Coaching From the Kitchen Newsletter: PREVIEW

Greetings friends! 

Whether you're embarking on your bariatric journey, navigating post-surgery life, or simply seeking a healthier lifestyle, you've found your tribe. This newsletter is dedicated to providing you with the latest insights, tips, and stories to support your journey toward optimal health and well-being.

Every issue is packed with valuable information on nutrition, exercise, mental health, and the unique aspects of healthy bariatric living. I deeply understand the challenges and triumphs that come with your choice to lead a healthier life, and my goal is to empower you with knowledge, motivation, and a sense of community to help you navigate this journey successfully.

If you have any requests for content to be covered in an upcoming issue, please email me and I'll do my best to make it happen. :)

Here's to making every day a step towards a healthier, happier you.

Blessings,
Patricia❤️

ESSENTIAL INSIGHTS

Our Weekly Focus:
READING A NUTRITION LABEL

Understanding the importance of reading nutrition panels and ingredient lists on foods we purchase is crucial for maintaining better health and making informed eating choices. This often overlooked practice is vital for post op bariatric patients or anyone using GLP-1 medications, both of whom have greatly reduced caloric intakes. Without knowing exactly what we are putting into our body, we can't ensure that our needs are being met and we risk long term health implications like lean tissue and bone density loss, anemia, and a myriad of other medical concerns.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

Nutrition labels are packed with essential information about calories, macronutrients, and more, aiding in the management of various health conditions and promoting healthier eating habits. They also help consumers avoid unhealthy ingredients, high sodium, and added sugars, which are detrimental to long-term well-being.

No longer can we depend on savvy marketing on the front of a food package to guide us. Food manufacturers are smart. They are super crafty at using key words to promote their products as healthier than they actually are.

But, fortunately, we have INFORMATION on our side. Legally, they can't alter ingredients, and their nutritional panel data is goverened. Flipping a package over and reading the stats panel and ingredient list for yourself will help to ensure that you are nourishing your body with only the healthiest products. By being mindful of additives and making choices that align with personal health goals, reading labels empowers us to take control of our dietary intake.

Don't risk your long-term health
for a number on the scale right now.
Fuel your body with
only the healthiest foods
to keep yourself
looking and feeling your best!

Not sure what to look for on a food package? Head over to this BLOG for a quick tutorial!

NO FUSS NOURISHMENT

Cooking Made Simple

Who doesn't love a good taco? I just so happen to have a super DELICOUS but also super HEALTHY version that not only you will love... but your family will too!

Make a double batch & freeze half for quick meals. Throw it on a salad, in a wrap, or nosh it from a bowl with some shredded cheese and salsa. It's delicious no matter how you enjoy it!

WHAT'S IN PATRICIA'S PANTRY?

Healthy Find of the Week

I am always on the look-out for healthy ways to get more WATER in! A few months ago I re-discovered STUR. Not only do they have a ton of great flavors... but they are: 

• Made with real fruit
• Zero sugar & zero calories
• No artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors
• High in antioxidant vitamin C

We regularly order the "Build Your Own Bundle" for our house. I have to HIDE my favorite flavors or the fam uses them all!

Check it out and get $5 off your first order while you're there! Use the promo code: GONATURAL 

FUEL YOUR FITNESS

Before Your Workout
Fueling up on easy-to-digest carbs plus some protein with a little fat is important. Think apples and peanut butter or a WASA cracker with cheese. However, if you have eaten a meal within 1-2 hours of working out... you are most likely good to go.  

During Your Workout
During short bouts of exercise, it is generally not necessary to consume fuel. However, staying hydrated can help keep your muscles moving. It is recommended that you drink 7-10 ounces of water for every 10 minutes of exercise.

Want to boost your hydration even more? Try my super yummy Electrolyte Water recipe!

Post-Workout
Recovery eating is essential for moving toward your goal and warding off soreness and inflammation. After a workout, replenish with a mix of protein and carbs. For optimum recovery, snacks like Greek yogurt, hummus, and veggies, or slices of turkey and cheese with a WASA cracker should be consumed within 30 minutes of your workout. Avoid high-calorie over-processed protein bars and shakes. 

Contrary to popular belief, muscles repair themselves and grow during recovery, not during exercise. To help your body rebuild, consume a full meal of lean protein, high-fiber veggies, and healthy fats within two hours after exercise.  

If you are looking to focus on recovery, a serving of tart cherry juice may be a good option. It delivers a high dosage of antioxidants and may ease inflammation that causes sore muscles. Just be aware that cherry juice is high in sugar and could cause dumping syndrome in some bariatric patients.

LIFE AFTER BARIATRIC SURGERY



From Dr. Steven Reyes

The father of analytical psychology, Carl Jung, is credited with saying, ”I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” This well-known statement is indicative of reality, hope, and empowerment. A modern translation of it would be, “It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you respond that matters.” This paradigm can be applied to life after bariatric surgery and in creating a new norm for yourself.

Life after bariatric surgery is a life filled with adjustments.

It’s guaranteed that your journey will be filled with them, especially in the beginning. The obvious areas of your life that will change include your approach to food, and your approach to physical activity. The less obvious areas include finding ways to deal with stress, your relationships with your family, friends, and most importantly, yourself.

Every individual needs to establish a new "normal" routine.

So, how does one create a new norm? The key to building any healthy future begins by looking into your past.

“You cannot heal in the same
environment that made you sick.” 

Read the full article HERE.   

✦✦✦

Need someone amazing to help you work through the mindset barriers you face after surgery? Kristin Lloyd, PhD, LPC, CCH, is not only a Psychotherapist and Bariatric Mindset Coach but also a bariatric patient and best-selling author of Bariatric Mindset Success and Release Your Regain. She's also a super integral part of my team over at MBK Monthly and my co-host in the top-rated podcast, Macros and Mindset, available everywhere you listen to podcasts.