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You can cook just about anything on the grill. Choose foods that are in your post-surgery diet phase. Find a recipe you like and then start grilling. Veggies can be grilled either on skewers or in a vegetable grill pan. Grill enough for leftovers during the week. Use a marinade for flavor and moisture. You can make your own marinade or use a low-fat dressing. A foil packet dinner is a great way to combine a protein, veggies and seasoning all wrapped up in foil makes for a quick clean up. Each person can customize the seasonings for individual preferences. Foil packet dinners are quite a trend right now and you’ll find many recipes on the internet. These leftovers are great to have for another meal, or 2 or 3 . . . Making a kebob is another quick and easy way to grill small portions of protein and vegetables. Protein sources can be chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, pork or beef. You may want to grill veggies on a separate skewer since these take longer to cook. What about fruit kebobs or grilling fruit right on the hot grill surface? A mango and shrimp kebob is a great combination. You can also pair grilled fruit with light yogurt or use in a fruit salsa to top grilled meat. The possibilities are endless. For some easy grilling ideas, check out this website: https://www.readyseteat.com/recipes/easy-grilling-recipes Choose the recipes that suit your bariatric eating plan. What’s going to be on your grill?

For equipment, think about bringing a shaker cup or small blender to mix protein shakes, carry protein powder with you (try single serve packets or put a single serving of protein powder in a small container or small zip bag.), carry a stash of utensils (plastic forks, spoons and knives), and bring clean up helpers (paper towels, napkins or wet wipes). If you are going to a hotel that has a microwave, bring microwave-proof dishes or paper plates to heat a frozen meal or leftovers. A small coffee maker can make a decaf cup of coffee you can add vanilla protein to make a latte or chocolate to make mocha type drink. Drink it hot or cool it down and put ice in it. If make a hot drink, keep the temperature under 140 degrees. If traveling in a car, bring a cooler packed with protein drinks, cheese sticks, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, light yogurt or protein snacks like the P3 Protein Packs. You can either buy the individual servings of yogurt or cottage cheese or get a larger container of these foods and divide into small, plastic containers. Be prepared to stop by a grocery store to purchase single servings of yogurt or cottage cheese. There are veggie-fruit-protein snack packs now in many of the produce section of grocery stores. Some convenience stores carry protein shakes and protein bars. These are usually found on shelves towards the back of the store. Other protein snacks include protein chips (Quest, Kay’s Naturals) and protein bars. Look for protein bars that have more protein than carbohydrates such as brands like Premier Protein, Pure Protein, Six Star Nutrition, Quest and Nature Valley Protein Bars. Pouches of tuna or salmon, or the tuna and chicken salad kits to make an easy meal. Softer texture jerky and nuts are other protein options. Pack your bags and pack your protein to have a great trip!

In the first part of the series, we looked at a recent study comparing results of weight loss with NBC’s “Biggest Loser” to weight loss with weight loss surgery. At least in the short term, weight loss was similar, with Biggest Loser contestants coming out ahead at 7 months with the gap narrowing by 12 months. Some articles and research are available, but wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to compare Biggest Loser and bariatric surgery side by side? Here’s our summary of how the groups lost weight and what the results were. Methods In case you’re not aware, the “Biggest Loser” is a reality television show that is a weight loss competition. Morbidly obese contestant compete on the Biggest Loser ranch to lose the most weight. Every 7 to 10 days for 13 weeks, a contestant is voted off and eliminated from the competition. From week 13 to 30, the remaining contestants go home and return for the finale, where the contestant who has lost the most weight is crowned the Biggest Loser winner. They lose weight with intense exercise and a restricted diet. This study compared roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) patients. They lose weight because their smaller stomach forces them to eat smaller meals. In addition, they need to limit sweets and fatty foods to avoid gastrointestinal symptoms. Diet Biggest Loser contestants ate similar amounts of to RYGB patients. In the Biggest Loser, contestants ate at least 70 percent of their baseline needs, calculated by a formula based on their fat-free mass. A contestant who weighs 220 pounds and has 50 percent body fat would be asked to eat at least 1,000 calories per day. The diet includes lean protein, fruits, and vegetables, and restricts processed foods. In comparison, RYGB patients often eat a similar number of calories. They too focus on protein, followed by vegetables and fruits. Also, they limit sugary and fatty processed foods. Exercise Here’s the big difference. Four hours of exercise a day, anyone? Biggest Loser contestants exercise 90 minutes per day six days a week with the trainers, plus up to 3 hours daily on their own. That adds up to up to 31.5 hours a week – basically a job! Weight loss surgery patients are asked to exercise, but to work up to it. They may have goals such as working up to 20 or 30 minutes daily, and getting up to 60 to 90 minutes most days over the long run. The Logistics: Support and Cost Biggest Loser contestants have a lot of support. On the show, they see a trainer six days a week. They have a doctor – Dr. Huizenga – to monitor their health and progress. In contrast, most RYGB are on their own – they don’t have the luxury of a trainer each day. They tend to follow-up with their surgeon once or a few times over the months following surgery. They may have support groups to help. Bariatric surgery is expensive, no question. The procedure, plus pre-op workups and post-op appointments, can be thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Biggest Loser? Diet and exercise sound inexpensive, but can you afford to exercise for 31.5 hours a week? Can you afford to see a doctor whenever you want? What about the cost of benefits provided to contestants, such as having room and board at a weight loss resort for several weeks? The list price for a guest at a Biggest Loser Resort is about $2,500 weekly. For 13 weeks, as on the Biggest Loser, that’s a cost of $32,500. Makes RYGB seem cheap! Weight Loss What about the important thing – weight loss? Turns out the results are pretty similar…at least in the beginning. After 7 months, the Biggest Loser group lost an average of 108 pounds, while RYGB patients were at an average of 78 pounds down. By 12 months, RYGB patients were down by 89 lb. on average. And Biggest Loser patients? They were no longer being followed – who knows what happened after their season of the show ended? It stays a little cloudy later on, too. Biggest Loser hasn’t published statistics on the long-term success of its contestants. In contrast, RYGB has been shown to be successful in studies that have tracked patients for 5 or even 10 years. Health Effects Both groups had improvements in some measurements of health. Blood pressure, blood sugar, chronic inflammation, and “good” HDL cholesterol improved. Strangely enough, Biggest Loser contestants had an average increase of total cholesterol from 168 to 192, and of “bad” LDL cholesterol from 105 to 126. Also curious was the decrease in metabolic rate – or the number of calories burned at rest. Biggest Loser contestants’ metabolisms dropped more the RYGB patients’, even though Biggest Loser contestants maintained more of their lean tissue while dropping more fat. Okay, so what’s the take-home message? One might be that the way that is best for you to lose weight depends on your individual situation. If you have the time and money to train Biggest Loser-style, maybe you would prefer that to going under the knife. If you need a permanent tool for long-term assistance with losing weight, and maybe even if your health insurance will chip in, weight loss surgery may be for you. What do you think?