“You can fully enjoy socializing at your favorite restaurant with friends and family after bariatric surgery,” says Prime Surgicare dietitian Lori Skurbe, MPH, CDE. “The only change is what you eat, drink and the size of your portions.”
Lori provides private nutritional counseling to our patients before and after weight loss surgery. She also facilitates the monthly bariatric support group meetings at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, which also include Prime Surgicare bariatric surgeons and staff.
“Some patients experienced pushback in restaurants when they ordered child-sized meals or only the appetizer,” Lori explains. “So we created business cards which outline the medical necessity for you to consume reduced-sized meals.”
If you’d like to have one of our bariatric ID cards, you can print one from the image shown here or we would be happy to give you a card at your next office visit.
Lori recommends patients who order full-size meals ask their server to bring a take-home container when their food is served.
“This way, you can separate what you will enjoy during the meal and remove the excess food for tomorrow’s lunch and sometimes even dinner!”
Customize Your Meal for Guilt-Free Enjoyment Medical Director
Dr. Seun Sowemimo also reminds people they can personalize their meal and even order off the menu in more places than you might realize. “I have an aversion to heavy sauces and prefer my protein to be prepared without fat or oils,” he says. “I also don’t care for that heavy feeling after I eat potatoes or pasta, so I substitute them with a second vegetable or extra salad.”
“Remember, you are in charge of what you eat when you dine out,” says Dr. Seun. “Order your meal in a way that makes you feel satisfied, not guilty.”
>>> Share your tips and tools for dining out after weight loss surgery on Dr. Seun’s Facebook page.
Prime Surgicare’s Personalized Bariatric Success Program
Everyone’s lifestyle is unique — the way you work, exercise and when and what you enjoy eating. That’s why we created Prime Surgicare’s Bariatric Success Program, comprised of five exclusive bariatric resources tailored to meet your ‘real-life needs.’
“The bariatric journey is much more than just an operation,” Dr. Seun explains. “We created a comprehensive lifestyle change program to help every patient achieve their weight loss goals quickly, safely and permanently.”
To find out more, register for one of our free monthly bariatric seminars or webinars, or call our weight loss surgery specialists at (732) 982-2002 to schedule your private consultation.
Dietitian’s Corner by Lori Skurbe
Dietitian’s Corner is a monthly column for post-op and pre-op patients of bariatric surgery in NJ written by Prime Surgicare’s Lori Skurbe. Lori has been a dietitian for over 20 years with an extensive background in weight management, bariatric nutrition and diabetes education.