POUCH RESET

Has anyone ever heard of a pouch reset?  Is it effective?  I'm 3 years post op and Ive gained at least 30 pounds.  I have had a few cir****tances that I have let get in the way of me staying on track.  One being taking care of my mother who had a bad stroke.  Once she moved in with my family, the demand of her needs took over my life.  I'm not making excuses, i'm just stating that I allowed any and everything to get in the way of my health.  Now that she has recovered almost 2 years later,  I am trying to get back on track and am finding it very hard to do so.  Pouch reset was one idea that came up when researching.  It seems like it could work as far as getting back on track.  I'm just trying to find out if it works or not?

I would like to know the answer too.  I've read and heard from other post ops that you can.  But then I read there is no such thing!  Like you I had a devastating incident in my life 5 months post surgery which eventually threw me off track for almost 2 years.  My Mother's health took a sudden turn for the worse.  She was dying and in 6 weeks she passed away.  I've tried a few times to "start over" but not knowing if I can, I haven't succeeded.  I have even e-mailed my surgeon's office 2-3 times and messaged them today.  Nothing.  No answers, no acknowledgement.  It is heartbreaking and I have felt so lost for so long now.  Praying that the both of us will find the answer we are looking for and be able to get back on track to a healthy life.  {{hugs}}

Laura

It's really better to just go back to basics-lean, dense proteins with portion control-and non-starchy veggies if you have room after eating your portion of protein. Concentrating on eating dense protein first will help you eat less food, will help kill the carb monster, and keep you feeling full longer. Adding a small amount of healthy fat can also help with satiety. Drinking shakes/ or a liquid diet won't fill you up, so if simple, starchy carbs are a problem for you, shakes/liquids won't do anything to help you get away from eating them. 

The pouch reset doesn't really reset anything. All it does is takes you quickly through the phases of a post-op diet progression. Why go through 5 days of that when you end up going back to eating like you did when you were first cleared for solids anyway? 

You can lose weight again by cutting calories and increasing exercise.  But it is not quick like after surgery.  I can gain ten pounds in a month but it takes three months to lose it again. 

If you decide to track your eating, cut your calories and stick to it, the weight will come off.  I allow myself one week to lose each pound.  I cut 500 calories per day.  My normal calories are 1400 and I cut to 900 to lose weight. 

I use a digital food scale to weigh all food.  I track everything in My Fitness Pal.  I do not use bread, flour, rice, sugar, cereal, candy, cookies, ice cream, pasta, or noodles, etc.  I eat mostly meat and some cheese and drink a lot of water.  I weigh myself everyday and always know exactly what I weigh and how much I need to lose.

I have no illusions that my pouch will reset.  I accept that my life will always involve dieting to keep my weight under control. 

The only value I see in things like the 5 day pouch test is that it can help you detox from carbs.  What worked for me was when I had my revision I made a decision to follow the post op diet plan to the letter.

Every bite I took was planned and weighed and measured.  I did not deviate for one bite because I knew I could never stop at a bite.  I was so out of control with my eating that I had to learn discipline.

I got a booklet when I left the hospital with instructions on what to eat and how much and I followed it completely.  I also met several times the a nutritionist and followed her advice.  I progressed through the different phases and hit my first weight loss goal in about 6 months.

I continued to follow the plan and hit my final goal a few months later and then I proceeded to try to learn how to eat properly in order to maintain.  That was the hard part and I am still learning.

I gradually added in new foods and increased my volume and still lost weight.  Everyone was telling me I had to go out and live it up, basically.  Just eat whatever you want.  I refused to do that because I knew where that led me.

I avoided all sugar and gluten for 5 years.  Finally after 5 years I decided to gradually add in foods with gluten because I wanted to gain some weight.  I still avoid sugar mainly because I dump and that is not something I want to experience again so I am very strict about not eating things with sugar.  I know some people are able to eat small amounts of sugar without dumping but I have no desire to test it out.  A little bit of sugar would only make me want more so I continue to avoid it altogether.

You hear people say that they don't diet any more and others who say that they do.  I believe in whatever works for that individual.  I have had to learn what works for me and let others do what works for them.

And also to learn what doesn't work.  I don't have "slips".  I have opportunities to learn how to eat.  Sometimes I might buy something and wind up eating a lot more than I planned to or wanted to but I don't beat myself up.  I just learn from it and avoid buying that item again.  I still don't do good on moderation or portion control and that is where the surgery really shines for me.  I have good restriction and dislike pain and discomfort so that motivates me to watch what I eat.  I know that if I have one more bite of certain things I will regret it.  Sometimes I still take that bite and confirm what I already knew, and sometimes I walk away and feel grateful that I listened to myself and didn't have to be in misery.

I know it is hard when you are having a hard time controlling your eating and it seems like some stranger on the internet is sitting there telling you to just stop eating.  Believe me, I understand.  Stopping is the hard part.  If it were easy I wouldn't have needed surgery.  So I remember that when I am tempted to just say "screw it" and eat whatever I want.  It is easier to stick to a healthier way of eating than it is to start eating better.  That is why I continue to plug away at this even after more than 6 years.  It is hard sometimes but it is worth it and the good thing is that after awhile it becomes your new normal and not as hard as it used to be.

So, if I were to give advice or suggestions or whatever I would say find your old post op instructions or find something on the internet that is similar to how you were instructed to eat after surgery.  Plan ahead and make sure you have everything you need.  It will be hard to start all over again but in some ways it is easier now because you aren't in pain.  

I am sure the amounts you will be given to eat look ridiculously small but remember the goal is to be satisfied with smaller amounts of food, not to be stuffed.  Challenge yourself to eat those amounts and give yourself a chance to be satisfied with smaller amounts.  You still have your tool and when you use it again it will still work like it's supposed to.

You don't have to have OH start a RNY Regain forum.... just start a Group in the Community.  Of course, regain is not limited to RNYers, so maybe you could just start a general Regain group. 

Any forum is open to everyone to voice their opinions, whether you agree with them or not.  If you feel like you're being "blasted" -- you have options.  Report inappropriate posts to Moderators, or use the block feature.  OH is a safe place -- we all don't agree with each other, but we're entitled to voice our opinions ... just like in the real world.

And there we go again... .... 

You are funny..you know that? 

It's more of a mind reset. It is so easy to get caught up in life and stress. 

I am three years out also. I still need to lose a few more pounds. I also now after a few years I became complacent with my eating at times. 

Track everything that goes in your mouth. Notice what trigger foods are in your house. Or certain people can be a trigger to eat also. Clean out any junk food in your house. 

Remember we are all worth it. We all deserve to be happy and healthy. 

Just my 2 cents on Pouch Resets... you will probably lose some weight on it... it's a diet and with most diets they will work while you are on it. So what then... if you go back to whatever you were doing before you will regain what you lost on the reset and probably begin the rollercoaster most of us were on prior to WLS. 

What if...  you went to your Dr. got your labs done chatted with him/her about your regain, and asked for help. Most Dr's understand that obesity is a chronic disease and chronic diseases require lifelong treatment... have him/her help you build a team that can help you in any area you need it... if it's meal planning, food asking for a referral to a dietitian to get a plan that works for you. If the emotional stuff, stress, depression, etc. asking for a referral to a therapist and working on those issues getting some new skills and coping mechanism, if it's a lack of support asking for support groups in your area, posting here everyday. It will help if you bring some data with you a week or 2 of what, when you eat. How much exercise you are doing... etc. 

Hope your Mom is comfortable. Remember (from one caregiver to another) you have to put your oxygen mask on first before helping others ;) so be sure you are always taking care of you.

Best,

Hello Mswren16,

I agree with the others this is not the best way to go but if you are interested in trying it here is a link from a search I did for the 5 day pouch reset.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/wls_grads/3514609/5-day-po uch-test

I would encourage you to get back to the basics like everyone suggested.  I know, I know, easier said than done.  I am 12 years out and my tool still works for me if I work the tool.  The only time my surgery does not work is when I don't follow the rules and basics. Here is a great list that helped me and I hope it will help you too.

Planning/Preparing

Remember when we were preparing for surgery?  How many meetings, classes and such did we attend?  We were told the more prepared we were the better our chances were for success.  And they were right. Go through the house, car and work place and get rid of trigger foods.  Stock up on foods that will keep you on track. I removed every bad carb/sugar temptation and replaced it with lots of protein, veggies, grains and fruits. 

Journaling

Get back to journaling.  This will help you identify when you feel like eating, stress factors and any triggers in your life.  Once you identify these factors, this will help you put tools in place to keep you from eating.  It became clear I was not taking time for me anymore. I worked my day job and then spent the rest of my time caring for my husband.  It was easy to reach for fast, prepackaged food.  Since I purged my home I have to eat clean as there are no other options LOL

Use a tool to track you're eating and exercise like Getting Started with Health Tracker.  Once I started to track ever bite and drink it became clear why I had gained.

Goals/Rewards

Make a list of goals for yourself.  Make them realistic and small.  Some of mine were move more, purge all junk from my home, eat more protein.

Food

In general, a long term post-weight loss surgery eating plan includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat?, calories, and sugar. Important, vitamins and minerals are provided as supplements. (if you had a different surgery adjust this to your food plan).

Water

Water is our Best Friend. I have to say I never went back to pop or any bad drinks, however I was drinking tea like crazy. What is wrong with drinking tea?  I was either using sugar or 3 equals and 3 sweet n lows per 32 ounce glass.  So I was either pushing to be diabetic or get cancer.  I found once I started carrying a bottle of water around 24/7 (yes had one at my bedside) I lost the cravings for the sugar and I KNOW those artificial sweeteners are not good for me. Look I am old and if you add up all the artificial sweeteners I have consumed I am sure I am at the rat in the lab getting cancer threshold.

MOVE!

I can't say enough about how key this was for me. The reason I kept my weight off for almost 10 years was no matter what, I kept moving.  If I could not go to the gym I would walk. I loved Zumba, bootcamp workouts, lifting weights. When I stopped, the weight started coming back.  So for me I am starting slow to avoid injury by walking and using some of the workouts on my Demand TV.  Find something you love to do and it won't feel like a pain in the *** to do daily.

Support

If it's an option "run" don't walk to a support group.

Keep me posted on how you are doing and we are here for you!

Regards,

Kathy

ObesityHelp.com