Sai

Bariatric Dietitian Elizabeth Anderson explains why feeling sunshiney is the perfect reason to keep visiting your local phlebotomist.


New Year, new calendar, time to enter in to your digital devices all those reminders and important events for 2017.
Birthdays, anniversaries, car inspection and for bariatric post-ops…don’t forget your LAB WORK!
I know this is one of the first things that gets forgotten in the avalanche of to-do’s in the first year after weight loss surgery.
As a bariatric dietitian, I try to make it easier for my clients by sending reminder emails and letters to them and their PCPs.
Many of my clients will say, “Elizabeth, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been; I feel great! Why waste time and co-pays on lab work?”
Short answer? It’s critically important—no matter which procedure you had done.
The American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recommends lab work after bariatric surgery at 3 months, 6-9 months and 12 and 18 months. After that, an annual work-up is usually sufficient.
Here’s why:

Vitamins and minerals play many key roles in weight management. If you don’t get adequate amounts, you’re compromising your health and slowing down your weight loss.
Gastric Sleeve, Gastric Bypass and BPD surgeries ALL change your metabolism. This means the digestion and absorption of nutrients, vitamins and minerals can be negatively affected.
Some nutritional deficiencies lead to severe consequences--some irreversible and at least one, fatal.
Nutritional deficiencies continue to occur after surgery—some as far as 20 years post-op.
a. Iron deficiency is most commonly seen 4+ years after surgery!
b. Dietitians in Boston, MA report that in one group of post-ops—43% were B12 deficient 15 months after surgery.
Many patients are deficient in key vitamins before surgery.
a. One study showed 48% of WLS patients had at least one nutritional deficiency before surgery! (1)
b. Another study showed more than 50% of all WLS patients are low in Vitamin D preoperatively. (2) It’s safe to say those pre-op deficiencies don’t improve with weight loss, reduced calories and smaller meals.
I send my patients to their doctors and NPs with this list of recommended labs:

ü Thiamine
ü Folate
ü Vitamin D
ü Vitamin B12
ü Vitamin B6
ü complete protein
ü complete metabolic panel (CMP)
ü complete blood count (CBC)
ü Lipid panel
ü Liver function tests
ü Parathyroid hormone (PTH)
ü Bone density test or (DXA) every 2 years. More often than I like, providers will pick and choose from the list. They too, wonder if all the tests are truly necessary.
I gently push back with the research data and thankfully, more labs are ordered.
When the labs come back, make sure your bariatric dietitian or some member of your bariatric team reviews them.
Many healthcare providers aren’t well-versed in the nutritional concerns after WLS and might miss an important trend.
I know regular labs are one more thing on the to-do list, but remember, you made a life-changing investment in yourself and your health when you had bariatric surgery.
Consider all those vials of blood just part of your insurance policy protecting that investment!
-Elizabeth Anderson MA, RDN, LD

References:
1. Ernst B et al. Obes. Surg 2009;19(1):66-73.
2. Gehrer S et al. Obes. Surg 2010;20(4):447-53.

I'm almost 2.5 years out, and I have citrus fruits and have no issues.

Bariatric Dietitian Elizabeth Anderson learned lots of new things at Obesity Week this year. In no particular order she shares what she remembers after a crazy week in NOLA.


Here are just a few fascinating facts from the world's leading obesity researchers, scientists and surgeons gathered in NOLA for ObesityWeek2016:
1. There are 3 centers in the brain driving the ‘eat’ or ‘not to eat’ decision: the ‘I’m so hungry I would steal candy from a child’ drive, the ‘Ben and Jerry’s will make this sucky day, better’ drive and the ‘Oh, that cinnamon bun is so crazy gooey I need to eat one NOW’ drive.
2. The good news? Researchers have discovered that our hormone, Oxytocin or the ‘Love Hormone’ helps reduce our impulse to eat AND reduces calorie intake by rewiring the reward center in our brain. Only problem? It doesn’t last long in the bloodstream before breaking down. But researchers will try to make something similar.
3. People struggling with obesity are STILL being treated horribly by some healthcare providers. One study shows providers across the globe associate obesity with poor hygiene and dishonesty!??
4. The medical and research experts treating obesity now understand it is definitely a more complicated issue than balancing ‘calories in’ with ‘calories out.’
5. If a state like North Carolina charged a one cent tax on sugar sweetened drinks, they could raise 400 MILLION DOLLARS in one year!
6. Visits to registered dietitians are covered by the Affordable Care Act.
7. Employers can ‘opt out’ of covering obesity medications. I don’t think this option exists for blood pressure meds, do you??
8. One of the hormones in our gut actually raises H. E. double toothpick when we lose weight through dieting. It sets off bells and whistles begging us to eat!
9. Up to 70% of patients have copper deficiency pre-op and it’s usually due to taking zinc supplements!
10. More and more providers are adding obesity medications to their therapy regimen for WLS patients ‘stuck’ in their weight loss efforts.

Great article, Alex. I especially like "Make the Most of Each Appointment". Being a naturally quiet person, I will have to make a point to do this each appointment. I often start off with questions and communication because I want answers but then after I tend to withdraw. With many things in life, communication is the key... Especially when it comes to the medical personnel who are supporting me in my weight loss, and also the the great support here in the forums.
Thank you for the excellent reminder.

Mark your calendar for October 30 to November 5. That’s when National Obesity Care Week is happening this year. As its name suggests, National Obesity Care Week is a campaign to improve care for obesity, since many obese patients do not receive the care they want or even the care they are entitled to. You may be one of them.


National Obesity Care Week Background
Fighting obesity successfully includes improving obesity treatment as part of regular healthcare. That sounds promising, but it has not yet panned out. To combat this, The Obesity Society (TOS), the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) developed National Obesity Care Week.
The event is aimed at raising awareness among patients, providers, and policy makers, and improving the quality of care obese patients receive. The first National Obesity Care Week happened in 2015. This year, the event runs from October 30 to November 5.
Shortfalls in Obesity Care
It would make sense for doctors to help their patients with weight management. But, as you may well know, many doctors do not. Primary care and other doctors may not set aside time during regular appointments to discuss your weight. If they do, they may not talk about strategies for managing it. This can be because there is not enough time, or they do not know much about the topic.
Even if doctors do approach the subject of weight management with you, they may not have all the information they need, or they may not deliver it well. Doctors do not usually get much nutrition education, so how can they be expected to pass it on to you? They may also be guilty of “blaming the patient” and writing you off as a lost cause. After all, they may figure, it’s your fault you’re overweight, and it’s a choice you’ve made. They have no idea how ridiculous this assessment is!
Even when doctors are genuinely interested in helping you, they may not have the resources at their fingertips. They may not know where to find meal planning and exercise materials to help you. They may not know which dietitians are in your health plan. They may not know when it’s time to consider weight loss surgery, or have a network of bariatric surgeons to refer you to.
And finally, there’s the issue of money. Does your insurance cover obesity treatment, appointments with dietitians for meal planning and other support, and any mental health counseling that could address underlying causes of obesity? Does your insurance cover weight loss surgery at all, and is it the type you want to get?
Probably not!
Making Progress, Slowly
Most of us in the weight loss surgery community have known that obesity is a disease for years. In 2013, the American Medical Association (AMA) finally made it official. Their reasoning was that obesity is so strongly linked to the development of other chronic diseases that it needs to be treated medically. Naming obesity as a disease increased awareness.
Then, American Heart Association (AHA), The Obesity Society (TOS), and American College of Cardiology (ACC) published guidelines for treating obesity starting with the primary care doctor. They suggest a role of the doctor in assessing obesity and providing dietary counseling for the obese patient, along with monitoring weight and willingness to comply at each appointment. They also suggest considering bariatric surgery when other methods fail.
But you may still run across many challenges to obesity care!

Doctors are ignorant or insensitive.
It’s too expensive.
You do not know your options.

Make the Most of Each Appointment
Your doctor may not take the lead, but you can. Come to your next appointment with a list of questions and talking points. These can get a conversation started and help you take action.

Let the doctor know what you are doing to lose weight, such as watching your diet or adding in some exercise.
Show your doctor how your weight has changed over time.
Bring in a few typical days’ worth of food logs and ask for comments.
Explain to your doctor why you believe you are having trouble losing weight, and ask for help addressing those issues.
Ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist or dietitian.
If you are eligible and possibly interested in weight loss surgery, ask your doctor for a referral to a bariatric surgeon.

Know Your Healthcare Plan
Cost should not be a factor in your healthcare, but it is. Things are getting better, though. The Affordable Care Act requires all private insurance plans to cover screening and intensive behavioral counseling for obesity. However, in practice, counseling can range from telephone consults to in-person comprehensive programs.
Weight loss surgery is covered only some states. It is becoming more commonplace, and your options are generally increasing. While only more established surgeries such as the adjustable gastric band and gastric bypass might have been likely to be covered previously, now some plans include the country’s most popular option, the vertical gastric sleeve (sleeve gastrectomy). You can do best for yourself by becoming familiar with your healthcare plan and exactly what it covers.
So, as National Obesity Week happens, take some time to think about your own obesity care. Is it adequate? What is it lacking? How can you make a difference by being your own advocate and learning all you can about your options? Getting the care you need can be a fight, but it is a necessary and worthwhile one!

What I've found to help me is to do one of two things:
1) Get some exercise. If time permits I might go to the gym, if not I'll just get out and walk the dog. It kills time, is a great stress reliever, and tends to make me less hungry.
2) Eat. Yep, I'll eat. If I am really obsessing about food, I will go eat some; however, I will only eat healthy, low calorie food. Specifically veggies (preferred) or fruit (low calories fruit like berries). If I don't feel like eating either of these things, then I know that I am truly not hungry and refer to #1 :-).
That may not work for everyone (#2 specifically), but it works for me. It satisfies the cravings while fueling my nutrition. And it is EXTREMELY hard to get fat on cucumbers and/or blueberries.

Ah...Alfred, Alfred, Alfred...
You just asked the $64,000 question. (that is a reference to an old quiz show BTW)
I'm almost four years out from surgery and have been at or near goal for two and a half years. I still have to be mindful not to self sabotage. I have had to find other ways to cope with stress, anger, boredom, fear, etc. While I don't recommend this to everyone, I needed to get professional guidance to help me find these other coping mechanisms.
I'll suggest staying on this site for support. Going to bariatric support groups, reading books about how other addicts deal with their addiction (and yes..I do believe most of us are food addicts)
All I can say on a positive note is that the longer we are 'normal', the more routine it gets. But..and this is a big but..the temptation is always there and many vets like me have good days and bad days. What I do is stop the slide before it becomes unmanageable. That, I think, is the difference this time. The tool we have been given, allows us to reset before we get too far.
So..good luck, keep us posted and come here as often as possible for help and support.

I am with @@gowalking on this. It is a constant battle with your brain. I lost 152lbs reaching my goal in March. I have been fighting every single day since with my brain.
As my hunger came back, and my body allows me to eat more I am constantly fighting to keep my weight off. I gain 2 or 3lbs freak out and then reset.
The good news is, my tool is there to help me reset and I must never forget that.
Maintenance is definately the hardest part of this journey and the best thing you can do is learn excellent behaviors now and take full advantage of your honeymoon period because you only get one.

hehehehe. I'm Asian so unfortunately I can eat really fast with them. /cry

Looking into weight loss surgery and deciding to get it is exciting. You are probably happy about the prospect of getting your weight under control for the first time in years, if not ever, and you are probably eager to make progress your journey.
Unfortunately, you may find that some of your family members and closest friends do not share your enthusiasm for Weight Loss Surgery. Instead of sharing your excitement and promising their support, they may express concern about your decision. They may even “forbid” you to get Weight Loss Surgery.
How do you deal with family members and friends who are against Weight Loss Surgery? Bariatric surgery is known for being tough on relationships, but there are some things you can do to try to win them over. At the very least, you can go forward with your Weight Loss Surgery plans without letting family members drag you down.


Why Does It Matter?
Support during your Weight Loss Surgery journey can help you succeed. It is motivating to know that the people who love you are on your side. Through the long days of diet restrictions and dramatic lifestyle changes, your journey will be easier if your family members and friends pitch in however they can, whether with verbal encouragement or concrete changes such as avoiding eating off-limits foods in front of you.
Still, it is important to remember that you CAN succeed, whether or not you get the support you hope for.
Get to the Heart of the Matter
First, make sure you know why they are against your weight loss surgery. It is often because they are afraid for your safety. They may know people – or know people who know people who know people – who had complications from Weight Loss Surgery. You can talk to them about the real risks of surgery – using statistics rather than hearsay – compared to the risks of remaining overweight.
Still, do not assume that your safety is why they are negative about your decision. It is important to let them express their concerns and to address them directly. These are some other common reasons why your family and friends might have a negative gut reaction to your exciting news.

They may be worried that you won’t be able to stick to the Weight Loss Surgery diet, and that you’ll be disappointed with the results.
They may think you don’t need it. A lot of family members have trouble seeing how overweight you are, and understanding how much it interferes with your life and health.
They may feel insulted. Parents especially may feel as though they have failed if they see you, their child, opt for surgery.
They may feel threatened. Your significant other, for example, may be comfortable in the relationship you have had for years, and may worry that the way you feel about him/her will change as you lose weight.
They may not know what it means for them. Friends may worry that you won’t want to hang out with them anymore, especially if your time together tends to revolve around food or if they think of you as their dependable “fat friend.”

Whatever the true concern is, address it directly. Reassure your friends and family that you are doing this for you, and that you will not become a different person.
Offer Them a Role
Some friends and family members may feel overwhelmed by your news of Weight Loss Surgery, and that can lead to their negative response. Surprisingly, offering them ways to be more involved in the experience can actually help change their minds. They may feel better about your WLS once you tell them the details about the prep, procedure, and diet, and may even be grateful if you let them know specifically what they can do to help.
Address Meal Times Directly
Food is central to relationships at home and in social settings, so it is understandable if your loved ones are worried about how your upcoming Weight Loss Surgery will affect the time you spend together. If you think this may be a concern, discuss meals at home and in restaurants with your friends and family. Let them know that you will still be present at the table and interested in being good company, even if you are not eating as much as them or ordering the exact foods that they are. If you are comfortable with the situation, they are more likely to be.
Agree to Disagree
In most cases, family members mean well. It may be hard to remember or see in the heat of the moment, but they often do genuinely want the very best for you. If you have already tried your hardest to convince them to support your Weight Loss Surgery decision and they are not ready to do so, your next hope is to keep them as an ally in other aspects of your life.
Hopefully, you and they can agree to disagree about your Weight Loss Surgery. You can let them know that you respect their opinion and will not be pressuring them to support your WLS. In exchange, you can ask them to continue to be your friend regardless of whether you are a bariatric surgery patient.
Be Patient
Sometimes, it just takes time. Your own Weight Loss Surgery success may be the best argument for why your loved ones should support you. It may take weeks, months, or a year, but they may come around as they see how happy you are, and as they realize how much they miss you.
Bariatric surgery is a lot easier when everyone you love supports your decision, but that’s not always the case. Don’t let resistance from family members and friends get you down, though. They’re probably trying to act in your best interest, and in most cases, you can still get Weight Loss Surgery while keeping strong relationships with them.

Me too. I love it!

I am sure it is tricky when you are the medical professional.
but rest assured, you can feel free to tell me how fabulous I look any time at all.

Our number one priority is to lose weight. In search of a new healthy lifestyle, we often self sabotage our well-intended efforts by investing in diet myths and misinformation about weight loss. Don’t fall into the trap! Check out these 8 Diet Myths.


8 Diet Myths Debunked!

Our number one priority is to lose weight. In search of a new healthy lifestyle, we often self sabotage our well-intended efforts by investing in diet myths and misinformation about weight loss. Don’t fall into the trap! Check out these 8 Diet Myths.
1 Negative-calorie foods
Some high fiber foods like celery and citrus fruits are claimed to be negative calorie foods. The presumption is that it takes more energy for the body to digest these foods, and thus burns more calories than the calories in the food itself. The truth is that the amount of calories it takes the body to digest food are minuscule compared to the calories in the food.
Read a counter-viewpoint and decide what is true for you, “Eating Foods that Burn More Calories.”

2. Muscle weighs more than fat
Don’t fool yourself. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat weight the same — 1-pound! However, because muscle is more dense than fat, having more muscle on your frame will make you look leaner. Also, 1-pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day whereas 1-pound of fat burns only 2 calories — so muscle increases your metabolic rate.
Learn about “Metabolic Syndrome and Weight Loss.”

3. A diet is the best way to lose weight
In the short-term “dieting,” that is following a prescriptive plan of eating fewer calories for a period of time, results in weight loss. But the weight loss is only temporary and weight is regained when former eating habits are resumed. Instead, find a way to eat healthy forever. That’s the way to lose weight and keep it off.
More articles on Eating Healthy after weight loss surgery!

4. An entree salad is the low-cal choice on the menu
Salads can be a very healthy choice — or a very unhealthy choice! A general rule of thumb might be the yummier that you make a salad the less healthy it becomes. Watch those toppings: cheeses, candied walnuts, dressing — yikes! Panera Bread’s Fuji Apple Chicken Salad has 580 calories, and 30 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat. Compare that to a McDonald’s double cheeseburger with 440 calories, and 23 grams fat, 11 grams saturated fat.
More Unhealthy Foods we think are healthy!

5. Skipping meals speeds up weight loss
Not eating actually slows down metabolism. So to keep your metabolism going eat a healthy breakfast, followed by healthy lunch and dinner, several hours apart. Not eating also can cause ravenous hunger later in the day, which may drive you to overindulge.
Check out this Healthy Lunch Solution after Bariatrics!

6. “Light” foods are better
Light foods may contain fewer calories or fat, but not without increasing sodium, sugar, chemical additives, or artificial sweeteners. A serving of fat-free cream cheese is only 15-calories less than the real, full-fate version. But the sodium content is 11 milligrams more. Sodium is a major cause of bloating. Add to that, when people perceive a food as light they tend to eat more of it, sometimes consuming more calories than if they had eaten the real version.
Read “The Bitter Truth about Aspartame”

7. A gluten-free diet will help you lose weight
A gluten-free diet is assumed to be a no-carb diet. That is not true. A gluten-free product replaces gluten-containing grains like wheat flour with non-gluten-containing grains like rice flour. Both wheat flour and rice flour are high in carbohydrates — and gluten-free pastries are high in calories. A gluten-free diet was designed for people with Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the small intestine cannot digest gluten.
Read “Gluten-Free is Unhealthy and Expensive”


8. Over-the-counter diet pills help weight loss
The Federal Trade Commission charged four weight loss companies with fraud. The companies charged with deceptive marketing practices include diet products we’ve all seen nationally-advertised: HCG Diet Direct, Sensa Products, LeanSpa, and L’Occitane. Talk to your doctor about your options for safe and effective medications for weight loss, combined with dietary and physical activity improvements.
Learn about Getting Active after weight loss.

This information was sourced from authoritative sources and is shared for informational purposes only. Use your best judgement and consult with your trusted healthcare provider before changing your diet and exercise habits.

Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life

Interesting, thank you for sharing. My husband is naturally thin, and he always gets us a booth far away (if I choose, it's up close and personal haha), he also always sits on the booth side that his back is to the buffet (I'm always facing it lol), and he absolutely scouts the entire bar before deciding what he'll eat first.

Ah kk, thank you! Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

hehehehe. I'm Asian so unfortunately I can eat really fast with them. /cry

@Sai187. Always ask to speak to the manager. This helps.

@@erics300 I am still a work in progress, no after but I do have a during. It needs to be updated though, these are a few months old. I can take a selfie all day long, but not so much full body shots lol.
Where are yours?

244 starting weight (if not more) and current weight is 115ish

So I went for my 1 year surgery follow up yesterday and I am happy to say that my surgeon and bariatric nurse are both thrilled with my progress! Blood work is on point! My Protein, sugars, D's and B's are perfection! Iron is a bit low but we knew that already! I've still got 50 or so to go but I'll get there!! Thanks to my surgeon Jason Radecke for being the best fairy-god father a girl could ask for! ♡♡♡
Down a little over 70 lbs.
I am a slow loser and I am not complaining!
Here is to another fantastic year and best of luck to all the 2016 September Sleevers!!

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.

Let’s face it . . . sometimes your taste buds want something that crunches. Before surgery, we see a lot of chips and crackers listed snacks. These are in the carbohydrate food category and are limited after surgery. Happily, there are a couple of protein chips that are on the market.


Kay’s Naturals Protein Chips come in single serving bags. Each single serve bag has 12 grams of protein from soy protein isolate. This is a good quality protein source. There are a total of 15 grams carbohydrate and 4 grams fiber. That makes the net carbs 11 grams. So, these chips have more protein than carbohydrate.
Another protein chip is the Quest Protein chips. Each single serve bag has 21 grams of protein from milk and whey protein isolate. These are good quality protein sources. The Quest chips have a total of 5 grams carbohydrate per single serve bag. Both the Kay’s Naturals Protein Chips and Quest Protein chips come in a variety of flavors. Quest chips can be found at GNC and online. The Kay’s chips are available online.
For those of us that adore chips and dips, these chips are great dipped in salsa or a Ranch style dip. To add more protein to your Ranch dip, you can mix plain Greek style yogurt (a 5.3 ounce cup), 1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise and 1 or 2 teaspoons Ranch dip mix. Finally, we’ve got a way to have crunch with a punch of protein!

hehehehe. I'm Asian so unfortunately I can eat really fast with them. /cry

Pre-surgery I could eat egg drop Soup with chop sticks.

If I used chopsticks I would starve to death, lol.