Vegetarians & Gastric Sleeve

[JenniferP1 75]

Any vegetarians out there that have already been sleeved? Being able to eat right as a veggie post op is one on my main concerns. Advice???

[jane13 2,256]

@@JenniferP1 - have your talked to your NUT?

[SCSleeve 18]

I'm seven months post op and have been vegetarian for 20+ years. I still have one Protein Shake most days and am trying to get more adventurous with other veggie Protein sources. It's totally doable, but I do have to be more conscious of carbs than meat eaters seem to since I can't just have a piece of chicken or fish for dinner. Talk to your nut - mine modified the preop diet for me and gave me some info on veggie protein that wasn't in our manual. If you eat eggs, as I do, it'll be easy to get in some good (and cheap!) protein.

[Daisydawn34 41]

As a vegetarian how is your weight loss going I'm worried mine will be slower. I've been vegetarian since I was 13 and gained so much cause I became a carb junkie.

[mandyboo 21]

I'm veggie!! Have been since I was 8 :-) I started 229 now 175 at 6 months out. I eat eggs, cheese, quorn, Beans etc. :-)

[Daisydawn34 41]

That's encouraging I'm 220 pre-surgery scheduled oct 13. My doctor has me on less than 20 gram carb a day and it's kind of hard do you follow that after the sleeve?

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

That's encouraging I'm 220 pre-surgery scheduled oct 13. My doctor has me on less than 20 gram carb a day and it's kind of hard do you follow that after the sleeve?

I don't. It's would be nearly impossible on a vegetarian diet when most plant based sources of Protein also tend to have carbs. My carbs run a little on the high side but most days I keep it between 50 - 60 carbs/100gms protein/900 -1,000 calories a day.

[rnsamantha 352]

I feel like an unwilling vegetarian since surgery! I eat Greek yogurt, cheese, lentils, Beans, Protein Shakes etc. meat just doesn't sit right. I'm 7 weeks out.

[mandyboo 21]

I don't measure my carbs, calories or anything. I just eat.. Lol. But I should think carbs are quite high. I eat Cereal bars, crackers, cake, whatever I want really. I probably would have lost a lot more if I'd stick to the rules, but I'm happy with my progress :-) it's just been ( dare I say it) easy. :-)

[Thinside 155]

My doctor's office pointed out that it's not "carbs" that matter so much as the kind of carbs. In other words, there's a big difference between the carbs in soybeans or a piece of fruit than those in potato chips or a candy bar. I was told to keep carbs under 120, but…see above. They said the quality of the carbs is what matters most. They also said I wouldn't be ABLE to eat enough carbs to cause any worries at this point, what with my tiny stomach capacity so early on.

Of course, I do follow the mantra to always eat Protein first. I'm not a vegetarian, but have been a pescatarian (eat some fish, plus eggs and dairy) for 40 years. I have always had trouble getting enough Protein (I log it every day on Sparkpeople), so I was worried about this. I'm just 10 days post-op, and just started pureed foods. I'm eating yogurt, vegetarian refried Beans with cheese, blended cottage cheese, ricotta, cream of wheat, applesauce or other fruit blended with unflavored powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury, and tofu. (You can do amazing things with tofu!) I haven't yet tried any fish or eggs. 'm not having any troubles to speak of and am hitting my protein goal every day.

I'm also using protein powders and drinks. For example, every day I put 1/2 of a New whey Protein Shot (fruit punch flavor) in a 20 ounce bottle of Water. That gives me 21 grams of protein, plus helps me hit my liquid goal. The oddest thing so far for me is that plain ole H2O has always been my favorite drink -- I've never been a big soda drinker, and if I ever drank juice, I would cut it to 1/5 juice, 4/5 Water. But since the sleeve, plain water tastes weird to me.

So I hope you won't worry! I am finding it very manageable.

And you know what else? It may be crazy or sacrilegious or something, but I WANT to lose somewhat slowly! I figure a slower loss will help with the skin sagging (I'm in my late 50s, and concerned about this). I also feel that an extra few months of getting to goal is not a big worry; after all, I plan to lose this weight for life. Unlike all the other times I've lost weight, this time I know it is going to come off and stay off! So if it takes a bit longer (and gives my skin time to catch up), I'm not going to stress out about it!

Best of luck to you! Keep us posted!

Edited August 15, 2015 by Thinside