I'm looking for suggestions and information from other vegetarians or vegans about their experience with lap band given the limited protein intake with the lifestyle.

I'm not going to lie, I struggle with it. Eggs are a great source of protein, but I don't always feel like making them. I buy the Garden Veggie Patties by Morningstar from Costco (they are bigger and have 18g protein). I try to drink one Muscle Milk Lite or Premier Protein daily, but that's not always the case. Cottage cheese and greek yogurt are great sources of protein, as well as beans. I like making salads that are protein packed (spinach, eggs, beans, sunflower seeds, cubed fake meat if I have it). I snack on low-fat string cheese almost daily.

A lot of the processed fake meat products have a good deal of protein, but they are also pretty dry so I have to take tiny bites and chew like crazy. They are the #1 thing that makes me PB or in the beginning, get stuck.

I have, to date, lost 61 pounds. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian (though I don't drink milk, I do eat dairy products). Before surgery, I was definitely a "starchitarian" so the lap band lifestyle has most definitely helped me lose weight. My body loves the extra protein that I get, and the band limits the amount of starches I can eat.

I'll definitely be following this thread to see if more suggestions come through. I would love to hear them!

You eat a lot like I do. I bought a nutribullet to be able to make a way to eat the vegetables and seeds edible for me. Since I was banded in 2009 I list my ability to eat healthy foods. Most of the foods I ate pre-surgery were impossible afterwards. I was so disappointed with my bad because of this. I was always able to lose weight before surgery but I was starving every step of the way which is why I'd gain it back. I got lap band to help with hunger.

I haven't lost my ability to eat healthy foods, I can still eat all the same fruits and veggies. I'm eating better now than before because I'm not eating a whole bag of Doritos (chips get stuck for me) or a whole loaf of garlic bread (breads also get stuck). I wonder if it's just some people's anatomy that makes it difficult to pass fibrous foods, because I've heard this on the threads before. That really sucks, and must be a huge disappointment.

It truly is uggg

I struggle with lots of veggies and salad, but I need more nutrition anyway. Lots of FF cheese and cottage cheese (both high in protein, low in calories). I add protein powder to yogurt (lite). I do try to eat one serving of fish or chicken daily or tuna but can't always manage it. Muscle Milk lite is awesome but I'm trying not to rely on them, which I tend to do. I honestly eat more cheese and cottage cheese than anything else.

I'm always trying to get enough protein so I get kind of serious about it by adding chia seeds or hemp seeds and flax to my kale and spinach shake in the am. I just don't want any malnutrition issues or for hair to fall out.

For my protein sources, I turn to beans (kidney, garbanzo, refried), hummous, lentils, loads of fish, yogurt, milk or soy milk (although I think soy milk has fewer grams of protein vs. cow's milk). I'll have some peanut butter from time to time but it's a trigger food for me. I use toasted sliced almonds on my salads, and add some cubed cheese, too. I wasn't a vegetarian to begin with but gave up meat when I got banded.

I also wasn't vegetarian before banding. After meat being impossible to eat because I can't keep it down I developed a huge dislike for it. I love the vegetation lifestyle.