Cottage Cheese Test

Dixie did a great job explaining this but I thought maybe some of the newbies who might not see this in the other thread could benefit from this. Take a measured amount of cottage cheese, say a half a cup. Eat it as fast as you can until you feel uncomfortable. Measure what is left. Subtract from what you started with. The difference is about how much your pouch holds. You should wait to try this until you're at least 9 months out. I'm still at about 2 oz and am 20 months out.

I am so afraid to do this test I need to do it tho.....but I think of my biggest fear, that I have a stretched pouch....it seems I can eat so much more lately! Did you feel fuller faster when you went on the plateau buster diet? I might try it tomorrow (need to go to the grocery store first and get cottage cheese) I will let you know how it turns out! Take Care Jesi

Jesi, I know that I feel fuller and feel better when I leave carbs alone. Protein keeps me satisfied longer and I have fewer cravings. Altho today, I really feel off the wagon. Fantasy Fudge. And no, I don't dump. I get warm but that's all. And as cold as I've been, that's not all bad. Tomorrow, back to it. I want to be at or very near my goal by TT time. And I think you'll be surprised how small your pouch really is.

I need to do it too Jesi!! I'm afraid if I do I'll prove to myself that I'm a failure once again. Let me know when and if you do it! I may get the nerve up to try myself.. Happy New Year!! Tracie S..

I was reading the article about the pouch rules & that doctor used the cottage cheese test on his "subjects". This is what he says about pouch size- "For ten years, I had patients eat until full with cottage cheese every three months, and report the amount of cottage cheese they were able to eat before feeling full. This gave me an idea of the size of their pouch at three month intervals. I found there was a regular growth in the amount of intake of every single pouch. The average date the pouch stopped growing was two years. After the second year, all pouches stopped growing. Most pouches ended at 6 oz., with some as large at 9-10 ozs. We then compared the weight loss of people with the known pouch size of each person, to see if the pouch size made a difference. In comparing the large pouches to the small pouches, THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN PERCENTAGE OF WEIGHT LOSS AMONG THE PATIENTS. This important fact essentially shows that it is NOT the size of the pouch but how it is used that makes weight loss maintenance possible." Kind of interesting. Dixie .

I think I've seen that before somewhere. It all depends on how you eat. If you eat very slowly, and have a small pouch, you can eat just as much as someone who has a larger pouch but eats faster. While my pouch size is around 2 oz, I can eat way more than that depending on what it is. Meat, not very much of. Soft stuff or popcorn, lots.

Actually, Lyn, I think what he is saying is that it really doesn't matter what size the pouch is as long as you use it correctly. If we eat the correct things, (no fudge, darnit! My downfall also, by the way if it contains walnuts) even if the pouch is on the large side, we should still be successful. Just because it is large, that doesn't mean one is destined to fail. On the same line, even if it is small, a person can fail by not eating correctly. Obviously, eating very slowly so that the pouch starts emptying before you get the full feeling is not good. You'll eat more. This is almost like grazing. We need to eat quick enough to get the full feeling & yet slow enough that we don't make ourselves sick or not recognize the full feeling. His suggestion for a good meal at this point is "½ of your meal to be low fat protein, ¼ of your meal low starch vegetables and ¼ of your meal solid fruits. This type of meal will stay in your pouch a long time and is good for your health." By the way, I am like you. Some foods I can eat a bunch of & not feel full. I can eat a huge salad. Usually I eat the meat & cheese off the top first & then hit the veggies. Some days I can eat it all. Other times I feel fulll quickly. If I eat bread, I rarely eat more than a half slice. I feel guilty for filling my stomach with bread when I need to include more protein. I have trouble yet with meat. I can eat it but really don't like how it makes me feel & rarely do I eat more than 2 oz at a meal, if that much. I still love salty food- yes, I eat chips at times & eat way too many. They are my other downfall. I think I'll try the cottage cheese test again tomorrow. By the way, it is suggested you do this for your breakfast & neither eat or drink before eating the cottage cheese. You want your pouch completely empty. Dixie