Are you vegetarian?

[ShrinkingLee 2]

I feel best when I am eating a sugar-free, whole food, plant based diet, but I'm not sure how well that would work with my sleeve. Any sleeved vegetarians here? I have not followed such a diet in years, but when I did, I had tons of energy and felt great.

[deedeemuffin 346]

I am a vegetarian & am working on weaning out dairy & eggs to be vegan. You will get a lot of differing opinions on this topic, but ultimately you need to make the decision that's right for you. It is actually very easy to be a vegetarian with the sleeve. You can get in your Protein in a variety of ways: cheese, tofu, dried edemame (this has been a life saver at 14g of Protein for only 1/4 cup), yogurt, meat alternatives (I like Gardein products), Beans...I'm sure you get the picture.

I have tried meat twice since being sleeved 6 months ago. It was moist & I chewed very well & vomited both times. My sleeve doesn't seem to like meat at all. So, I make it a point to just eat as healthfully as I can using mostly plant based whole foods. I can not get in the quantity that I did before being sleeved. I keep track of my food intake on My Fitness Pal so that I make sure to get in enough protein.

Different doctors & nutritionists will have differing opinions too. My nutritionist says that my diet is a little carb heavy, and that I would lose weight more quickly if I ate less fruit, rice & Beans, tofu & rice, etc. You know what, I've lost 101 lbs. in 6 months so i'm not really that concerned. I eat what feels right & healthy. I drink my Water. I exercise. That seems to work out just fine.

So, don't let anyone discourage you from being vegetarian or even vegan. It is possible to get in all your protein without any animal products. It is also not the end of the world if you eat 2 pieces of fruit a day instead of the half a piece recommended. You can also eat healthy grains in moderation too. Quinoa is a great one. So, listen to your body's intuition. Sometimes it's the smartest thing that we can do.

[Melixxa 125]

Congratulations on making a fantastic choice for your body, the animals and the planet! :wub:

I work at being vegan all the time, but slip up and have dairy pretty often, too. I was wondering if I could do vegetarian or vegan post-surgery, and I'm glad to hear it's possible! Did you ever use Protein powder? If so, what kind? I know Vega is vegan, and if you get the natural flavour, it's not very sweet. I'm hoping it will work for me when I need it!

[HatheryOnHerWay 603]

I'm vegetarian. 15 years.

[ShrinkingLee 2]

Thank you all for your comments. I felt best when I was eating a low sugar vegan diet and I am happy to hear you say it is possible. Curious, have any of you read The China Study. Interesting stuff.

Hathery, what did you nutritionist think if your being vegetarian with a sleeve? Did she think it would hinder your weight loss.

There should be a thread for vegetarians.

[JProx 161]

I felt best with raw food just could not stick with it.

[ShrinkingLee 2]

JProx, I agree. I felt fabulous when doing raw as well, but it was so unrealistic (long term anyway) for me that I didn't mention it. Vegan/low sugar, I think I can manage long term if it works with the sleeve.

I have a friend who told me that diet (vegan) would be too fibrous for bypass patients. Hope it's doable with with the sleeve.

I had some complications with my surgery so at 4 weeks out my diet has still not advanced past the full liquid stage.