Question:
What should max pouch size actually be?

Hello all! I am having a support group meeting and one of our topics for tomorrow will be pouch size (what should it be?) I have read quite a bit on this subject but sizes vary a great deal. I am just trying to gather more info. I have heard that it should never exceed 12 ounces but even that seems a bit too much as far as I'm concerned. What have you all heard should be the max size of our pouch??? Any web pages on this specific topic would be great too! Thanks!    — Laurel C. (posted on March 4, 2003)

March 3, 2003
I just had my 6 month check up with the surgeon. He says in a perfect world max pouch size is 4-6 oz
   — barbara A.

March 3, 2003
I bet you'll get alot of different answers here too. Our program tell folks that at two years post op they'll probably be able to eat between 8 and 10 ounces max. Hope you come up with a good answer. Best wishes to you.
   — ronascott

March 3, 2003
My surgeon also said that 4-6 ounces is the perfect pouch size long term.
   — SarahC

March 3, 2003
I'm not at home right now, so I don't have the link to the "Pouch Rules" study, but basically, there's a WLS study that concluded that, in the long run, pouch sizes vary from 6-10 ounces. More important, long-term weight loss and maintenance wasn't any greater for the people will the smaller (6 oz.) pouches over the larger (8-10 oz.) size. It all came down to what people were putting INTO the pouch, not the particular size (within that 6-10 oz. range). It's important to realize the pouch is supposed to stretch beyond the initial teeny size we have as fresh post-ops, AND that it's what we eat -- not precisely whether our pouch is a couple of ounces bigger than our neighbor's -- that matters.
   — Suzy C.

March 4, 2003
In one study I looked at, it said that people with pouch sizes that stabilized at 6-10 ounces had the least trouble keeping the weight off and if your pouch size was larger than that there was a risk of regain so you had to be very careful of what you ate. I would say that no discussion on pouch size is complete without the infamous "cottage cheese test" (which I did using stiff oatmeal). For the most part your pouch size is determined by your stomach's natural elasticity, the placement of the pouch, and the original size that the doctor made the pouch. That is not to say that you can't stretch your pouch or use grazing to defeat even a small pouch. A lot depends on us!
   — ctyst

March 4, 2003
My pouch was made 4 oz. and was stapled horizontally (the tougher, less elastic portion of the stomach) and I was told that it would end up 6-8 oz at the most (unless repeatedly overstuffed of course).
   — cherokey55

March 4, 2003
CORRECTION....the pouch was stapled vertically (the less elastic part) INSTEAD of horizontal...sorry left out part of my sentence...
   — cherokey55

March 4, 2003
I agree w/Suzy below. I did the Cottage Cheese Test because I could eat so much...It was 9oz. It freaked me out...but then how can I complain? I've lost over 100 lbs in 6 months.(To a certain extent) SIZE DOES NOT MATTER.
   — Debby M.