BaileyBariatrics

Sugar-free popsicles can be a life line during the 2-week liquid diet before surgery. Sometimes, however, they are hard to find. Sugar-free popsicles are basically water, flavor, color, starch, and a sweetener.


Sugar-free popsicles can be a life line during the 2-week liquid diet before surgery. Sometimes, however, they are hard to find. Sugar-free popsicles are basically water, flavor, color, starch, and a sweetener. Some brands found in grocery stores include Sugar Free Blue Bell7 Bullets, Sugar Free Popsicle7 and Budget $aver Sugar Free Twin Pops. The Blue Bell7 and Popsicle7 brands are 15 calories each. The Budget $aver brand is 30 calories for the whole twin pop, so you will need to use half, or one stick’s worth for a serving size.
The calorie limit for sugar free popsicles is 20 calories each to keep the calories low during this pre-surgery liquid diet phase. Although sugar-free, they are not calorie-free because, of the starch and sugar alcohol content. Check the ingredient list to make sure you can tolerate them.
Some of bariatric patients don’t tolerate sugar alcohols or aspartame, which are the more common sweeteners found in sugar free popsicles. Most of these sugar-free popsicles have at least one flavor that is red. No red colors are allowed on that last day before surgery, so use those first. Can you guess the major nutrient found in these sugar free popsicles? The first ingredient in all of them is…water! Nice to know it counts towards your fluid intake.

Amid concerns for artificial sweeteners, more products are coming into the bariatric world that contain either stevia or monk fruit, which are naturally derived sweeteners. Stevia is actually a shrub. Monk fruit is an Asian melon and may be listed as luo han guo on the ingredient list.


Several powder and liquid forms of water flavors now use stevia. These are easily available in grocery stores. Stevia can be plain stevia or listed as Truvia, which is a combination of stevia and erythritol. Erythritol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol and will have a few calories. For powder forms of water flavors, look for the Crystal Light Pure and the Great Value version from Walmart. Crystal Light Pure does have four grams sugar per half-packet, so some patients may not be able to tolerate this product. In the liquid drop form, brands to look for include MIO with stevia, Great Value version, Skinny Girl, Sweet Leaf and Stur.
Add enough of these products to taste right for you. Too much can get super sweet in a hurry. For protein powders, look for Jay Robb and Syntrax Nectar Naturals. Even yogurts are joining in the natural sweeteners trend. Look for the Greek style yogurts Chiobani Simply 100 (has stevia and monk fruit) and Oikos Triple Zero (has stevia, look for black label). Experiment with different stevia or monk fruit sweetened products to see what you like.

It’s not rice and vegetables. It’s ”riced” vegetables. If eating more vegetables is on your list of 2017 resolutions, eating them in a “riced” version can make those veggies more exciting.


“Ricing” refers to vegetables cut up into small pieces about the size of rice. Cauliflower has gotten the most attention, but other veggies are getting in on the trend. Years ago, the South Beach Diet included a recipe for mashed cauliflower to take the place of mashed potatoes. The new kid on the block is riced cauliflower. The color is similar to rice and can be cut to look like rice. Some say it has a similar taste to rice, but use your own taste buds to figure this out. For bariatrics patients, riced cauliflower doesn’t have the type of carbohydrate that can swell in your stomach pouch, like regular rice does. Once you can add vegetables back to your food choices, you’ve now got a vegetable choice that can be seasoned many ways. Click here for a Riced Cauliflower recipe from www.whatscookingamerica.net, which also includes several flavor options. For an easier version, Green Giant and Birds’ Eye already have riced cauliflower and other riced vegetables in the freezer section. You’ll be able to whip up a vegetable side dish in a jiffy! Pizza crust recipes with riced cauliflower have also been enjoyed by our patients for several years. Yum! You now have a trendy, fun and tasty way to eat your veggies. Enjoy!

Our nutrition guidelines specifically mention incorporating skim or 1 percent milk when you do have milk. This is for milk that comes from cows. We get questions from our patients about what that really means.


Milk that has no fat is also called skimmed, fat-free, non-fat or 0 percent fat. The USDA National Nutrient Database uses the terms nonfat, fat-free and skim as descriptors for milk with no fat. The fat content of the milk refers to the percentage of weight that the fat contributes to the serving size. It does not refer to the percent of calories the fat contributes. Each 8-ounce cup of milk, no matter how much fat, will have 12 grams of carbohydrate as milk sugar.
Milk sugar is also called lactose. Each 8-ounce cup of milk will also have 8 grams of protein. An 8-ounce cup of skim milk has 80 calories. Milk with 1 percent fat is also referred to as low-fat milk and has 100 calories and 2 grams fat. Milk with 2 percent fat is also referred to reduce- fat milk and has 120 calories and 5 grams fat. Whole milk is also called vitamin D milk and has 150 calories and 8 grams fat.
Most of the fat in milk is saturated, which can contribute to elevated cholesterol. Increased fat also means increased calories and a potential for dumping issues. Along with protein, milk also packs in calcium, potassium and water. There are several lactose free milks on the market if you are lactose intolerant. For those that enjoy milk, you are getting a nutrition-packed fluid. Next week’s tip will be an overview of the other milks on the market like almond and cashew milks. Stay tuned!

The weight lost after bariatric surgery often decreases symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, also called heartburn. Why wait until after surgery for relief? The healthy eating habits we ask you to work on before surgery can reduce your reflux now.


Chew your food to applesauce consistency. Eat smaller meals. Stop chewing gum and drinking out of straws to prevent air from getting into your stomach. Stop using tobacco. Avoid high fat foods. Fat takes longer to move through the digestive system so food stays in your stomach longer. High-fat foods include using lots of cooking oil when cooking, whole milk instead of skim or 1 percent milk, regular fat cheese, deep fried foods and the fatty meats used in fast food hamburgers.
Other strategies include avoiding foods that can irritate the esophagus. Irritants can include hot peppers, spicy foods, carbonated beverages and acidic foods like citrus or tomato juice. Avoid peppermint and spearmint, because these will relax the opening between the stomach and the esophagus.This allows stomach contents to be pushed up into the esophagus.Sit or stand for several hours after the last meal before bedtime to allow food to pass into the small intestine can also help. Invest the time to have healthier eating habits. The payoff is feeling better right now!

The “no white foods” diet is still around. We encourage our bariatrics patients to give up white bread, white rice, white pasta or white potatoes. These foods typically raise blood sugars. However, cauliflower is not one of those white foods.


The “no white foods” diet is still around. We encourage our bariatrics patients to give up white bread, white rice, white pasta or white potatoes. These foods typically raise blood sugars. However, cauliflower is not one of those white foods. One cup of raw cauliflower has 27 calories, 77 percent daily value for vitamin C, 5 grams carbohydrate, 2.5 grams fiber, 2 grams protein and is a good source of potassium, folate, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients.
Cauliflower is a low glycemic food, which means is has very little carbohydrate to raise your blood sugars. Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetable group which also includes broccoli, cabbage, bok choy and Brussels sprouts. Cruciferous vegetables provide sulforaphane, a phytochemical linked to a decreased risk for cancer.
Instead of rice and potatoes as a side dish, think cauliflower. Whipped cauliflower as a side dish instead of potatoes has been around since the low-carb craze from a couple of decades ago. Here’s a quick recipe to try. You can make this recipe four weeks after surgery, when cooked vegetables are reintroduced to your diet.
Cauliflower “rice” is chopping this vegetable in a food processor or grating by hand to look like rice and then steaming it. Here is a recipe, which can be prepared in Phase 4 after surgery when fresh produce comes back in - four months after surgery.

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months.
Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged.


I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest.
You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

The Calorie Control Council estimates that the typical Super Bowl fan can consume at least 2400 calories and 121 grams of fat during the 4-5 hour football game. Patients who had bariatric surgery are not typical. Your new lifestyle demands rethinking portions and the types of foods that are available to you.


Chips and dips are frequent guests at Super Bowl gatherings. These are basically fat and salt. There are bariatric friendly versions you can make a part of your lifestyle. Try using hummus, refried beans or a healthy version of Ranch dip as a menu item instead. A bariatric friendly Ranch dip is thoroughly mixing a 5.3-ounce container of plain, fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise and 2-3 teaspoons (or to taste) of powdered Ranch Dip mix. You can use crackers like Ritz, Club or Saltines as dippers if you are on the soft and puree food part of the post-surgery diet. Once you can have fresh veggies, think about using bell pepper strips, snow peas, cucumber or carrot sticks or slices to dip in the Ranch dip. If you’d like more Super Bowl ideas, check out the www.bariatriceating.com website. Click “recipes” and check out “Super Bowl Food.” That Southwestern Bean Dip is super easy and looks delish. Hope your team wins!

The Calorie Control Council estimates that the typical Super Bowl fan can consume at least 2400 calories and 121 grams of fat during the 4-5 hour football game. Patients who had bariatric surgery are not typical. Your new lifestyle demands rethinking portions and the types of foods that are available to you.


Chips and dips are frequent guests at Super Bowl gatherings. These are basically fat and salt. There are bariatric friendly versions you can make a part of your lifestyle. Try using hummus, refried beans or a healthy version of Ranch dip as a menu item instead. A bariatric friendly Ranch dip is thoroughly mixing a 5.3-ounce container of plain, fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise and 2-3 teaspoons (or to taste) of powdered Ranch Dip mix. You can use crackers like Ritz, Club or Saltines as dippers if you are on the soft and puree food part of the post-surgery diet. Once you can have fresh veggies, think about using bell pepper strips, snow peas, cucumber or carrot sticks or slices to dip in the Ranch dip. If you’d like more Super Bowl ideas, check out the www.bariatriceating.com website. Click “recipes” and check out “Super Bowl Food.” That Southwestern Bean Dip is super easy and looks delish. Hope your team wins!

The Calorie Control Council estimates that the typical Super Bowl fan can consume at least 2400 calories and 121 grams of fat during the 4-5 hour football game. Patients who had bariatric surgery are not typical. Your new lifestyle demands rethinking portions and the types of foods that are available to you.


Chips and dips are frequent guests at Super Bowl gatherings. These are basically fat and salt. There are bariatric friendly versions you can make a part of your lifestyle. Try using hummus, refried beans or a healthy version of Ranch dip as a menu item instead. A bariatric friendly Ranch dip is thoroughly mixing a 5.3-ounce container of plain, fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise and 2-3 teaspoons (or to taste) of powdered Ranch Dip mix. You can use crackers like Ritz, Club or Saltines as dippers if you are on the soft and puree food part of the post-surgery diet. Once you can have fresh veggies, think about using bell pepper strips, snow peas, cucumber or carrot sticks or slices to dip in the Ranch dip. If you’d like more Super Bowl ideas, check out the www.bariatriceating.com website. Click “recipes” and check out “Super Bowl Food.” That Southwestern Bean Dip is super easy and looks delish. Hope your team wins!

It’s not rice and vegetables. It’s ”riced” vegetables. If eating more vegetables is on your list of 2017 resolutions, eating them in a “riced” version can make those veggies more exciting.


“Ricing” refers to vegetables cut up into small pieces about the size of rice. Cauliflower has gotten the most attention, but other veggies are getting in on the trend. Years ago, the South Beach Diet included a recipe for mashed cauliflower to take the place of mashed potatoes. The new kid on the block is riced cauliflower. The color is similar to rice and can be cut to look like rice. Some say it has a similar taste to rice, but use your own taste buds to figure this out. For bariatrics patients, riced cauliflower doesn’t have the type of carbohydrate that can swell in your stomach pouch, like regular rice does. Once you can add vegetables back to your food choices, you’ve now got a vegetable choice that can be seasoned many ways. Click here for a Riced Cauliflower recipe from www.whatscookingamerica.net, which also includes several flavor options. For an easier version, Green Giant and Birds’ Eye already have riced cauliflower and other riced vegetables in the freezer section. You’ll be able to whip up a vegetable side dish in a jiffy! Pizza crust recipes with riced cauliflower have also been enjoyed by our patients for several years. Yum! You now have a trendy, fun and tasty way to eat your veggies. Enjoy!

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months.
Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged.


I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest.
You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months.
Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged.


I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest.
You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months.
Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged.


I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest.
You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months.
Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged.


I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest.
You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months.
Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged.


I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest.
You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months.
Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged.


I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest.
You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months.
Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged.


I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest.
You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

Starting an exercise program is easy. Staying with it — not so much. Don’t be a statistic! Twenty-five percent of people who start an exercise program quit the first week. Another 25 percent quit within the first six months.
Let’s face it, exercise is typically not on the top of our priority list and is sometimes seen as a dreaded chore. Confusion about where to start and what to do can be a little daunting. The old misconception of “no pain no gain” is not realistic anymore. If people push themselves too hard and too fast they will most likely hit a wall or even get hurt and will become discouraged.


I recommend making exercise fun again! Don’t worry about trying to get in the best workout in 30 minutes to an hour, but look at it as an activity that permeates your day and seeps into your daily activities. Even a five- or 10-minute brisk walk can help boost your energy and help you become more productive.
Recently I received my very first fitness tracker for Christmas. It is so much fun to join challenges with your friends! Being realistic, I set my goal to 8,000 steps a day, knowing that I am at my desk much of my day. I set up reminders on my fitness tracker for 10 minutes before every hour change to remind me to get up and move. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, have challenges with your family, kids, etc. Fun challenges might be seeing who can do the most jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups in one minute or who can jump rope the longest.
You don’t need heavy equipment or have to join a gym to incorporate an exercise routine in your life. Just use the best piece of equipment available: you! Take the chore out of it, and have fun again! Small changes make a big impact over time. Every minute adds up throughout the day. Keep in mind that in those minutes make sure to get your heart rate slightly elevated to a point that you can take a few breaths while talking and aren’t completely winded or gasping for air; that might be too strenuous. Walk with a purpose, as if you are on a new mission to achieve a new you. Throw away the scale and focus on how you feel, and the inches will start to come off. Lifestyle change is not a quick fix to see overnight results; it takes time to build healthy habits. Slow and steady wins the race!

It’s not rice and vegetables. It’s ”riced” vegetables. If eating more vegetables is on your list of 2017 resolutions, eating them in a “riced” version can make those veggies more exciting.


“Ricing” refers to vegetables cut up into small pieces about the size of rice. Cauliflower has gotten the most attention, but other veggies are getting in on the trend. Years ago, the South Beach Diet included a recipe for mashed cauliflower to take the place of mashed potatoes. The new kid on the block is riced cauliflower. The color is similar to rice and can be cut to look like rice. Some say it has a similar taste to rice, but use your own taste buds to figure this out. For bariatrics patients, riced cauliflower doesn’t have the type of carbohydrate that can swell in your stomach pouch, like regular rice does. Once you can add vegetables back to your food choices, you’ve now got a vegetable choice that can be seasoned many ways. Click here for a Riced Cauliflower recipe from www.whatscookingamerica.net, which also includes several flavor options. For an easier version, Green Giant and Birds’ Eye already have riced cauliflower and other riced vegetables in the freezer section. You’ll be able to whip up a vegetable side dish in a jiffy! Pizza crust recipes with riced cauliflower have also been enjoyed by our patients for several years. Yum! You now have a trendy, fun and tasty way to eat your veggies. Enjoy!

It’s not rice and vegetables. It’s ”riced” vegetables. If eating more vegetables is on your list of 2017 resolutions, eating them in a “riced” version can make those veggies more exciting.


“Ricing” refers to vegetables cut up into small pieces about the size of rice. Cauliflower has gotten the most attention, but other veggies are getting in on the trend. Years ago, the South Beach Diet included a recipe for mashed cauliflower to take the place of mashed potatoes. The new kid on the block is riced cauliflower. The color is similar to rice and can be cut to look like rice. Some say it has a similar taste to rice, but use your own taste buds to figure this out. For bariatrics patients, riced cauliflower doesn’t have the type of carbohydrate that can swell in your stomach pouch, like regular rice does. Once you can add vegetables back to your food choices, you’ve now got a vegetable choice that can be seasoned many ways. Click here for a Riced Cauliflower recipe from www.whatscookingamerica.net, which also includes several flavor options. For an easier version, Green Giant and Birds’ Eye already have riced cauliflower and other riced vegetables in the freezer section. You’ll be able to whip up a vegetable side dish in a jiffy! Pizza crust recipes with riced cauliflower have also been enjoyed by our patients for several years. Yum! You now have a trendy, fun and tasty way to eat your veggies. Enjoy!

It’s not rice and vegetables. It’s ”riced” vegetables. If eating more vegetables is on your list of 2017 resolutions, eating them in a “riced” version can make those veggies more exciting.


“Ricing” refers to vegetables cut up into small pieces about the size of rice. Cauliflower has gotten the most attention, but other veggies are getting in on the trend. Years ago, the South Beach Diet included a recipe for mashed cauliflower to take the place of mashed potatoes. The new kid on the block is riced cauliflower. The color is similar to rice and can be cut to look like rice. Some say it has a similar taste to rice, but use your own taste buds to figure this out. For bariatrics patients, riced cauliflower doesn’t have the type of carbohydrate that can swell in your stomach pouch, like regular rice does. Once you can add vegetables back to your food choices, you’ve now got a vegetable choice that can be seasoned many ways. Click here for a Riced Cauliflower recipe from www.whatscookingamerica.net, which also includes several flavor options. For an easier version, Green Giant and Birds’ Eye already have riced cauliflower and other riced vegetables in the freezer section. You’ll be able to whip up a vegetable side dish in a jiffy! Pizza crust recipes with riced cauliflower have also been enjoyed by our patients for several years. Yum! You now have a trendy, fun and tasty way to eat your veggies. Enjoy!

It’s not rice and vegetables. It’s ”riced” vegetables. If eating more vegetables is on your list of 2017 resolutions, eating them in a “riced” version can make those veggies more exciting.


“Ricing” refers to vegetables cut up into small pieces about the size of rice. Cauliflower has gotten the most attention, but other veggies are getting in on the trend. Years ago, the South Beach Diet included a recipe for mashed cauliflower to take the place of mashed potatoes. The new kid on the block is riced cauliflower. The color is similar to rice and can be cut to look like rice. Some say it has a similar taste to rice, but use your own taste buds to figure this out. For bariatrics patients, riced cauliflower doesn’t have the type of carbohydrate that can swell in your stomach pouch, like regular rice does. Once you can add vegetables back to your food choices, you’ve now got a vegetable choice that can be seasoned many ways. Click here for a Riced Cauliflower recipe from www.whatscookingamerica.net, which also includes several flavor options. For an easier version, Green Giant and Birds’ Eye already have riced cauliflower and other riced vegetables in the freezer section. You’ll be able to whip up a vegetable side dish in a jiffy! Pizza crust recipes with riced cauliflower have also been enjoyed by our patients for several years. Yum! You now have a trendy, fun and tasty way to eat your veggies. Enjoy!

It’s not rice and vegetables. It’s ”riced” vegetables. If eating more vegetables is on your list of 2017 resolutions, eating them in a “riced” version can make those veggies more exciting.


“Ricing” refers to vegetables cut up into small pieces about the size of rice. Cauliflower has gotten the most attention, but other veggies are getting in on the trend. Years ago, the South Beach Diet included a recipe for mashed cauliflower to take the place of mashed potatoes. The new kid on the block is riced cauliflower. The color is similar to rice and can be cut to look like rice. Some say it has a similar taste to rice, but use your own taste buds to figure this out. For bariatrics patients, riced cauliflower doesn’t have the type of carbohydrate that can swell in your stomach pouch, like regular rice does. Once you can add vegetables back to your food choices, you’ve now got a vegetable choice that can be seasoned many ways. Click here for a Riced Cauliflower recipe from www.whatscookingamerica.net, which also includes several flavor options. For an easier version, Green Giant and Birds’ Eye already have riced cauliflower and other riced vegetables in the freezer section. You’ll be able to whip up a vegetable side dish in a jiffy! Pizza crust recipes with riced cauliflower have also been enjoyed by our patients for several years. Yum! You now have a trendy, fun and tasty way to eat your veggies. Enjoy!

The weight lost after bariatric surgery often decreases symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, also called heartburn. Why wait until after surgery for relief? The healthy eating habits we ask you to work on before surgery can reduce your reflux now.


Chew your food to applesauce consistency. Eat smaller meals. Stop chewing gum and drinking out of straws to prevent air from getting into your stomach. Stop using tobacco. Avoid high fat foods. Fat takes longer to move through the digestive system so food stays in your stomach longer. High-fat foods include using lots of cooking oil when cooking, whole milk instead of skim or 1 percent milk, regular fat cheese, deep fried foods and the fatty meats used in fast food hamburgers.
Other strategies include avoiding foods that can irritate the esophagus. Irritants can include hot peppers, spicy foods, carbonated beverages and acidic foods like citrus or tomato juice. Avoid peppermint and spearmint, because these will relax the opening between the stomach and the esophagus.This allows stomach contents to be pushed up into the esophagus.Sit or stand for several hours after the last meal before bedtime to allow food to pass into the small intestine can also help. Invest the time to have healthier eating habits. The payoff is feeling better right now!