Melissa Does: The 5 Day Pouch Test Part Two

This is the continuation of the series I started last week about the 5 day pouch test. If you haven’t read that and have no idea what the 5 day pouch test is go and read it here.

Day three of the 5 day pouch test started well. I think the thought of being able to actually eat food, even if it was just soft protein was helping to lift my spirits. I did notice when I got out of bed in the morning that the bloating that had tormented me for a while had completely gone down. I have noticed after my gastric bypass that if I eat things that I don’t need or too many carbs I bloat and just end up feeling fat and gross. These two awesome things combined have given me the motivation to smash out the three remaining days.

I don’t know why but still, three years post-op, every now and then I start to let snacks and food I shouldn’t eat sneak back into my diet. I really try hard to stay on top of it and I don’t know why or what it is but it happens every now and then. At first it’s fine and it’s an every now and then thing and I can get away with it. This time was the longest it had ever carried on for since my surgery and I ended up feeling like shit. My body knows what it needs and likes and when I don’t treat it with the respect it deserves then I suffer.

After two days of the 5 day pouch test I am feeling better within myself physically and mentally. I know I can do this, I will do this and I deserve to feel the best I can. Day three started well and being the ever prepared bunny that I am I made the parmesan and tuna patties that I was going to have for lunch the night before (the recipe is in The 5 Day Pouch Test Owner’s Manual book). I didn’t feel hungry when I woke up again this morning and that’s a really good sign that my body is starting to get over its reliance on carbohydrates.

The directions for the 5 day pouch test recommend that every meal of the day is of the stage/texture that the day is about. Because I always have a protein shake for breakfast anyway I decided to have a shake and have soft proteins for lunch and dinner. I had my normal Lime Balance half milk, half water shake for breakfast. Got a coffee on my way to work and then focused on getting water in for the rest of the morning.

Lunchtime was exciting, I was going to be able to chew! I made my lunch of parmesan and tuna patties the night before and I packed a little bit of lemon juice and mayo to top them with. I was worried that, especially after two days of fluids, that my body was going to need the softly softly approach with food and texture so I spread a small amount of mayo on the top of the patties just before I ate them. This worked and they went down really nicely. I wondered if I would feel really full or restricted after eating these but I felt nicely satisfied. I think it goes to show me that I hadn’t ‘broken’ or stretched my pouch and that my portion sizes were still what they should be.

I found the evening so much easier after eating actual food at lunchtime. I did have a tiny bit of chocolate (I really can’t resist it) but other than that I just had my dinner which was more parmesan and tuna patties but oh my gosh they’re good. I was thirsty this evening because I hadn’t drunk quite as much as the couple of days before. So I waited my 30 minutes after dinner and then managed to get more water in before bed.

Day four came around and I was feeling pretty good. I had a different shake this morning, I had got a new yogurt and wanted to try it out with one of my egg white protein powders. It’s a great shake with an incredible amount of protein in it so I will do a dedicated post with the recipe soon! Then I got my coffee on my way to work and managed to drink about 1 litre of water throughout the morning. I had tuna and parmesan patties for lunch again today, I am a creature of habit, and they were nice.

I got through more water and my usual afternoon coffee and then things got interesting. It’s Friday, I survived the week and I wanted a treat. I got myself some lollies at the petrol station and I had a few. Then, very surprisingly I just didn’t want anymore. I’ve got to the point where I’ve not got the taste for them anymore and my body was clearly telling me I didn’t want them. I listened to my body and stopped. For dinner I had some soft chicken and it was nice. Once again the small portion made me feel nicely full like it should have.

Then after dinner my husband had ice cream. I had a few teaspoons of it and stopped. It was really nice but I could tell if I carried on I was going to regret it. I don’t want to call it before I’ve finished day 5 but you know what, I think I’ve won this 5 day pouch test. The things I should eat, like eating and really enjoy are going down really well. The couple of bits of rubbish that have sneaked in have not been well tolerated and after a couple of bites I know that my body doesn’t want it and that I don’t need it. I’m stoked with how this is going and I can’t wait for my firm proteins tomorrow on day 5!

Day 5 was a Saturday and it started well. I had my usual protein shake for breakfast and then went out for coffee with my grandmother in the morning. I was happy just having a coffee and didn’t feel any need to eat anything. Day 5 (solid proteins) was much easier in terms of cravings and when I got home I quite happily had the leftover tuna and parmesan patties that were in the fridge for lunch. While it doesn’t fit the solid protein category I tend to eat foods on the softer side anyway so they made me feel quite satisfied. The guidelines of the 5 day pouch test are okay with you bringing food from the day before forward so it’s fine in that regard.

In the afternoon on day 5 I may had had one of the mini cupcakes I got for the kids, but it was literally two bites so I didn’t feel that bad about eating it. Then for dinner I had a nice piece of salmon but the family wanted spaghetti bolognaise and I couldn’t be bothered cooking two dinners so I just had some of the bolognaise meat sauce from what I made for them. Technically, that was more from the day 4 firm proteins list but you gotta do what you gotta do right!

All up I think, for the reasons I did the 5 day pouch test, it was really beneficial. It changed up my eating habits and routines for long enough that snacks aren’t on my mind constantly. It made me re-focus on my water intake, as I wasn’t snacking I had more than enough time to get all of my fluids in. Also The 5 Day Pouch Test Owner’s manual has so many fantastic recipes for bariatric tummies and all of the ones I made, even the salmon a couple of days after I finished, were amazing and are firm new favourites.

If you’re feeling like you don’t have enough restriction in your small tummy, want to break some bad habits, or just need to re-focus and remind yourself of exactly what you should be doing with food after gastric bypass surgery then I really recommend you give this a go! While it’s not the point of it I’m sure everyone will want to know if I lost any weight during it. I did lose one kilo and while I’m obviously pleased with it I do think it’s probably just water weight from me focussing on my water intake again. If you want to buy the book you can find it here on Amazon!

Have you done a 5 day pouch test? Have I made you aware of it and are you thinking of doing it? Comment below and let me know.