5 day pouch test

Does my pouch still work?
Have I broken my pouch?
Have I ruined my tool?
 

Below you will find a brief list of the menu for each day. Please click the "Read more" links for further detail and hints and tips that will enable your success with the 5 Day Pouch Test. Days One & Two: Liquid Protein
low-carb protein shakes, broth, clear or cream soups, sugar-free gelatin and pudding. Read more.
Day 3: Soft Protein
canned fish (tuna or salmon) eggs, fresh soft fish (tilapia, sole, orange roughy. Read more.
Day 4: Firm Protein
ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, lamb), shellfish, scallops, lobster, fresh salmon or halibut. Read more.
Day 5: Solid Protein
white meat poultry, beef steak, pork, lamb, wild game

There has been a great deal of lively discussion lately about how to do the 5 Day Pouch Test correctly. The guidelines for the plan are very specific and deserve review.

First Off - the 5DPT is a drastic measure to stop a carb monster or slider food habit. It is a rapid return to compliance with the general rules of successful weight loss or maintenance after weight loss surgery. The 5 Day Pouch Test is not intended to be a way of life - it is a trip to the dietary and mental emergency room in order to stop further injury from out of control or improper eating.
Understanding Hunger, Appetite & Satiety

The 5 Day Pouch Test is intended to prepare us for the eternal Day 6 way of eating that includes a high protein diet with the inclusion of nutritious complex carbohydrate vegetables and low-glycemic fruits and limited whole-grain starch. In addition Day 6 means following the Liquid Restrictions and avoiding slider foods or processed carbohydrate grazing.

From the Plan:

This is the 5-day plan that I (Kaye Bailey) have developed and used to determine if my pouch is working and return to that tight newbie feeling. And a bonus to this plan, it helps one get back to the basics of the weight loss surgery diet and it triggers weight loss. Also, it is not difficult to follow and if you are in a stage of carb-cycling it will break this pattern. Sounds pretty good, right?

The 5 Day Pouch Test should never leave you feeling hungry. You can eat as much of the prescribed menu as you want during the day to satiate hungry and prevent snacking on slider foods and/or white carbs. You must drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day. A reduction of caffeinated beverages is suggested, but do not stop caffeine cold turkey.

Weight loss is not the intent of the 5 Day Pouch Test, however, many who have tried this plan report a significant drop in weight. More importantly they celebrate a renewed sense of control over their pouch and eating habits and easily transition back to a healthy post-surgical weight loss way of eating.

Although weight loss often occurs on the 5DPT it is when we follow Day 6 consistently that we achieve greater weight loss and weight maintenance. We also feel better about ourselves.

Days 1 & 2 are difficult - liquid both days. This is necessary to rest your tiny tummy pouch and reduce any inflamation that has occured from eating food that irritates the tiny pouch and the stoma opening through which food flows to the digestive track. It is very similar to how we prepared for surgery and how we nurtured our new digestive system after surgery. Think of it as coddling an infant - you would not feed a new baby fried chicken or pretzels or ribeye steak or chocolate cake. So why feed a new bariatric tummy these difficult foods? If you feel frightened or unable to do Days 1 and 2 then do a modified test starting with Day 3. Repeat Day 3 twice, do Day 4 twice, move on to day 5 twice (this makes it a 6 day test) and then begin the eternal Day 6. It is better to do the 5DPT as outlined, But doing a modified test is better than sinking further into a processed carb cycle or slider food addiction.

A Plan to Work the 5 Day Pouch Test

There is no such thing as perfection in life or the 5 Day Pouch Test. In fact, nobody has ever done the test perfectly, not me or Queen Gretchen or Toris or any of the other 5DPT experts. But what we have done is our best on any given day and learned our way back to following the proven rules that work with our weight loss surgery. Use the 5DPT as a learning tool; not a measure of success or failure. We have spent enough of our lives measuring personal worth by the way we eat and the number on the scale. The 5DPT is about reclamation of your power to do the very best at living healthy with surgical weight loss and beyond to maintenance. Be kind to yourself.

Some keys to working Day 6:
**Plan you meals

**Add new things to your diet in the way of lean protein and healthy complex carbohydrates.

**Forgive slip-ups and let them teach you.

**Embrace the WOW moments and let them motivate you.

**Never underestimate the power of the pouch - it is there for you if you work it.

**Finally - Remember you are never alone. One year out, 20-years out you have a friend in the Neighborhood.

Questions & Answers:
This sounds like just another short fad diet.
I can understand this feedback, particularly if it comes from one who has not had weight loss surgery or gone through the stages of the post-op diet. The 5 Day Pouch Test is drastic and it has to be. If a person is feeling out of control with their eating, feeling like they have failed at weight loss surgery and gaining weight then drastic action is necessary. This plan allows that individual to take control in 5 days and exchange destructive eating behavior for appropriate eating behavior that results in feeling good and weight loss. In addition, those who started the plan feeling hopeless and desperate come away with new confidence in their ability to work their surgical weight loss tool.

What are liquid restrictions?
After surgical weight loss patients are advised to avoid drinking water 30 minutes before meals and 30 minutes after meals. (The time restriction varies from surgeon to surgeon, but must use the 30 minutes before, 30 minutes after restriction. Follow your surgeon's specific directions.) In addition there should be no liquid consumed while eating. Following these liquid restrictions allows the pouch to feel tight sooner and stay tight longer, thus leaving the patient feeling satiated for longer periods of time without experiencing the urge to snack.

One exception to the mealtime liquid restriction is an alcoholic beverage. Due to the rapid absorption of alcohol after a gastric stomach reducing surgery patients should not drink alcohol on an empty stomach. Patients who elect to include an alcoholic beverage in their regular food plan should drink it only with meals. Alcoholic beverages should be limited to one serving per day or less

Why do I need to take only 15 minutes for meals? My center told me to take 30 minutes for each meal.
Many bariatric centers recommend patients take 30 minutes for meals. Some even instruct patients to use a stop watch and time 3 minutes between bites of food. The reason is to slow down the eating habits of the recovering morbidly obese person. After some time patients who comply with the 30 minute meal rule tend to be able to eat more and often linger over the meal, even though satiation has resulted. Consequently they eat more food, particularly if they are not following liquid restriction and using liquid to wash the food through the pouch.

During the pouch test a person is following the liquid restriction and eating a high protein diet. By limiting the time to eat to 15 minutes one will enjoy the satisfaction feeling that is the desired result of a gastric pouch