Any RNY vegans out there?

I'm pre-op (sleeve), and have gone back and forth from vegatarian  to vegan over the last several years. My nutritionist said that vegan WLS success is challenging but very possible.  She said vegatarian is not a problem at all. My nutritionist said the "protein is your priority" rule still applies, you just have different sourses of that protien. It is very possible, you just need to be very aware of what your eating. As for vegan protein powers.... I like the vega one products. They have 20g of protein, no sugar added, non-GMO and gluten-free.

Here is a list of vegan protein sources I recieved from my nutritionist.

Seitan - 36 g per 1/2 c.

Tofu 20 g. per 1/2 c.

Temph 15g per 1/2 c.

Hemp seeds 10g per 3 tablespoons

chia seeds 5g per 2 tablespoons

edmame 8g per 1/2 c

Quinoa 8g per cup

peas 8g per cup

nuts (varries)

Beans (varries)

Soy Milk 8g per 1/2 cup

Also keep in mind that you'll be eating all of 2 oz per meal for a very long time.  How will you make up for your protein needs?

Vegan would be very hard early on at least... quantity needed to near protein goals and density of most vegan protein sources is something that to me would be a lot of added pressure early on. 

Now vegetarian... not hard at all. Plenty of vegetarian protein sources... milk, cheese (ricotta, cottage), yogurt, soy, eggs, beans, nuts, protein powders, are a big part of almost all of our early post-op diets. I often have entire vegetarian days without even thinking about it.

I'm sure someone on OH has a group started of veggie/vegan members click on community or the search bar to find them. 

Best to you,

There's a bariatric surgeon in my city who supports a vegan diet.  You can find him on Facebook - Dr. Garth Davis.  He posts a lot of good tips and suggestions.  He was not my surgeon, but I like to read his stuff because I am mostly vegetarian.

I can offer you no advice on becoming vegan, only my condolences.

More meat for me.

*SNORT*

You'll also need to keep in mind that MOST plant-based protein food sources are incomplete proteins, which means they don't contain all the essential amino acids. (What protein molecules are made of.) Incomplete proteins can still be used by the body, but you'll need to also eat a complementary protein to make it into a complete protein.

You might want to send a PM to PoetKelly and get some feedback from her.  She has been on this site for many years but is currently taking a break from OH.  I am sure she would be willing to share her experience and knowledge with you, though.

I would definitely ask your dietitian to help you with this. While there are tons of great sources for vegan protein (seitan, tofu, tempeh, nuts and seeds, etc.), you won't be able to eat any of these things early on post-op. You'll have to rely almost completely on vegan protein shakes. You may be able to find a soy-based cottage cheese or ricotta substitute for the pureed/mushy stage, and mashed beans could be an option, but you are going to have a much harder time by cutting out dairy early on. Personally, I'm 4 weeks post op and I have been a complete vegetarian thus far, by default. But I get almost all of my protein from animal sources like dairy and whey protein. Once  you get to solid food phase it would be easier to go vegan, but I can't imagine trying to do it until at least a couple months out. Also nuts and seeds are forbidden until at least 6 months out. Also, you're going to have to take iron supplements and amino acid supplements like fish oil.