Guide and Tips to a Healthier Living

Welcome and thank you for visiting the Bariatric Betterment blog! While journeying through weight gain, bariatric surgery, weight loss, muscle building, and a medical scare, I have amassed a lot of helpful information that I wish to pass along to the numerous people that are struggling with weight issues. There are numerous posts that share an extensive amount of information and can be found via the menu on this page. Please read them, share them with those that would benefit from them, and send me any questions or comments that you may have.

The details about me, my weight loss, the surgery, and my tribulations and viewpoints since the surgery can be found by selecting the category of interest at the top of this page, or by viewing all the posts. Be sure to check in as new posts will be released frequently. Good luck with your weight loss journey and please remember, you are not alone!

First however, here is an overview of myself. My name is Mark, and I am a 42 year old computer services entrepreneur. I struggled with my weight my entire life, but the life-altering events of marriage, having children, and starting a company added stress and complexity to my life that lead to serious weight gain. One day, my doctor told me that unless I did something quickly and drastic, I may not make it beyond my 40s. This was a very sobering thing to hear, so I decided to sign up for bariatric surgery. While I do not advise surgery for everyone, and I firmly believe that there is a path to good health without it, it was the drastic step I needed to jump-start my motivation toward wellness. After surgery, my health quickly improved and my weight plummeted. It got to the point where the bariatric nurse commented that I was was looking thin.

Me a few months before surgery in 2013 compared with about a year after surgery.

At that moment, I decided to start a new leg of my journey toward increasing muscle mass. This was the path that I followed until COVID-19 quarantine, after which a life-altering heart attack changed my life, and my weight loss approach, from that point onward. As I continue on the path toward wellness and self satisfaction, I encourage you to follow this blog and use it as a tool toward achieving optimal health for yourself, a family member, or friend. Please visit it often, and share it with friends. I welcome all questions and comments, and look forward to hearing from you.

Mark in September 2021, 5 months after becoming Nutritarian.

4 thoughts on “Guide and Tips to a Healthier Living

  1. Hi Mark:

    Great information. I just had gastric sleeve surgery on Oct. 27th, 2020. I’m coming up on 90 days out and I’m finding it very hard to eat any lean proteins or vegetables My tastes have changed a lot, I can only tolerate protein shakes, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and fresh berries. Is that something that you found to be true or did you tolerate most foods?
    I’m down 55 pounds since my surgery but I don’t want to lose it the wrong way.

    1. Linda, thank you very much for the feedback! Also, congratulations on taking the monumental step of having the gastric sleeve. Tastes absolutely change after surgery, and I have heard this confirmed from others that had the surgery as well. Do not force any foods that you don’t enjoy. Instead, try different lean proteins and veggies to see if there are any that you still enjoy. I would also recommend logging this information, and try again in a few months. For the ones that you still enjoy, consider incorporating them into your diet. Otherwise, consider making a protein smoothie and blend in some spinach. That way, you still benefit from the nutrients, but it doesn’t impact the overall taste. Fresh berries are outstanding, so definitely keep eating those. While dairy isn’t ideal, they aren’t terrible, either. Just make sure the yogurt doesn’t have any processed added sugar. Ideally, the only ingredient is cultured milk. I certainly help this helps. Please reach out if you have any additional questions. Congratulations on the 55 lbs lost! -Mark

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