Melissa’s successful weight loss surgery gained the admiration of a lot of her friends and family. In just over 18 months, she was able to transform herself from always being slow and sickly to someone who is active and outgoing.

 

Before her surgery, Melissa was always reluctant to go out. She would rather stay home, relax and eat rather than take the time to socialize with her friends. Her weight hindered her from being a part of activities her peers would like such as yoga or going on shopping sprees in outlet stores. Yoga made her uncomfortable as she was afraid she’d be laughed at if she loses her balance. In terms of shopping marathons, she would always grow tired easily and could not keep up with her friends when walking the huge outlet stores. Plus, she did not really enjoy shopping for clothes because the stylish clothes don’t fit her anyway.

 

When Melissa was unable to attend her daughter’s school play because she was rushed to the hospital, she then knew that she had to do something effective about her weight. After a few failed diets, she turned to weight loss surgery.

 

For Melissa, her WLS changed her life around. She realized that she actually enjoyed yoga and she started enjoying shopping now that the clothes are fitting her better. Aside from these, she also started taking part in 10K runs, group travels, and other sports which widened her circle of friends.

 

Melissa admitted that it was not easy for her at first. She said that there was a point when she loathed at the thought of seeing another chicken fillet. But what made her survive this phase was a trick that helped her mentally feel that she was not limiting herself. This was by using delicious, bariatric friendly sauces to spice up her healthy meats. She would pre-prepare these sauces so that they are ready to over grilled chicken, beef or even seafood!

 

This recipe below is an example of this sauce that combines spicy, sweet and sour flavors. It may take around an hour to an hour and a half to prep and cook the sauce but the time invested is definitely worth it.

 

 

Spicy, Sweet & Sour Grilled Chicken

 

You’ll Need:

1 cup water

6 oz can tomato paste

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup distilled white vinegar

3/4 cup sweetener

1 medium onion, minced

1 jalapeño, minced (with some seeds)

1/4 minced garlic (8 cloves)

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Cooking Method:

Sauce- Stir together water and tomato paste in a sauce pan on medium heat. Then stir in remaining ingredients (soy sauce, vinegar, sweetener, onion, jalapeño, garlic).

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, then reduce heat and briskly simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced. Plan for 60 minutes. (Place in a sealed container for the fridge if making chicken the next day.)

 

Chicken – Heat an outdoor grill. Brush both sides of chicken with sauce and place on grill. Grill chicken four minutes per side, basting with sauce each time you turn. Continue until chicken is cooked through and temp reads 165F (estimated 20 minutes).