The 5 Day Pouch Test

I don't recall when or where I first learned about the 5 Day Pouch Test, but it made sense to me. And when I felt myself stuck in this awful carb cycle and needing some kind of structured plan to get back on track, I decided to do it. Beyond just using the site, I decided to order the book, which was on the expensive side for how small and short it is. But I really didn't mind that much.

I started on Friday. The first two days are all liquids, with a few exceptions to help deal with carb withdrawal (low-glycemic fruit or veggies). The idea is to go back to basics, to where you were at the beginning of the whole journey and remind you of what it is to feel full. The first day wasn't that difficult. I didn't eat all of the snacks I planned out, even. I made the low-carb pumpkin & sausage soup and it was delicious. Of course I have several single servings in the freezer now, but that's OK, I'll eventually eat them.

Yesterday was harder. I was really craving a cracker or some bread, so there's the carb withdrawal. The problem I remember having post-op, even when I didn't have much of an appetite, was that so many things I was eating right after surgery were sweet. Protein shakes. Pudding. Jello. I ran into that again this time, but to help it I drank a half-cup of low-sodium chicken broth. That worked.

Day 3 is soft protein. I made the "mock breakfast burrito" from the book, which is just 2 scrambled eggs with a little cheese over 2 T. refried beans and topped with 1 T. salsa. It was so good! The recipe indicated that you may not be able to eat it all and sure enough I could only eat half. Seems impossible but there it was. I'll eat the other half for breakfast tomorrow.

I just had lunch, which was a parmesan tuna patty. Delicious. And I feel full.

So far, I think it's safe to say that the 5DPT works. I did wonder sometimes if I'd stretched my stomach because it seemed like I could eat so much. But now I think I was letting too many slider foods creep in and that was part of the problem. I feel like I've "reset" and I can do this again.

While it's not specifically to lose weight, I've weighed less the past two mornings after hovering around for the past couple of weeks. Afterwards ("Day 6") the author advocates 2/3 solid lean protein, 1/3 fruit or veggie (low-glycemic). Not usually more than 1 serving of whole grains per day. I've definitely not been doing that; I've been slowly eating more and more rice, bread, pasta, crackers, potatoes. It's just so easy! I've been doing more like 1/3 lean protein, 1/3 veg, 1/3 carb on a good day. Often worse ratios than that. But after I finish this I'm going to be stricter about the carbs. Just because I can get them down with no problems doesn't mean I should. I'm not going to remove them completely, but I definitely need to restrict them more. I think it's the only way that the rest of the weight will come off.

I have 32.2 pounds left to go. There was a time when losing 10 pounds seemed impossible. Now reaching goal seems kind of impossible. I wanted to do it by my one-year anniversary, but I'm not very well going to lose 32 pounds in 6 weeks. I can (and will!) definitely hit 100 pounds down by then. To be in the 100s again...that will be fantastic!