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Food will not rule your life Once obesity sets in, life is about food, first and foremost. But after bariatric surgery, you’ll see that food isn’t really your ‘best friend’ anymore; it just keeps you alive, nothing more. Get ready to say goodbye to the constant worry about your next snack, next meal or which drive-through you’re going to visit. Going forward, you will learn that food gives your mind and body fuel to perform at its highest level possible. Food is not a crutch or a protector from the challenges of daily life. You’re going to feel so much better Preparation is the number one key to weight loss success. Before surgery, you’ll work with our Bariatric Navigator to start the process of changing what you eat. Go ahead and dump the junk food, the sugar products and empty carbs now. Your body doesn’t need artificially processed foods (nor does your family). After about a week or two of excluding these foods from your diet, you’re going to feel the difference. Read articles, blogs, magazines and books about healthy living. Prepare your body and your mind to make changes toward living a healthier lifestyle. By utilizing all of the resources from our comprehensive bariatric weight loss program, you will have many levels of support and education available to you. You are not alone in this journey Through your surgeon or hospital's bariatric program, you are going to meet people at all stages of the bariatric process. You will garner the tools to live a healthier life and learn how to meet and overcome obstacles. There is strength in numbers so seek out both live and online support groups. Sign up for a few and build relationships with people. You will be as big a help to them as they will be for yo u! Only you can change your mindset about food, exercise and weight The struggle against obesity is not just physical. It’s also mental and emotional. Having the courage and dedication to have weight loss surgery is a strong statement about your regard for your value and self-worth. The battle against obesity is complicated; if you feel you need psychological counseling services, we’ll be happy to provide you with recommendations based upon our patients’ feedback. You will be amazed that you actually like to exercise Once you are eating solid foods again, you can incorporate exercise into your routine, in most cases. Many patients enthusiastically report that weight loss surgery gave them a new chance to reap the benefits from working out. After weight loss surgery, you call the shots about what happens next. How will you reclaim your body, redeem your health, and start a journey toward a healthier quality of life? Discover or re-discover activities that you enjoy—start with walking around the neighborhood; jog/walk on a treadmill while you watch your favorite TV show or play ball with your kids (they will be elated, I assure you). Have you always wanted to hike? Take a water aerobics class? Try Yoga or Zumba? Embrace the new life you are creating for yourself. Dive in, try everything! The battle against the disease of obesity is often in the mind. When you see the physical changes happening, your mental outlook will improve as well. Seize that momentum and go after your goals with everything you’ve got. It’s well worth the effort.

Having a smaller stomach pouch after surgery makes it a challenge to get in more veggies. Veggies you can sip instead of chewing to applesauce will make it easier to get in your vegetables. Think about blending veggies with protein powder to help increase your protein intake. Focus on non-starchy veggies. There are several ways you can sip your veggies. One way is to experiment with blended smoothies. A blended smoothie has 3 main parts: fresh or frozen produce, ice cubes, and a base. The base can be water, milk or yogurt. For bariatric patients, a base can also be protein powder or ready to drink protein shakes. You’ll need a good blending machine like NutriBullet, Ninja or Vitamix. Look for a blender with at least 1000 Watts for best results. Next time you make a protein smoothie, throw in a handful of raw spinach or kale, cucumbers, shredded purple cabbage, frozen veggie blend, fresh herbs or something from your garden. Fruits are often a part of a smoothie, but you will need to calculate the carbs to stay in your carbohydrate goal. Another idea is to make a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary. Stir a tablespoon of unflavored protein powder into 6 ounces low sodium V8 vegetable juice. This V8 is a blend of several vegetable juices. Throw in dashes of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, stir again and the pour over ice. Unflavored protein powder can be added to vegetable soups. Sprout’s has unflavored whey protein powder in the bulk bins, which is a way you can test taste this protein without buying a large canister. One tablespoon provides 10 grams of protein. If you use whey protein isolate, remember to keep it under 140o F. to prevent the protein from curdling. Healthy sipping!