[240Brick]

My name is John, and I'm a chef. I also dabble in writing a little, although until recently, I've never worked on any "serious" writing projects.

I was hired to prepare meals, and to meet the nutritional needs, of a woman who underwent gastric bypass surgery back in April 2007. She is doing very well, but she quickly became tired of the severe limits imposed by her mandatory diet. A few weeks ago, she placed an ad on local message boards, and I answered it. Here we are today.

Originally, the arrangement involved me preparing several larger meals, then portioning and freezing them, so she could "nuke" a meal whenever she wanted. As we got to talking, we realized something: there really aren't many books out there that deal exclusively with the dietary needs of gastric surgery patients.

We've decided to write the book ourselves. It's going to be a mix of her own personal account, along with recipes and preparation methods. So, I've taken it upon myself to do the "legwork", and do the outside research myself. I would appreciate any thoughts, tips, or tricks that anyone here can offer.

I've also set up a web log, the URL of which is in my profile. On the blog, I ask people to share their experiences and thoughts (as well as their recipes), for eventual compilation and possible inclusion in our book.

This is a marvelous forum--I know, I've browsed around--full of people who truly do care about one another. I feel privileged to be among you!

[DocSanae]

Welcome to the board, thank you for joining us.
We have another chef on board here, Kat, who had gastic bypass over a year ago.
A lot of what the post op can eat, is going to depend on the mood of the pouch, actually, so no matter how well the menu and recipe may be formulated, there will be times when the person can't eat what even the most talented chef put together.
It would help to get a great variety of menus that are high in protein, and fairly easy to chew and digest, as quite often, food can get stuck for a number of reasons.
You will also need to keep the Pouch Rules in mind when dishing up these menus. The key to successful weight loss with gastric bypass is in using the tool correctly, and that is what the Pouch Rules are for.
Since your partner in business is only 2 months out of surgery, if the date you listed for her surgery is correct, you say April 2007, then what she can eat is still probably very limited, not by the surgeon's directions, but by her own pouch.

There are some recipes up in the Gastric Bypass Recipe forum, but if you wish to use them in the capcity of getting a book out, you must ask the permission of the original poster for use, since yours is a business venture.
There's also a thread with a list of recipe books and of WLS experiences and guides, somewhere, if you do a search, book recommendations do come up from time to time.

Good luck in your venture, a recipe book is welcome anytime.