This simply works as a guide and helps you to connect with doctors of your choice. Please confirm the doctor’s availability before leaving your premises.
Emergency bariatric care may be needed if you experience severe abdominal pain, complications from weight loss surgery, or symptoms of nutritional deficiencies.
You had surgery. You are 6, 7, and 8 months post-op now. You have lost a lot of weight but you are still not at your goal. You are getting there … Your diet has greatly improved. You’ve stopped drinking soda. You have started exercising. Things are going really well.
I am so happy for you.
I am still going to ask you something. “What can you do to improve”?
I celebrate you and all the goals you are accomplishing but I want to keep you focused on what lies ahead. Your weight loss is going to drastically slow down as you get closer to your goal weight. This is not the time to lose focus. This is the time to double down on your efforts.
Remember, YOU are in charge of your weight loss. It’s not your bariatric tool. It is YOU. You get to decide if you want to lose more weight, or if you want to stay where you are. That’s all up to you.
I have some ideas. Are you drinking enough water? Are you hitting your protein goals with “real” food, not supplemental protein? Are you snacking or grazing? What does your exercise routine look like? What does your sleep routine look like? Are you meal planning? Are you drinking your calories? How are your stress levels? Have you added back carb-laden foods? Are you food logging?
I think “checking in” with yourself weekly can be a good habit. You don’t have to attack the entire list above. Just pick one or two things and work on that. It’s not “all or nothing”. It’s just making sure to move forward and not backward.
For example, I’ve been going to bed too late. I’m going to wind it down earlier this week. I am not focusing on my water intake and I can do better.
We don’t have to completely rehaul our lives. We can just look for little improvements along the way. Do a periodic check-in. Ask yourself some questions and be honest with your answers.
The journey doesn’t end. It changes along the way.
Healthy Hugs,
About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.
I know that meal-planning can be overwhelming. Doesn’t have to be…..
Who says we can’t repeat meals? This eliminates food waste and it’s a great way to spend LESS time in the kitchen.
All the portions here are measured out with the “smaller bariatric tummy” in mind.
The meals included here are all high protein and low in carbohydrates.
I prepared this meal plan with a bit of intermittent fasting in mind. Who says we need to “break our fast” at 8am sharp? I personally don’t eat before noon. Sometimes I go for eggs but often I open my eating window with a protein salad.
The caloric intake in this meal plan is low. Why? I want you to choose a healthy snack to add to this meal plan. You have the space to do so.
If you follow my 7 day meal plan, you will be happy you did. Adios to all those sugar cravings. See ya later “swollen gut”. Buh Bye mid-afternoon sluggishness.
Call it a vacation. Call it work. Call it a work-ation … I always have the very BEST intentions – and then “French fries and bagels” happen.
This blog touches home because I am coming off of a “work-cation” – a little bit of work, a little bit of vacation, and a lot of LIFE can get in the way.
Sure, I am going to be a good girl. I am not going to eat C$%#. I am going to exercise while I am away from home/the office. I am focused. I’ve got this …. Until I don’t.
What now? What if your plans get changed and your diet goes haywire? Do you just say F-it and fall down the pasta slide? No No No.
Look, there are going to be times when you will eat the bagel. Tell you what, you don’t need to fall ALL the way down and dust yourself off 2 weeks later. Make the next meal better. It’s just that easy. Go for a long walk. Stretch. Eat a salad. Go for a swim. It isn’t the end of the world if you eat French fries.
Don’t have the “all or nothing” mentality, please. If your breakfast isn’t perfect, have a chicken salad for lunch and get over it. Get back on plan. Be kind to yourself. You are doing your best and you are only human. Tell your internal voice to “be quiet”. This is life and you are human.
I see you and I understand. I know that there are so many perfect people out there on social media, sharing their perfect ideas. Guess what …. Bagels happen to them also. They just choose to show you their perfect meals.
A little bit of grace. You are perfect as you are.
Healthy Hugs,
About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.
Where are my clients who are one year PLUS post-op bariatric surgery?
This is for those people who are currently struggling. I understand.
It’s easy for the “bariatric newbie” to say, “I would never regain the weight”. Or, “I would never eat sugar again”. Or, “Why did Jane start drinking soda again”?
Give them time. Sometimes life has a way of kicking you in the A$$.
I don’t wish depression on anybody. I don’t wish divorce, job loss, or death in the family for anyone. Folks, bad times happen for a lot of us. When they do, everyone reacts differently. A lot of people find food “soothing”. Have you ever found yourself “stress eating”? Don’t be so fast to judge.
If you are having a tough time right now, and if you are finding yourself eating cookies in the middle of the day, I understand. I also want to tell you that you can make some changes to try and turn things around and get back on track.
You may not have control over your personal situation, but you can take back some control over the food decisions you are making while under a stressful occurrence.
The first thing you can do is recognize what you are doing. We can’t fix something if we don’t know what we are doing. Don’t ignore it. Understand that you are using food to try and fix a problem.
Once the problem has been acknowledged, let’s get to work putting some protective measures in place.
This stressful time is not a time to make big lifestyle changes. Let’s just focus on stopping any regains for now. If you’ve had a regain, let’s just put the brakes on that.
Once we’ve removed the refined/ processed carbohydrates, sugar, and alcohol, the scale will stall. Don’t focus on big losses right now. Focus on cleaning up the cupboards and replacing the items that are not serving you.
Eating bad food, makes you feel bad.
Such a simple sentence with a lot of truth to it. Let’s not demonize food but if I chow down on a container of ice cream, my mental health is going to suffer. I am going to feel sad about it and that just adds to my current situation.
If you have chips, cookies, and sodas in the fridge, replace them with some fresh berries, chopped veggies, and homemade iced tea (stevia or monk fruit sweetened).
Start your day with a couple of eggs. When you find yourself headed for the fridge, stop and ask yourself, “Am I hungry? Or am I exhibiting grazing habits”? Am I soothing myself with food?
If you can’t seem to stop yourself from eating, then eat foods that contain mostly protein and fiber. They will fill you up. The cookies and ice cream will travel straight through the pouch and leave you wanting more and more.
If you are grazing, be aware of it. If you cannot overcome grazing in the beginning, graze on vegetable sticks and healthier options. Replace your snacks with healthier options. Health proof your fridge and cupboards.
Make sure you are eating enough food. If you never fill your pouch, you will always be hungry. Eat until you are full and satisfied.
If you have gone through a tough situation and you’ve had a bit of a regain, stop beating yourself up. It is what it is. Acknowledge it and put a plan in place.
Reach out to me. I understand. Maybe we can set up a call and I can help you put a plan together. I promise you, you are still an absolute winner in my books.
Healthy Hugs,
About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.
Crunchy Granola. Who doesn’t love a bowl of this on its own with milk?
Don’t you love to sprinkle this stuff on your cereal or throw some in your smoothie?
Are you worried about the sugar and carb count in your granola? If so, try my recipe!
It is grain free, low in carbohydrates with no added sugar.
Go ahead and upgrade your granola.
Cheers.
Healthy Hugs,
About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.
It’s Monday morning. You jump out of bed raring to go. Your time is here. You set your exercise date, and your shoes and workout apparel are waiting for you. Your protein shake is in the fridge and your car keys are on the table in the entranceway.
Off you go to the gym. It feels so good to be back after having a lapse of 8 months. Gosh, time flies! There are a lot of new faces in the gym. You only recognize a few of the hard-hitters that are always there, rain or shine.
You hit the treadmill, then the weights, a light stretch, and off you go to attack the rest of your day.
You feel amazing! The endorphins are flowing. You are a rockstar, a champion, the cream of the crop. You post your sweaty pic and apple watch workout profile on FB with the caption “Back to the grind, oh how I missed my gym”.
Day 2, it’s Tuesday and you have that same routine planned. You wake up 1.5 hours earlier, grab your gym shoes, workout gear, protein shake, car keys, and off you go. Zoom Zoom. Today is a bit harder because everything HURTS. You convince yourself that feeling sore is good and you work through it. No pain, no gain right? You post to FB and head back home to get ready for work.
Day 3, ouch ouch ouch – everything is sore. Hello Aspirin. Visiting the bathroom reminds you of how much you dislike doing squats. You head to the gym, but today you walk the treadmill only. You post to IG today. FB responses to your workout routine are not as peppy as they were on Monday.
Day 4, it’s Thursday. You didn’t sleep very well last night. You were over-tired. Your muscles were sore. Your brain was over-active. Today you roll over, hit the alarm, and go back to sleep. You are certain that working through muscle pain is not a good thing. You are going to wait until the pain is better and then do a bit less during your workout. It’s not worth feeling beat up all week.
Day 5, FRIYAY!! You worked hard all week. You cannot wait to step on the scale. WTH??? You gained 3 pounds. How can that be? You worked so hard and you ate so well? If going to the gym means that you are going to gain weight, you decide not to do it until you lose those 3 pounds again.
Does any of this resonate with you? I’m writing this because I get it. I understand. I also want to share some things that work for me with the hope that they may also work for you.
I want you to exercise. I want you to be active. I want you to separate weight loss from exercise. Exercise is for your mental and physical health. We lose weight in the kitchen. If you can separate “I’m going to the gym to lose weight”, from “I’m going to the gym because my head and heart need to exercise”, you will be much better off. You love yourself, that is why you want to work out.
Remember, you GET to work out. You don’t HAVE to work out. Reframe it.
“But Sheri, what about those 3 pounds I gained”??
I’m here to tell you that it is NOT muscle gains. 3 pounds of true muscle gains take a LONG TIME. I wish it was that fast.
I’m here to tell you that those 3 pounds are not “fat gain” either.
That weight gain is water weight. Your body is sore, it is holding onto water because you have inflammation. It takes time for all of it to balance out. This is the response your body has to be sore post-workout. It sends extra fluids to the areas that are sore and need to heal. The older you are, the longer your new workout routine will take to get used to.
I know that when you hit the gym, you may feel hungrier. Address that issue by adding more fiber to your meals. Eat more salad and veggies with your meals to combat the additional hunger. Don’t forget to eat protein at each meal. Protein and Veg for the Win.
If this is the gym phenomenon, then what are we to do? How do we get ourselves there 4 times a week?
Maybe you love the gym, but maybe you are like me and you don’t have the time or patience to drive to the gym. You can always set up your workout at home.
Maybe you like to play outdoor sports. Running after a soccer ball floats your boat. So then, join a team.
Maybe you like group exercise classes. You prefer to Zumba your way to health.
There are so many different ways to get active. It doesn’t need to be in the gym.
I think that the best way to get active and stay active is to “build it into your lifestyle”. Let me give you a few examples of what I mean.
Your son plays baseball three times a week at 4 pm. He’s going to be there for two hours. Instead of rushing around in your car, or sitting in the stands, why not convince another Mom or Dad to go for a power walk with you? You can even add in some squats, and lunges, along the way.
Here is another example. You have an hour for lunch. You eat and sit on your social media or read. Why not do something active during that time? Maybe you have a yoga class close by? Maybe you can change into your workout clothes and do an interval walk/ run with a stretch 3 times a week?
Your office is a 10-minute drive. Why not hop on your bike instead of driving? That would be the perfect way to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle.
Maybe you take a lot of phone calls at your work-from-home office. Why not walk on a treadmill during those calls? Or you can walk outdoors if the weather permits.
I work out in the mornings. It needs to happen before noon, or it isn’t going to happen. I’ve worked my exercise into my work day. I consider it my lunch hour as I work from home. This works for me. I want you to find what works for you.
If you are not currently exercising or you don’t have your activity worked into your lifestyle, take a few moments. Sit down with a pen and a piece of paper (there is probably an app for this lol), and see where you could fit in some activity.
You don’t need to carve out an hour a day. Make it 20 minutes to start with. We don’t need to jump in head first and attack it. We can work it in gradually. Why do we need to overdo it in the beginning? If you can start by carving out 20 minutes, and it’s working for you, maybe you can bump that up to 30 minutes. We are trying to work it into our lives, not discourage ourselves with how hard it is.
Baby steps right?
But, take those baby steps, and don’t just talk about it. I want this for you. I want you to save your bone mass and muscle mass as you are on your weight loss journey. To do that, we need to get active.
Healthy Hugs,
About the Author: Sheri Burkeis a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Bariatric Surgery Coordinator at International Patient Facilitators in Tijuana and Cancun, Mexico. She has worked with bariatric surgery clients for over 10 years and especially enjoys providing nutritional guidance to pre and post bariatric clients.In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two teens and cooking up a nutritional storm in the kitchen.
