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Like others are saying, you need to speak with your doctor since they are all different. My doctor requires a liquid diet one week pre-op because it helps to shrink the liver. I work with a woman who had sleeve and her doctor didn't require any pre-op diet at all. So, I don't think there is a right and wrong, just a preference per doctor. Deep breaths and remember, diet is not an exact science. Everybody is different and every doctor has his/her own preferences. But it helps to take slow, deep breaths and try to remain relaxed. Stress doesn't help anything. You'll do fine without Protein for a short time. Vegetarians do it. You can too. Slow...deep...breaths.

Love that you did it vegetarian:) So healthy! My diet isn't completely vegetarian, but I lean that way pretty hard. Looking gorgeous. Congrats on the payoff for all that hard work!

Adding to this - not trying to steal anyone's thunder - I'm about 20 months out, down about 110. Sometimes, I'm losing, sometimes not, because my concentration right now is on building muscle mass and reducing my overall body fat before plastics. I'm answering because I'm not vegetarian in the hopes that I can provide other answers - 1- On an average day, I eat about 100-120 grams of protein. I start most mornings with a shake because it is easy for me time wise to get out the door to work. I use Fairlife skim milk, a scoop of protein powder, a handful of frozen fruit and two tablespoons of Oikos triple zero vanilla yogurt. That accounts for 39 grams of protein and makes it pretty easy to get the rest in. For a morning snack, I'll have a container of Oikos Triple Zero (another 15 grams). Lunch is usually salad greens with chicken (usually left over from one I've roasted) about 4 ounces of chicken for another 30 grams of protein. So at this point in the day, I'm at 85 grams without too much trouble. In the afternoon, I'll have some cheese or some nuts - but I'll get in a 10-15 gram of protein snack. Dinner - is usually whatever I cook for the family - but again - I'll make sure I have another 20-30 grams of protein. Usually my calorie count is under 1500. I eat what I want. Some foods, my tummy doesn't like. I can only eat a little bit of pasta or I will feel ill - same with very sweet stuff. A few bites and I'm done with it. I have a cocktail or glass of wine when I want to. I always stay under 1500 calories - so if I dont' have extra calories for a glass of vino it doesn't happen. I drink at least 64 ounces of water a day - closer to 100 on days I fence because I will drink a quart of water while fencing. Exercise - I fence (as in en garde) - started doing that a year ago. I burn on average 900 calories doing 2 hours of fencing. I fence roughly 5 hours a week (Monday and Wednesday - 6:30-9 pm). I work with a personal trainer once a month to keep my routine in the gym fresh and I lift weights/do strength training at least 2 hours a week. I do Pilates for another 1 or 2 hours. I make the time because getting in shape is important - and like I said - I''m trying to drop my body fat in the range of 28% before I have plastics. (I"m at 31% right now, with is pretty good for a 56 year old menopausal woman!) Excess skin - for me - I couldn't. I have bat wings that make noise and I'm going to have to have a tummy tuck done. If not for the excess skin on my abdomen, I'd be wearing a size 6 or 4 pants rather than the 8 I'm wearing. (I really shouldn't complain - that's down from a 24). I'll probably have the abdominoplasty next year. I'm fortunate - my insurance will cover it. How do I feel - Like a new person. People don't recognize me sometimes. My knees don't really hurt any more. My only regret was waiting this long to do this.

There's actually a entire forum dedicated to this topic. It doesn't see a ton of traffic, but there are definitely folks doing this: https://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1101-vegetarian-or-vegan-eating/

Lifestyle issues: none. I went vegetarian back in 1989, and have been vegan for about 7 years now. Likewise my partner. I've always been a supplement taker, so I've never been anemic or had any issues (outside of eating too much junk food and carbs, of course, leading me here!). Post-op, my labs have been consistently good, so even with the malabsorbtion factor, I've been able to nourish myself well. The only thing any blood test has found was 8 weeks ago when I landed in hospital after a bike accident and the labs showed I was low in magnesium. So I've been taking a mag supplement since then which is fixing that. Never a whisper of kidney stones. It's tough recommending any protein drinks since I'm in Australia and we don't have access to the same brands as you guys over there. The best protein water I've found that's both tasty and not absolutely drowning in stevia is MyProtein's Clear Vegan Protein. I know you can get that one internationally. It's not as much protein per serve as a shake (it's 10g per serve), but since I have to drink a couple of litres of water a day anyway, getting 3 of those in means I've got over half my daily minimum protein intake plus water, so I love the double-up. Other vegan protein waters with higher protein counts that I've tried have either been too cloyingly sweet or just straight up revolting. The MyProtein one is like drinking cordial. Minus the sugar. The Apple & Elderflower flavour is the bomb. Also: vegan protein will absorb as well as non-vegan. I promise it's a myth that you can't get enough protein from plants. Plenty of vegan athletes and body builders can attest! 💪

June 11, 2008 Today I had my pre-op appointment at the hospital where I will have my Lap Band done. I was there for 3 and 1/2 hours. Wow. I had blood tests, a chest x-ray and an EKG. I also went through preadmission for the hospital and preadmission for the Ambulatory Surgery Center. I met with the financial person and also spent a great deal of time with the nutritionist. This was most interesting. I was given a booklet to read followed by a 20 question, multiple choice quiz. The nurse went over the quiz with me and we discussed all the answers. The nutritionist gave me a two-week pre-op diet I will start in two days, Friday, the 13th. Oh my. It will be a combination of Slim Fast protein drink, lo-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, vegetarian vegetable soup, oatmeal and no sugar puddings and jellos. She also gave me a protein powder drink to mix in with my food. Their main concern is my getting the necessary amounts of daily protein. The reason for such a strict eating program prior to surgery is to clear the liver of as much fatty tissue around it as possible. This will help ease the process of the procedure and later help with the absorption of the vitamins and minerals I take in. I think there is more to it than that, but I will need to go back and read my materials again to be more knowledgable on the matter. The surgery is scheduled for June 27th. Then I will be on a clear liquid diet for 2 weeks followed by 2 weeks of pureerd food and finally work my way slowly into solids again. So, I'm on my way. I'm still upbeat and have never been so excited about quitting eating before. I also met a former patient from the weight loss center. He has lost 125 pounds since his Lap Band last July. That's a great loss for less than a year. How excited he was. We had a good conversation and he shared some of his eating habits with me. Guess that's it for now. I'll keep you posted on the soft diet program stating Friday.

They have premier protien, Vega if you want vegetarian protein, and other powdered proteins. My husband just informed me they have isopure drinks in the vitamin section. They have awesome bone broth and vitamin water zero. Costco is my jam!

you are right, it is NOT the easy way out. I think all the PRE stuff is to make sure our mental approach has changed and is ready for new beginnings. I am curious what was on your supply list? It's funny because I am hear researching types of Protein for vegetarian Snacks etc.Supply list I hear is a mustJello Medical protein Vitamins Gas x strips Jello cups I need to find a drink I like. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App k out Trimino protein Water, loaded with protein and no carbs or sugar. Tastes pretty good too! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App Thank you will try ! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Yes ! At least we know other are feeling the same good to talk about it Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Wow thanks great tips will check it all out Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

you are right, it is NOT the easy way out. I think all the PRE stuff is to make sure our mental approach has changed and is ready for new beginnings. I am curious what was on your supply list? It's funny because I am hear researching types of Protein for vegetarian Snacks etc. Supply list I hear is a must Jello Medical protein Vitamins Gas x strips Jello cups I need to find a drink I like. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Solaray Cal-Mag Citrate with Vitamin D 2:1 Ratio - 180 vegetarian capsules (1,000 mg Calcium Citrate 400IU Vitamin D) is $10.49 at allstarhealth.com, $11.33 at VitaminShoppe.com, and really cheap at Whole foods - which is where I buy it. I don't remember the exact price, just that I thought "Hey, that's not bad at all for 180 capsules".

Still not banded myself but my daughter and son-in law have been for about a year. According to them: Because they don't want you to drink anything 1/2 hour before or during or 1/2 hour after your meal to insure that the meal isn't just washed through meat density and dryness are issues for us to be aware of. Fish is the easiest meat to take with the band, shell fish and shrimp/lobster next. Sushi hangs up in both of them so be careful with that. Next is chicken moist dark meat is ok breast and wings sometimes causes problems cause it's denser and dryer. Leave the chicken skin on the plate it too can block in the stomach hole left by the band and besides thats where almost all the chicken's fat is. Turkey and other fowl pretty much follow the same guidelines. Next is pork they introduced me to Mrs. Dash lemon & herb in the George Forman. 1st build up the front feet to eliminate the slope to the drain. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil building up the edges for a tray effect. Brush the Mrs Dash on both sides of 3/4" thick boneless pork loin chops and lay in a single layer on the Forman. Then cover them with another sheet of foil crimping them lightly together. cook for 12-15 mins. The meat retains more juices with the Mrs Dash cause it's salt free (Salt pulls Water from meat). They cooked it for us and it was yummy. One 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" chop will equal approx a 4 oz serving of protien. Do not expect a crisp chop it'd be too hard to pass anyway. Last on the common meats is beef. Whole meat like steak and roast will tend to block the band leading to pain and or PB Productive Burp, Sliming (if something gets stuck or hangs up the body produes great quantities of thick saliva to try and wash it through if you swallow this then you are on a sure and fast track to expelling the meat into the toilet). They advised that meatloaf and ground beef are less of a problem but chew well and wait a minute or two between bites. This will be tough for me, I've always eaten too quickly and not chewed my food as much as I should have. It's one of those enforced behaviors brought on by the band and I truely hope I don't forget that when I get to eat. Finally eat the protien (Meat, Beans Tofu) first then the veg, They also served this as a meatless meal and they had no problems getting it down and it was very tasty too: CRUSTLESS SPINACH–MUSHROOM QUICHE Sodium Per Serving – 112mg Serves 6 as an entrée, 8 as a side dish This recipe was given to me by a vegetarian friend. It is so good and no one will ever know it contains tofu . . . unless you tell them! Optional - I add 2 level tablespoons of Oscar Mayer real bacon bits but it does increase the quoted fat and salt levels a bit. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (This is also know as sweet butter) ½ sweet onion, diced 2 shallots, chopped 4 ounces mushrooms, chopped (about 1½ cups) 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ teaspoon dried basil ¼ teaspoon garlic or onion powder ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 eggs, beaten, or ¾ cup egg substitute 8 ounces firm tofu ½ cup lowfat ricotta cheese 2 ounces no-salt-added Swiss cheese, shredded (about ½ cup) They used slices diced into small bits. ¼ cup lowfat milk 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (ground spice may be substituted but flavor is not as intense) Preheat oven to 350oF (180oC). Coat a 9-inch quiche or pie dish with nonstick cooking spray. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat; add onions, shallots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes; add garlic, basil garlic powder, tarragon, thyme, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until you smell the garlic, 1 to 2 minutes; remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix together the eggs, tofu, ricotta, Swiss cheese, milk, and spinach; add to onion mixture. Pour into prepared quiche dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until custard has set and top is lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve. NUTRITIONAL INFO PER 6 SERVINGS: Calories 200 Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 5g) Cholesterol 125mg Carbohydrates 9g (Fiber 2g, Sugar 5g) Protien 20g Sodium 112mg Hope this post is helpful but our doctor's and your nutritionist's will surely go over the warnings post op if they havn't already done so before the surgery.

Anybody think about becoming a vegetarian I have thought about this for a long time Meat just doesn't go down very well Exp fish, but beef and chicken can be dry and not go down Anybody out there try this? Could you share your results

Hi there, I was having a hard time with Protein at first too, because I'm vegetarian. I got some dutch chocolate low-carb Isopure Protein Powder with 25 grams of protein per scoop (from GNC) and I add it to a vanilla yogurt, tastes yummy! I also do the Isopure clear alpine punch protein powder that you add to Water, tastes like kool-aid to me, and two scoops in my water means another 50 grams of protein for the day, and it helps me get my liquid down. Just a suggestion. Snacking on some low-fat cheese can help too. Wish you the best!

I'm not a vegetarian, but I've been inclined to try Meatless Mondays since getting banded. There are lots of high protein veggie burgers. There are lots of veggie recipes on MeatlessMonday.com with nutrition information.

"Did you ever meet an obese vegetarian and wonder ‘HUH?’… how’d they get obese if they are vegetarian? Same deal… its not the vegetables, its the other stuff… the carbs… the potatoes, bread, macaroni, rice, tortillas and sugar!" Quote from ProjectMe. I don't know who originally wrote this but vegetarians eat carbs and potatoes and bread and Pasta and sugar. What they don't eat is meat. Listen to your dietitian. They know what they are talking about

First of all, you are not failing, you just need to educate yourself on what you should be eating/drinking so you succeed. I would definitely recommend talking to a nutrionist because it sounds like you are not eating properly. 5 grams of protein in a shake is not nearly enough protein, especially if your doctor said you can only have 1 shake a day, which I think is weird btw. Are you sure about that? Whatever the case, you need to go to the store and buy a variety of HIGH Protein shakes and see what you like. Just buy the single servings so you don't waste money. My personal favorite is called VHP (Very High Protein) made by Bariatrix (bariatrix.com) It is 35 grams of protein, so with just one shake you are halfway to your daily goal of protein. It is also low in carbs, fat and calories. It comes in a box of 7 servings. You can also find ready made canned shakes at Trader Joes or any health food store. At the very least, buy Unflavored unjury Protein powder and mix it with lowfat choc milk in the blender, and you have 28 grams of protein. There are a lot of options out there besides Carnation Instant Breakfast, that taste just as good. I've been a vegetarian for 7 years so I am very familiar with the variety of protein out there, you have to experiment. You also might want to get "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies", it is a good reference book for people with short attention span like me. Good luck!

I've been vegetarian for 7 years (although I started eating fish about a year ago). I talked to my NUT about remaining vegetarian after my surgery on January 10th and she said it won't be a problem at all. I think it would be an issue being Vegan and having VSG - I don't know what you would eat to be able to get in your protein - but as a vegetarian it should be okay. Would love to have some sort of group for support after my surgery, though!!

I was a vegetarian but I ate a lot of junk. I eat meat and ate a lot of junk. I would love to try again now that I know more about nutrition. Lets all start a group

I had my galbladder removed in January. At times when i was having an attack i thought i was having a heart attack. They were very sudden and sharp and right in the middle of my chest under where i assume my band is. I did an ultrasound for stones (none appeared) and a barium swallow. Both were ok but i knew something was wrong. Very gassy, had to be in the bathroom very suddenly and frequently, and these sporadic chest pains (middle of night/early morning were the worse). I pushed for a HIDA scan and it popped up in the 20's so a lap chole was scheduled in the following weeks My symptoms were def not normal and my NP was reluctant to believe it was my galbladder. Her nurse had had the same symptoms and had her gallbladder out months before so her nurse helped push the HIDA scan. I would push for a HIDA scan (which are long, boring, and uncomfortable btw) and if it comes back normal my next route would be an EGD to rule out erosion. Erosion scares the bejesus out of me too. If left to long it can cause necrosis and that just makes my heart beat all funny just thinking about it. I actually spoke with my NP about this very thing this morning and she said if you catch it early (which usually shows up as irritated tissue ont he EGD) they just unfill and watch the irritation and wait for it to heal on its own. It is when it isnt caught that it turns ugly. Which made me feel a little better but not much Let us know what you find out and i would def push for more tests. You are your best advocate and I KNEW something was not right and wasnt going to give up until someone sorted out. Also, eat as low fat as possible; fatty foods will trigger an attack like nothing i have seen. After i found out it was my gb i ate a lot of rice and Beans. Now I eat as many low fat vegetarian meals as possible because fat wrecks havoc on my digestive system still to this day.

I just did a quick Google search for "vegetarian high protein" without the quotes and one of the first links was this one: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm It looks to have some good ideas on it. Hope it's helpful.

 I don’t think I want to be a vegetarian any more. 

Your choice to make. Your original post didn't make your intentions clear. I am not a vegetarian and I get my protein from a variety of sources including chicken and red meat mince meat, milk, yoghurt, eggs, legumes/beans, cottage cheese, protein shakes and some white fish. Probably not so much red meat and fish they are mostly occasionally.

I make sure to get enough protein and I take a high potency Multivitamin for vegetarians, plus a Vitamin D pill every day. Unfortunately, most of my protein is now coming from Protein shakes. Relying on vitamin and protein supplements goes against much of what I feel to be a healthy approach to food and I feel that I ate healthier pre-band (except for the massive portions) than I am eating in this last month. I'm thinking this is just a phase. As I mentioned, if I weren't forcing myself to eat more, I'd usually end the day at about 500 calories. Today, I've eaten 368 calories according to my calorie counter, with 40 grams of protein, mostly from a high quality whey isolate powder. Before I go to bed, I'm going to have another scoop of protein with a full cup of 2% milk to bring up the caloric and nutritional content. And I'll definitely have some fruit and veggies. That'll bring me up to 650 or so calories. Tomorrow, I'm going to try to eat more calorie-dense items that don't take a lot of time to prepare or eat, but those are somewhat difficult to find for a vegetarian looking to keep fat intake down to 24g a day. The problem with losing interest in food is that you can't be bothered putting an effort into preparing and cooking when you don't really want to eat. CheckYes, I think you should purchase a really high quality and good tasting Protein Powder if you haven't already. I find Protein drinks really easy to consume even when I don't want to eat anything. On days when I manage to eat 800 calories, I can usually get in 100g of protein largely with the help of whey. There's obviously a limit to how much people should get from supplemental sources as opposed to whole foods, but at least we'd be getting our protein until our appetites come back.

I'm a month and 4 days out. I've been on the soft food diet(only avoiding certain veggies and fruits, rice/pasta) since the end of week two per my doctor. I was a vegetarian before surgery but have been trying to eat meat since I've been able to after to get my protein. However, it all makes me vomit(dump if you ask me!). Does anyone have this issue? It is a little depressing!! I just found a protein powder I can tolerate in a smoothie with fruit but it takes me all day to drink it. I do it with greek yogurt so my smoothie has at the least 68g protein. I'd still like to be able to eat something other than yogurt, string cheese, and potatoes.

I'm a vegetarian and so are some other people here, and you have lots of options if you don't want to eat meat. Have you tried the Morningstar "meat"balls or breakfast sausage? Also, I eat a lot of Greek yogurt and low-fat cheese.