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CONTENTS
A re you recently recovering from bariatric surgery? Is your bariatric procedure in the near future? Are you wondering how youll get through your recovery while also adjusting to a new way of eating? If you answered yes to any of these questions, youre in the right place! Bariatric surgery brings with it many physical, psychological, and emotional changes that relate to your lifestyle and eating habits, but preparing safe and healthy food after bariatric surgery doesnt have to be difficult. Although it can feel incredibly daunting, Im here to show you that developing a new eating plan that prioritizes your health and healing can be easy and that you can achieve your goals while enjoying the process along the way.
I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and I have been working in the nutrition field for about 10 years. I work with many bariatric surgery clients who are at a loss as to how to approach their new way of life. They may feel fearful of the unknown and unsure of how to navigate their new normal while also managing the pressure they feel to see results. Making these big adjustments as easy as possible is essential to helping them build lifelong healthy habits. I work with them to find meals they love, identify foods they dont like so much, determine the time and energy they have for meal prep and then develop a personalized plan that empowers them to create and sustain healthy habits. And thats why I am creating these recipes for you here.
Your journey toward success postsurgery should be a process that, although challenging and new, is something you can enjoy and build upon. Postsurgery, you can look forward to doing more things that you love. Maybe you want to pick up a sport or hobby you havent been able to before now. Or maybe you simply want to travel more comfortably. Establishing a better food routine that you can rely upon is also something you can look forward to after youve recovered and become familiar with your new eating pattern. A food routine can help reduce anxiety around food choices, promote consistent digestion, and create stability around meals and snacks. Both being able to do things you love and establishing a food routine are part of the total improvement in your overall quality of life after surgery. And the healthy habits you build now will be the things that help you achieve and maintain these goals.
As you are adjusting to a new way of life, slow-cooking allows you to maximize your nutrition through protein-rich foods and makes prepping meals easy. Especially during recovery when you need rest, easy options with minimal steps will be key. Keeping things easy is also the best way to begin to build healthy habits. The slow cooker is a valuable tool to use during your healing and recovery. I hope you enjoy these recipes and the process as you learn the ropes of your slow cooker!
Although this book wont cover your recovery in its entirety, it will provide you with some helpful tips and recipes that will make your recovery and lifelong health goals easier to achieveand enjoyable. So, browse the recipes, become familiar with those that are best for various stages of your recovery, and get ready to do some slow-cooking! I hope you enjoy making these as much as I enjoyed creating them for you.
Are you ready to dive into some seriously easy meals? Maybe you recently made it through bariatric surgery, or maybe your surgery is coming up soon. Either way, youre probably wondering what and how to eat during your recovery. Look no further! This cookbook will provide you with staples, comforting favorites, and unique creationsall that support your healing and recovery while requiring minimal effort and prep.
Healing with Your Slow Cooker
Many, if not most, of my bariatric clients assume that building healthy eating habits after surgery means committing to hours of work in the kitchen. I quickly reassure them that this could not be further from the truth! During recovery, its important to have quick and easy recipes that allow time for rest and healing.
Using a slow cooker is a great way to minimize your time in the kitchen. Although cooking times can be longer than cooking in the oven or on the stovetop, the number of steps you need to follow and the time spent supervising the process are greatly reduced. Often, you can simply put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and step away until its done. This saved prep time and effort is essential when you are recovering from surgery.
