook book it's ridiculous. Is your weight really stalled? I realize the scale's not moving at the moment or you wouldn't have said that. But how far from surgery are you? Has your weight been constant for three weeks or more? If you're not getting adequate nutrition from a variety of sources, your body may be holding on to whatever you feed it for fear of famine. I don't buy in to the starvation mode myth, but I do know that our bodies are wired to survive. And your body has no idea what's going on if you feed it one day and starve it the next, or if you completely miss a necessary group of nutrients for a long period of time. Additionally, you might be sticking to hard and fast rules given by your nutritionist that simply don't work for your body. Maybe you need more or less calories, or more or less carbs than you've been instructed to consume. Tracking your intake and seeing your results (weight loss, mental health, feelings of satiety) after a few weeks on a particular diet is the only way to really know what you need. I needed a low, narrow range of calories to lose. But my carbs could be anywhere from 50-100 grams a day without any impact on my loss pattern. Figure out what works for you. Hit those protein and hydration goals you set for yourself. I simply DO NOT LOSE if I don't get adequate protein. Alex's book is a great resource and is definitely something you should read. But the trick here is to track and figure out your own individual needs. There isn't any one size fits all approach to this. ~Cheri

Here's an example day I created with a vegetarian, but not vegan diet. And even then it's not easy as you see

Whey protein comes from cheese, so it should be fine for your lacto-ovo vegetarian dietass for vegan-based protein sources, they generally lack certain essential amino acids. And the sources tend to be things higher in carbs that sleevers are supposed to avoid...beans, legumes, grains, etc.

Here's my story: I am almost done with month 4 of my 6 month pre-op The dieting is getting tougher as I get closer. My brain is thinking of all the things I will not be able to eat for along time. I have been able to lose 15 lbs using Weight Watchers (yeah!!). I am finding working with the nutritionist is difficult because I have been eating a vegan diet for the past 2 years (no I have not lost weight on it), not because I like it but for health reasons. My NUT is not into plant based Protein, and wants me to add whey protein. I understand the need for quality protein so I have added greek yogurt and string cheese-- which I like. But I always thought protein was protein! I tried to eat red meat this past week and it just did not agree with me, it is certianly not worth feeling that bad and I don't plan to eat it again. Is anyone out there a lacto-ovo vegetarian and successful with their sleeve? Is anyone using plant based protein supplements? Thanks!

Hit my goal weight yesterday . I'm down 95 pounds from April 1st 2013. My Surgery was April 30th. I have been very active cycling, running doing whatever I can. I plan to run my first half marathon with my wife in April 2014. I continue to seek new ways to be healthy. I am strongly considering a vegan or vegetarian diet, I am still in the information gathering stage though. I look forward to the next cycling season and plan on doing a century ride(100 miles) every month during the summer. I couldn't of did this without my VSG, I am very confident that this would have not been possible without it. Now comes the hard part or so I tell everyone who asks. I frequently tell people that loosing the weight has never been difficult for me to do, but the hard part is maintaining my ideal weight and health lifestyle. Below is a photo collage I made last night of my transformation. Although this forum has not been a regular place for me to visit I am thankful it is here for reference. Good luck everyone. https://plus.google.com/photos/111581900533993864040/albums/5945897800741732593?authkey=CLrvrJvQk5uonQE Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

You know I used to hate meat before the sleeve too. Much happier as a vegetarian. It's part of why I create recipes that I post on the blog. What I'm finding is that if I spice the meat well so it doesn't taste like meat, I do better I have also learned that the longer I keep eating it, my taste buds are re-setting and now when I'm hungry, that's what I crave.

I am 17 weeks out from my surgery and I can pretty much eat anything I want but most things I dont eat because I dont like how I feel when I eat them. I guess if I have any regrets about the surgery it would be that I miss EATING! I miss my love of food and enjoying my meal. However i dont miss all the horrible side effects of loving food. I dont ever really feel hungry anymore, I eat because I know I need to eat. And when I do feel hungry, I eat about 4 bites of something and im done. I know it sounds crazy but Sometimes I really miss eating a big meal! I eat a lot of Soup now because its filling but it doesnt leave me feeling stuffed. I dont like the way chicken and beef leaves me feeling stuffed, so I eat mostly fish and seafood now. I guess the sleeve sort of turned me into a vegetarian.....except I dont eat most veggies either....so maybe a seafood-atarian haha! I guess if I had to weigh the pros and cons, the pros defintely out wiegh the cons. Yes i miss food sometimes but the fact that im 4 pants sizes down in 17 weeks is amazing and I would have this surgery again in a second!

It's being catered at a banquet hall (not a restaurant) so I'm sure there aren't really any special requests other than maybe vegetarian.

I wonder if it is a 3 month thing Miss Erika, I am approaching my 3 month date and I am really not wanting protein in meat form either. I am by nature a vegetarian, hating beef, the way it taste. I want to throw up,Thank goodness for Vegiburgers. Nuts scare me, one nut leads to many nuts, I am afraid nuts are a trigger food for binge.In the mean time, until the protein aversion goes away, I will be having a nutitious greek yogurt. Yum Yum

Hi , I'm 8 months post op with gastric sleeve. Also, I am a pescotarian( eating fish only twice week.. Been vegetarian for 2 years only eating fish to get my Protein in). Post surgery I weighed 298. I now weigh 243 but I have gained 11 pounds in the last two weeks. I have had two spine surgeries and I have another disc issue. I cannot really exercise how I wold like. I can walk but I love to jog. It seems like walking take too long. Plus, now I can't jog because of the spine. So , I am overrating because of the condition of my health( I'm an extrovert and now I'm not working at home all day because of the pain). I know this is not an excuse. Today, I began the five day pouch test. I am really struggling ..wanting carbs and splenda! I am wondering how much protein I should be eating a day? Also, when they say a cup of food is how much we should be eating , are they talking about the cup that comes with those spoons or the cup that is white and have calibrations? I just can't remember ? I have been reading weight loss stories today, journaling my food, joined this site and asking for help? I know I eat and have probaly stretched my sleeve. I hope I can rebound. Please reply.

I can't access our 5:2 group. Any suggests. FYE I see you as a Vegetarian sleever and beneath that is lap band. I wonder what mine will say? So how do I get into the 5;2 group again, any suggestions?