The Plant-Based Bariatric: Can It Be Done?

[kc892020 90]

Hello everyone!

Its been quite a long time since I've utilized this site, but I'm itching to get people's opinions on something. Lately, I've been stewing on becoming plant-based, or at least, mostly plant-based. Can this be done as someone who's had WLS? Would it be difficult to meet Protein goals? Has anyone on here tried it, or does it?

There's a good possibility this question has already been asked on here before, and I just can't find it. But I am curious. Any thoughts on this are appreciated! Thank you.

[SpartanMaker 767]

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/

[kc892020 90]

32 minutes ago, SpartanMaker said:

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/

Thank you for sharing that link. You're right though, it definitely doesn't get a lot of traffic and isn't the most helpful resource. 😕

[Tomo 1,191]

From what I read, as long as you get your Protein and Iron in, there is no problem being on a plant-based diet. It may be more difficult to reach your protein and iron goals but as long as you are committed to reaching those goals, you will be fine. Tofu, tempeh, Beans and lentils... Etc. And maybe add vegan Protein Powder.

Also, I'm a fan of taking full blood tests every 6 months to ever year to make sure I am not deficient since I don't eat a lot of meat myself. Definitely talk to your doctor about it though.

[Smanky 747]

Hi, certified vegan bypasser here! 🤓 It's totally doable, and I've had no issues at all hitting my Protein goals both with and without vegan protein Water. The protein water has been a big help, but honestly, even if I wasn't vegan I'd still be using the protein water as there are days when I just want to eat vegetables and don't want to deal with heavy seitans.

Speaking of, seitan (wheat meat/faux meats) are the best source of high protein I've found. The best ones can be sourced from good Chinese grocers in the freezer section. If you have a Trader Joes or Wholefoods near you, I expect they'd have a great vegan section. Some examples of the protein counts in the seitans I have access to:

Chinese supermarket Not Pork 100g serve = 165 cal, 21g protein

Chinese supermarket Not Duck 100g serve = 150 cal, 19g protein

Princess G brand "Crispy G" 100g serve = 266 cal, 17g protein

Sayur Not Pork 100g serve = 155 cal, 21g protein

Lamyong is another great faux meat brand. But if you can't source good faux meats, good old tofu comes through:

Firm Tofu (½ cup/126g) = 181 cal, 21.8g protein

Marinate that tofu in something delicious, and fry it up with some asian greens!

Some mung bean pastas are high in protein. Not the nicest wheat Pasta substitute, but with a nice tangy Tomato sauce and a little vegan Parmesan, it's acceptable. Also check the nutritional info on the back of Gardein products, I think they're pretty easy to find.

Soy milk has about 8g of protein per serve, so that's another way of slipping some extra protein in, especially if you can tolerate Protein Shakes. Protein fortified soy milk (10g per serve) in a plant based Protein Shake gives me a whopping 40g of protein in one go, so again, on days when I'm just craving vegetables, I can do a shake for Breakfast and a protein water or two throughout the day and easily hit my goals.

Some vegetables are also higher in protein, like edamame, but I honestly just stick with protein water and seitans, as that's what I enjoy.

Hope that helps!

Edited November 11, 2022 by Smanky

[kc892020 90]

3 hours ago, Smanky said:

Hi, certified vegan bypasser here! 🤓 It's totally doable, and I've had no issues at all hitting my Protein goals both with and without vegan Protein Water. The protein Water has been a big help, but honestly, even if I wasn't vegan I'd still be using the protein water as there are days when I just want to eat vegetables and don't want to deal with heavy seitans.

Speaking of, seitan (wheat meat/faux meats) are the best source of high protein I've found. The best ones can be sourced from good Chinese grocers in the freezer section. If you have a Trader Joes or Wholefoods near you, I expect they'd have a great vegan section. Some examples of the protein counts in the seitans I have access to:

Chinese supermarket Not Pork 100g serve = 165 cal, 21g protein

Chinese supermarket Not Duck 100g serve = 150 cal, 19g protein

Princess G brand "Crispy G" 100g serve = 266 cal, 17g protein

Sayur Not Pork 100g serve = 155 cal, 21g protein

Lamyong is another great faux meat brand. But if you can't source good faux meats, good old tofu comes through:

Firm Tofu (½ cup/126g) = 181 cal, 21.8g protein

Marinate that tofu in something delicious, and fry it up with some asian greens!

Some mung bean pastas are high in protein. Not the nicest wheat Pasta substitute, but with a nice tangy Tomato sauce and a little vegan Parmesan, it's acceptable. Also check the nutritional info on the back of Gardein products, I think they're pretty easy to find.

Soy milk has about 8g of protein per serve, so that's another way of slipping some extra protein in, especially if you can tolerate Protein Shakes. Protein fortified soy milk (10g per serve) in a plant based Protein Shake gives me a whopping 40g of protein in one go, so again, on days when I'm just craving vegetables, I can do a shake for Breakfast and a protein water or two throughout the day and easily hit my goals.

Some vegetables are also higher in protein, like edamame, but I honestly just stick with protein water and seitans, as that's what I enjoy.

Hope that helps!

Thank you, this was very helpful! Have you noticed any issues with this lifestyle? Are your labs normal and you're able to keep on track? I think my biggest fear is protein not absorbing well enough. Have you ever had to worry about kidney stones? Do you have a recommended brand for the vegan protein water? Thank you immensely for all of your help!

[Smanky 747]

2 hours ago, kc892020 said:

Thank you, this was very helpful! Have you noticed any issues with this lifestyle? Are your labs normal and you're able to keep on track? I think my biggest fear is Protein not absorbing well enough. Have you ever had to worry about kidney stones? Do you have a recommended brand for the vegan protein Water? Thank you immensely for all of your help!

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! 💪

[SuziDavis 546]

One of my favorite Protein powders is vegan... there are so many options at this point, it's definitely doable.

But for real, the French Toast and chocolate Frost from this link are sooo good.

https://1stphorm.com/collections/protein/products/vegan-power-pro?variant=39919579660374

[qtdoll 535]

I am not plant based but I do eat nice amount of vegetarian substitutes for red meats! they still have a nice amount of Protein. I like the brand Morning Star (I think some of the items are vegetarian & not vegan however)

[kc892020 90]

On 11/11/2022 at 1:37 AM, Smanky said:

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! 💪

Thank you for your response! I really appreciate it. It seems like Australia has more access to plant-based Protein Drinks and shakes than we do here, based on what I've been researching. For instance, that water sounds amazing but I can't seem to find anything like that here. :(

[Smanky 747]

11 hours ago, kc892020 said:

Thank you for your response! I really appreciate it. It seems like Australia has more access to plant-based Protein Drinks and shakes than we do here, based on what I've been researching. For instance, that Water sounds amazing but I can't seem to find anything like that here.

This is the US website for MyProtein https://us.myprotein.com/ranges/myvegan/products.list - scroll down to the "Clear Vegan Isolate". That's Protein water, and you guys actually get flavours we don't!

Edited January 22, 2023 by Smanky

[kc892020 90]

On 1/22/2023 at 12:49 AM, Smanky said:

This is the US website for MyProtein https://us.myprotein.com/ranges/myvegan/products.list - scroll down to the "Clear Vegan Isolate". That's Protein Water, and you guys actually get flavours we don't!

Wow, thank you again!