Bariatric Vegetarian Life

[FluffyChix 17,415]

@DropWt4Life How well do you like his book? I'm considering getting it. I hear ya on the 1/2 cup food at a sitting. I don't really get that either. I'll go rewatch that video too!

I'm not really looking to go vegetarian, but in my old life before disease, I liked to take "meals off" from meat Proteins. I used to love Boca Burgers and Morning Star Farms Griller burgers. Then I developed a hormone positive disease and my doc doesn't want me eating soy any longer. So that kinda sucked.

It would be lovely to have some variety and have that flexibility when you just don't feel like making turkey, chicken, or fish! You know? And I eat tons of eggs and egg whites--which I still love, but still...

[Apple1 2,572]

At 3.5 months post-op I have found it pretty easy to transition. I am still eating some dairy, but have not consumed any meat in about 2 weeks now. I think until you are on solid foods it may be difficult, but I don't know.

I am happy if I get anywhere from 45-55g of Protein. I figure I am healed and that number is working for me. A Protein Shake for Breakfast helps a lot. I am eating salad almost everyday because the leafy greens are so healthy!! I usually have a serving of whole grain at dinner with some Beans, or tofu, veggies, ect... For a snack some times Peanut Butter on a couple of whole grain crackers, a serving of fruit, or a Protein Bar if I feel like I am running low.

I really want to eliminate cheese once and for all. I have only eaten it 2 times in 3 weeks so it is slowly leaving.

[DropWt4Life 957]

FluffyChix, it is a great read. It is actually a book that he pushes for non-wls patients as well. His premise is that if you eat 1-2 pounds of leafy greens and other veggies per day, you won't have room for most of the bad foods that cause weight gain and health issues. I did it for a few weeks, and did lose weight.

My problem was that I could eat 5-7 cups or up to 3 pounds of food in 1 sitting. I ate the 1-2 pounds per day, and then still had room for a lot of other food. I think it could work wonders for me now if I can find a way to deal with the Protein issue.

I too ate a lot of Morningstar Farms as a vegetarian. I still have tons of veggie crumbles, veggie breakfast sausages and buffalo chicken nuggets in my freezer. I prefer them to the real thing as they are less greasy and "healthier". I would like to find a healthier option though. They really help with the protein dilemma, but utilize vital wheat gluten as a protein source which is definitely a problem for me.

I stopped drinking milk, and whey based Protein Shakes years ago after I watched Forks over Knives and a few other documentaries. Now I find myself indulging in them once more out of necessity right now. Veggie sourced protein shakes are just too chalky for me. They also have very little protein compared to whey sources. I would be interested in leaving these behind if I could get what I need from food alone.

I am open to leaving fish on the menu long term if I can get rid of milk, whey based protein sources, cheese, and other meats. I like tofu, and seitan. I think that maybe using these sources with egg whites, and maybe having salmon a couple of times per week will be good for me. We will see what the future holds. I have a little time to figure it all out.

[SusanG81 36]

Coyote we can all make it work if we all do what we know we should do. Live a healthy lifestyle

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

[SusanG81 36]

FluffyChix...thanks for the video.

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

[SusanG81 36]

DropWt4Life...thanks for mentioning his book. I wanna get it.

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[Apple1 2,572]

I really like his videos and I have watched almost all of them.

[coyote 93]

7 hours ago, SusanG81 said:

Coyote we can all make it work if we all do what we know we should do. Live a healthy lifestyle

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Agreed. I was a little unnerved that she flat out would not talk about it now but I understand that she's following instructions by the surgeon. At this point in my pre-op (7-ish weeks out) she says I'm not allowed to count veggie Protein towards my daily goals - only meat.

[Berry78 4,261]

19 hours ago, DropWt4Life said:

I am open to leaving fish on the menu long term if I can get rid of milk, whey based Protein sources, cheese, and other meats. I like tofu, and seitan. I think that maybe using these sources with egg whites, and maybe having salmon a couple of times per week will be good for me. We will see what the future holds. I have a little time to figure it all out.

Ok, first off, thank you very much for making this post. It got me to go look up tofu and seitan.. and those led me to tempeh.

I'm dismayed that tofu has so little protein. It has the same amount of protein as straight up Beans and lentils, but being an unfermented soy product, there are potential health issues with it.

Seitan is an extremely concentrated source of protein.. but it is wheat gluten. Gluten is a highly allergenic type of protein, and frequent over-exposure could, in theory, trigger allergy where none existed before.

Tempeh is apparently where its at. It is fermented soy, which is apparently safer than unfermented, and it is concentrated.. about twice the protein as that of beans and lentils.

Fish, of course, is concentrated protein as well. On days you eat 4oz of fish, you simply add a cup of lentils and 2oz of nuts, and you've met your requirements for the day. What? Room for leafy veggies??! Amazing! Lol.

Tempeh doesn't have quite the protein of fish, so you'll need 1.5 cups lentils and 2oz nuts. Still not too bad.

[DropWt4Life 957]

Coyote, I think that most nutritionists are well versed in diets based around meat as the main Protein source. I think these are the nutritionists that work closely with bariatric patients. Low carb/keto diets generally are responsible for the fastest weight loss. It is not uncommon to lose 7 pounds per week on these diets. The goal for bariatric patients is to lose weight as safely, but as quickly as possible to stabilize whatever ailments or conditions that they are experiencing.

Let's face it....A high carb, low fat diet is effective for weight loss, but it isn't as quick. Add to that, French fries, potato chips, and candy are all vegetarian foods. A lot of vegetarians (myself included in the past) eat highly processed foods that aren't healthy, and don't contribute to weight loss. I have met several overweight and obese vegetarians in my lifetime.

If it is done correctly, meaning no or minimally processed foods and sugar laden foods, it can be a very successful diet for a lifetime. I have never been able to stay on a diet for more than a few months, but I was a vegetarian for a little over 3 years. The only reason that I left it was because I was unhappy at still being over 260 pounds. This was because I ate a lot of the wrong things. I should have been happy that my levels were all excellent, but I focused on weight instead.

One thing that sticks with me though......My uncle died 2 years ago of brain cancer. He was about 6'0", and 175 pounds when he was diagnosed at 55 years old. We thought he was very healthy. He was a hunter, and heavy meat and cheese eater. One day, he started just getting tired, which was the reason he reached out to his doctor. Anyway, to make a long story short...He had stage 4 brain cancer. MD Anderson in Houston urged him to give up the meat, cheese, milk products and processed foods. They wanted him to do a plant based diet. He was told that he only had 2-3 months to live. On this diet, his tumor started to decrease. He made it another 2 years before he succumbed to the disease. He was tired of fighting, and so he stopped. I asked my aunt why they gave him the plant based diet to follow in the first place. She told me that they told her that the fat and sugar in his diet fed cancer cells.

I don't know if this is a fact since this was 1 doctor that said that, but he is a highly respected surgeon at MD Anderson, so I have to take his word for it.

I would listen to your nutritionist in the short term, because your life is in their hands. After you are out of the danger zone, I would do whatever you feel is best for you. I know I will.

[DropWt4Life 957]

11 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

Ok, first off, thank you very much for making this post. It got me to go look up tofu and seitan.. and those led me to tempeh.

I'm dismayed that tofu has so little Protein. It has the same amount of protein as straight up Beans and lentils, but being an unfermented soy product, there are potential health issues with it.

Seitan is an extremely concentrated source of protein.. but it is wheat gluten. Gluten is a highly allergenic type of protein, and frequent over-exposure could, in theory, trigger allergy where none existed before.

Tempeh is apparently where its at. It is fermented soy, which is apparently safer than unfermented, and it is concentrated.. about twice the protein as that of Beans and lentils.

Fish, of course, is concentrated protein as well. On days you eat 4oz of fish, you simply add a cup of lentils and 2oz of nuts, and you've met your requirements for the day. What? Room for leafy veggies??! Amazing! Lol.

Tempeh doesn't have quite the protein of fish, so you'll need 1.5 cups lentils and 2oz nuts. Still not too bad.

Yeah, it is a very confusing way to eat. I don't want to resort back to relying on wheat gluten as my main protein source. I don't have issues with soy, but at the same time, don't want to overdo it. I honestly don't know which way I can take this until I have a handle on the amount of food that I will be able to take in throughout the day.

I do know that I will find an answer though. I am still in the soft food stage right now, but I get in a lot of leafy greens already. I get about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of chopped spinach daily in my Protein Shakes. I also eat either greens, kale or spinach daily. I am nowhere near a pound per day though. That is for sure. I don't even eat a pound of food per day all combined.

[Berry78 4,261]

I've been eating about a pound of food a day since 12 weeks postop. (I'm over 5 months out now). It is split up into a LOT of little meals. Sometimes I get it up to a pound and a half if I'm extra hungry. (The extra is veggies).

I still eat eggs, dairy, and meat .. so the veg. lifestyle is all theoretical for me at this point.. still in the research phase. If/when I feel that it truly IS the best course for me, I'll make the switch.

[Apple1 2,572]

I believe organic non-gmo soy or tofu is ok. I wouldn't eat it by the pound everyday, but a few servings a week is fine based on the research I did. If you don't have a gluten allergy then seiten is also great. I don't have a wheat allergy and from the research I have done it really isn't as common as we are lead to believe.

[Newme17 3,444]

35 minutes ago, DropWt4Life said:

She told me that they told her that the fat and sugar in his diet fed cancer cells

This is true. I've read many things on how the body processes fat/sugar and and watched a video of actual cancer cells showing growth after being exposed to the fat and sugar. The doc at MD was very good to put your uncle on the plant based. My mother is stage 4 lung cancer and she won't even think to do it...smh, I'm glad your uncle at least prolonged his life for 2 years instead of the couple of months he was given. That in itself, is proof that plants can help heal your body.

[Newme17 3,444]

6 minutes ago, Apple1 said:

wheat allergy and from the research I have done it really isn't as common as we are lead to believe.

Oh man...wish I had my book with me. Dr Davis talks about this and yeah, it isn't that common. Darn media.