The Best Bariatric Cookbooks For Successful Weight Loss

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Best Bariatric Cookbooks To Support Weight Loss

Following gastric bypass surgery, you can’t eat whatever you want anymore. Instead, you must follow a strict diet and the guidelines set by your physician. However, if you’re anything like me, you may begin to get bored with the few foods you know how to make.

What helped me following gastric bypass surgery was finding the best cookbooks for bariatric patients so that I had lots of variety to choose from. I have to admit, there wasn’t much available and so I began experimenting and creating my own healthy bariatric friendly recipes and that contributed to the creation of this website: The Instant Pot Table.

*I use affiliate links in this post. If you buy anything from my links I will earn a small commission*

Best Cookbooks for Bariatric Patients

Those that have had bariatric surgery may have had a gastric bypass or the gastric sleeve. These are generally the most popular weight loss surgery options. Each bariatric surgery will determine the different foods you can now eat and which cookbook is best for you. For example:

• Gastric Bypass Cookbooks
• Gastric Sleeve Cookbooks
• Gastric Band Cookbooks

What Is Dumping Syndrome And How Can You Avoid It?

Certain foods following gastric bypass can cause dumping syndrome and therefore you need to be careful with the ingredients you use in your meals. 

Dumping syndrome is the name of a group of symptoms that may occur after eating, especially if food moves too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine. These symptoms can include:

• Nausea
• Weakness
• Sweating
• Faintness
• Diarrohea
• Heart Racing

As dumping syndrome can happen after gastric bypass certain foods will need to be avoided. Some of these include sugary foods, caffeine and fatty foods.

Dumping syndrome can make you feel very unwell and therefore it’s best to avoid any foods that could trigger dumping syndrome symptoms.

This is why it is important to cook Bariatric cookbooks and bariatric friendly recipes every day!

Why Do Gastric Bypass Patients Need To Eat High Protein Meals?

Gastric bypass surgery is a life-saving procedure that can help to reduce the risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. This weight loss surgery also drastically reduces appetite, making it easier for patients to stick with a healthier diet.

In recent years, there has been great interest in the use of high -protein diets after bariatric surgery. And with good reason.  Patients who have the surgery lose a lot of weight, and many gain some or even all back afterwards.  

Scientists now know that this is because most patients stop eating as much protein as they need to maintain muscle mass.  The human body needs protein to function, and without enough of it, patients can lose muscle mass.  This is bad because muscles burn far more calories than fat, even at rest.

For this reason, doctors recommend that gastric bypass patients eat high -protein foods five to six times a day.  These should include low or non-fat sources of protein such as:

• skinless chicken or fish,
• beans and peas,
• eggs,
• soy products
• tofu.  

In addition to making weight loss easier for patients after surgery, it can also improve their overall health.

Best Cookbooks For Weight Loss Following Bariatric Surgery

Below, I have categorized the best cookbooks for bariatric patients by the type of surgery.

Here are some of the best cookbooks that cover various types of bariatric surgeries. Whether you’re looking for a gastric bypass cookbook or gastric sleeve recipes, these books are fabulous cookbooks to use following weight loss surgery. 

Gastric Bypass Cookbook By Pat Levine

Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery is a bariatric cookbook by Pat Levine. This weight loss cookbook provides recipes to help with weight loss using gastric bypass surgery.

This bariatric cookbook is loaded with over 200 great recipes and lots of advice on how to eat, and what not to eat.

Pat Levine lost 100 pounds following a gastric bypass diet. She coped with her new eating habits by creating this meal plan cookbook, while still enjoying food.

The book includes sample menus, exchanges lists, cooking tips and plenty more useful information.

BARIATRIC COOKBOOK BY GEORGE WILLIAMS

After surgery, your body needs a lot of protein to heal. This cookbook is filled with over 100 delicious low-fat, high protein recipes to help you in your journey. Perfect for those looking for gastric sleeve recipes and bariatric recipes.

The recipes in this cookbook can also be used as a guide to help you lose weight before you get the gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgery.  

The recipes in this cookbook are grouped by cooking method and contain practical steps to help you on your weight loss journey.

WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY COOKBOOK FOR DUMMIES

This bariatric cookbook for dummies is a great gastric sleeve cookbook and gastric bypass cookbook full of bariatric recipes, gastric sleeve recipes and gastric bypass recipes.

This complete cookbook has delicious recipes and meal plans to help you maintain your weight loss after bariatric, gastric bypass, or a gastric sleeve. This is an all in one book full of guidance and advice and is one book I love.

We all love the books for dummies series. This weight loss journey book makes it easy for you to stick to a meal plan, eat healthy and nutritious meals, and stay on track. 

Gastric Bypass Cookbook For Comfort Cooking

Comfort Cooking by Lisa Sharon Belikin is a great cookbook that features favorite comfort foods and many helpful tips for eating food such as whole grains, pastas, rice dishes and beans.

In this cookbook, Lisa shares her personal journey through bariatric surgery as well as over 90 delicious, healthy comfort food recipes.

The recipes are developed to give you mouth-watering flavor while keeping to a low carb diet. The book has some creative recipes using staple foods which don’t have a lot of carbs or fat. This is a great cookbook for bariatric patients and has some lovely recipes.

Best Cookbooks for Gastric Bypass

Here are some cookbooks that are specifically catered to those who had the gastric bypass surgery.

Gastric Bypass Cookbook By John Carter

The Gastric Bypass Cookbook by John Carter is  a guide for gastric bypass patients to help them plan successful meals. The book was first published in 2006 by New Harbinger Publications and has since become a bestseller among bariatric surgery patients.

by John Carter is  a guide for gastric bypass patients to help them plan successful meals. The book was first published in 2006 by New Harbinger Publications and has since become a bestseller among bariatric surgery patients.

The author, John Carter, is a father of 5 who had his own weight loss surgery in 2002 at age 47. At his heaviest, Carter weighed around 450 pounds. After having weight loss surgery, he lost over 200 pounds and has kept it off ever since.

In addition to following a proper diet, which changed his physiology from one that was conducive to fat storage to one that is now conducive to fat burning, he began cooking with a “Gourmet Gastric Bypass Style”.

This bariatric cookbook is packed full of quick and easy recipes for stage 1 and stage 2 after your surgery. After surgery, you are going to want meals that are quick, easy and nutritious. Give your body what it needs with this cookbook. 

Gastric Bypass Cookbook: Slow Cooker

The gastric bypass diet is a popular way of losing weight quickly. Unfortunately, the gastric bypass diet also requires significant changes to your current lifestyle. To lose weight using this method, you will need to completely change your eating habits and cooking methods. If you are not accustomed to these kinds of dietary restrictions or food preparation techniques, then you may be limited in terms of your access to cooking devices.

Fortunately, the slow cooker is a useful tool for any kind of diet. If you own a slow cooker like this one….and are interested in losing weight with this particular diet, then you might want to consider using it as your primary food preparation device while on the gastric bypass diet.

This slow cooker cookbook by Stella Layne is fantastic and one book you want to buy!

Let’s face it; after surgery, you won’t want to be standing on your feet cooking meals. Instead, you can find some great recipes in this cookbook that you can cook in your slow cooker all day. 

Healthy And Delicious Bariatric Recipes

77 Healthy and Delicious Bariatric Recipes by Luke Newman is one cookbook you don’t want to miss!

Unlike other cookbooks, this one is unique. It contains all the information you need to lose weight and keep your results permanently along with delicious recipes to try.  The

Author Luke Newman has lost 63 pounds himself using this amazing system he shares in his book. Here’s the story…

Luke spent years learning all about weight loss and dieting, even having to deal with it firsthand as he gained over 200 pounds eating junk food. He tried every diet out there, but nothing worked for him or his friends who struggled with obesity either.

After weight loss surgery Luke realized he could help others lose weight and live a healthy life. He began to research the best way to stay healthy after surgery, and found a science-based system that actually works!

In his book 77 Healthy and Delicious Bariatric Recipes by Luke Newman you will learn:

How to use the 4 simple steps to lose weight with your surgery (or any other method) and keep it off for life!

The easiest way to prepare tasty healthy meals that you will love

Tasty, Healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and even desserts that won’t leave you hungry or unsatisfied.

Unlike other cookbooks, this one is unique. It contains all the information you need to lose weight and keep your results permanently along with delicious recipes to try. 

Gastric Bypass Meal Plans by Michelle Border

Michelle Border – Gastric Bypass Diet Expert has written a book called Gastric Bypass Meal Plans. If anyone knows about Gastric Bypass Surgery its Michelle Border. She went through her own weight loss surgery and has become a leading authority on what to eat and how to lose weight after gastric bypass surgery.

Inside this book, you will find detailed meal plans for each stage of your gastric post-op diet. You will find recipes for each of the food selections in the meal plan and so much more. 

Best Cookbooks for Gastric Sleeve

The following cookbooks are best used for those who have had the gastric sleeve surgery. If you’re looking for gastric sleeve recipes then you’ve come to the right place!

Gastric Sleeve Top 50 Delicious Mexican Cuisine Recipes

If you love Mexican Cuisine but aren’t sure what you can eat after gastric sleeve surgery, this cookbook is perfect for you. Enjoy what you love while still sticking to your diet. 

Mexican cuisine is not just food to eat, but really a passion for many people.

It has its origins deep in history and popular tradition. It all comes down to the exquisite simplicity of the Mexican food preparations.

The recipes are very easy to learn even if you are not professional cook; they will become routine at home with this book and are designed for those who have had gastric sleeve surgery.

The Gastric Sleeve Bariatric Cookbook by Sarah Kent

The Gastric Sleeve Bariatric cookbook by Sarah Kent is a beautifully illustrated cookbook set out in an easy to follow, step by step format. It is written directly to the reader so they feel welcome and comfortable from the very get go.

The book begins with an introduction into gastric sleeve surgery and what it means for each individual patient. In addition, Sarah Kent explains how food intake will change after surgery, what certain foods will be limited in addition to what is absolutely ‘no-go’ for each patient.

After the introduction, Sarah Kent provides information on many different topics including: food allergies and intolerances; how to get started with cooking; calorie count for everyday ingredients; how to read a recipe etc.

At the end of each chapter, Sarah Kent has taken the time to provide helpful tips for success which are ‘Make it Your Own’ sections. I found these extremely helpful in that she provides space here to write down your own ideas, thoughts and customizations that you may think of while cooking. She also provides space for recording recipes that you like, an area to write down thoughts about the book, and even a place for you to record your own recipes.

In this cookbook, you get easy meal plans and recipes that help you eat well and keep the weight off. During your first 8 weeks post-op, meal planning is essential. 

Related: Foods to Avoid After Gastric Bypass

Do you have any favourite recipes that you used after your bariatric surgery? If so, I would love for you to share them in the comments below! 

Don’t forget to pin this post so you can refer to it later!

About Angela Milnes

Angela Milnes is a Qualified Early Years Teacher who has specialised in teaching. She has a wealth of experience teaching young children and adults. Angela has also taught cooking classes and loves to share both family recipes and easy instant pot recipes here on The Instant Pot Table. Follow her on Pinterest!