I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian (no meat but will eat dairy products and eggs). In the last two years I've even been a raw vegan - a fantastic healthy diet but not socially easy or viable for very long (no meat, dairy, eggs or any cooked foods... just raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds).

I was wondering if there are any other vegetarians here and if the information you received was different since you could not eat meat, fish or poultry?

Robin

I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian (no meat but will eat dairy products and eggs). In the last two years I've even been a raw vegan - a fantastic healthy diet but not socially easy or viable for very long (no meat, dairy, eggs or any cooked foods... just raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds).

I was wondering if there are any other vegetarians here and if the information you received was different since you could not eat meat, fish or poultry?

Robin

Hi Robin!

I'm also a vegetarian! There's not many of us out here. My nutritionist helped with showing me many different high-Protein vegetarian items, most I already knew about but it was very helpful to go over it all. I had my surgery Nov 16. I've had some complecations (but not because of being a vegetarian) so I'm still on a full liquid diet. I'm having trouble getting all my Proteins down. I mix my Protein powder with Westsoy soy milk which has 11g protein per 8oz. I try to have a serving of powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken Soup (it's vegetarian) it has 20g protein. If you have any questions let me know.. and let me know if you find any high Protein shakes that taste good!

Kelli

I'm vego as well, but still awaiting my first appointment with the surgeon. Meanwhile I've been looking up Protein quantities etc and hope to get by with tofu, free range eggs, high protein shakes, cottage cheese and yoghurt/spirulina/chlorella smoothies. That should keep my protein and Iron in the adequate range, then I'll add beans/lentils as I progress and later add seeds and nuts.

Or maybe I'm being overly optimisitc that it will be that easy....

Me too, I hear about some folks becoming sensitive to eggs or milk.... I hope this does not happen to me...or any of us.... I think it will be ok, but I will be trying to get more protein in than I ever was before....

I was wondering if I would be able to go back to eating as a raw vegan, I haven't for years, but I would like to start up again. I was just wondering if or when my stomach could handle it? I was also wondering what options there are during the liquid phase if you don't want to consume artificial sweeteners?

I am a lacto ovo vegetarian, and I would have to say it would be very difficult to go 100% raw or vegan... you would have to rely on nuts ..... thats about it! You need lots of protein... and high quality protein with correct aminos.... I am working in more raw... but not that much so far... Your stomach just cant take it for quite some time.... I find vegetarian is not that hard (except eating out) you can eat beans, soy, gluten... with dairy and eggs even easier... but go raw, and I think you might run into some problems.

I am a lacto ovo vegetarian, and I would have to say it would be very difficult to go 100% raw or vegan... you would have to rely on nuts ..... thats about it! You need lots of Protein... and high quality protein with correct aminos.... I am working in more raw... but not that much so far... Your stomach just cant take it for quite some time.... I find vegetarian is not that hard (except eating out) you can eat Beans, soy, gluten... with dairy and eggs even easier... but go raw, and I think you might run into some problems.

I am not a vegetarian - I am a happy omnivore - but love fresh veggies. I agree with the person above that says your stomach can't take it for some time. I tried steamed asparagas at 3 weeks post surgery - and it caused intense stomach pain all evening and half the night. Now, at 6 weeks out, I can have steamed asparagas, steamed yellow squash, raw tomatoes, and raw cucumbers. I have eaten some salad greens, but have to severely limit my quantities.I am doing a lot of the milk based Proteins (cottage cheese, yogurt, low fat cheese) and the prepared proteins (nectar brand is great, as is Isopure PLUS). The only meat I am eating is chicken and shrimp - ground beef isn't setting well yet.

Good luck.

I lost 60 pounds before VSG by eating primarily meat based protein and vegetables. My wife is type 2 diabetic and I have considered changing my diet to help her in her fight. I have been reading about vegan diets and wonder how I could tolerate the lifestyle with my sleeve. Worry about muscle loss.

At three years out now, I did it all as a vegetarian. I eat vegan many meals, but the dairy really make it much easier. I think you could go vegan, but just have to be willing to make it work... cook at home, find vegan resturants. There are vegan Protein powders, Beans, nuts, gluten, soy things... check out netrition.com for vegan protein products. I think that eating high protein is most important while losing... after losing, during maintenance, it is my belief that the number can come down a little. It is important to keep the quality of your food high though.