Texas Laparoscopic Consultants

05/23/2026

In observance of Memorial Day, our TLC office will be closed on Monday, May 25.

We will return on Tuesday.

We hope everyone has a restful long weekend.

05/22/2026

05/20/2026

Balance is important when building meals and planning snacks. Keep these 3 food groups in mind for the next time you’re thinking about food.

First is FIBER!
Build your meal and snacks on a foundation of fiber like fruits, veggies, beans!

Then pair it with some (not a HUGE amount) protein such as from seafood, poultry, eggs and low fat dairy.

Last, top it off with some heart healthy fat source like avocado, nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, chia, flax). Or even just drizzle a bit of olive oil on your meal!

This dynamic trio of foods will help you stay full, satisfied and prevent your blood sugars from dropping!

What are your fave food combos?

05/06/2026

Reminder to all of our TLC family about changes on the scale vs changes happening to your body. The scale might not show all the hard work that you’ve put in. So please don’t stress.

If your weight loss is still a little slow, let’s talk about it and see how we can advance your progress!

04/29/2026

$500. Total. Out-of-Pocket.

Stop scrolling if you thought weight loss surgery was out of reach. For this patient, the "Center of Excellence" difference wasn't just in the operating room, it was in the paperwork.

Our dedicated insurance advocates (shoutout to Bobbie Jo!) worked behind the scenes to maximize coverage, leaving this patient with a final bill of only $500.

In Houston, you shouldn't have to choose between your health and your savings. Whether you have employer insurance or specific PPO/HMO plans, we fight to get your out-of-pocket cost as low as possible.

Why wait for "someday"?

Free Insurance Verification

Dedicated Reimbursement Director

Houston's Top Bariatric Experts

Ready to see your number?
Click the link in our bio to start your Free Insurance Check or visit tlcsurgery.com to see how we make transformation affordable.

04/27/2026

This is the stomach of a human cadaver.
The average stomach size is about 1 liter to 1.5 liters, but the stomach is the stretchiest organ in the body! It can expand like a ballon and hold up to 4 to 6 liters of food (4x-6x the size of the stomach!).

With the vertical sleeve gastrectomy, your stomach size becomes only 2-3 ounces, helping you to eat less.

With the gastric bypass, your stomach is about 1 ounce in size.

BUT the stomach can still expand to hold more food if you force it.

So, in the words of Dr. Sherman Yu:
Don’t test the limits of your pouch!

Take small bites, chew your food very well, and eat to where you feel comfortable, not stuffed and overly full. Also, do not eat for longer than 30 minutes…otherwise, you might be grazing.

If you are unsure of what and how much you should be eating, schedule an appointment with our dietitian or your surgeon so we can discuss proper food portions and goals!

Repost from

04/27/2026

Dr. Mehta answers your questions!

If you’ve had bariatric surgery in the past, and perhaps you are experiencing complications such as reflux, difficulty swallowing or weight regain, you might be able to have a revision on your original surgery!

Medical advancements are happening everyday! Our surgeons practice the latest and greatest methods in bariatric surgery to help produce the best but safest outcomes

If you feel that your tool (bariatric pouch) is not helping you like it should, the first step is to call our office for a surgeon consultation
📞713-493-7700
An endoscopy will typically be requested so our surgeons can take look into your digestive tract to determine what the issue might be!

Our surgeons perform many revisions such as band removals, VBG to sleeve, sleeve to gastric bypass, sleeve to SADI, and TORe overstitch just to name a few! Sometimes a new surgery may not be needed, and weight loss medications can help instead!

04/23/2026

Dumping Syndrome is a common side effect after bariatric surgery. It can happen with the sleeve, bypass and duodenal switch.

Why does this happen?
Due to having a very small stomach pouch and modified digestive tract, you are more sensitive to high fat and high sugar foods, especially if the foods are processed/junk food.

Early dumping:
This is more likely to happen with quick to digest high fat/high sugar mushy foods and liquids: ice cream, buttery mashed potatoes, syrups, pudding, heavy cream soups, juices, smoothies, alcohol, sugary drinks, candy.

Late dumping:
This is more likely to happen with heavier high fat/sugar solid foods: cheeseburger and fries, fried chicken/fish, cake, cookies.

Tips to avoid dumping:
- Wait 30 min after meals to drink
- Focus on eating lean protein and fiber (beans, non-starchy veggies)
- Avoid eating carbohydrates alone, including fruit!
- Avoid fried foods
- Avoid creamy/buttery foods
- Avoid drinking sugary beverages

If dumping syndrome occurs, lie down and rest.
If symptoms do not resolve in 1 hour, try eating a high protein snack: string cheese, turkey slices, hard boiled eggs.

04/20/2026

✨Motivation Monday✨

Create an environment that helps you.

Your environment can shape your choices.

“Willpower” will be very hard to sustain in an environment when there’s constant temptation or distraction.

- Reduce or eliminate foods that don’t support your goals.
- Add foods that do support your goals, and make them really available and easy to prep and eat!
- Have a conversation (if needed) with others in your environment (office, home) about what can be helpful for you to achieve your goal, and also discuss support that you might need!

04/15/2026

Hair thinning is common to happen after surgery, especially within the 1st 3 to 6 months. This is also when the fastest weight loss tends to happen after surgery. Your hair will grow back once weight loss slows down and your diet is balanced and stable, however hair loss may continue if you are stressed, not eating a healthy balanced diet and not taking the proper vitamins.

Rather than running to the drug store to buy more supplements, we encourage to focus on the bariatric basics:
- Eat enough protein, at least 60 grams or more per day (that may equal to about 20-30 grams per meal).
- You need to take a good bariatric multivitamin (that contains Iron, Zinc, Copper, Vitamin D, selenium. Taking just biotin is not enough!)
- Eating healthy fats like avocados and Omega 3 rich fish like salmon and sardines can help reduce inflammation.
- Avoid tight hairstyles like braids, ponytails, headbands that may cause extra pulling on the hair.
- Also, manage stress, which means get some exercise, practice some strethcing/yoga and also get adequate sleep.

As always, pleas keep up with your regular follow ups so that we can also get your labs checked for any potential vitamin deficiencies. Most hair loss gets better after 6 to 12 months. If hair loss persists, please reach out to us (if you haven’t worked on the bariatric basics).

04/15/2026

It’s hump day! Our surgeons are still busy getting through the week of surgeries!

Don’t forget to schedule your follow ups so we can check in with you and your health!