Healthy Cooking after Weight Loss Surgery

About six weeks after your weight loss surgery, you’ll be transitioning back to a relatively normal diet. There may be the temptation to start eating unhealthy foods—fast food, sweets, greasy food—now that you’re able to again. Since your stomach’s capacity is reduced and you can only hold so much food, it’s important that you choose the right food. Certainly fast, sugary and greasy foods are appealing, but they aren’t an option if you want be successful with your weight loss goals. That’s why learning what to prepare for meals is so important at this stage.

Important Foods

• Protein. This is still the most important aspect of your diet. It helps to maintain both bodily functions and lean muscle mass. You’ll want to start with that. You need around 60-80 grams of protein per day, so taking protein supplements or adding low-fat milk or yogurt to your food is a good way to make sure you’re eating enough.
• Fruits and vegetables. You need three servings of these every day. Raw fruits and vegetables are common food intolerances after surgery, so be aware of any digestive difficulties.
• Whole grains. You’ll also need three servings of whole grains. One half cup is a serving, or one slice. You want to make sure that there are between 3-5 grams of fiber per serving.
• Fluids. You need over 64 ounces of fluid in a day, but make sure to space out drinking at least 30 minutes away from a meal.

What to Serve

Even though your diet is limited, there are ways to have variety with the meals you prepare. Here are three different examples for each meal and several snack suggestions that you can prepare. These are general guidelines for what you’ll want to look for in a particular meal.

Breakfast

• One scrambled egg and half a slice of wheat toast.
• Quarter cup of bran flakes and one cup of skim milk.
• One ounce of fat-free cheese on half a toasted English muffin.

Lunch

• Three ounces of roasted turkey, one slice of wheat toast, half cup of cooked carrots, half piece of fresh fruit.
• Three ounces of tuna, two tomato slices, one ounce of fat-free cheese, half of a pita pocket.
• One cup of lentil soup, two saltine crackers, two baby carrots, one half no-sugar canned peaches in juice.

Dinner

• Three ounces of baked haddock with lemon, quarter cup of steamed rice with diet margarine spray, quarter cup steamed broccoli, quarter cup strawberries.
• Three ounces of lean roast beef, quarter cup mashed potatoes with diet margarine spray.
• Three ounces of baked chicken tenders, half cup cooked pasta, half cup green peppers, quarter cup of onions, one cup of diced cantaloupe or watermelon.

Snacks

• Half cup of unsweetened applesauce.
• Six ounces of fat-free light yogurt.
• Half a banana and four ounces of skim milk.