Little Green

So I've been making my way through the various plant-based docs on Netflix (favorite is Forks Over Knives, least favorite is What the Health although it wasn't terrible) and I came across one called Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead. The filmmaker is Joe Cross, who I saw in another documentary as a plant-based person, so I looked him up and found the film. To give a short summary he decides to undertake a 60-day juice fast (with medical supervision) so basically eating exclusively fruits and vegetables in juice form - I can't recall if he said whether he added any of the pulp/fiber back in or if it was exclusively juice. Then after his fast he gives the impression that he went on a plant-based diet. He lost about 90 lbs in less than a year, doing a "reboot" juice fast every so often, and started traveling to promote this way of living. Now I'm personally not into juicing especially if the fiber is left out. So I didn't decide to do juicing or follow his journey or anything. However, I thought it was a decent documentary and promoted fruit & veggies so I was like, "Cool," and moved on with my life. Then Netflix recommended the sequel film, Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead 2. So I started watching it. Well... he stated that at the end of his juice fast he had lost 90 pounds to be about 220. He's 6'2 so that's a BMI of 28. Not bad for coming from being 310 lbs. However then he said he has gone up to 240 and fluctuates between 240 and 250. That's a BMI of 30.8 to 32.1 so basically he is obese now. He said 40% of his calories come from fruit and vegetables which I thought was kinda low, but maybe he eats a lot of grains or whatever.... and then he hit me with the big one that he eats animal protein for dinner every night! To my mind this is kind of crazy to call yourself plant-based and then eat meat not just occasionally but every night for supper. I feel like he is kind of riding the trend of plant-based/veganism while sort of hiding the fact that he's still eating meat. I mean I definitely left the first documentary with the impression he was fully plant-based/vegan. And it really got me wondering if this is why his weight is still so high and he has to constantly be going on these "reboot" juice fasts to lose weight again. I wonder what would happen if he just cut out the meat and ate plant-based all the time, if his weight would go back down and he wouldn't have to reboot. I know he travels a lot which can do crazy things to your body, sleep, water retention, etc. But Dr. Greger also travels all over the place doing talks, etc. And Dr. Greger admits his diet when traveling isn't always ideal - he said sometimes when traveling he only hits 25% of the daily dozen recommendation - but he does eat only plant-based and stays healthy despite a crazy travel schedule. So what do you think? Have you seen this movie or the sequel? Do you think if you eat meat every night you are still plant-based? (This doesn't count vegetarianism because this forum is also for vegetarians, not just vegans, so I am referring only to meat here.) Would you rather eat meat and have to juice fast, or just cut the meat and eat mostly plant-based all the time for the same results?

To me it's similar to Dr. Davis's book but on steroids. I know you've seen his videos on NutritionFacts.org so imagine a whole book made up of those videos. It's very enjoyable but definitely brain-heavy. I just finished part 1 where he talks about all the studies and "how not to die" and I usually did 2 chapters per day just to let my brain rest and soak up the info in between. Now I'm starting part 2 where he talks about the daily dozen and what foods should make up the bulk of your diet.

I really like unsweetened soy milk but the one I buy from Trader Joe's isn't fortified with calcium. So I tried one from the regular grocery store that is both fortified and sweetened. It's not awful but I definitely like the unsweetened better. (This is over cereal, I don't drink it straight.) Any brand recommendations for unsweetened soy milk with added calcium would be welcome!

It's funny when you realized recipes you used all along were plant-based and healthy. Here is the recipe I use for marinara (and it's oil-free!) - 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes 1 6 oz can tomato paste 1 tbsp onion powder (or 1 diced yellow onion) 1 tbsp dried minced garlic (or 3 cloves minced garlic) 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp basil 1/2 tbsp oregano 2 bay leaves pepper to taste Cook 6-8 hours in the crockpot until it's reduced and caramelized and your house smells like heaven. Cheaper, tastier, and healthier than jarred sauce! @Newme17 you might recognize it as a Budget Bytes recipe! I found her site 3-4 years ago and this is the recipe I've made the most often. The texture is a happy medium between chunky marinara and smooth sauce-like marinara. I think crushed tomatoes are absolutely perfect texture-wise, but you can use diced tomatoes for chunkier sauce, or use the immersion blender to make this one totally smooth. This is not a super sweet spaghetti-style sauce. Personally I never liked spaghetti/tomato sauce because it was too sweet (I know a lot of people actually add white sugar to their spaghetti sauce) and when I tried this recipe I knew I found the right one. The brown sugar just cuts the acidity a bit without adding a bunch of sweetness. Just the right level of tangy tomato-y-ness for me personally. And it has TONS of vitamin A and lycopene for extra cancer-fighting abilities! Whoop! Edit - we use this on pasta almost exclusively, but we have also used it as a sauce for pita pizza and it's a nice texture for dipping too.

I will check those out! Thank you for the recommendation! No, not yet. I'm pretty bummed about it but hopefully it should be here soon. I'm still in limbo on my surgery date but it'll probably be 10-14 days until my liquid diet starts so I'm anxious to get some vegan protein shakes/powders in my arsenal!

Has anyone tried this kind? I just ordered a sample kit that includes the three flavors of Veggie Elite protein powder plus a shaker bottle and a few other vegan products from MRM. I paid $10 for shipping but the kit was free, which is nice. I read good reviews on a bodybuilding website that this was the best tasting vegan powder and wasn't as gritty as some of the others. It's made with pea and brown rice protein and is sweetened with stevia. I hope the samples come quickly as I'll probably be starting my liquid diet in 2-3 weeks and want to get some products ordered soon! I do have a bunch of Premier Protein which I will happily use if needed (I want to survive, whether plant-based or not!) but if I can avoid the milk protein I'd like to try! Anyone have experience with this brand?

My snow day plant based breakfast of Kashi cereal with blackberries, blueberries, and soy milk. Proteinaholic on my Kindle and How Not to Die in hardcover. Going to relax and read all day!!!

@Newme17 those Mary's crackers are SO DARN GOOD. I couldn't believe the first 3 ingredients were rice, flaxseeds, and quinoa! It really goes to show how delicious herbs can make things! And I love how crunchy they are.

Omg... recipe?! That looks sooo good.

We've been traveling all day so here is my on-the-road menu. Keep in mind I am still pre-op so I don't have restrictions yet. At the hotel had a waffle with strawberries, pecans, and walnuts on top plus shared a large plate of fruit with my husband. A few hours later right before we hit the road I had an iced coffee with soy milk, half a banana, and a Kind "Pressed" bar which are whole food fruit bars! They taste like fruit leathers if you've ever had those, but they also have either chia seeds or greens in addition to the fruit. Only "bar" I've ever had that has natural fiber instead of added chicory root or something. It's so nice to see a bar that has "mango, apple, chia seeds" as the ingredients. All day on the interstate so a few hours from home we stopped and I got Taco Bell pinto beans for a snack. The tortillas, beans, potatoes, rice, and guacamole are all plant-based there! You could make a good burrito or burrito bowl out of those ingredients if you needed to eat on the road. Then when we got home we met my parents for supper at an Italian place. I had minestrone soup and gnocchi with marinara sauce. I also had a Caesar salad, which wasn't vegan but hey I'm still transitioning, right! Lol. I'm so new to this way of eating, less than 2 full weeks, but so far I'm happy with the variety! I definitely need to get more greens and more consistent protein because I am hungry every 2-3 hours right now. I think my stomach might be missing that super full feeling you get from a large animal protein meal. We have been traveling non-stop so not much cooking as been happening but I just got the How Not to Die cookbook and I'm going to try a few things this week!

I had a gain at my very last appointment (so frustrating!) but because I will still under my start weight, it wasn't an issue and I was approved with no issue. You've still got some time to come back down again. It's definitely normal to be anxious about it, so I completely understand. But, I do believe you will be just fine.

I've told tons of people. My parents, siblings, close friends, spouse's parents, people at school who needed to know for academic reasons, etc. I haven't said anything on social media so those who I don't see in person don't know yet (I will probably say something the day or two before surgery). I've had mostly positive reactions, with a few mixed reactions as well. My MIL said, "Are you sure?" First thing out of her mouth. But she's gotten much more supportive since then. My best friend was concerned about my safety and the risks of surgery. We spent a while talking about the surgery and recovery time and she felt better after that. I only had one reaction that really upset me, which was another close friend who responded with, "What do your parents think about it?" and then changed the subject. This is my best friend from childhood so I definitely was not expecting that kind of reaction. She was the first person I told so I got scared from telling anyone else and didn't mention it again for several months. She's been very supportive recently, though. Maybe she just needed time to process it. I do have to say that none of my family members or close friends is obese (my parents are overweight, though). So I haven't had to deal with the potentially jealous or defensive reactions. I do have one obese friend whom I have specifically not told yet... in the past she has made comments making fun of skinny people, to make herself feel better I think. I think she sees us as "in this together" and also may be thankful that I am bigger than her so she doesn't have to be the biggest one in the room, if that makes sense? Of everyone I think she's the most likely to react negatively, so I've been waiting until the right time to mention it. So... all of that said. I think if you want to tell people you should, but bear in mind their own insecurities about weight. It's likely that their reaction has more to do with them than with you. The more you know about your surgery, the better the reactions will probably be. You can answer questions and show them you've researched for quite some time and you're not just looking for a magic bullet. I'm personally not a fan of keeping it secret, I think it perpetuates the stigma against WLS, but it's a personal decision and depends on how you feel about advocating for yourself if someone should speak against you or the surgery. So I really don't blame anyone who chooses not to tell.

Thank you, all! I really appreciate all the support and discussion we have here at BP. Love hearing others' experiences and talking things through. Let's do this!

I hadn't done medically supervised weight loss, either. On my intake form they asked which diets I'd tried and for how long, so I just listed them and it wasn't a problem. I completed the 6-month diet visits required by my insurance and got approved with no issue. Good luck!

*waves* Yes, me! Not sure exactly which date yet but some time in the first half of the month. I'm starting to get nervous and scared... eek!

Sounds like you're in the other 60%!

Usually that gets better the more you eat them, so you might be stuck in a cycle where you don't want to eat them because of the gas but you can't get over the gas because you don't eat them much. I've heard that soaking dry beans overnight before cooking the next day can help reduce the compounds that cause gas. I also saw a video about "Beans, Gas, & You" on YouTube LOL but I haven't watched it yet. It's from the lilykoihawaii channel if you want to look it up!

And I just read that up to 17% of sleeve patients who develop GERD also develop Barrett's esophagus, which is considered a precancerous condition. There are risks for every surgery.

Congratulations!!! Woohoo!

(Cross-posted from the Vegetarian forum due to low traffic there.) The more I've been learning about fruit the more I want to make it a part of pretty much every meal, as well as having regular servings of whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, etc. I'm having gastric bypass so there's a greater risk of dumping syndrome. I'm wondering if these healthy but carb-y foods also cause dumping, or if it's mostly just refined sugars and high-fat foods. I'm particularly interested in your particular experiences rather than what we might assume should/shouldn't cause dumping. Thanks in advance for any advice!

The more I've been learning about fruit the more I want to make it a part of pretty much every meal, as well as having regular servings of whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, etc. I'm having gastric bypass so there's a greater risk of dumping syndrome. I'm wondering if these healthy but carb-y foods also cause dumping, or if it's mostly just refined sugars and high-fat foods. I'm particularly interested in your particular experiences rather than what we might assume should/shouldn't cause dumping. Thanks in advance for any advice!

@Newme17, girl you are the bomb dot com. You too, @Apple1. I've been reading through this thread for several days (lots of the "somebody liked a post..." notifications you've been getting are from me! LOL) and I'm finally to the end! I'm so thrilled to find some other bariatric patients eating plant-based. Thank you for sharing your recipes and your passion/knowledge!!! Love it! I'm reading Proteinaholic now based on your recommendation (as well as reading through that thread so be prepared for more notifications! ). I haven't searched through the entire forum yet but if y'all haven't read How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger, you gotta get on it STAT. It is so thorough, so well-researched and well-cited, and so compelling. It has changed me and my husband to be plant-based and my therapist has ordered it as well. You can also check out his videos on YouTube (NutritionFacts.org) if you can't get the book just yet. (But the book is still the best!) I'm about six weeks pre-op at this point and planning to eat fully plant-based between now and my liquid diet. Due to the restriction in food volume intake I know I will almost certainly have to supplement with dairy products to hit at least 50g protein, but I plan to make as much of my protein plant-based as possible. Definitely going to be a lot of pureed beans and bean chilis until I can eat more!

We might be twins! I'm aiming for the 5th-7th of Feb.

GOOD LUCK!! I cannot wait to hear how you do. Congrats on making it through the liquid diet. You're gonna rock it! All of you!

I called today to check on the preauth and she told me I was approved!!! Woohoo! I had a "oh crap" moment because she said I was approved for surgery TOMORROW... um...? But it was just a dummy date they put on the request. So I called the bariatric office to confirm and they said the coordinator wasn't in the office but she'd call me tomorrow or Friday to set up the date and pre-op labs! I'm kinda sick with anxiety, I'm thrilled but my stomach is just roiling and twisting with knots. I probably have around six weeks before my surgery now and it seems like it's next week. It's been 14 months since I decided to pursue WLS and almost 10 months since my consult! Long time coming, but it'll be worth the wait!