Today I had steak with rice for breakfast. Chicken for lunch.

Ok first things first you need to take the scans, how else can your docter help you? god forbid what if somethings wrong in that area that can be fixed? Even if your self pay 5 dollars a month keeps you out of collections. Your health comes 1st.

I had my surgery in the USA.

OK how do I boil chicken please elaborate.

I had my surgery in the USA. I don't want to slander anybody's name. There is a chance I will improve with time. I hope. And I want the doctor to help me. Its the only one I have. I will say it is in the southern part of the region. Just to appease those in the north lol. If your from the south. My doctor was very experienced. It might not be the doctor but the surgery itself that is flawed. But I just don't know at this point. I have read the hunger hormone takes awhile to leave the body in some people. If I'm still like this next month I will be more sure. As time goes on.

I was not trying to get a doctor in trouble. I was trying to find out if you where able to have a close relationship with your doctor. If you had it in the states you can consult with the dr. He may do some testing that he will not charge you. Or he may be able to have suggestions for you. I find some people that have their surgery in different coumtries ask for more guidance because their surgeon is so far away. By no means does this say your doctor was wrong in anyway. I think you should contact them with your concerns and go from there. .

My doctor was very experienced. It might not be the doctor but the surgery itself that is flawed.

Let's go with the premise that the surgery isn't flawed as the gross majority of the members here can attest it is working for them. How well would you say you are following the guidelines of not drinking with your meals, eating protein first and exercise? I know you said you can't exercise due to pain, but how about walking? You should start with something ... anything. 5 weeks out ... you should be able to do something. You say that protein foods are high in sodium and expensive. This is true if you are buying processed foods, which may also be leading to your hunger issues. You gotta stop buying processed foods. Time to make a change. Like Laura suggested, cook a chicken, make turkey chili ... time to start cooking your own food and reduce costs and sodium. This sleeve will work, but you have to work with it. It is not a miracle cure. It is a tool. You are going to have to make some changes to your routine, otherwise things will not change. Hate to sound blunt or rude, but the surgery isn't flawed ... our relationship with food is flawed.

Do you think maybe that your really just feeling like your always eating it may not be as much as your thinking? Because it takes so long to eat. I have a friend two years out says eat something ever two hours with the drinking rules its like I'm always eating but guess what the calories and amounts are small under 600 usually under 400. Maybe its really not as much as your thinking? If i m wrong I'm sorry but I hope you get it figured out my friend keeps telling me to be patient!

My favorite boiled chicken method is to make Soup. I use a pressure cooker, but you can use a regular stock pot, too:

Whole onion diced

4 whole carrots diced

1 full chicken in pot filled with Water to just cover it

2 tablespoons white vinegar (extracts flavor from marrow, optional)

Boil on medium high for 1 hour (30 minutes in pressure cooker)

Pull chicken and put in refrigerator to cool (20 minutes)

Add peas, diced green Beans, asparagus ... whatever to liquid

Pull chicken apart, dice it and add it back to liquid saving some out for whatever purpose you may want chicken for.

Good to go

I have jelly jars that I then package this into and put into freezer. I grab one on my way out to work (I have this EXACT recipe sitting in front of me right now)

Thanks everyone

Oh my there are much better ways of preparing a chicken than boiling it.. When you boil it you render it tasteless and dry. Please bake your chicken in the oven or crock pot. Seriously use low sodium chicken broth and some veggies and spices for flavor. In essence your making a stock and have chicken baking in it. Then shred it and use it during the week.

You will thank me.

Or you can just do it easy like I do.. Stock pot chicken salt pepper Water filled up over the chicken boil for an hour. Pull chicken cool and shred the chicken off the bones, a bit messy but you get all the chicken and a good mix of light and dark meat together.

You definitely can get fancy and put more thing in the water to make soup! But honestly my kids are sick of chicken soup and even when I did it they just liked plain broth and meat...sometimes rice.

I use the shredded chicken for salads, plain or with hummus or put Mexican seasons in for burritos for the family and I just eat the filling.

I must disagree with the dry chicken from boiling!

When you boil it to almost falling off the bones moist flavorful and yummy!

( yes I like boiled chicken)

The sleeve is a tool to help us with restriction. I believe the body is going to tell us it is hungry when we are deficient in some nutritional requirement. The example I use here on VST is if your body is needing some Calcium to do some repairs somewhere in your body, it is going to give you a signal to eat. If you are eating well balanced, nutritionally relevant foods, that need will be met and the signal will stop. BUT ... if you instead eat a steak or something else that doesn't meet what your body is needing, you will again get that signal to eat. "Hey! I'm still needing some calcium over here, please!"

The sleeve will restrict our portions, but it does not control whether we eat nutritionally balanced meals. Especially early on. Processed foods exacerbate the problem. Ever since being sleeved I have made it a focus to eat balanced meals. Sure, I also eat a candy bar occasionally. Had one of those Snickers Ice Cream bars just yesterday. But I also had an excellent array of foods, got all my liquids and Protein in, so, I afford myself that cheat. Had I not met my nutritional requirements for the day, then I would not have had it.

Does that make sense? Make sure you are getting enough Proteins, carbs, fats and minerals and I believe the 'hunger' cravings will go away.

I agree with Laura. You're definitely doing something wrong if your boiled chicken is dry. You can just buy some skinless chicken breasts, toss it in a crock pot with some onions, carrots and BBQ sauce. Start it before work and when you get home, shred it with a pair of forks. Great Protein and carbs.

It really is easier than you think. There is a whole sub-forum here at VST for recipes. Check it out.

I had my surgery This year. I was drinking without any problems right from the get go. I had severe pain on my left side and I have a massive lump and indentation going on to this day. Also I am constantly hungry. Massive appetite. I can eat a full serving of anything. Except bread things. I can't have seconds but I never ate seconds anyway. I am noticing very little restriction. My appetite is still too strong to fight. Which is why I had this surgery in the first place. I am cash pay. I feel like I wasted my money and feel cheated. I am eating Proteins just eating too much. I don't get a feeling of fullness until I am too full. I know this is stretching my pouch or if not now it will eventually. I'm 5-6 weeks out. I started eating at 4 weeks. I had half a piece of toast it dang near killed me. I had pain all over and vommitted. But after that no troubles eating. I am sore around my belly muscles and the left side feels like it could be a hernia. I'm probably going to be stuck like this forever. Don't do this surgery based on price. And make sure your doctor knows to remove the entire fundus. I think mine was not done properly. And I had this in the states. Anyone else have this happen? I'm already on prilosec. So it can't be acid mimic to hunger can it? What do I do now? I have no aftercare accept followups but I have to pay for any tests etc. No more money left. So any advice would help. I try and drink Water and tea but my hunger knows no bounds. I don't even remember being this hungry before surgery.

Ok I feel like you wrote this for me. I'm 5 weeks out, have the same left side pain, I'm always hungry... I never get full. I'm in the same boat... I really don't know what to do either. I don't have insurance, I was self pay in Mexico. I could eat every hour and way more than a half a cup. I'm defective.