Are beans and legumes allowed? I want to become vegetarian and these are low fat protein sources.
These are legitimate protein sources. I was a vegetarian for almost 4 years and I literally bought a 50# bag of soybeans because they're so easy to use in recipes. I used to make a soyburger with mashed soybeans, an egg to use as binder, and various dried grains like oats or crushed seeds, whose name I can't remember. Also garlic, finely grated onion and fresh minced parsley. You can shake in some dry ranch dressing (tiny amt.) or anything else in your pantry that works.
You definitely want to soak the beans overnight because they are hard as rocks. But they're the only dried bean I've ever eaten without putting in a hamhock or salt pork or bacon and they still tasted fabulous.
This was like, 50 years ago and I was a vegetarian all through my pregnancy. My son was 8 pounds, 9 ounces and 21.5 inches long. The doctor said he looked like he was a month old when he was born, he was so big and healthy. He's now 6'2" and thin and muscular and gorgeous. He was a vegetarian too, because that's all I fed him, cereals, fruits and vegetables. He wouldn't eat eggs and still doesn't. But he loved milk so he got a lot of milk-based food.
There's a small nutritional difference between fresh green beans and dried legumes, which grow on roots rather than on stalks.
That's some of my advice, but do a lot of research online. It's really worth the time and effort. Oh, and don't forget garbanzo beans which you turn into falafel. I swear, I'd kill for a good falafel, and it doesn't even have to be in a pita pocket. You can top it with yogurt instead of sour cream, although fat-free sour cream should be just fine. Also, you can make falafel tacos. You can make adjustments using italian spices and then dump the meatballs into plain pasta sauce.
This isn't a vegetarian group, but other members here may be of help. Still, I'd look online for vegetarian support groups and I'll bet you'd find tons of delicious recipes. After I went back to eating meat, it was actually pretty icky compared to soy dishes.
Oh, and soybeans are the prominent recipe ingredient in many Asian dishes, so I'd look for those, too.
Beans are actually a great resource, found in many cuisines, and conveniently canned in many instances, so you can really put something delicious together quickly. Being a vegetarian seems extreme to a lot of people who've never tried it. There's a great cookbook, Laurel's Kitchen, with a lot of meatless recipes in it. It's kind of amazing how good food is when it's not polluted with meat.
Oh, I used to make tempura using veggies. I made a regular tempura batter but I added a little cornstarch to it, which made it super crispy.
Yeah, I could go on and on, but check the internet. Then check with your bariatric team or nutritionist to make sure these are things that are allowed for you. I was what they call and ovo-lacto vegetarian, meaning I allowed eggs and dairy. Strict vegetarians are vegan, and won't eat any animal products. Still they wear leather shoes and belts and purses, so...... who knows what a pure diet based solely on vegetables would be like? I don't.