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Hey guys, I found a couple chicken receipes that sound really good. Haven't tried them yet, but will. CHRISPY ONION CHICKEN BREAST TENDERS Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 15 min 1lb boneless skinless chicken cut into 1 in strips 3 to 4 tbsp honey mustard 11/3 cups french fried onions, crushed 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat chicken with mustard. Dip into crushed onions. Place chicken on baking sheet. 2. Bake for 15 min or until chicken is cooked and crispy ORANGE CHICKEN PICCATA Prep time: 5min Cook time: 10min 1lb bonless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin 2 tbsp flour 1/2 c orange juice 1/4 c honey or dijon mustard 1/4 c orange marmalade 1/4 tsp rosemary leaves, crushed 1 orange, thinly sliced and quartered 1. Coat chicken with flour. Heat 1 tbsp oil in nonstick skillet. Cook chicken for 5 min until browned 2. Mix juice, mustard, marmalade and rosemary. Stir into skillet; boil 5 min until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens 3. Stir in orange pieces. Serve with rice

Just had mine and as I noted I had the exit so swollen from irritation that I couldnt get anything don and had to be readmitted. I am now on clear liquids for 10 days and hating life! I knew this could happen but people rarely talk about it here and believe me I was scared. I really have begun to doubt what I have done as I am so weak. Good side- I have lost 28lbs, bad part - in ten days! I feel like a holocaust victim! Yes I am a drama queen but you arent going through this. Oh and the vomitting business post op hurts like hell. I was so scared my band was going to slip!

I have only had my band 10 days. I have a 10cc Band which was filled 2cc the day of surgery. The first 4 days, while I was still swollen, were sweet because I had NO hunger. Now I am getting pretty hungry, but I am still on the liquids. Saw my Dr. today for the first time since surgery. He says 1 more week of liquids and come back and see him in three weeks. I see him again 7/30........sure hope I am getting another fill then!!

I was also banded on 04/23/08. I have lost only 10 lbs. It seems like I am loosing at a slower pace. I had a very uncomplicated experience when I was banded in Tj, Mexico. I am eating soft foods now and so far have not eating anything that doesn't agree with me. I get hungry but when I eat, I get full really fast. Has anyone scheduled their first fill yet? Has anyone started with any exercising? Resi 230/219c/137 [/img]

I am down 1 pound. No complaints here!! A pound is a pound ;>] NAME........SURGERY...START....CURRENT....TO GO Blaze21..........255.........176..........172.............8 Hdsantoni.......252.........187..........179.............7 Wyomingirl......376.........283..........280............12 Aivey.............270.........265..........253.............8 Enchanted......241.........187..........187............17 Raelita...........331.........310..........310............15 Doramae........305.........257.5........248...........5.5 Jennybeck......252..........228..........219............9 Bella..............242.........213..........210............11 Laurr925........285.........225..........215..............5 EmsMommy....252.........242...........242............15 Healthy-me....226.......215.........207.8.........8.8 syretta0728....200.........192...........192............10 loosinit4good...327.........263...........263............16 FluffyJen.........220........183...........180.5............5.5 Zoom-Zoom.....218........206...........206............10 GlenSand.........252........185...........185............10

Having your family eat infront of you and smelling and seeing popcorn and you just sipping on your water is awesome!!!! I am 10 days out and the drinking does get easier. Is there anyway you can thin out your protein shake? Maybe it would go down a little better and not feel so heavy. I wish you the very best!!!!!

The first 10 days were liquid only and then onto pureed foods. At 30 days I started on soft foods which lasts until 12 weeks out. I'm nearly 8 weeks out now and still can't manage most meats and canned fish (fresh fish is ok).

I've had two surgeries--a sleeve, and then a revision to RNY because I developed GERD after my sleeve. Nine years ago, I lost 100 lbs with the sleeve from a starting BMI of 36 and kept it off, so that was a big big plus. I don't recall much pain after the first two days or so, and my recovery was uneventful. The cons were that my sleeve was very picky about the foods it would tolerate. I could not eat scrambled or hard-boiled eggs. I could not eat dense protein like tuna, salmon, or chicken breast. I could not eat pasta, bread, or bready things because they balled up inside my stomach, absorbed stomach fluid, and then hurt. I lived on seafood, steak, dairy products, and vegetables. I did not dump. I developed GERD a couple of years after my surgery but I loved my sleeve so much I did not want to consider a bypass, but after a year on 3x the regular prescribed dosage of PPIs plus OTC antacids that still did not control my reflux and regurgitating everything I swallowed multiple times I decided on RNY. I had my RNY on June 29 of this year, and maybe because I'm ten years older than when I had my sleeve my recovery was a little bit harder and more painful. I definitely felt like my insides had been rearranged. RNY is way different from the sleeve to me. I don't have that tight feeling anymore that I have eaten enough so I have to measure my food, but I am used to eating a small amount so it's not a big deal. I can eat eggs and pasta again. I don't dump, but I became lactose-intolerant. I lost 10 additional pounds following the RNY surgery when I was on a liquid/puree diet, but I haven't lost anymore and my BMI has leveled off at 20.

I was a pretty healthy person up until 2008, when my liver enzymes first became elevated. I had reached my then highest weight of 304, and then managed to get down to 263 through diet and exercise. My enzymes went back to normal. Then I got pregnant in 2010 and after I had my son, my health got worse. I was diagnosed with severe asthma around 2014, and my liver enzymes were elevated again. I started gaining weight steadily until I reached my all time high of 393 with a bmi of 69 (I am 5'3"). Back in January, I had my gallbladder removed.. I mentioned to the surgeon that I would be seeing a liver specialist because my liver enzymes kept getting higher and he did a biopsy while he was in there. The results were not good. I was diagnosed with Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatic fibrosis. The surgeon said my liver looked really bad, and he didn't see me living past 60. I'm an RN and have seen people die of liver failure and it's awful. I was 48 (just turned 49), and I had wanted wls for a long time but our insurance doesn't cover it. What that surgeon said was a wake up call, and so I made the decision to pay for the surgery myself. I wanted a sleeve, but the first bariatric surgeon recommended RNY because of my weight. I had planned to get that, but then COVID happened and they laid off that surgeon so I went to a different one that my cousin had RNY with 10 years ago. He told me about the Loop DS. He said I was a good candidate for it because of my high bmi and since I was self pay. It's still investigational and not covered by insurance. So I decided to do it. I had surgery on July 23rd. I was 368 on surgery day. The surgery went well but I was very nauseated the first few days and vomited old blood just like NovaLuna described. After that, and a kidney stone 11 days post op, recovery has been pretty smooth. I never really had much pain. As of today, I'm 322 pounds, walking every day, and feeling amazing, even though I'm still significantly obese. I was to the point of barely being able to walk anymore, and personal hygiene was hard. I had just been diagnosed with high BP and put on meds in May. I've been off the meds since surgery. I just had my first labs and everything was normal. My liver enzymes are still elevated, but about half of what they were. It's wonderful to be active again and being able to walk with my husband and son, who is a very active boy! I still have a long way to go but I'm so happy I did the surgery and don't regret it one bit! Good luck to you! Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey hey! Ull be glad to know we have similar starting stats! I am 31 years old, had a BMI of 40.67 and was a size 18-20. I was 252lbs at my highest (10 days prior to vertical gastric sleeve surgery) and I was 242lbs on 7.27.20 (day of surgery). I am 5ft 6. I am 2 months post op now. Already i am down to 206lbs. I have lost 45lbs in total and 35 in two months since surgery.my bmi is 33.25 at the moment. I no longer have hip and back pain, my face is back to looking like "myself" again, I wake up happy every single day now and don't feel like I need to to hide away inside the house because of shame. I wear a size 16 at the moment. I have always had a big butt. Washing and wiping my own butt before surgery had started getting difficult which was one of my main wake up calls. I no longer have any issues with this at all only two months out! I could go on and on. There are sooooo many pros to having wls of any kind! My husband was skeptical that wls was necessary and wanted me to diet and work out with him for another year before we considered "something so drastic"..he now agrees this is exactly what I needed and is glad we didn't wait another year of me feeling the way I did about myself. As far as recovery, it was very easy for me. Sharp pain from incision sutures for abt a week, maybe 1.5 weeks. Within 2 weeks I had no pain. Can eat very little (have to remind myself to eat bc im not hungry and it seems kind of tedious to eat now bc its only like 4-5 bites of something) and i have no desire to eat sweets or junk anymore. That is huge for me bc I would easily and regularly consume cookies, brownies, candy bars, chips and crackers by the box/package by myself in just a few days. I craved snacks all day everyday. The only "con" i am experiencing is that i loved water before surgery and chugged it all day everyday. Now it's another thing i have to remind myself to do and it feels so tedious because i can only sip water now, not chug. Oh oops i forgot.. vitamins and meds are another "con" for me because I was not any meds prior to sleeve surgery and didnt take vitamins. Now i take like 3 meds and vitamins daily. My stomach is so small it feels as tho I've eaten after just taking my meds. I used to be able to throw back 3 Tylenols and swallow at once but now i take each pill one at a time because i feel like im gonna choke on the smallest pill size. I think this is just a fear tho..like a mental thing..and not actually a legit concern or something that is experienced by others lol. Anyways, i hope i covered enough for u. If u have any other questions, feel free to ask. Im an open book and wish i had found this app when i was preop. I did find TONS of videos on YouTube that convinced me sleeve surgery was just as good of an option as bypass for me tho! The videos I watched showed sleevers years out remaining successful and losing over 100lbs. The videos showed me ppl experiencing restriction and maintaining their goal weight years out which proved to me that bypass wasn't necessary for me to reach my 100lb weight loss goal and maintain it. This was encouraging for me because i was self pay and sleeve is cheaper. I would not let money be a determining factor tho. I was kind of forced into sleeve anyways because I am a smoker..still trying to quit at this point. OHHH BTW My mother had bypass 13 years ago and has remained at her goal wait this far out. This made me believe bypass had a higher success rate because she gets dumping, forcing her to not eat certain things or too much. Many surgeons disagree abt whether sleeve patients get dumping. I can eat whatever i want post op without getting sick but obviously can only eat a small portion. Many surgeons and patients argue about whether this restriction is lifted a few years out but there are ppl on here who will tell you they still have restriction with sleeve years out so it's hard to know what each of our bodies will experience. Do your research, watch youtube vids, listen to what people have to say, but most importantly choose a good bariatric team and trust your surgeon! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Give it some time - you just had surgery 3 days ago! I had the neck and shoulder pain for about 7-10 days after surgery and it would lessen as each day passed. I had surgery in March and I've lost about 30 pounds since then - but what is the best is that I am out of the 'food fog' I had been living in for years! It was 100% worth it!

Edit: Meant banded not banding. Was wondering if there are any bandsters who had their surgery 8 to 10 years ago. Wondered how you were doing after all that time. Have you kept the weight off? Did you have to have any surgeries to reposition your band due to slippage (if so about how many years after your initial surgery)? Just curious. Most of the posts I see are from people banded 5 or less years ago. I know there are risks and that there are some studies that mention that after 5 years there are problems with weight regain, etc. I didn't think much of the studies as at least one of them only had 80+ responses. I think we all know that most people who respond to surveys like that are the ones who are ticked off. I might have felt differently about them if they were actual clinical studies. Just looking for as much info as I can get and would like to be armed if I get push back from family and friends. Thanks.

I'm thankful for the medical professionals who came up with this life changing surgery, and the pioneers who took the arrows to make this happen. I was up this morning, went for a run, back to do a body weight workout using my TRX system and 10 minutes with the kettle ball. What a change. The family feast is cooking. (I grew an herb garden this year with my daughter, and the sage and basil are really aromatic). The house smells like Thanksgiving. And I will savor the small portion. But the joy is the preparation, the family, my health...not figuring out how to cram a ton of food down my body. It is funny watching my kids stare while I have ONE greenbean bundle and measure 3 ounces of turkey

I would like to join also, I think this might be just what I need to get back on track. NAME........SURGERY...START....CURRENT....TO GO Blaze21..........255.........176..........172.............8 Hdsantoni.......252.........187..........181.............9 Wyomingirl......376.........283..........280............12 Aivey.............270.........265..........254.............9 Enchanted......241.........187..........187............17 Raelita...........331.........310..........310............15 Doramae........305.........257.5........248...........5.5 Jennybeck......252..........228..........220...........10 Bella..............242.........213..........210............11 Laurr925........285.........225..........215..............5 EmsMommy....252.........242...........242............15 Healthy-me....226.........215...........211.............12 syretta0728....200.........192...........192............12 loosinit4good...327.........263...........263............16 FluffyJen.........220........183...........183............8

My surgeon requires all his patients to undergo a 6 mo. diet to show that they are willing to comply with his directions. Basically he has no requirement for how much weight you should lose, but he doesn't want you to gain weight during that time. I would not have done well losing 10% of my weight (which would also be 28 pounds). Today was my last weigh-in, and I only lost a total of 8 pounds, so you are way ahead of me. Good luck!

Hi im very beware to this my first appt was today...i was suppose to get lap band but my surgeon talked to me about both and now im going for the sleeve.....im not required to do the nutrition classes....but i do have to get lab work a pyshc eval a egd and pulmonary clearance.....can't believe that i have all my appt set for everything accept surgery date of course but all my clearances will be done by the end of may...i have to do a 10 day liquid preop (tears) gonna suck....but everything is moving so quick im so excited and nervous and more than ready for the healthier happier me!!!!!

On January 9th of this year marked my 1 year anniversary of having the Sleeve surgery! I am so happy with my results and truly love my sleeve. I started this journey at 228lbs. I had to do the 6 month supervised diet so 10 months later, the day of surgery i was 203lbs. On January 9, 2014 i weighed in at 135lbs. I have learned to use my tool and know what my limits are and what my slider foods are. I am very aware of what goes in my mouth as opposed to before i had surgery where i ate or drank whatever i wanted. It has to be worth something good for me to eat it. Things i would have done differently: Definitely Exercise more! I didn't start going to the gym until 5 months post op. Pure laziness in my part. So if i can give a newbie any advice at all is to definitely exercise and take advantage of the first 6 months post op because that is when you will see the weight fly off your body. After 6 months i noticed that my weight loss slowed down alot. I still lost weight but it was minimal. Here is a before picture and a picture that was taken at 10 months post op.

Wow... I can't believe it's finally here!! I just went out and bought myself some new slippers, new nighty w/ a matching robe and I'm packed as if I'm going on a mini vacation! I'm only staying over night.. LOL Oh well.. Whata you gonna do. Yesterday I came down w/ severe stomach ache, and bloating... may have been from the protein drinks.. or I have some kinda virus.... I feel better today!! I should be fine for tomorrow. I'm really not that hungry. Thank god... Hopefully i'll stay that way for a while. I really want to say that i'm really thankful for this forum. I've met many great people... an I appreciate all the support that I've gotten. I sure learned alot!!! I guess this is it for the bloggin.... I will repost on Thursday, when I get home. Thanks again for everyones support.

Thank you all! I totally relate to you who are having the same thoughts I did...so much self doubt and fear for us all. For me it was so bad that I told no one I was doing this in case I failed (I have yet to tell anyone). My goal was modest compared to some, but overwhelming for me. I have thyroid disease and a non-existent metabolism. I lost about 10 lbs on my preop and a little over 60 since then. It sucked, let's be real, but I didn't bust my ass or watch the food intake and I even drank alcohol whenever I felt like it. Some may think it irresponsible of me to say these things, given how much we all have struggled and continue to struggle post op in many cases. But my intention is to encourage everyone. It will happen! It will.

Last night at about 10 PM I had the cold sweats all over my body, dizzy, shaking, felt like I was going to throw up (but didn't) I breathed through it and it passed within about 5-6 minutes. It was really pretty awful. This sounds like dumping syndrome, right? Does anyone know what would have caused this so late at night? I drank some water and chewed on some ice cubes about 30 minutes before, could that have caused it??? I was doing so well with getting my liquids in, etc and now I am scared to drink today.

Hacking hunger for your individual body is so hard. So many variables depending on the degree of broken-ness, mental/emotional health, medications, food preferences, and a lifetime of behavioral/social cues! And that's just to name a few! You are doing what we all tell each other not to do post op. You are "chasing the full feeling" and quite frankly, that type of behavior is one of the things that could land you right back at the Obesity Ball down the road. The full feeling as many have said has changed for us forevs. And plus, right now, your nerves have been short circuited due to surgery and aren't accessing the brain anymore. In time, they do reconnect! I'm reminded each time I see my doc and RD that I should ONLY be eating serving-size appropriate for my time frame. And there should ideally be "no moving on" from my 1cup total per meal whether I am 10months out or 10 years out. That will keep my new anatomy functioning the best. And it's up to us to figure out how to use our 1cup volume budget per meal! Some can get away with super dense, calorie laden, rich dishes and only eat a few bites. Others would eat that look around and would stab a bi*ch for more. *raises hand*. The best way for me is to use that 1cup real estate and fill it with 2-3oz of very dense/dry-ish protein + 1-2oz of al dente veg. The end. End of meal. Others are different. Head hunger is HUGE! At least for me. And sadly, I can eat the crap outta "bad" Fatty McFatterson comfort foods--just as if I had no surgery! I could eat a whole bag of Lay's, Cheese Its, Chips/Salsa/Queso, a can of Pringles. I'd feel bad from the extra fat and have to sleep it off...but guess what? It goes DOWN without restriction. And no amount of surgery is gonna alter your head hunger, binging ways. That takes heavy lifting and full work on behaviors and getting to the root of the problem. (I'm still such a work in progress, as are we all!) For the most part, in the early days (and even later), you eat to a schedule and you keep your set amount and you follow your rules and drink plenty of liquids/water, and it won't bother you that you are only "no longer hungry" rather than feeling full. Once you progress your plan, you will hopefully feel some sense of completion and satisfaction!

Yeah I have a pretty good support system and would not really consider myself to have a severe food addiction...Ive been able to stick with my pre op nutritional diet for the most part and have lost 10 lbs so far.

Hi Kat WTG! I too am VERY happy! I LOVE my band!! I was banded 10 months ago and have lost 80 pounds. I had lost 40 before the surgery as well. I still have a long way to go but I feel great. It is a "tool" and I do someone who had it done 6 weeks before me and they have not lost a pound, but she drinks while she eats. She has cokes all the time ahe eats and throws up, and has streched out her pouch. I feel very sorry for all of the people who it has not worked for, because for me it has been a wonderful thing. I am not just a reg fat person that no one stares at any more. My knees are better and I know I will get under the 200 mark. I started at 358, I am 5'2". I now weigh 238:thumbup: Good luck to all! Ann

HELLO, CHECKING IN FROM PHILLY. I WAS BANDED ON 9-13-07 THAT SAME DAY MY DAD DROPPED DEAD OF A MASSIVE HEART ATTACK TWO HOURS AFTER HE LEFT SEEING ME. NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT THIS WHOLE LAP-BAND EXPERIENCE HAS NOT BEEN A VERY POSTITIVE ONE TO SAY THE LEAST. MY DAD REALLY NEVER WANTED ME TO HAVE THE BAND HE SAID I DIDN'T NEED IT ( ISN'T THAT WHAT DADS ARE SUPPOSED TO SAY) ANY WAY I AM APPROACHING MY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY BAND/DAD AND TO DATE HAVE ONLY LOST 18 LBS. ONE WEEK AGO I HAD MY PORT REPLACED ?LEAK.... I LOST THE 18 LBS FROM SEPT-DEC 2007 NOTHING SINCE.I NEVER FELT SATISFIED,I COULD EAT ANYTHING WITH NO PROBLEMS AND EAT MOST OF THE TIME LIKE PRE-BAND. I HAVE A 4CC BAND. I HAVE HAD 11 FILLS IN 11 MONTHS LAST TIME TOTALLY 4CC IN 4CC BAND THEN FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS I FELT RESTRICTION THEN IT WOULD DISSAPPEAR.I HAVE KEPT A FOOD JOURNAL. MET WITH THE NUTRITIONIST, HAD AN UGI ( I AM AN X-RAY MYSELF) DID MANY X-RAYS ON MYSELF JUST TO MAKE SURE THE BAND WAS STILL THERE CAUSE IT DIDN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING. WHAAT DETERMINED SURGERY WAS WHEN I WENT BACK FOR MY 11TH FILL THERE WAS ONLY 3 OF THE 4 CC OF SALINE IN THE BAND. SO FINALLY WE ARE BACK TO PRESENT DAY ONE WEEK POST-OP PORT REPLACEMENT SURGERY (HOPEFULLY THIS WILL DO THE TRICK). MY DOCTOR WHO I TRUST WHOLHEARTEDLY (BESIDES THE FACT HE IS REALLY CUTE) SAID THAT HE INJECTED METHELINE BLUE INTO THE PORT/BAND TO SEE WHERE AND IF THERE WAS A LEAK. HE DID SEE THE BLUE LIQUID OUTSIDE THE PORT SO YES THERE WAS A SMALL LEAK. I CANNOT HAVE ANY FILLS UNTIL 10-7-08 MY INCISION NEEDS TO HEAL AND APPARENTLY THE PORT IS A NEW ONE ALOT FLATTER THEN THE OLD ONE( IT DOESN'T FEEL FLATTER).....HAVE YOU BEEN CHECKED FOR A LEAK? WRITE BACK I'M REALLY INTERESTED .I KNOW ITS HARD BECAUSE ALOT OF TIMES I WISHED I WOULD HAVE DONE BYPASS TOO:unsure: BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL. WELL STILL TRYING TO BE POSTITIVE ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING I'LL POST SOON SEE YA :confused_smile:LATER.............NANCY

By day 10 mine were off.