Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook

Chapter 2: What to Expect and What to Eat 29

✓ Use a cup with measurements to track your intake, and don’t use
straws.

✓ Use a baby spoon and put it down between bites of food to help you
eat slowly.

✓ To fortify the protein content of full liquids, mix in a small amount of
powdered nonfat milk or protein powder.

You can even fortify milk with powdered nonfat milk. Mix^1 ⁄ 3 cup powdered
skim milk into 8 ounces of nonfat milk before drinking or using in soups
or pudding.

✓ Prepare any puddings, soups, and so on with nonfat milk to maximize
protein and minimize fat and calories.

✓ Use only protein powder or shakes containing fewer than 3 grams of
fat, fewer than 12 grams of carbohydrate, and at least 10 grams of
protein per 100 calories.

✓ Get in the habit now of keeping a food diary. (See the sidebar “Food
diary = weight loss success.”)

✓ Take your multivitamin and any other supplements your surgeon or
dietitian has recommended. Make this a lifelong habit.

Another habit to begin: protein supplements. As you consume fluids in

between your meals, focus on meeting your protein needs. Your dietitian will

help you establish a daily protein goal based on your specific needs. You can

also find out more about protein supplements in Chapter 4.

Food diary = weight loss success

Food diaries are a great tool for weight loss and

weight loss surgery recovery for the following

reasons:

✓ Food diaries make you more aware of what

you eat and the quantity of food you eat. If

you get in the habit of writing down every

morsel, you’re less likely to mindlessly graze.

✓ Food diaries can be important in figuring

out which foods you’re not tolerating well.

If you note any symptoms, you can check

out your diary and find trends (“Oh yes, I felt

bad the last time I ate cauliflower, too”).

✓ Food diaries make it easy to show your

surgeon and dietitian what you’ve been

eating if you reach a plateau or begin to

lose weight too rapidly.

✓ The best reason of all? Research shows

that people who write down what they eat

lose more weight than people who don’t.

Your diary doesn’t have to be anything

fancy; it can be a little notebook or you can

purchase a food diary from a bookstore.

You can also choose from many online

tracking programs as well as applications

for smartphones (check out Chapter 3 for

more details). Just find what works for you

and make it a habit.