Gastric sleeve for vegetarians.. how to get enough protein and energy to exercise?

[MissUK]

Hi Guys,

I'm Meia, 32, height 5'4, weight 72kg (158 pounds).

A little about me, age 19 I weighed 120kg (264 pounds), I decided to have gastric band, it didn't work too well, long story short; I ended up having gastric sleeve that I love. However, I still don't know what to eat.. I can't seem to eat right, and exercise.. I also turned vegetarian a year ago, I'm not eating enough protein, and when I do, I don't eat enough. Please for all the readers out there, do not let this post discourage you from undergoing barbaric surgery, It is a wonderful life altering surgery and I will forever be grateful for my surgeons. I just need guidance, and thought one of you guys can give me an idea of what you eat daily, especially the ones who go to the gym (I have been stuck on 72kg for few years now, and still need to lose 10kg, I hope exercise will help). Hugs

[Stacey03]

Hi missy! Congrats on your weight loss so far, you've done ace. I was a vegetarian for many years but after my sleeve I started to eat seafood again. I occasionally also eat chicken but not very often. the main reason I started doing this was because I felt I couldn't get enough protein. I do however eat vegetarian a large portion of my week too. I then add in more protein shakes and I do eat well when eating vegetarian. Im sure you know that some peoples vegetarian diets are appalling and nutritionally devoid!
I think a good idea would be for you to look up protein charts of vegetarian foods on line and meal prep for your week. this might make a real difference to you, it does for me. Green kitchen stories on instagram and you tube have excellent vegetarian recipes but you may be all sorted with your vegetarian diet so I don't want to assume. I always found I was a bit carb heavy when vegetarian. It may be a case of just having to add a couple of protein shakes and bliss balls a day.
In terms of exercise it depends on where you are at... initially I think walking is a great thing to add to your life, maybe count your steps. if you are fairly fit then getting a personal trainer or joining a class you love or swimming or anything that you enjoy. Its what happens in the kitchen that will take off the weight but the exercise will make you look and feel a whole lot better. best of luck, you can do it :-)

[Dutchie]

Same here.
I started eating tuna ans salmon.
I eat eggs and cheese and I put a protein shake in my coffee.
I also put extra protein powder in my smoothies.
I would rather not eat fish, but it's difficult to reach my protein goal without that.

[Sandra3]

Hey Meia!

When did you have your sleeve? you said a few years?

I took me two years for reaching my surgeon's "prediction" but my own goal is still far.
First I would say that you lost 50 kgs and that's pretty standard for a sleeve, but not getting any weight back on after 2 years is really good, so give yourself a good pat on the back for that good job!

The question is : do you really need to lose more? did you have your body composition done, a scan done? because you might be surprised, our body change when we are really heavy, and we get heavier bones and muscles. For example, my doc told me I will never be able to get to a lower weight that I had before being pregnant, that would be unrealistic or I would lose too much muscle (may be one bone or two actually

For the protein aspect, our friends are right, a shake is the answer, I used vegan shakes for more than two years (vegan protein powder, PB2, almond milk etc). But eating Greek yogurt, dense in protein, eggs, cheese, soy, nuts (almonds are great on many levels) and I did eat lots of tuna and ham, sorry not vegan but you can replace those by lentils, beans, chickpeas etc etc...hummus is one of my fav snack when at home, I also always carry almonds in my purse...
Try tracking for a while, using an app (I love sparkpeople) and set your goal for like 60gr per day...you should be able to reach it easily since you are more than 2 years out.
Keep us posted!
Good luck!

[Mmeghan]

Have you tried a protein powder? There are some tasteless kinds. You can put it in coffee, juice, or smoothies. Really anything.

[Dutchie]

And judging by your name you are from the UK: you can buy Total Fage yoghurt, which is very high in protein, I thought it is 10%, so 10 grams at 100 grams.
Also cottage cheese is very high in protein.
I take cottage cheese as a snack and the high protein yoghurt as my breakfast with granola and lots of nuts and seeds, also good protein sources.
By the time I have finished my breakfast and my coffee shake, I already have almost 40 grams of protein.
Cheese or eggs with lunch, cottage cheese as a snack, protein and beans or lentils for diner and almonds as my evening snack.
I average around 80 grams per day.
But I really have to watch my intake during the day, that is true.

[Christie13]

Welcome Meia. Congrats on your sleeve. As for what you can eat....eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, nuts, beans, peas, seeds, tofu, protein shakes, peanut butter...there are lots of things you can eat. Just google high protein foods and it will give you an even greater list.