sunshinebc7

I use Protein shakes to try and get my Protein in with low calories (Im a vegetarian), but eat your veggies, drink your Water, try to eat high nutrition foods, salads, Soups, avoid junk food, booze, refined sugar, extra salt... eat some raw if you can...Its just two days a week, so use them to really be good to yourself. You can spread the cals over the day, or save them for one bigger meal in the PM. I have a 100 cal Protein Drink in the AM, then eat the rest at dinner. The idea is to find a strategy that you can keep up... if its too out of the norm for you, then you won't stick with it. You want to be on this plan more or less for the long haul. Its not a weight loss diet, its a longevity program for overall health.

Okay, been there. (Mindset). I did regain about 30 pounds but used 5:2 toget it off. How far out are you? If not a year, go back to basics and really eat cleanly and log it all. I really believe you can do this!!!!!! We've got ya!!!

I read about this, and it suggests dropping calories to 500 for women. This is supposed to be approximately a quarter of your regular day's calories (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).
The question I have is what do you do if your normal calorie day is 1200 or less. Do you still aim for 500, or do you still aim for only a quarter of your regular calories?

What i want to say is that you don't actually have to do the 5 day pouch test to regain that feeling of restriction. The key is to eat small portions, without grazing. for me, it is also key to eat low carb. If I go back to "clean eating" my appetite decreases.
I had a recent experience of the pendulum swinging too far and basically losing my desire to eat at all. I recognize what triggered that event, but it took me awhile to figure out how to get back on track. Bottom line, eating small makes you want less... eating large (or grazing or whatever your demon is) makes you hungry. It is like you get on a pattern and establish a "normal" - either over or under eating. The way to fix it is to start eating the right way and creating that new pattern. I know it sounds like I am trivilizing it, but I am not, I have been through this and know what worked for me.

The rationale behind the pouch test is not necessarily to jump start the weight loss again. It's not about caloric restriction. As you thought, reverting back to a liquid followed by pureed diet helps to tighten up the stomach a bit again, closer to the size it was immediately post-op. When you eat less (or less bulk) your stomach shrinks. When you eat more, it expands. This is what you want to try to mitigate and manage long term. There have been times in this past year when I started eating more than I should at one time or snacking too often or falling victim to the carb monster, so I started doing the pouch test to boost my restriction.
Some people use the 5:2 plan to get back on track, some use the pouch test, some do both or neither. Everyone is different. Whatever plan works for keeping you at goal weight and keeps you accountable in the long run is what you should do.