The bariatric bible - Carol Bowen

After Carol Bowen Ball underwent bariatric surgery she found there was very little practical information for weight-loss surgery patients and as a result she wrote the first (and to date only) UK bariatric advice and cookery book - Return to Slender. At the same time she launched BariatricCookery.com a website to support the same patients. A year later she wrote a sequel Return 2 Slender Second Helpings. Both books have been widely praised by the professional bariatric community as well as pre-op and post-op patients.

The recipes in The Bariatric Bible are designed and developed to help at every stage after weight-loss surgery. They are colour-coded to suit the 3 main stages afterwards. These are: the Red or 1st Fluids Stage, the Amber or 2nd Soft/Pured Stage, the Green or 3rd Eating for Life Stage. They will have a nutritional analysis breakdown. This includes measured calories, protein, carbohydrate and fat levels. Recipes are also further coded for suitability for freezing and for vegetarian eating.

A new bariatric lifestyle however isn't just about food - it is also about exercise, changes in behaviour and relationships, adhering to essential medications; coping with unsettling situations that can de-rail the best of intentions, dealing with social situations like eating out; finding new ideas for a changing body through fashion and beauty advice; and making new healthier habits to replace old destructive ones. As a result the book will be the most comprehensive book of any currently on the market.

The book will cover the types of surgery on offer for those who want to know more so that they (along with their bariatric team) can make the best choice from the selection available. It will also look at and advise on the many pre-op diets that are required prior to surgery - sometimes to lose weight as part of the qualification process and also as the liver-reducing diet prior to surgery itself for safe intervention. However, it will mainly focus on advice and recipes for after surgery to help the post-op patient maximise their best chance of long-term success with weight-loss and better health.