Yikes...wigging out a bit

themexcellentone gave you some great advise about Dr Garth Davis.  I hope you check out his advise.  This is a much easier journey if you are eating meat.  If you are abstaining for spiritual or religious reasons, then you need to work harder on getting in enough nourishment from vegetable sources. 

If you abstain because you think it is healthier to avoid animal protein, then you might want to consider organic grass-fed, humanly treated meat, eggs and milk.

Fruit is delicious because it is sugar.  Our early ancestors learned that eating fruit during the summer months created a good padding of fat that kept them warmer during the winters.  Now we have fruit year round and are told that it is healthy for us.  It is mostly sugar which turns to fat and I did not eat any until I was well into maintenance.  Now I concentrate on low-glycemic fruit if I eat any and am careful not to overdo that.

I also love bread, but realize that it is not the right thing for me to eat.  It is another thing that I abstained from until well into maintenance and only eat rarely now. 

One food that I enjoy and have never seen endorsed by any weight loss boards is frozen green peas.  A 2/3 cup serving has 70 calories, 12 carbs, 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.  It is something I eat often. 

I will check Dr Garth Davis out.  I couldn't remember his name and If I remember right he has read the China Study that is talked about in "Forks Over Knives" and supports the science behind that.....Thank you!

I'm also a pre-op vegetarian, and I agree that it's hard to find good advice about what to eat post-op when you don't eat meat.  I understand the advice to stay away from starchy foods because they don't have the same nutrient density, but I have yet to be convinced that whole fruit is unhealthy.  Yes, it has sugar, but it also has complex carbs and fiber which slow digestion and mitigate the effects on blood sugar.  I'm not saying we should eat it in unlimited amounts, but I remember a post from one of the vets in which she talked about being lectured by her doctor for eating six blueberries.  Really, six blueberries?  To me that's going too far.

That being said, for low carb/high protein, there are 10 grams of protein and only 2 grams of carbs in a half cup of tofu, and seitan has 21 grams of protein and only 5 grams of carbs per 1/3 cup (I have the westsoy cubed seitan in my fridge right now).

OOOOh!! I didn't realize seitan had that many grams of protein in it.   That is great information to know. Thank you for sharing!   

Another one of Dr C's patients, Sleeveless on OH, is a vegetarian. You can contact her probably if you haven't met her already if you are going to his support groups. She has done very well with weight loss and nutrition while not eating animal protein. Its doable, you will just have to consume more protein supplements as in shakes and bars. And lots of us eat moderate amounts of low glycemic fruits even during weight loss. You are very lucky to be part of a strong programme. I am sure you will do fabulously! Good luck!!!!