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Hi everybody i was sleeved on 2/7/13 the day after surgery was terrible was not able to complete even 30ml clear liquid, but now i am on soft diet and i feels really good seeing that i have lost 13 Kgs. till date and also at times when people appreciate that i have lost weight. But life has become to hectic as before surgery working for nearly 18 hours a day thinking of taking a vaccation of 2 days and having nice sleep. Is there anybody from india because i am from Mumbai, India. So if anybody sleeved from India please come share ur experience. Also i am a strict Vegetarian if members here can share pure vegetarian recipe it will be great.

I think there is confusion about 'healthy'. Whole foods are healthy, but eat too much of it and it's not healthy anymore. Vegetables are healthy, but eat your potatoes smothered in cheese sauce and I'm pretty sure you're on the road to high cholesterol. I agree that not allvegans/vegetarians eat healthy but you have to admire their ability to control what goes into their mouths - my boyfriend is vegetarian and his restraint amazes me. I think that is something I definitely aspire to. I think eating healthy emcompasses eating quality whole foods in moderate quantaties and doesn't just cover the type of food a person eats. And I agree with bayou's point that more people should take a good long look at what goes into their mouths, and b***h less about how the band didn't make them thin. My band is an amazing tool, but as I always say, it doesn't choose what I put in my mouth.

You can do this. Don't be discouraged. As someone posted above, keeping close track of your actual protein and fluid intake is essential at this point. It does sound as though you are taking in more than you think. Also, you can get plenty of protein without the protein drinks. Try an egg in any form. That's seven grams of protein. Add a bit of cheese to it to up the count. Vegetarian (because some of the non vegetarian ones use lard) refried beans are an option. Add some cheese to that, too. The yogurt is great, eat it throughout the day. Make jello, adding some fruit flavored protein mix in with it. Good luck. Let us know how you do.

I just stuck to soups and protein shakes during that time, since I'm vegetarian, too. I found it easier than trying to concoct something

Search for Puja ans send her a message if she doesn't reply to this thread. She is a vegetarian vet and will have lots of good advice for you. Lynda

Hi friends right now i am on puree diet stage and i am had core vegetarian will some share with me different vegetarian recipes it will be very help full and i will great full to all

I'm a vegetarian but not a vegan. Curious: what are your primary sources of protein and how many grams do you average per day, if you don't mind me asking? Thanks!!

hey France - i measure out my portions before I start eating, so that way if i don't notice my body telling me to stop, at the very least i've run out of food. My nutritionist told me no more than 1 cup (8oz) at a meal/sitting. If i want a little variety and more than one taste in a meal, then i reduce the size portion of stuff I'll consume. As an example last night I had 1/2 a cup of canned green beans and 1/2 a cup of vegetarian baked beans - but i measured it before I ate it to help me from overeating. if you are still hungry after the 1 cup portion my recommendation is to change activities - do something else for a while - and if it's an hour later and you're still hungry, then have another 1/4 or 1/2 cup of something. also, make sure you're fully hydrated. sometimes i mistake hunger for thirst and i'll eat something only to still have the same feeling in my body - but it turns out what solves it is a drink.

Today was a non-fast day (following a fast day) but oddly, I wasn't hungry until about 4 p.m. I just ate a small ramekin of vegetarian chili. Wondering if today will be my second fast day for the week (Mosley, the author of the 5:2 plan says it does not matter if your 2 fast days are 2 days in a row or spaced apart--he does usually do his on Monday and Thursday though). I think it's important not to go crazy with empty calories like wine/alcohol and carbs on the non-fast days. Excited to see where this goes!! :)

Catherine i couldnt eat much till i was 3-4 weeks out but somehow things fell into place after that.i get up at 6 a.m.and by 8,i finish 250 ml water and 125 ml protein shake,then around 8.45 i eat my breakfast..then 30- 45 minutes after i have water then for snack,i have 1oz sunflower seeds and 2 prunes or someother combo of dry fruits.im a vegetarian so ive to work extra hard for my protein.my breakfast is generallt one hard boiled egg or egg white with greek yogurt.when im done with one meal i put an alarm on my phone for my next water and snack n so on.things will fall into place for you also.its just a matter of time.and it takes a lottttttttttt of planning.its like a full time job.all the best.

So happy for your Pottergirl! You are doing incredibly well! Go vegetarian sleevers. :)

I had my surgery 13 years ago and the biggest disconnect I have noticed is the lack of support as it pertains to working out after gastric bypass. When I first had my surgery, I walked around my office during my breaks but didn't join a gym. The lack of this lifestyle change, and developing some bad eating habits resulted in a regain of 40 lbs during the first ten years. I finally managed to change my eating habits to vegetarian and started working out regularly. I joined the gym and have been a loyal gym rat ever since. I think the thing that kept me away was the insecurity of not knowing how to use the machines and thinking "everybody knows I had surgery!' I finally hired a trainer and she knew little, if anything, about gastric bypass and some of the limitations. She read up on the surgery and developed a workout routine to suit my needs. Since I joined this and another forum, I have received a lot of messages from local people who wanted to workout with me and I have met some of them at my gym and given them a workout. I have looked for trainers who offer workouts to gastric bypass patients and I cannot find anybody locally! So I'm wondering if any of my fellow gastric friends have received training from someone who focuses on the gastric/lap band community? I am thinking of getting my personal trainer certification and just focusing on this community!

Hi I'm in Chicago - oak park area. I am four months post op. I had my surgery at UIC hospital. I am a vegetarian and about to become a pescotarian next. Onto becam struggling with getting my protien in. I have lost 52 lbs- no working out. I have had two spine surgeries since the sleeve. So I am grateful that I have still been able to lose weight. Currently, I have been walking three miles for the last week! I hope I will begin to lose more weight now that I am not in bed all day. My struggle is getting the proten in. I had protein shakes. Today my goal is to eat 70 grams of protein- even if I don't like it. I am willing to walk , meet or build relationship with sleepers in the area. Congrats to those who are about to be sleeved-- it's a great thing!

Hello, everyone! I had my sleeve on August 31, 2011, so I am about 2 months shy of 2 years. There have been lots of events in my life the last few months, that have added to my stress, and disrupted my eating routine, and I'd like to write a little about it. Primarily to get feedback if anyone has had a similar situation, and secondarily to put my thoughts out there into a world where people can relate. Since I had surgery, I have had lots of time to fall into a very well planned eating and drinking routine. As a student, I have had loads of time to find what works for me, and what doesn't. However, there were many events that took place in the month of May and June that sort of disrupted that routine. In May, I gave one of the biggest exams of my life. My appetite wasn't very good, and my calorie/protein intake dropped a bit. Following this, I was in classes from 8 to 7 for a week (also a wonky eating and drinking routine), and then I was off to India - this is where things really went downhill. I was barely hitting 50-60% of my nutritional goals, and was running around all day long. By the end of these 2 months, I had dropped 2.5 pounds below my healthy weight range. Here's the thing, many of us might even be a little happy about going below the range, but no one wants to look sick or undernourished. Losing weight with a healthy lifestyle still leaves you glowing and energetic. I, however, looked anorexic, pale, and dull. It was seriously ridiculous, and people were commenting on how unhealthy I looked every single day. This was new for me, because I didn't realize how easily I could become malnourished if I wasn't adequately planning out my meals. (I'm vegetarian, by the way). After coming back, there was a huge function at our house, and I was eating the bare minimum for another 2 days. This put me at 3 pounds below weight. In the meantime, the low nutrition caused a bit of muscle loss around the hips, and I started having symptoms related to a pinched nerve. So, I started pilates and yoga classes to help strengthen my core and ease the pain. At the same time, I decided I would add some more calories, fats, and carbs into my diet, to help bring back that glow and the lost pounds. On a daily basis, I added in half an avocado, 2 pieces of whole wheat toast, and an ounce of nuts. All healthy fats and calories, no? Well, here's the kicker. By the end of 3 weeks, I had gained back those 3 pounds, plus 1 more. 4 pounds in 3 weeks. Yes, I'm back in my healthy range, I look well nourished, I have more energy, and no one is telling me that I look sick. I can even see the difference from the yoga. However, I am terrified at learning how easy it is for me to gain weight, even when eating healthy foods. Yes, I can convince myself that it was also easy to lose the weight, and that my body reacted quickly by replacing the lost nutrition... blah blah blah. In the end, I still gained 4 pounds with very little effort, in less than a month. I always knew that my nutritional planning would be a lifelong process, and I have learned to enjoy it. Still, I didn't realize how quickly my weight and health could fluctuate if I did not make my intake a priority!

I am 5 1/2 months post op and I'm wanting to change my diet to a plant strong diet. Is anyone having success doing this?

I have dieted my whole life, I lost 17 pounds when I was 10 years old! I was under 175 for years, I am 5'9". Around 20 years ago I suddenly gained 50 pounds, then slowly 30 more. I managed to stay under 257 (set point?) for years. Then I started to creep up, and nothing I did seemed to get the weight off. When I started to have other problems, blood pressure, and cholesterol... I knew I had to take things to the next level. WLS. My Bariatric Doc recommended the sleeve, and it looked SOOOO much better to me than RNY, I jumped on it. I was one of his first patients. I have been very happy with the sleeve, but never got to my modest goal (my doc never set a goal). I was about 5 pounds away from goal, when I hit a serious stall... then I gave up some accountability, and gained 22 pounds over around 4-5 months. I had long term company, a vacation to New Orleans, bone spurs that kept me from the gym and walking until I got through the whole sports medicine system... and a few other things that made it very challenging to stay on track, and in a blink... 22 pounds up. At the first of this year I got back on track, logging everything, getting a fitbit to keep track of exercise, and try a couple of eating plans to try to kick start the weight loss. I tried "eat more- lose weight" I started to gain (around 4-5 pounds) which is normal on that plan, but I chickened out because... well it was gaining weight! I then tried the Southbeach phase one... which is good, lost a couple of pounds, but lets face it, its a diet. I am a vegetarian, and that adds some extra carbs. I was still coming to VST, getting support from my buds here, but stepped that up. Some of us grouped together who had gotten to goal and gained, or others that had never made goal, and that conversation started here. Georgia introduced the 5:2 fast diet into the conversation, and some of us jumped on it around 6 weeks ago. We have had varying degrees of success, but it has had positive results besides weight loss for all of us. As of this writing, I am down 7 pounds at 5 1/2 weeks, (was at 8.8 pounds a couple of days ago) after some very slow loss (around 1-2 pounds a month). I am getting close to my lowest weight after surgery, and to goal. I had my surgery January 19, 2011, and am over 2 1/2 years out as of this post.

I guess I'm going to be Debbie Downer because I do regret having this surgery. I'm a month and 1 week out and I am miserable. My experience though is not ideal so that could be the problem too. First, I've never had self-esteem issues regarding my weight, had no comorbidities, etc. I did this because after having my twins years ago, no matter what I did to lose the weight it didn't work. This surgery was to be a tool to help me lose weight and prevent me from ending up with weight related issues down the line. My PCP didn't want me to have the surgery so it took 2 years to get her to even write the referral because she said there had to be *something* that would fix this issue with my weight. I mean when I say I tried everything I went low cal, low carb, glutten-free, vegetarian, you name it. Finally she wrote the referral and thus began my (supposed to be 6 months) year of getting qualified. It took a year because of paperwork nightmares with Kaiser and the surgeons in my area being months behind due to long waiting lists. During the pre-op year I stuck to everything and followed all the rules. Lost great weight during the pre-op year. When my date of surgery came I was excited, nervous, etc. Then I hit complications during and after surgery. As a result I was out of work for a month, could not keep anything (including water) down. Became lactose intolerant (normal for many with sleeve) and now cannot eat/drink most anything. Right now at over a month out all I can keep down is mashed potatoes (about 2 tbsp), grits, shrimp, and scallops. All other foods make me either throw up or cramp badly. I am finally able to drink Water and not throw up (only with MiO). I'm absolutely miserable and what's worse, I don't miss the food, I miss having any energy. I used to walk at least a mile (most days more) every single day. Plus, I experienced hunger starting at 1 week. Yes, those who say hunger is not real after the sleeve, well, maybe not for them but I'm constantly hungry. I am tired of the few foods I can eat, tired of water (and I used to love water), and to top it all off...I've lost only 11 lbs. post-op. I miss my engery (and yes even with all the Vitamins I'm taking) and more than anything I miss being able to play with my kids and puppy. Not to mention the amount of extra work it puts on my very patient, supportive, and loving hubby is horrible. I am one of the ones that would gladly accept back those 11 lbs. in a minute.

I need to get my day started....leaving for vacation tomorrow, which should be interesting for my preop diet. I'm not on liquids though, so I guess it will be easier than it would for most. Thankful. I haven't eaten today because I think I had too much protein yesterday and woke up still feeling full. NEVER thought I would say that as a person who is really particular about meat. Not a vegetarian, but just very picky about quality. I used to overeat or eat all the wrong foods, so I guess I've never realized the true feeling protein can give when eating healthy!

Yeah. I have been kind of the star of my family as well as the black sheep. My family is the southern meat and potatoes type. Hunti g and fishing. I used to hunt, but then was a vegetarian for four years. I couldn't keep my protein up and had to begin eating meat again. I am the only person in my family to ever graduate college. Now with the tattoos I'm definitely the odd one out as no one in my family even has one tattoo. I'm the ONLY one.

Hi FentonMama, I was banded in 2009 and while working out and eating healthy (now vegetarian), I still had loose skin. I found a friend who sold It Wraps and decided to try them. Yes!!! They work, but you have to use the wraps properly by drinking a lot of Water, eating healthy, and maintaining an exercise regimen. You do not loose water weight!!! What happens is the natural ingredients detox your body while toning, tightening, and & firming your skin. Without the wraps, my skin would be way worse even with my intense workouts. Good luck on your weight loss. Keep it up! Please check out my true story on my site and email me with any questions. I specifically love to work with bariatric patients because I share the same story of struggle. https://showstopperwraps.myitworks.com/Home

A few months after being banded, and after my 2nd fill, it became difficult to eat Red meat of any kind...since my Dr.'s have always been after me to cut back on Red Meat for health reasons, I decided to stop altogether....no red meat for over 2 years now.... I had already stopped dairy products, again because of health reasons, long before being banded....a little cheese here and there but that's it. I do eat chicken and fish, but I am cutting back on chicken more and more....eventually I may go all vegetarian.... I can definitely tell the difference physically....and I am sure it had a lot to do with my now "Normal" lab tests (blood work) along with loosing all my excess weight from the band. I do it for health reasons....not for moral issues....I still wear leather shoes, etc...

Do you make it or buy it? I am a vegetarian, so this definitely sounds like an option for me!

refried beans with cheese are a good bet, soups... that might be about it right now. I'm a vegetarian but I thin some people do flaky fish and chew well. will you have a little fridge and microwave in your hotel room? I might rely on that and eat yogurt etc. I didn't eat out for at least the first 2 months.

PS--this is pretty similar to what I ate at your stage. I also did some mushies like refried beans with cheese and added unflavored protein powder to soups (cooled down a bit to avoid clumping), sugar-free hot chocolate, or Greek yogurt (more palatable to add half a scoop to that much Greek yogurt). You could try ricotta cheese too and I did vegetarian meatballs by Morningstar mushed up in the ricotta with a little marinara. At 3-4 weeks I could only eat 2 to 2.5 meatballs and now I can eat 4 or 5. Your stomach is still very swollen. I didn't feel like mine was normal (new normal) until about 4 months out.

Have you tried diffrent brands of protien shakes? I like some and hate others. At costco they have a brand called preimere and they are shakes they come in vanilla and choclate and they have 30 gr protien. Also i buy these bags of protein powder there by crosport, i have bought them for yrs for my vegetarian daughter. I make her a smoothie with fruits and milk or water and one scoop provides 27 grams of protein. What i do is alternate what i do as far as the shakes go to help keep me from getting tired of them.