Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery [Paperback]

Patt; Bontmpo-Saray, Michele Levine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2004

In April 2003 Patt Levine underwent "Lap-Band" gastric surgery, one of the primary bariatric surgeries being widely practiced today. As a lifelong foodie, she was expecting the worst when her surgeon's nutritionist handed her dietary guidelines to follow post-surgery, and she was right. With her decades of cooking skills, she immediately set out to devise low-fat dishes that would be just as delicious pureed and chopped as they would be served whole. As an added problem, she wanted to cook for her husband at the same time. This first-ever cookbook for the hundreds of thousands who are lining up for bariatric bypass surgery is proof that it can be done. With collaborator Michele Bontempo-Saray, the author has created 125 recipes that contain no added sugar, are very low in fat, and get their carbohydrates almost exclusively from fruits and vegetables. Each recipe includes specific guidelines for preparation of the dish for every stage of the eating programs for Lap-Band, gastric bypass, and Biliopancreatric Diversion Duodenal Switch (BPD-DS) patients, as well as suggestions for sharing meals with those who have not gone through gastric surgery. Creative recipes cover every meal and food—breakfast and brunch, soups, vegetables, main courses, and sweet indulgences.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Features special guidelines to help you prepare each dish for every stage of the Lap-Band, gastric bypass, and Biliopancreatic Diversion/DS (BPD/DS) post-op eating programs, as well as for family and friends who have not had weight loss surgery.

About the Author

PATT LEVINE, a professional writer who has been a serious cook for many years, had has several recipes published in Gourmet magazine. She developed this post-surgery eating plan after her own weight loss surgery in early 2003. MICHELE BONTEMPO-SARAY is an art director and graphic designer who has worked in both the fashion and home furnishing fields. They both live with their husbands in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 193 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; 1 edition (July 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569244537
• ISBN-13: 978-1569244531
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diets & Weight Loss > Low Fat
  • #83 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International
  • #97 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Healthy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

258 of 273 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars finally some light! March 18, 2005

By Brian Watson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

You know, one of the reasons I underwent a gastric bypass surgery in December was to escape the hordes of diet religionists--those odd folks who have found the solution to their dietary woes and will proselytize until the cows come home!

Enough, says I, of no-carb, low-carb, non-fat, low-fat, this, that and the next! Surgery so altered my body that many of the choices I once made are invalid--out of my hands! I can't eat the crap that made me fat anymore because now it makes me sick.

And yet, imagine my dismay when, recovering from surgery, I found even more no-carb religionists among my surgically altered compatriots. One woman's intolerance of my ideas was such that I had to filter her e-mail directly into the trash! Even though I had now an anatomy that wouldn't tolerate certain foods, she insisted that I had to further subjugate myself to her odd notions of nutrition. No carbs ever again!

And so it was with a sigh of relief that I opened this book to read my new mantra: all in moderation.

After all, surgery means that you can eat what you love. You can have good food and love it. What you can't do is binge. What you can't do is make a meal of fat and sugar. And this book points the way.

Salads, entrees, desserts, it's all here. And more: suggestions on how to change the contents of your refrigerator and pantry to make eating easier.

After all, life after surgery need not be deprivation. Most of us got fat on deprivation and our inevitable gut-busting reaction to that, so a book that tells me how to enjoy what I now eat is a wonder to behold.

Thank you, Ms Levine! And thanks to my friend Laureen who recommended it!

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for weight loss surgery patients! August 30, 2005

By S. Kim

Format:Paperback

Potential buyers should know that this book's usefulness is not limited to those who have undergone weight loss surgery. It is also of tremendous value to people recovering from dental work or jaw surgery, where soft or liquid diets are of necessity for a length of time. As someone who has experienced this type of surgery, I can attest to the desire for flavorful meals, beyond what can be found in typical shakes, soups and purees. This book is the answer.

The recipes are varied, well-written, and most importantly, produce delicious results. Patt Levine has done an amazing job of creating a valuable resource for people who have gone through a trying physical ordeal, and now long to resume a sense of normalcy. Since so much of our lives revolves around what we eat, this book is a must-have!

75 of 82 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good recipes and portion sizes October 20, 2004

By Anna Price

Format:Paperback

I had lap-band surgery 8 months ago. I wish that I had this book just after surgery. There really are good suggestions of how to fit the recipes into your life at each stage after surgery (liquids, mush food, solids, etc.). The one thing that I didn't like is that her timeline of when to switch from liquids to mush foods, etc. was different than the one given by my Dr. I think that if one follows the Drs recommendations of when to switch and the cookbooks recommendations of how to adapt the recipes for each stage, this book could be a big help.