Hi again! Before I started seeking information on getting the lap band, I started researching the benifits of eating more raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. Basically going "vegan".

I was just wondering if you or anyone you know has been successfull at this? I think it would be hard because of the nuts and seeds, but they can be ground down to more of a "meal" consistancy.

Any help would be much appreciated!!! :cursing:

babygrl1234 has been doing a vegan diet lately. She says she's doing well on it, you might PM her and ask her about it.

How do you plan to get all the necessary protien needed for this? Make sure you have a nutrious plan in place to fight hunger. Protien staves off hunger.

There are several sources of protein available to people who don't eat meat.

I would never try it without talkin to my doc about it but it is def something i want to do. You can find healthy protiens in lots of other things besides meat. mainly in nuts and seeds, but i just don't know how that will go down and stay down.

That's if you even believe you need hundreds of grams of protein a day. Personally, I believe you can get plenty from a vegan diet and that 50 grams a day is perfectly adequate (*hides*).

I would think a raw diet would work bloody well, becuase you'd hardly eat anything, lol. Personally raw veges, nuts etc are quite difficult foods, I can eat them but not in a high enough quanity to constite a whole meal. Salad I can do - like tomato, lettuce, cucumber, avocado, capsicum, but raw carrot, raw broccoli, stuff like that, its a tiny amount and that's all I can tolerate. A few nuts at a time.

There are plenty of other protien sources out there. Beans, lentils, soy, even whole grains. I don't get in 100's of grams of protien, I hover around 40-50g. Funny thing is that since adopting this vegan diet my hair loss has finally slowed down. I was losing clumps in the shower and now maybe all I see is a few strands. I also dropped about 16 pounds in the first month of going veggie. I have made a few exceptions, like when I go out to eat, and have had a bit of dairy but for the most part my diet is meat, egg and dairy free. I am also eating more often than I did when I was eating meat. I eat 5-6 small meals instead of 3 meals and that works well for me. I eat a ton of carbs (non white one, but that is another story) and my weight loss is going great. I know here in the US it is commonly said to eat protien first to make this thing work, but eveyone is different. I just can not wrap my mind around somethig like Atkins being healthy. 60-80% of your diet coming from fat? More power to those who it works for, and I am certainly not knocking your choice, but it is just not for me.

I think if I could've done the raw diet I wouldn't have needed the band. It's such a good way to lose weight but who can stick to it?

There are plenty of other protien sources out there. Beans, lentils, soy, even whole grains. I don't get in 100's of grams of protien, I hover around 40-50g. Funny thing is that since adopting this vegan diet my hair loss has finally slowed down. I was losing clumps in the shower and now maybe all I see is a few strands. I also dropped about 16 pounds in the first month of going veggie. I have made a few exceptions, like when I go out to eat, and have had a bit of dairy but for the most part my diet is meat, egg and dairy free. I am also eating more often than I did when I was eating meat. I eat 5-6 small meals instead of 3 meals and that works well for me. I eat a ton of carbs (non white one, but that is another story) and my weight loss is going great. I know here in the US it is commonly said to eat protien first to make this thing work, but eveyone is different. I just can not wrap my mind around somethig like Atkins being healthy. 60-80% of your diet coming from fat? More power to those who it works for, and I am certainly not knocking your choice, but it is just not for me.

I couldn't agree with you more! I plan on getting protien from the shakes/smoothies so yes I will have a little milk but nothing major. I never said I wanted to be 100 vegan, but I would like to. it's just a healthier way to eat in my opinion.

Thanks for your info and i'm glad it's working in your favor!!!

I think if I could've done the raw diet I wouldn't have needed the band. It's such a good way to lose weight but who can stick to it?

I think getting the band will help me stay more raw. For me the main reason I couldn't do it was because of the $$. If i'm not having to eat so much I can do it. I don't get tired of eating raw, I know and realize how much better it is making me feel and what it's doing for my body.

Personally, I have not had any trouble with nuts. However, chicken... that is a whole other story! Chicken is EVIL in my world these days.

As far as Protein, you could always drink Protein drinks. I love the ones that taste like gatorade. CytoSport is my fav.. the tangerine tastes just like SunnyD :smile:

No problem Jess. Have you read the book Skinny Bitch? If not I highly recommend it. There is a lot of great nifo in there about going vegan and it is a really funny read.

Personally, I have not had any trouble with nuts. However, chicken... that is a whole other story! Chicken is EVIL in my world these days.

As far as Protein, you could always drink protein drinks. I love the ones that taste like gatorade. CytoSport is my fav.. the tangerine tastes just like SunnyD :hurray:

Sorry to hear about the chicken!!! I don't eat a whole lot of meat. And i was definatley going to look for a good protien shake. I do NOT want to lose all my hair!!! :thumbup: Congrats on the weight loss!!! :smile:

No problem Jess. Have you read the book Skinny Bitch? If not I highly recommend it. There is a lot of great nifo in there about going vegan and it is a really funny read.

I have not go to read it yet, but a good friend of mine did. She said it was a hoot!!!:smile:

Sorry to hear about the chicken!!! I don't eat a whole lot of meat. And i was definatley going to look for a good protien shake. I do NOT want to lose all my hair!!! :tt2: Congrats on the weight loss!!!

I was never much of a chicken eater.... and now I eat even LESS. No big loss there though.

I do not drink Protein shakes. I just can't stand the taste or texture of them. But I do love the fruity flavored ones that are more like gatorade. I tried a lot of protein drinks before I had my surgery so I would know what I liked and didn't like.

You can buy samples of protein drinks at Vitalady.com - Protein supplements, Vitamins & Minerals, and Safe Snacks!. I think she has a few hundred different types. I paid $1.50 for each sample (which was one serving... 34.5g of protein). The "Nectar" lemonade flavor is really good :tt2:

She also sells this really cool battery operated mixing/drinking cup. I bought one... just to try... then went back and bought FOUR more!

I absolutely L-O-V-E "CytoSport" Protein drinks (the tangerine tastes just like Sunny-D). This brand also has the highest amount of potassium (160mg) that I have found. 40g of protein per bottle, zero carbs, 160 calories (I think). You can buy them at the VitaminShoppe, GNC, etc.

The "ProteinSLAMs" are also pretty good. I like the peach flavored one. Sometimes they seem a bit too syrupy though and I have to dilute them.

I also make popsicles out of these protein drinks for when I am feeling "snacky". I have discovered that diluting them with a little with Water before pouring them into the popsicle molds prevents them from melting too fast.

I try to "eat" at least 10-20 grams of protein each meal... and then drink one or two protein drinks to reach my goal of 100 grams per day.