It’s that time again!  It’s time to do some meal planning, and it’s time to get back to real food.  I’ve strayed a bit from my super low-carb meal plans and I have put this meal plan together for ALL of us (me included).

Now, I don’t want to get all fussy and make you spend a ton of time in the kitchen.  I also don’t want you to spend a ton of money. I want to make this easy for you. This is why we are going to REPEAT two days of meals in a row.  It creates less food waste and less time for preparing meals.  It makes shopping a breeze.

I’ve also included a grocery shopping list. Print out the list, and then cross out the food items you already have in your fridge and pantry. Voila! It’s an easier way to shop for the meal plan.

I’ve added a snack each day. You folks know that I am not a lover of snacks as they can stall the scale BUT, I want you to have options.  You can have one snack a day or not.  It’s up to you.  These snacks are all high in protein.  You can feel good about them.

Another reason why I added the snack is so that if you do not enjoy one of the meal options, you can swap it out with the snack option.  Bingo.  An easy swap makes for happier bariatric clients.  That’s what I want.  I want you to feel happy with your food choices. I don’t want you to eat anything that you don’t like.

Let’s say you hate shrimp, and that is on your afternoon salad.  What do you do? Swap the shrimp for chicken, or tuna. 

What if you hate eggs and there is one on the salad?  Leave the egg off and add a bit more shrimp or chicken.  Don’t fret.  I make suggestions and you make decisions.

Guess what?  Your whole family is going to love this meal plan.  You don’t need to tell them that “we are doing something special this week”.  They will really enjoy these meals together with you.  Give them a bigger portion, and if you want to add more carbohydrates to their plates, offer them some quinoa, or sweet potatoes.

I really hope you enjoy the menu I’ve put together for you and if you make these meals, post them in our closed support group, and tag me. I want to see it!!  It makes me proud to see you cooking my recipes.  Heck, I am already proud of you.

DOWNLOAD THE LOW-CARB BARIATRIC 6 DAY PLAN

Healthy Hugs,

What does a “full bariatric eating plan” look like?

It’s going to look different for different people. 

Remember, we are biochemical individuals, and we are all at different stages in our journey. What works great for Karen, doesn’t work the same for Ken.

Our lives are not always the same.  Sometimes we are more active.  Sometimes we have higher stress levels.  Some of us are dealing with complicated health issues.  Our diets are going to change a bit as life throws different challenges our way.

Some of us are vegans, vegetarians, carnivores.

Some of us have food intolerances to gluten.

Some of us have sensitivities to dairy.

It’s complicated.

Some of us don’t like onions (me).

There is not a “one size fits all” dietary plan that I preach but there are some defined, logical suggestions that I like to make as I move my clients from liquids, to purees, to soft foods, to a full bariatric diet.

Anytime somebody reaches out to me and tells me that they have had a bit of a regain and they want to go back to a “liquid diet”, or a “pre-op diet”, I need to explain that it doesn’t work the same way when you perform a pre-op diet when you are 230 pounds as opposed to 180 pounds.  It is not going to have the same effect.  My best suggestion is to follow the “full bariatric eating plan”.

What does this look like?  Here are some suggestions, and reminders of how the bariatric full eating plan looks 4 to 6 weeks post-op and beyond.  Remember, I make suggestions, but you ultimately make decisions.

• We don’t snack or graze. 
• We eat 3 times a day. 
• We plan our meals.
• We use a food journal or a food log.
• We choose a handful of protein and add a few bites of veggies.
• We eat until we are full, not overly full.
• We fill the pouch enough so that we can go hours between meals.
• We drink zero-calorie beverages between meals.
• If we want to eat nuts, seeds, butter, cheese, olives, pickles, etc., we do it DURING our meals (not between).
• If the scale stalls, we remove all processed foods (think proteins shakes, bars, quest chips, keto store-bought crackers, etc.).
• We take a walk each day or add some type of exercise each day.
• We control our stress levels.
• We get an extra hour of sleep each night.
•  

These are some guidelines that I set for my clients when they are a month to six weeks post-op.  Doesn’t this just make perfect sense?  When I write the list above, I can see three things, right away, that I can change TODAY to get the scale moving again tomorrow.

Can you see three things that could help you? If you can, let me know what jumps out of the page for you.  Curious minds want to know. (Me, I am that curious mind).

Healthy Hugs,