Newme17

I think of this often too....and often think of the long term effects...wls or not, not getting the fiber and antioxidant nutrition from plants is a recipe for some problems internally down the road...just my take on it and a lot of science behind it.

Yes I agree. Good cholesterol has gotten a bad rap, just like carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap. We need these both, just the good ones. 😊

Here's a good list to start. I personally would eliminate the fatty fish and limit the olive oil. But the rest are everything on a good wholesome plant based diet.

Why not both? Just be sure to leave out the processed foods from the vegan...which will leave you with a Whole Foods plant based diet anyway! 😁

You're welcome hon. It's my pleasure.

No issues digesting kale at all. But it did take me a while in the beginning of trying to go plant based (two years ago) to actually like kale. Lol. Now it's my favorite. I actually told my husband I love it more than spinach now. So, as for when I tried after surgery, I don't recall the exact time, but I think I was maybe 4 weeks out when I started to add actual salad, probably made with kale and spinach. I have been fortunate to not have any digestive issues at all and it's even better now being on a plant based diet. No tummy trouble for me. But as I'm writing this, I actually had kale from the get go. My nut approved of me making little ice cubed sized "green bombs" and putting them in my shakes from day 2 or 3 post op. It's when I started protein drinks. Anyway, the green bombs were a mixture of kale, spinach, cucumbers, green apple, ginger, and avocado blended in my nutribullet with a little water. I poured them in ice cube trays and froze them. Would pop a couple in a protein shake and have my veggies with my drink. It was great. ive heard of many issues with the lapband, so I won't be surprised if you may not have any issues when the time is right.

First thing I thought was "how much is your dairy intake?" Just as Apple asked, do you eat a lot of eggs, cheese, etc (and oils). That'll play a good role in bad cholesterol being high. Here's an excerpt of a great article. ....it appears we need to drastically reduce our intake of trans fat, which comes from processed foods and naturally from meat and dairy; saturated fat, found mainly in animal products and junk foods; and, playing a lesser role, dietary cholesterol, found exclusively in animal-derived foods, especially eggs. Notice the pattern? The three boosters of bad cholesterol—the number-one risk factor for our number-one killer—all stem from eating processed foods and animal products. This likely explains why populations living on traditional diets revolving around whole plant foods have largely remained free from the epidemic of heart disease. https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/

I am still learning a lot myself! Lol. I get interested in things and start looking stuff up on the internet. It was Apple's signature quote that piqued my interest about the myths etc. Here's a great site for science based information about anything to do with being healthy: https://nutritionfacts.org/

I think it's a matter of preference. I tend to go by Whole Foods plant based. Vegan can have a lot of other things than just veggies and fruits, as long as there are no animal products used, which can be a whole lot of junky processed foods as well. There are Healthy vegans though. If I had to label my lifestyle it'll have to vegetarian currently, because I do have an egg or some cheese every now and then; but it's probably 90% plant based. But I am not all that big on labels, so I say I eat a WFPB diet if the subject of diet comes up.

I don't worry about the protein anymore. I just stick to making sure I eat my Whole Foods and I believe it'll take care of itself as well. So, in other words, I could probably sit down and figure out what I ate today and how much is in it, etc...but that's not me. If I did it, I'm sure I probably got a good dose of plant proteins, etc in. Doesn't stop me from not having any energy or even lifting weights at the gym (although I need to do more). I just believe my body is taking care of itself. Now, I do like to have some cold brew with a protein shake every now and then (so that helps!) and I do have plant protein shakes from time to time too. Oh, and I eat an egg here and there as well. 😁

I swear you just wrote about my husband!!!! Lol. He's a licensed aircraft mechanic for the Navy, currently. 😂 His coworkers are doing the same! He's always got some story about the guys giving him grief as well. Lol

No fancy dinner tonight. Hit the gym earlier and came home ravenously hungry. I did a quick small kale salad with strawberries, feta, and some pepitas. Drizzled a little bit of the Olive Garden brand house dressing on it. It's pretty good though. Tomorrow, I plan to have another kale salad. One I've made before, last week, I think! Lol. I'll share a pic then too. Here's tonight's little put together salad.

Many times I ignore posting a reply if there's no info on the profile. I am a detailed kind of gal and like to have most everything filled in, it'd be nice if others did the same, but we can't have a world full of Newme17's or we'll all go crazy. 😜 or not?? Maybe it could be heaven on earth. Hahaha!!!

Yes. You can buy it otc. There are a couple of types though, not sure which would benefit the best though. You can get most of your potassium through plants and legumes. If you like dates, they have more potassium than bananas.

That is so cute!

Everything she said ^^^^. Follow your doc's orders during a pregnancy and always remember, it's all about the baby. Due to other complications during my pregnancy (had before surgery) , I gained 15 lbs only following every order given. Doc reminded me all the time, "it's not about you, but the health of your baby" remember this and congrats on your success thus far and baby to be soon.

This is a hard one. Same here.

You're welcome and yes, much healthier! Welcome to the thread. 😊

I don't recall if I gained anything or even lost anything. My initial weight is what the insurance company went with, so it wouldn't have mattered to gain or lose. Obviously, the doctor and team wanted a loss. So anyway, you're absolutely right...going such a low cal diet is NOT sustainable for anyone. I agree with @DropWt4Life, give yourself back some cals. If you'd really like to see how much you're supposed to be eating to maintain the weight you're at now, find a few online calculators to give you an average of calories needed.

Today's dinner. Purple Power Bowls YUM pic is before I poured the lemon tahini sauce on it https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/08/purple-power-bowls/

What's the snack? Lol update: NEVERMIND! Took my phone long enough to load it.

Thanks! Saving it for my first tofu recipe. 😉

Pics can deceive! Lol. So I can wear it, but I feel like I'm wearing a corset. Lol

The only reason we have to take b12 is due to not farming our own produce. B12 only comes from the ground. Hence, animals eat from it. Our produce filled grocery stores do not have the untouched farm to table quality fruits and veggies. So, in the old days, most people farmed their own produce or bought from the farmer's markets. If I could ever get to the point of farming most of my own veggies and fruits, I won't need to have the supplement either.

My husband took off work early to spend the day with me. I feel so much better and wanted to enjoy my last day of no working. So we went to the mall and I got my brows threaded. Lol. I always feel much better when they're groomed. Anyway, we walked and talked. Went in many stores. Went in to Victoria's Secret...no secrets there! Lol. Found out that I still do not fit the biggest bra size !!! But my band is significantly smaller, from 40 to 36. Yay! Then we went in to Express and I fell in love with a jacket. Size Large. (They're sizes tend to run small). It slides on and I can zip it up, but it's pretty fitted. 😂 my husband says, "buy it and shrink in to it". Lol. I debated and decided to get it. It was $128 and I got it for $56. I can't wait to wear it! Here's a pic: sorry had to crop my beaming smile out, my daughter was in he pic and I try to not share my kids online (unless privately)