Pouch Rest

[BariMama 2]

Hey all, I’m new here. I’m almost 3 years out from surgery. It’ll be 3 years in July. I started my journey weighing 360 pounds. I lost 69 pounds before my surgery. After my surgery I lost 50 pounds then hit a stall and maintained that weight forever. I’ve now started gaining weight again and I’m back up to 268. I seen a post about a 48 hour pouch reset on Facebook and was wondering if anyone has done it. I feel like my stomach is really restricted like it used to be at all. Nothing has ever made me sick since I’ve had the surgery so I’m able to eat whatever and my eating habits have gotten back to how they used to be. I need to get myself back on track. Any and all help would be very appreciated.

[catwoman7 10,867]

the problem is your eating habits have gone back to what they used to be, as you said in your post. You have to start following your surgeon's program again. Not necessarily going all the way back to Protein Shakes, etc, but what and how you were eating the first few months after surgery. Your tool should still work - you just have to change your eating habits. For many of us, it was Protein first, then veggies, and then, if you have room, maybe a small serving of fruit of "good" whole-grain carbs. Also, start tracking your food again. Figure out how many calories you're eating a day, and start cutting back gradually (I find if I cut too many calories too quickly I can't stick with it for long - but cutting by 100 or so calories a day for a couple of weeks, and then another 100 if nothing's happening, and so on - I get used to the lower level and it's not such a shock to my system).

Lots of people have successfully dealt with regain, so you can, too. I know a few WLS vets who have had success with the new Weight Watchers program, so that's an option, too.

Realize that you're going to have to "diet" for the rest of your life to lose the weight and keep it off. Not anything too ridiculous, but you'll never be able to eat like you did pre-surgery. Calorie levels vary depending on so many factors, but for me, I can maintain my weight as long as I'm not averaging more than about 1700 calories a day. That would have seemed impossible back when I weighed almost 400 lbs and was eating 3000+ calories a day, but 1700 calories isn't abnormal for normal weight women my height who've never had WLS or a weight problem.

[AngieD3 5]

Today is the first day of the 48 hour pouch reset for me. I'll be sure to keep you posted. I'm a little over a year out and I've lost about 70 lbs and I've stalled. I'm trying this to see if will help restart weight loss so I can get back on track. good luck

[S@ssen@ch 745]

I agree with @catwoman7 on all points and include one additional perspective on the "pouch reset".

The "pouch reset" has little to do with the size of your pouch. There is little scientific evidence that it shrinks the size of a stretched pouch. The reset may temporarily shrink it but more importantly, it is a "mind reset." https://www.livingwithasleeve.com/pouch-reset/

So, as you say, you still feel as if you have restriction. It's just that you've returned to bad habits. If you choose to do the "pouch reset" use those days to break your bad habits. These resets are usually 4-6 days, some up to 10. Here's more info: https://www.obesitycoverage.com/the-pouch-reset-losing-weight-after-weight-regain/