My five day pouch test experience

Sorry this is going to be long. I was encouraged to undertake this test when Barbara recently mentioned it. I had been out of control with my eating and I had gained and lost the same four pounds week after week during the holiday season. If any of you are interested you can find the information on the web by going to: http://5daypouchtest.com/plan/days1_2.html There is a detailed description of the goals for the test and easy to follow directions and recipes for each day. Many people say that they would have trouble with the first two days because it is the liquid phase. For me they were the easiest days. Because I was committed to make the most of this experience I had the right mindset to succeed. The things you are allowed to eat also made this a breeze for me. Days 1 and 2: I ate or should I say drank protein drinks throughout the day. I ate sugar free Jell-O and sugar free pudding. I had chicken broth when I needed something warm and also had sugar free hot chocolate. I was able to get in my regular amount of water, which for me is 100 ounces a day. I also think it is very important to take all of your vitamins because you are not getting in your nourishment through your food intake. Day 3: This day you are allowed soft protein which should come from mainly tuna or other canned meats or from fish. You are also allowed to eat eggs. I do not care for fish other then tuna. I had tuna/egg salad for this day. I added mayonnaise to make it moist and some relish for flavor. I also put in celery seed. Day 4: This day calls for ground meat or other fishy foods. I ate ground turkey patties and ground beef. I used BBQ sauce to give it some flavor. Day 5: Today was solid protein from chicken or beef. I had skinless/boneless chicken breast and beef pot roast this day. I must say that throughout this whole process I was never hungry. I stuck to the plan with the small exception that the last night I ate two cookies (sorry STYLZ, I gave in). The plan indicates that you can eat as much of the daily food group as you like. You just have to eat no longer then 15 minutes at a time and not drink before or after eating. There are a few things I will do differently when I do this again. I should have paid more attention and used skim milk for my protein drinks and to make the pudding. I used 2% milk which probably added some calories. I also used too much mayonnaise when mixing my tuna/egg salad mix. One thing of note was that during this time I had very few bowel movements and a great reduction in the production of gas (can you say TMI). I think this was because my intestines were not having to process the amount of crap (pun intended) I had been eating recently that was not providing fuel for my body. I would highly recommend that anyone who has found themselves back to eating in a way that is not working for them to achieve their goals to try this pouch test. It worked for me. I think that now that I am back to eating a regular menu again I may find that I will gain a few pounds back, but that is okay with me. If you have suffered though all of this I will tell you what you really want to know. I started this at 184 pounds (up nine pounds from my low) and after 5 days I weigh 176 pounds for a loss of eight pounds. Your results may very. If you have any questions about my experiences with this let me know and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Life is great, Rick

Rick, I'm so glad you got the mental "reset" you needed from this! I think that's great and I'm proud of you for taking charge and getting back on track right away before it got out of hand! WTG! The link between carbs and hunger is just amazing to me, I would say one of THE strongest things I've taken away from my RNY experience is my steadfast belief in low carb now! I'm very happy for you and your results! have a great day!

Rebeka, Thank you for your comments. It sounds like you have things figured out about the way your body works and the signals it is sending to you. Take care, Rick

I woke up this morning eager to get to the computer to read your story! I am fired up to start this 5-day diet. Will probably be a few more days, but I am definitely going to do it. Do you feel like your pouch feels like it did right after surgery...and does it seem to curb your hunger??? Do you not seem to crave carbs so badly? I was so excited to get to work this morning and read your post, that I got dressed, grabbed my coat and bags and flew out the door to go to the car and wham...I was looking at the stars! The snow that had melted overnight on my sidewalk/driveway had refrozen and I hit a patch of dry ice...and I temporarily forgot about going to read your post! I sat/laid there a few minutes trying to determine if there was anything broken and decided it was too cold to stay on the ground and I really did want to read your post, so I pulled this old body up (which I probably would have needed construction equipment 150 pounds ago) and slowly made my way to the car!!! So now that I am at work, having read your post, assessed there is no permanent damage - I am getting ready to start the 5 day pouch test!!!! Tonight on the way home from work we have to vote...big NH primary day...and doubt I am going to make it to the store tonight and I still feel awful with this cold...so may be the weekend before I get started. I want to get rid of this nasty cold so I can truly concentrate on good exercise and be mentally up to tackling the 5 day test! But I am glad to hear your summary and I look forward to doing this. Thanks for posting. Barbara

OUCH! I'm so sorry that you fell. It was slippery this morning at my house too. I'm so glad that you don't have permanent damage and made it to work! Hugs for banged and bruised you, Stephanie

Barbara, I'm sorry you fell. I'm hope you are not to sore. I would definately wait to start the pouch test until you are feeling better. There's no reason to combat a new challenge if you are still feeling puny. The test seemed to remind me of what my pouch was like in the beginning. After two days of liquid I could definately feel the difference in more solid food in my pouch and when I moved on to solid protein I was full a lot quicker and the feeling stayed a longer period of time. I really felt like I was feeding my body what it needed. I also have a lot less cravings for all of the bad foods. I still will treat myself (like you, those darn nuts), but I will have less of them to satisfy my desire. Let me know if I can answer any more questions. I have to get this off quick before the power goes out again. I think I'm past the "isn't it pretty" stage with the snow. Take care, Rick

I was just as anxious to read his post, but luckily didn't have to leave the house this morning. I hope you're ok and feeling better from the cold too!!!

I did the pouch test and was starving during the first two days and just when it got easier, I went off track. Good Luck.

Nanette, It wasn't too hard forme. I got to have treats that I don't normally think of like sugar free Jell-o and sugar free pudding. I think it has to be something you are mentally prepared for, like most things in life. I must say I was happy with the results. The real struggle for me is keeping up with it. I guess that makes me human. Thanks for your reply. Have a great day, Rick

Rick, congratulations! It sounds like a very successful experiement for you and exactly what you needed to help yourself get back on track. I'm one of those who doesn't think I could make it through the first two days. I'd be fine after that. Thanks for sharing great information. I'm going to tuck the info away in case I can't seem to start the scale moving downward. I'm hoping that my switch to salad with protein for lunches and cutting out starch from dinners for five out of seven days coupled with the increase in exercise will do the trick. We'll see! Way to go! Hugs, Stephanie