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Attitudes come in all sorts of “flavors,” including the obvious, of course: a positive attitude or a negative attitude. Some attitudes might be considered rather bland: cooperative, compliant and tolerant.
What flavor is your attitude? Are you complacent, entitled, enthusiastic, apathetic, grateful, superior, confident, hostile, cautious, suspicious, inferior, sincere, persistent, flexible, decisive, humble, jealous, judgmental, courteous, competitive, gloomy, sarcastic, sympathetic, cynical, critical, caring, earnest, jovial, hopeful?
How important has your attitude been to your journey in your Recovery From Obesity? Recovery from obesity is both a set of behaviors and a mindset (ATTITUDE) about your health, your sense of self worth, and your willingness to do what it takes to have the health you want and to feel about yourself the way you want to feel about yourself.
ATTITUDE IS THE FLAVORFUL INGREDIENT IN THE RECIPE FOR RECOVERY and it makes all the difference in how you approach your Recovery from Obesity. Your ATTITUDE also influences how you choose to use the other ingredients in the Recipe for Recovery: Awareness, Acceptance, Commitment, Accountability and Effort


Attitudes come in all sorts of “flavors,” including the obvious, of course: a positive attitude or a negative attitude. Some attitudes might be considered rather bland: cooperative, compliant and tolerant. These are desirable attitudes, in most cases, and yet some people may not consider them to be very flavorful. On the other hand, a sassy attitude, an exuberant attitude, and a highly determined attitude may be considered a bit more “flavorful.” In some Zumba classes, the instructor encourages participants to add some personal “flavor” to their moves!
What flavor is your attitude? Are you complacent, entitled, enthusiastic, apathetic, grateful, superior, confident, hostile, cautious, suspicious, inferior, sincere, persistent, flexible, decisive, humble, jealous, judgmental, courteous, competitive, gloomy, sarcastic, sympathetic, cynical, critical, caring, earnest, jovial, hopeful?
How important has your attitude been to your journey in your Recovery From Obesity? Recovery from obesity is both a set of behaviors and a mindset (ATTITUDE) about your health, your sense of self worth, and your willingness to do what it takes to have the health you want and to feel about yourself the way you want to feel about yourself.
Attitude is the FLAVORFUL ingredient in A Post Op & A Doc’s RECIPE for Recovery from Obesity. You choose your attitude throughout the day and your attitude most certainly can add flavor to any given moment, whether that is specifically related to the food/weight loss aspects of your Recovery from Obesity or the non-food aspects of your Recovery.
Examples of attitude and food/weight aspects of Recovery from Obesity:
SCENARIO 1: The boss brings pizza, hot dogs, chips, brownies and every variety of sugary drink you can imagine for a Memorial Day office picnic. You choose the flavor or your attitude (keeping in mind what your behavior will likely be in response to the flavor of your attitude)!
A HOSTILE Attitude: “What a jerk, bringing in all kinds of junk food. Doesn’t she care about the health of her employees? And look at them…they know I’m not supposed to have that kind of crap and yet they bring their plates heaped with food with them to chat with me. How rude!”
A DECISIVE Attitude: “Okay, so it's not the kind of picnic I like to attend these days, but it doesn’t matter what food is served. Anywhere I go, I am prepared with a protein bar and a protein drink. I’m glad for the camaraderie with my co-workers! And I’ll be grateful for feeling good about my choices!"

SCENARIO 2: You are scheduled to meet your personal trainer in 30 minutes. You are comfortably settled in on your couch watching a favorite TV program when you notice the time and realize you need to get moving in order to be there on time. You choose the flavor or your attitude (keeping in mind what your behavior will likely be in response to the flavor of your attitude)! A COMPLACENT Attitude: “Ah… I’ve already paid for the sessions. I can skip one. I’ll let him know I’m not gonna make it tonight. He’ll probably be glad to get to go home early.”
An ENTHUSIASTIC Attitude: “You know what? It might be nice to stay home and relax tonight but I made up my mind to get and STAY healthier. Exercise is part of the Recipe for Success, so I’m gonna get moving so I’m there on time.”
An ENTHUSIASTIC Attitude: “Well! It might be nice to stay home and relax tonight but I made up my mind to get and STAY healthier. Exercise is part of the Recipe for Success, so I’m gonna get moving so I’m there on time.”

Examples of attitude and non-food aspects of Recovery from Obesity:
SCENARIO 1: Your sister-in-law, herself overweight, continues to make negative comments about your appearance since you’ve lost weight.
A JUDGMENTAL Attitude: You think to yourself, “You just want me to feel bad so I regain some weight. You want me to feel badly about myself because you feel badly about yourself.”
A HUMBLE Attitude: You think to yourself, “I feel sad listening to her make comments about my appearance. Before I lost weight, I would do that to others who had lost weight. It sure didn’t make me feel better and it doesn’t look like this is making her feel any better. I’ll talk to her about it later when all these people aren’t around.”

SCENARIO 2: A close friend sits you down to share her observations with you. She tells you she is worried about you because you seem to be seeking attention in sexually inappropriate ways since you’ve lost so much weight. She is kind and compassionate as she shares this with you.
A GRATEFUL Attitude: You thank her for sharing her observations with you, admitting you were enjoying some flirtatious attention but concerned that you might be giving messages you don’t intend to send.
A CRITICAL Attitude. You tell her you know that she is saying those things to you because she is jealous that you are getting attention that she obviously wants. Just a thought: in all of the examples above, all of the negative attitudes were “A” and the positive attitudes were “B.” Perhaps consider switching these two.


• • •


ATTITUDE makes all the difference in how you approach your Recovery from Obesity. Your ATTITUDE also influences how you choose to use the other ingredients in the Recipe for Recovery: Awareness, Acceptance, Commitment, Accountability and Effort. Ultimately, your ATTITUDE has a large impact on your long-term success in managing a healthy weight and in how you approach life!
It’s your choice as to how to use the ingredients in the Recipe for Recovery! Choose wisely!

One problem that can come up after weight loss surgery is cooking for one person. You need to cook healthy meals, but you can only eat tiny portions. And, you can’t take a day, or even a meal, off. You need each healthy meal and snack, and nobody’s going to make it for you.


You may already be used to cooking if you cook for the entire family, but now you might need to cook separate meals for yourself if you no longer eat what they do. On the other hand, you may be learning to cook for the first time, especially if you used to eat out instead of cooking for yourself before weight loss surgery. It’s also possible that your significant other used to be the family chef, but you need to take charge and cook for yourself now to make sure you stick to your weight loss surgery diet.
On top of everything else, you still have the real-life time and money constraints that everyone has. How can you possibly stick to your weight loss surgery diet without getting bored out of your mind, wasting food and money, and spending all of your spare time in the kitchen?
This series of articles will look at some strategies for cooking for one after weight loss surgery. In the first article, we have strategies for approaching the kitchen when you’re cooking for just yourself. The second article has a few helpful recipes. Finally, the third and fourth articles will help you stock your kitchen.
Don’t forget to check out the BariatricPal conversation on this topic for tons of tips from other BariatricPal members. Add your ideas to the mix!
Organization is Key
The more you plan, the better you’ll be able to handle cooking for yourself. This is true whether you’re cooking for one or for the entire family, but when you are cooking for one, nobody else is depending on you to follow through. The dedication needs to come from within.
Use the weekends to prepare what you can. Plan your meals, buy the ingredients, and make some recipes. Then, divide the recipes into single-serving portions, put some in the fridge, and freeze the rest. You can make:
Soups, using almost any combination of broth, vegetables, and lean proteins such as beans, chicken, turkey, and shrimp.
Stews, chilis, stir-frys, and casseroles.
High-protein muffins.

You can also prepare some ingredients to use later in the week. Wash, peel, and chop your veggies and fruits, cook a pot of beans, and cook some chicken, ground turkey, or fish to freeze for quick use later.
Playing with Portions
Portions need to be small on your weight loss surgery diet. You basically have two choices when it comes to cooking. You can make regular-sized recipes, divide them into weight loss surgery-sized portions, and store these portions in individual packets or containers. The benefits are that you get to make more interesting recipes, and you have multiple meals on hand after cooking only once.
Or, you can make small single-serving recipes that you make up or get from someone else. That way, you don’t need to worry about measuring individual portions after you cook the recipe. If you love what you made and eat the whole thing, you don’t need to feel guilty about overeating. But, cooking this way can be a little more effort because you won’t have leftovers.
The best approach is to do a little of each. Make some full-sized dishes to depend on during the week, and fill in the rest of your diet with single-serving meals and snacks.
Don’t Overdo It or Get Intimidated
Unless you’re one of the few people who just loves to cook and has enough time and energy to do so, you’re not going to want to cook a gourmet dish for every single meal and snack. That’s okay. Don’t put pressure on yourself to do so. There are plenty of ways you can cheat on your kitchen time without cheating on your diet or cheating your taste buds.
These are some other ways to catch a break in the kitchen.
Eat out, drive through, or order in. Really. It’s okay. Whether it’s a side salad with low-fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing and a grilled chicken patty from McDonald’s (150 calories, 22 grams of protein) or half of a Chicken Bella dinner with zucchini and spaghetti squash from Ruby Tuesday (260 calories, 23 grams of protein), you can fit it into your diet. Just stay away from the baby-back ribs, pasta, and burgers and fries that can be over 1,000 calories per order.
Use meal helpers. Heat up a tray of Green Giant Just for One cauliflower and cheese or Italian seasoned broccoli and carrots and serve it with chicken or tuna, or toss tofu with bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables.
Take advantage of easy meal options, like whole grain cereal mixed with Greek yogurt and fruit, canned tuna or salmon with cottage cheese, and low-fat string cheese and baby carrots for a snack.
Frozen meal have preservatives, but the occasional one can help you out by keeping you from eating something far worse out of desperation. Choose ones with lean protein, at least one serving of veggies – unless you’re planning to add your own – and a whole grain or starchy vegetable instead of potatoes or a refined grain. It’s far better to eat an entire low-fat frozen pizza for 290 calories than to order in an 8-slice large pepperoni pizza for 300 calories a slice.
Learn to love leftovers. When you make too much, get excited about saving it and using it another time. Also, get creative with your ingredients. If you eat half a can of tuna for a snack, figure out how you will use the rest in a different way so you don’t get bored and the tuna doesn’t go to waste. For example, you can make a tuna melt with fat-free cheese on a portobello mushroom.

Now that you are in the mood and have the right mentality for cooking for one, it’s time to get to the specifics. Stay tuned for the next article, which will have tips for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for one.

Protein’s importance is widely recognized in bariatric surgery because requirements are at least as high after surgery as before, yet stomachs are so much smaller.
So how much protein do we need and can we get enough at each meal without only eating meat?


Protein’s importance is widely recognized in bariatric surgery because requirements are at least as high after surgery as before, yet stomachs are so much smaller.
Emerging research is suggesting that the distribution of our protein intake throughout the day can be just as important for maintaining muscle mass as the total quantity. One study found that consuming more than 30g of protein at a time provided no additional benefit, with the maximum benefit achieved at 30g.
Eating enough protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass and function. The older we get the faster our body breaks down our muscle after building it, to the point where we can almost pump ourselves up at the gym and slowly start deflating as we walk out the door. Muscle has an important impact on our metabolic rate, or how many calories our body burns in the day. Our calorie burning ability influences how easy it is to gain, lose or maintain weight.
So how much protein do we need and can we get enough at each meal without only eating meat?
There are varying recommendations for protein intake following bariatric surgery ( gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric band ) . The recommendations fall within the range of 50 – 80g of protein per day for most people. Taller individuals with higher muscle mass fall towards the top of this range and may even have needs that exceed 80g per day.
If this protein intake is spaced out between three periods in the day, then this would suggest that 16 – 26g would be ideal within each period, with a maximum of 30g in any period. If a period includes a meal and a snack, then we can divide the day into Breakfast plus morning snack, Lunch plus afternoon snack and dinner plus supper snack.
My assessment of the usual intakes down the track after surgery is that dinner would usually provide an easy opportunity to consume sufficient protein via intake of meat, poultry, fish, egg dishes or legumes such as black beans or lentils. Breakfast and lunch are the riskier times, where haste and convenience can influence intake.
Let’s review the protein content of some common breakfast meals that equate to approx. 200 Cals:

1 slice of toast + ½ cup baked beans + coffee with milk = 10g
½ cup high protein cereal + 3 oz milk + ¼ cup fruit = 14g
1 cup yoghurt + ¼ cup fruit = 14g
Smoothie with 150 ml fat free milk + 2 Tbsp yoghurt + ¼ cup fruit = 8g
Omelette made with 1 large egg + 1 oz grated cheese + vegetables = 15g So, it seems it is not so easy to achieve the maximum of 30g or even 1/3 of the total requirement at breakfast after bariatric surgery, being 16-26g.
This means that what we eat at the morning snack is going to make or break a well-proportioned daily protein intake.
Let’s look at some options that can make up the difference and equate to approx. 100 Cals:

½ cup cottage cheese + 6 carrot or celery sticks = 21g
0.7 oz peanuts = 5g
2 Tbsp Pepitas = 6g
8 oz fat free milk based coffee eg cappuccino = 6g
1 slice cheese with tomato and cucumber = 7g
7 oz natural yoghurt = 10g
Small granola bar = 2g
½ Quest protein bar or shake = 10g Morning snack options of approx 100 Cals that would not have contributed to achieving the protein target would be:

1 piece of fruit = 2g
0.7g mixed fruit and nuts = 2g
6 carrot sticks and 1/2 cup salsa = 2g
2.3 oz yoghurt = 2g
1 cup popcorn = 1g
2 fruit cookies = 2g You can see that it would take a little planning but it is achievable. I think the take home message is that mid morning is the time to incorporate a protein based snack such as a half serve of a protein shake or bar and that cottage cheese is your friend.
A similar assessment of lunches reveals:

1 slice bread + 40g meat + salad = 15g
1.5 cups meat or legume based soup = 10g
90g chicken + salad = 21g
burger pattie + salad = 21g This places less reliance on the protein content of the snack as the amount of meat consumed at lunch approaches a 100g serve.
Evening meals planned around the bariatric plate model will result in greater than 20g protein where half the plate is filled with meat, poultry or fish.
Problems arise where meat is not well tolerated, such as commonly reported in gastric banding and also in other surgeries due to reduced stomach acid from the smaller stomach size or from long-term use of anti reflux medications.

Most people would agree that they need more time in a day. As our lives get busier, finding the time to prepare healthy meals for the week can be difficult. We often talk about preparing meals in bulk and freezing, but having to defrost the same meal over and over can become boring and lose its appeal.


To overcome this meal time monotony I like to freeze ‘meal bases’ that I then present in a variety of ways to create different meals.
These ‘meal bases’ are protein based making them perfect for managing meals post weight loss surgery. Below are three options I love to have on hand in the freezer.
Option One: Bolognaise Sauce
Make a large batch of your favourite bolognaise sauce (don’t forget to grate in a few vegetables to boost nutrition) and freeze in individual or family size portions.
Serve with a small portion of pasta (try risoni if you find pasta hard to tolerate).
Serve over couscous with a small side salad.
Pour over a baked potato and top with grated cheese and Greek yoghurt.
Pop in a wrap with shredded salad and cheese.
Serve on a grainy slice of toast – Burgen is a great option at approximately 4-5g protein per slice (depending on the variety).

Option Two: Mexican Style Chicken Mince
Cook onion, garlic and grated carrot with ground cumin and coriander. Add lean chicken mince and brown. Add one drained can of five bean mix and pour over a jar of your favourite salsa. You can add spinach, peas, mushrooms or any other of your favourite vegetables. Don’t be afraid to add some extra salsa if you need a little more moisture.
Place mixture into halved red capsicums and bake – top with avocado, Greek yoghurt and chilli flakes if you enjoy a little spice.
Serve in a taco shell with shredded/diced salad.
Serve in soft tortillas with shredded/diced salad.
Serve over ‘zucchini pasta’ (using a vegetable spiralizer).

Option Three: Tandoori Chicken
Marinate chicken tenderloins or chicken thigh fillet in a mixture of tandoori paste and Greek yoghurt.
Serve in wraps with raita, cucumber, carrot, coriander and chilli.
Serve with rice and steamed vegetables.
Top pizza base with mango chutney, add cooked chicken, red onion, spinach, chopped raisins, cashew nuts and cheese. Bake in the oven, then sprinkle with fresh coriander and extra Greek yoghurt.
Add to a salad of cucumber, carrot, coriander, mint and cashews. Dress with a mixture of Greek yoghurt, mango chutney and lemon juice and top with microwaved pappadams.

Happy cooking!

This is me, 7 months post-op..79lbs lost

The most successful "bariatric warriors" have learned to manage their weight loss using the same management tools they need to complete a project at work.


In other words, they’ve re-organized their lives in order to make nutrition, exercise and other healthy lifestyle endeavors gain equal ground with the other aspects of daily life.
It’s extraordinarily difficult to prep healthy food, squeeze in a trip to the gym (between work, home and kids) and get to bed by 11 every night if you don’t have an organized schedule to fit it all in. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged before you even begin trying to get your life more organized.
If this subject is resonating with you, here are five small steps you can take to better organize your day while regaining control of your health.
5 Steps to Organize and Manage Your Weight Loss
With these five steps, essentially, you’ll be organizing and managing your weight loss in the same way you might manage a project at work or school.
1. Sit down and think hard about what’s not working.
It’s hard to concentrate on cultivating healthy habits when your brain is constantly on overload. Successful weight loss requires time, planning and focus. If you’re also listening to a harsh inner voice filled with criticism, pessimism and negative messages, your chances of success will be diminished.
As much as you need to organize your time and environment, you will also need to organize your mindset.
2. Organize your surroundings.
Without a doubt, living or working in a chaotic environment is stressful.
When you can’t find the keys, you’ll be late for appointments. Likewise, if the kitchen is a mess, there is no food in the house and you can never find your favorite sneakers, you’re putting yourself at an unnecessary disadvantage.
Start with the most disorganized space and tame it. (This can usually be accomplished in less time than you think and the results will make you feel five pounds lighter).
3. Schedule your workouts the same way you schedule a meeting.
Pick a specific time each week to review your calendar for the days ahead and schedule your workouts accordingly. Treat them as you would an important meeting or appointment. And then get there — no matter what.
4. Plan meals, grocery shopping and cooking once a week.
Reviewing your schedule for the week will help figure out where and when you’ll be eating meals, what foods you’ll need, and how much time you’ll need to cook. Look at the weekly grocery store circular and buy the healthy items which are on sale and stock up for the future. Planning ahead saves money.
5. Go to bed (no excuses).
Sleep deprivation interferes with weight loss by confusing hormones that signal hunger and fullness levels.
Research shows that people who stay up late consume more calories than those who go to sleep at about the same time each night. When you’re tired, your willpower wanes. Even as an adult, you still need to aim for eight hours of quality sleep per night.
Where do I start?
Which areas of your life could see the biggest improvement if they were just a little more organized? Start there.
In just a few short weeks, you’re going to see the positive impact that “project managing” your weight loss has on your life — and your waistline.
Need more help? Give us a call or shoot us an email and we'll be happy to offer advise or direction.
We ARE in this TOGETHER!
Photo Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

If you’re a weight loss surgery patient or patient-to-be, you’d better grow a thick skin if you haven’t already. Your thick skin will help shield you from negative reactions to bariatric surgery. People are not afraid to make personal and hurtful comments about this surgery, even they often have no idea about the facts.


One of the barriers to getting weight loss surgery is the fear of telling others about it. People are quick to make you feel ashamed about your choice. They accuse you of cheating or of making a dangerous decision.
But it’s not just uninformed people who can make you feel bad. What about the media, which you trust to get its facts straight, and which influences millions of Americans’ beliefs and opinions? Sadly, the media spreads its share of misinformation about weight loss surgery.
One striking example occurred on the final episode of this season of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” For the record, this was not the first time this show publicly aired negative comments about weight loss surgery. On this occasion, Dr. Robert Huizenga clearly stated that weight loss surgery is an unhealthy choice. The implication was that it is a mistake in all cases, and far inferior to the weight loss methods used by “The Biggest Loser” contestants.
There was no mention of the fact that the weight loss methods used by the contestants are the exact same as the most effective weight loss methods used by weight loss surgery patients. That is, both use a low-calorie diet that dramatically reduces junk foods, and both encourage physical activity. The problem with weight loss surgery? Dr. Huizenga did not explain. Viewers can only guess at the horrors he was thinking of.
I’m certainly not the only one to notice such snubs on national television. The BariatricPal community had a thing or two to say about this particular episode of “The Biggest Loser,” and I invite you to check out the comments and add to the discussion if you haven’t already.
The Biggest Loser
Nobody’s dream in life is to get weight loss surgery. Unfortunately, nobody’s dream in life is to struggle with obesity, but many of us do. What options do we have? Those of us who have chosen weight loss surgery chose it because we exhausted our other options. Those options – regular diets – just didn’t work for us.
So, what would Dr. Huizenga have recommended in my case? A 16-week stay at the Biggest Loser Ranch, just like the contestants who made it to the season finale? Full dietary, medical, and physical activity support, just like the contestants? Sure, I would have been happy to try that option. Unfortunately, it costs about $3,000 per week to stay at the resort. That’s a value of $48,000, not including the longer-term support contestants receive.
Could I have lost the weight without surgery if I had had $48,000 to spend and the promise of lifetime support? I don’t know. What I do know is I did not have the chance to try. I did, however, have the chance to get weight loss surgery, and I made the most of it.
Don’t get me wrong. I really respect what I see on television of the Biggest Loser trainers and health staff that I see on television. Dr. Huizenga seems genuinely distressed about contestants’ poor health at the beginning of the show, and just as genuinely satisfied about their improved prognoses by the end. This season, trainer Jen’s tears were representative of the sincere stake the trainers have in the contestants’ lives. And, like many in America, I’d be on the first plane to Los Angeles if Bob or Dolvett offered to train me. But I do wish they did not feel the need to bash weight loss surgery without explanation.
The Truth of the Matter
Even if you have the choice between losing weight the Biggest Loser way or through weight loss surgery, which is better? There’s no question that you need to decide for yourself, but let’s take a look at each of these weight loss methods.
Losing weight Biggest Loser style means spending hours a day in the gym. The show doesn’t air nearly as much material on food as it does on exercise, although terrible eating habits got contestants to where they were, and good nutrition is clearly a part of their new lifestyles. It seems doubtful that Biggest Loser contestants can continue to exercise so many hours per day for the rest of their lives after the show, and I am certain that many other individuals just do not have this kind of time.
Weight loss surgery is…well…surgery. It involves going under the knife and changing something about your insides. There are inherent risks that are unavoidable when you undergo weight loss surgery. Aside from that, bariatric surgery requires a controlled, high-protein, nutritious diet, and exercise is recommended. Many patients can average about 100 pounds, or a respectable and reasonable 2 pounds per week, during their first year after surgery.
How do the results of losing weight Biggest Loser style versus with bariatric surgery? Initial weight loss seems comparable, according to a study discussed in US News and World Reports. But the study found Biggest Loser contestants ending up with a lower metabolic rate – making them potentially more likely to regain their weight. Granted, this study did not follow participants long-term, so we do not know what will happen in 10 or 20 years. What does seem clear, though, is that it is not yet justifiable for the “Biggest Loser” to state matter-of-factly that all weight loss surgery is bad.
Why Does It Matter?
Does it really matter what a reality television show says in passing about weight loss surgery? I believe it does. For one thing, the country already has a culture that largely views bariatric surgery negatively. We don’t need to increase the negative feelings with these vague statements proclaiming that the show helps contestants lose weight the “right” way, and other methods of weight loss are “wrong.”
Second, the show has millions of loyal viewers, including many who may be eligible for weight loss surgery. In my opinion, the show is doing them a disservice by stating unequivocally that bariatric surgery is a bad option. For some of these viewers, bariatric surgery may be the only option that would allow them to lose the weight that has plagued them their entire lives.
I don’t know what the solution is to this problem of negativity towards weight loss surgery and weight loss surgery patients. Education and patience come to mind – spread the word, when you can, about how weight loss surgery works and why some people get it. And, grow a thick skin. No matter where you are in your weight loss journey, you’re bound to get some negative comments about your decisions. Just know that you are doing the right thing for yourself.