Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery

Introduction

THE WEIGHT WARS

I WAS NOT ALWAYS fat. In fact, I was a skinny kid. In my teens and early twenties, I loved my curves. But once I started working, I started gaining—a couple of pounds here, a couple of pounds there. So, I tried diet pills. They worked for a while, but I was so manic and moody while taking them, no one could stand me. When I went off them, I gained all my weight back, plus some. Then I tried dieting. You know, grapefruit, broiled steak, and salad, and I never, never ate more than the guys I was dating (one of the golden oldie definitions of “being a lady”). Then I met my husband, a great guy with a great appetite. Any amount that I ate was less than he could put away. So, I started gaining and gaining and gaining. I tried Weight Watchers, lost 40 pounds, hit a plateau, and gained it all back and more. I tried going to the gym. That certainly helped, but once my career started taking off and I was working nights, and weekends, and traveling constantly, exercise became erratic, then nonexistent. So, I gained. Then I tried the Atkins diet, which was perfect for me because I’m a real carnivore. The first time I tried it, I tested purple all the time (that means that I successfully put myself into ketosis, which is the goal), but I barely lost anything. Then I gained. I tried Atkins again. This time I lost 40 pounds, hit a plateau, and gained it all back plus some. Sound familiar?

Over a period of about twenty years, I had more than doubled my weight. I weighed over 345 pounds. I could barely walk a block without stopping to rest. I couldn’t fit in theater or airplane seats. I actually broke furniture. After a bout with pneumonia, which landed me in the hospital for over a week, my primary care physician suggested that I consider weight-reduction surgery. My pulmonologist concurred. So, I did research, talked to a number of people who had undergone the surgery, and decided to do it.

My doctor referred me to Dr. William Inabnet, a renowned expert in bariatric surgery and a thoroughly professional and truly compassionate man. He and his staff seemed to understand exactly what I was going through and how I had gotten to this point, without being judgmental. We decided that I was a good candidate for laparoscopic Lap-Band bariatric surgery. The surgery was successful, but then the real battle began. As Dr. Inabnet and his staff reminded me, the surgery is only a tool.

Now I had to rethink not only the amount that I ate, but the kinds of foods that I ate and, oh, yeah, start exercising.

Cooking has always been one of my greatest passions—I think I started cooking when I was eight years old. And once I discovered that cooking for other people brought me unconditional approval, well, let’s just say that it became a defining part of my persona. Whereas cooking had once played a major role in my weight gain, now I was determined that it would be a significant factor in my weight loss. You see, I love a challenge in the kitchen. For years, I had whipped up gourmet dishes around other people’s likes and dislikes, allergies and restrictions. Now, I would put that talent to work for me.

I developed a high-protein, low-fat eating plan with virtually no “bad” carbohydrates. I allowed myself only “good” carbs from fruit and vegetables. The hard part was dealing with the restrictions for the first four months after surgery (but more about that later). Did it work? The answer is yes, although it’s still a work in progress. I have lost a significant amount of weight, and I’m looking and feeling pretty terrific, if I do say so myself. I’ve even started wearing clothes that I haven’t been able to get into for years. And what’s amazing is that, because of my ongoing weight-loss adventure, I wrote this cookbook to help other people on their road to weight loss in the weeks, months, and years after surgery. To my great pleasure, it’s become a go-to resource for other patients and health professionals. Now, I’ve updated my book to reflect the latest recommendations for bariatric surgery patients and share brand-new recipes I hope you and your whole family will love.

DEPRIVE MYSELF? NOT ME

Let’s face it, one of the reasons most people become candidates for bariatric surgery is that we love to eat. As a self-described “foodie,” I admit that I was worried when my nutritionist, Meredith Urban-Skuro, told me about the very restrictive way I would have to eat in the first months after surgery—low-fat food, pureed to the consistency of mush or chopped up in tiny bits. The suggested menus she showed me looked like a hospital soft diet—totally tasteless mush. When I was being kind, I referred to it as baby food. When I was being cynical, I called it sludge.

But just because a food’s texture is bland, that doesn’t mean its taste has to be. So, I set out to see if I could cook low-fat dishes tasty enough to stand up to pureeing or mincing, recipes that not only pleased, but also excited, my palate. As an added complication, I needed to cook for my husband at the same time.

My best friend, Michele, curious about the post-op restrictions on my diet, asked to taste some of the recipes I had developed. She immediately challenged me to write a cookbook for other bariatric surgery patients and offered to help.

This cookbook is proof that you can cook delicious food that not only satisfies your postsurgical guidelines, but also satisfies your taste buds. Yes, there is added work if you are cooking for others as well as yourself, but we’ve tried to keep it to a minimum. You can use these recipes the way they are written, or use them as a basis for experimenting to create new ones that suit your personal taste.

When I told Meredith and my surgeon that I was writing a cookbook for weight-reduction surgery patients, they were really excited.

But Meredith warned me. “Patt, I know that you are a very sophisticated cook, but not everyone who is going to use this cookbook will be, so don’t make it too complicated or esoteric.”

I said, “C’mon, get serious, people who aren’t into cooking won’t start cooking just because they had the surgery.”

That’s when Meredith told me something that surprised me. She found that many patients had discovered that unless they had control over what they ate, they ran into some problems; for instance, they ate too much because they couldn’t control portion sizes; they didn’t know how the food was prepared, so they ate unexpected fats, sugars, and other ingredients that created digestive distress. For these reasons, many of those patients were starting to cook seriously for the first time after surgery.

So, whether you have always been cooking or you are just starting to cook for the first time, I promise that you will enjoy using this cookbook. It will show you how to make delicious, satisfying food that will help you achieve and maintain your weight-loss goals over a long period of time.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: YOU CAN TURN MUSH INTO MAGIC

Let’s be honest, not everything purees well. I admit it; we had a couple of real disasters while we were developing and testing these recipes. The nice thing about this cookbook is that it progresses along with your eating program—these dishes taste terrific whether they’re pureed, chopped up, or served as solid food.

Our cookbook runs the gamut from breakfast and brunch dishes to soups, entrées, and vegetables. Plus, you’ll find an entire section on sauces that includes both savory and sweet toppings. And speaking of sweets, we’ve come up with a number of sweet indulgences that are completely allowable as well as incredibly luscious.

These recipes are high in protein, contain no added sugars, are low in fat, and contain only complex carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables. Therefore, they are protein-rich, low-calorie, and have virtually no “bad carbs.” What they do have is enough flavor and variety to keep you from feeling deprived. And, we didn’t realize until the book was finished, all the recipes are very nearly gluten-free! If you are avoiding gluten, swap gluten-free tamari for soy sauce in the few recipes that call for it, and make sure your stock and broth choices don’t contain any hidden wheat. (Do be aware that any time you modify a recipe, the nutritional information may change.)

Because this cookbook is a collaborative effort, it offers a huge amount of variety. You see, Michele and I have very different tastes in cooking and eating. She likes spicy stuff, such as curries and hot peppers. I like fruit and meat combinations and subtle seasonings. But we both agree on using high-quality ingredients. By developing these recipes together, we came up with many truly original and delectable new dishes.

We offer a wide range of recipes in each category. You’ll find variations on classic French and Italian cuisine, exotic Indian and Caribbean dishes, and recipes with Asian and Mexican influences, as well as good old American comfort food. While many of our recipes are quick and uncomplicated, some require longer cooking times or specialized steps—those are the ones that I call “Sunday cooking”—you know, the foods you cook when you have more time, which taste even better reheated the second day. You’ll be amazed at how we created some of the richest-tasting dishes without lots of fat or calories. Better than that, we came up with a luscious substitute for mashed potatoes that’s so good even meat-and-potato guys love it.

Most of our recipes are designed to serve four people, so if you’re cooking for others, they can enjoy the same foods as you’re eating. Of course, you’ll be eating such a small amount that there may be leftovers. (Why not puree them and reheat them for lunch the next day?)

At the bottom of each recipe you’ll find preparation and serving instructions for you to follow at each post-op stage, whether you’ve had a Lap-Band, gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD-DS) procedure. In addition, you’ll find portion-size suggestions to help you cook for people who aren’t eating a limited diet.

Because these recipes are so delicious and interesting, we think that you and your family are going to enjoy this cookbook for years and years, even after you come to the end of your postsurgical food restrictions.

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

Needless to say, your weight-loss journey will be unique to you, and it will depend on a number of factors. Once again, as my doctor always reminds me, the surgery is only a tool. Changing your eating and exercise habits are equally important. While we can’t do anything to help you burn those calories, we can give you a new way to cook and eat. You won’t feel deprived, because it’s absolutely delicious. And since it doesn’t restrict you to just a few limited types of food, it’s easy and healthy enough to follow for a long time, even the rest of your life.

Since I had my surgery, I’ve experienced a steady weight loss that has made me very happy. The biggest surprise was my husband (our primary guinea pig), who did not have the surgery. By going on a modified version of this eating plan (eating these recipes for breakfast and dinner), he lost a total of 45 pounds. He’s living proof that this cookbook works for anyone who needs to lose weight.

I am very happy that I decided to have bariatric surgery and I find that almost every day I reach a new, small goal. My life, which had become so restrictive due to my weight, is now full of new possibilities. It’s wonderful to once more be able to do the things I used to take for granted when I was slimmer.

Michele and I hope that this cookbook will help you find all the success that you wish for and that you will enjoy every meal that you prepare from this cookbook along the way.