18 months out - need to get back on track!

[momof3_angels 465]

Well, I was very active on this forum and doing VERY well post-operatively until COVID hit and I got really busy trying to help my district reopen our schools safely... then all hell broke loose in my life! LMAO So... this is another long self-accountability post.

Post Op: I got down to 124 long before my 1 year anniversary and stayed there for quite a while. I survived the initial COVID lockdown and while others were really struggling with diet and staying on track, I was doing mostly very well. Sure, I had my challenges, but I kept them in check. Overall the lockdown was actually great for me and my family. The bad: I had managed to get my husband to stop hoarding cans of food and other food stockpiles before I had surgery. But with the lockdown and the ongoing threat of having to quarantine for 2 or more weeks if anyone in the household got sick... we ended up with more "disaster/survival" food than ever before. I hate having this much crap in the house. The good.... during lockdown I was doing great cooking healthy meals and sticking to my diet. And walking. A LOT. I got to the point where I was walking 6 miles every day... minimum. I felt GREAT. I didn't get my normal summer vacation though. I worked the entire summer. Even when I took time to drive to visit family... it took 2 days to drive there, I spent 4 days there. Drove back in 2 days. And the entire time I was on zoom meetings and my bosses were calling me for this and for that. So, no recovery time from the school year. And then school resumed. Life was more chaotic than every before. Even when we had kids in full remote. But once students returned to campus? OMG... I have never been so exhausted in my life. See... I am the sole person responsible for keeping my staff/students COVID free and that means a LOT of COVID tracing. I had help..... but I was the expert and the brunt fell on my shoulders. I went from walking 6 miles a day and eating very healthy to being so exhausted that I went home from work and collapsed into my bed... from the moment I went home to the moment I had to get ready for work. And food? I started eating what I can and when I could. I am NOT a Breakfast person so I would go to work... get so busy that I didn't have time to eat my healthy Snacks throughout the day... and then it would be suddenly 1-3 pm and I am finally eating breakfast (I start my day at 6).... I would scramble to find something to eat and end up with something I shouldn't.... and then in the evening while collapsed in my bed I would graze while watching TV or playing on my computer. Too tired to do anything else. And yes... sometimes that included the horrible canned food that I was so sure I needed out of my house before surgery. That went on for a few months. Still... I survived that. Christmas break should have been "recovery" time... but my son brought a girlfriend home for Christmas. Which meant more stress when I needed a break the most. January came and we returned to work without kids for a couple weeks. Best decision ever. It gave us time to clear the COVID peak. Then we slowly retuned kids back to hybrid (which we had been doing since September). This time? Not so bad. Do we still have COVID cases? Of course. But I am not doing constant contact tracing as I had been for so many months prior. But by now the damage to my new post-op lifestyle diet and activity level has already been done. I am still struggling to get back into a walking/exercise routine. And more importantly I am struggling to eat what I am supposed to, in smaller portions and at correct times. The evening grazing is my biggest problem now.

So where do I stand? I was 124 when this started... lowest weight ever (well, since early 20s lol). Then by January I realized my weight had creeped up to 131. Not so bad, right? I mean... it is normal to regain that 10 pounds from your lowest, right? *sigh*. But then yesterday I realized I was 138. Now to be fair... I was boated and today I am back to 134.5.... but I don't EVER want to be more than 135 again if I can help it. I figure yesterday's weight was the warning to get my diet back under control. NOW.

What have I done well despite everything? Well... I don't drink my calories. Still doing really well with that. I do struggle with drinking straight Water all the time... but I now enjoy Vitamin water zero, Gatorade zero, and propel. I do this well. I try to always have a water bottle in my hand or nearby. Its funny because I know my stomach has stretched out a little, but I can still only drink up to 6 sips of water at a time. What's with that? LOL I mean... I can eat more food, but I can't drink more water??? Shouldn't it be the other way around??? LMAO And most of the time I do get my full 64 ounces in. I still get dehydrated easily though... so I really have to be careful to have that water bottle in hand when moving around. I won't even go to the office next to mine without it in hand if I can help it.

Work food: Well... that was a huge problem for a while. But when I returned from winter break, I also changed office locations. Where I am now I was able to bring in a mini fridge. That is helping a ton. Before if I brought a lunch bag in and put it in the shared fridge I risked having my food supply thrown out. I have had people actually open my lunch box and throw up perfectly good unopened healthy snacks. So... it was pointless even trying to keep healthy stuff there. Now, I can now buy foods that I am allowed to eat and keep them handy. I also have a small tub with a lid for healthy snacks that do not need to be refrigerated. And it helps that things have calmed down enough that I am at my desk m ore throughout the day. This helps me because I am able to eat the right foods, in the right portions, and at the right intervals.

I am also making more of an effort to use the stand portion of my sit stand desk. Before COVID I was standing all the time. After COVID I was too tired to stand and didn't do it much. I am starting to do better with that again. I also found a lunchtime walking buddy. We do get very busy so we don't always get to do it... but we are walking at lunch as much as we can. I now have a pair of sneakers under my desk to make sure I can get out when I can. Still struggling with the evening/weekend hikes. Dealing with my daughter is still making it hard to get back in my routine.... but I am getting there.

The big challenge now? The evening and weekend eating! I am on Spring Break right now and I am DETERMINED to get that back on track. So... where am I starting? I have decided I need to do a pouch reset diet first. I know I have stretched my stomach a little more than I should have and I think if I can, I really need to let it shrink back down a little. The longer I wait, the harder it will be to accomplish. I went out of my weight to have the surgery, I should let it do it's thing. So, yesterday morning I finished off the small (normal bariatric portion size) piece of Italian Sausage that i had leftover from the night before... but after that I did Clear Liquids and I have been on clear liquids for about 24 hours. Since yesterday wasn't truly a full clear liquid day... I am going to repeat clear liquids again today. I have my supply of zero calorie drinks, broth, and sugar free Jello on hand. Then I will slowly advanced through the "post op diet" stages. And with that... I know I need to resume measuring portion sizes and recording my meals. ALL of my meals. Honestly... I don't think my portion sizes are what is getting me... it is the frequency of which I was eating in the evenings (especially later at night). That... and I know I am eating more carbs than I should. THAT is what I really need to tackle again. BTW, while I was resorting to occasional canned food during the height of the stress... I cut it back out a while ago because I knew it was harming me. But I still hate seeing all the stuff I shouldn't eat in my house. I seriously worked SO HARD to get my husband to agree to stop hoarding "emergency food". And I really don't think I will be able to get him to stop again. Oh... and my biggest vice before surgery was Pepsi. I LOVE my regular Pepsi. I haven't drank ANY since about 6 weeks before surgery... and that is good. But my daughter still buys it and drinks it around me. Most of the time it isn't a big deal... but when I am stressed it takes all my willpower not to give in. And I swear I will never give in... but it is hard sometimes! I will say... I am VERY proud that I didn't give in between September and December when my stress level was through the roof... I did eat cake though lol... but that was a safer option because I don't crave cake like I did Pepsi. With sweats... I go through periods where I crave them but then can go weeks or months without eating any.

Anyhow... don't need anyone to criticize me for doing a pouch reset diet... I have made up my mind and have decided this is how I want to start getting back on track. It will help me lose a couple quick pounds and then my goal is to maintain somewhere around 130. again, I am 134.5 today... so not really doing this for a crash diet. I just want to give my pouch a chance to shrink back just a little. And I know going forward from this... it is essential that I follow a bariatric diet for life. I just got derailed and need to get back on track.

By the way... I actually saw my bariatric nurse practitioner two weeks ago... despite everything, she is thrilled with how I am doing. She was happy with where my weight was. She was happy with all my labs. My bilirubin was high... but it has been (I have a benign liver disease). My cholesterol was 101... 100 is the normal high... so I do need to keep an eye on this. I have been off my cholesterol meds for 6 months so I need to make sure to keep it in check. Other than that... everything else was VERY good. She was impressed that even my Vitamin D was really good (lots of people are deficient even without surgery).

Anyhow... determined to complete a 10-14 day pouch reset diet then resume a normal bariatric lifestyle diet!

[Creekimp13 5,840]

IMO, you'd be better off just logging your food and exercising reasonably. "The pouch reset" appears to be hocus pocus.

Not criticizing your for it...if a starvation thing works for you to kick off a diet...you're an adult and your decisions are up to you. (some people find fasting theraputic...far be it from me...)

Just sayin...sometimes these weird desperate extreme fixes sort of reinforce disordered eating habits. Going to work is gonna suck without enough calories to get you through the day, too. Who wants to try to function on an empty gas tank? Why would you want to?

Why not just settle into healthy calories and activity and let your weight stabalize in a healthy way? Why are you in such an urgent hurry?

No criticism meant at all, just trying to understand.

[momof3_angels 465]

Just finished 48 hours on clear liquids. Feeling great and back down to 130.5 pounds. Today is day one of full liquids. Started the day with a Protein Shake. Hadn't had a Protein shake in a really long time. Post op they made my stomach nauseous, Tolerating it fine today. Maybe I can re-incorporate into my regular diet for breakfast? That would be good! I had intended to do green smoothies, but I just don't get to it before work. I can keep a stash in my fridge at work and a stash in my fridge at home and always have it on hand for when I am ready for breakfast on the go.

You know... there really is nothing wrong with my plan. My nutritionist had me do PRE-OP and then again POST-OP. I have done it two and a half times already. One and a half times before surgery.... once for many days, once for a few days.... both times guided by my nutritionist. And then of course the post-op one lasted a month also following nutritionist instructions. The nutritionist used it pre-operatively to get my weight a little lower AND to train for post-op. By now, I know what I am doing. And both hubby and I are nurses, so we both know how to watch for problems. It is also recommended by many surgeons as a pouch reset. When you start eating more than you should you stop recognizing the signals that you paid attention to the first few months post op. Does it really shrink your stomach back down? I suppose that depends on how badly you treated your stomach post operatively and for how long you abused your "new" stomach. I know I treated my new stomach VERY WELL for the first year. It is they last... up to 6 months that I believe I have pushed it beyond what I should. I believe I have a good change of shrinking it back down if I do this now. But if I chose NOT to do it now and don't get my diet under control then it will be much less likely to work as time goes on.

Can I just start weighing and logging again? Sure. But I felt this was the better option for me to reset and retrain. BACK TO THE BASICS. FROM THE BEGINNING. Following my nutritionist instructions through the stages and back to lifestyle eating.

Am I starving myself? Heck no! I have the extra fat to burn to sustain me through the last two days which is the only two days I am totally depriving myself of nutrients. Did I feel a little hungry now and then? Sure. But I drank a little broth or ate a little Jello to get me through. Today I am going to make sure to pick the most nutritious full liquids I can. Done this before, I know how to do it.

Am I lacking energy? Not really. I am pacing myself and keeping hydrated. Must have peed 50 times yesterday (exaggerating... but I was peeing very frequently yesterday). I also timed this with my vacation from work. It's Spring Break. I spent the first couple days catching up on housework. Now I am taking it easy while I get through the clear and full liquids stages. By the time I go back to work I will be on soft regular foods. I know how to do this, so I made sure to time it well.

"sometimes these weird desperate extreme fixes sort of reinforce disordered eating habits". I find this statement baffling. This isn't a weird desperate extreme fix thing. This is a well established SHORT TERM diet plan that is prescribed by surgeons and nutritionist for a variety of reasons. Kick starting weight loss is one of them. I did not wait until my weight was out of control to do this. I am doing it when I am seeing a negative trend that I want to stop in it's tracks... to help me get back on track. I know my nutritionist would approve. How do I know that? We discussed this last year... when we were talking about stalls. And "reinforce disordered eating habits?" That is a lot of assuming about me. Yes, I was 100 pounds over weight... but I didn't gain weight for the same reasons everyone else may have gained weight. I didn't eat excessively large amounts of food... but I did eat like an average American. I have never been bulimic. I have never been anorexic. I have never followed unhealthy crash diets. Why did I gain weight? Well... the docs think it was triggered by many years of undiagnosed sleep apnea. And coupled with drinking a lot of calories (pepsi) and not picking the healthiest of foods. So tell me, how exactly is following a short term often medically prescribed diet followed by resuming a medically prescribed lifestyle diet going to reinforce disordered eating habits for me? It's not. This diet is not going to reinforce me drinking sugary drinks. Haven't done that for over 1 1/2 years and am not doing it during this pouch reset diet. And it is certainly not encouraging me to eat American size portions. Just the opposite. It is going to remind me what my portion sizes are going to be. And as for sweet cravings? Well... I might have them. But I am being very mindful during this and reinforcing good choices as I move through the phases. That is a good thing. And the grazing which is my actual problem right now? This is going to help me reset into a normal scheduled eating pattern with small portions which is my biggest goal. SO, will this help me accomplish my goals? YES IT WILL! As long as I stick to the plan and advance to my proper post-bariatric lifestyle diet.

Again... don't need criticism. Just because you think you aren't criticizing doesn't mean it is true.

Feel free to comment if you want to be supportive. Or not. Again... this was my "holding myself accountable" post. Because I know I need to hold myself accountable. Accountability is one of the keys to success.

So... today and tomorrow full liquds! Which for me means mostly Protein Shakes and greek yogurt. Yes, my nutritionist considers greek yogurt to be a full liquid... and since it has protein and nutrients it goes nicely with my protein shakes to get me through the full liquid days.

Edited March 17, 2021 by momof3_angels

[summerset 5,265]

On 3/17/2021 at 3:45 AM, Creekimp13 said:

No criticism meant at all, just trying to understand.

Going for extremes is popular. All-or-nothing-thinking, catharsis for having sinned. I've given up on trying to understand. Not my business.

[momof3_angels 465]

48 minutes ago, summerset said:

Going for extremes is popular. All-or-nothing-thinking, catharsis for having sinned. I've given up on trying to understand. Not my business.

Whatever. Doing a nutritionist supported reset diet. You don't have to approve.

[momof3_angels 465]

Thank you to all the people who are keeping their judgmental comments to themselves. Again, I have already discussed this with my NUTRITIONIST before... she is the one who brought it up a while back during one of our many appointments. Following a plan as she previously outlined for me. Not some random internet prescription. My goal is to retrain myself to recognize my early "getting full" signals again... and to retrain myself to eat the way my nutritionist taught me.

Still posting for my own accountability and since I can't just delete my own thread which is a stupid. You should be able to delete posts and comments you make on any forum, but it is what it is.

Finished day 1 of full liquids. Still feeling good. Weight was down to 128 today. Surprised I am going down this fast with a lower BMI. Don't mind if I go down a couple more pounds but certainly can't go down more than that. Then I need to focus on maintaining again. Therefore I need to up my calorie intake today. But a good side effect of this is because I am eating way less, I have been drinking way more fluids than I can normally get in a day. I had been feeling like I was behind on my fluids for a while now and even though most days I was getting 64 ounces in, I never felt like I was catching up from days where I wasn't getting enough fluids in. And my urine was darker so I know I was somewhat dehydrated. My urine is MUCH lighter now!

So again... feeling good and monitoring my health closely. Feels good to be able to drink Protein Shakes again (they were making me sick when I gave them up). I wouldn't have even tried if I wasn't doing full liquids. Also enjoyed eating greek yogurt again.... I had gotten away from that when I was rushing around like crazy at work. Combining these two items are ensuring I get my daily prescribed Protein requirements in while I am progressing through the stages.

So again, today I will be upping my calorie intake. Tomorrow I will advance my diet again. Will add a few puree style foods to my protein shakes and yogurt and Snacks that are permitted by my nutritionist during these stages. .Going forward, I will reassess my plan one day at a time. If I find I am still losing weight too fast, I will continue advancing my calories and diet stages a little quicker. I predict my 10-14 day reset diet will be shortened by several days, probably to 8-10 days max. Again, I know how to monitor my health and will respond and adapt appropriately, as needed. This isn't just a "crash diet" for me... it isn't about losing the weight quickly (although that does seem to be happening). it is going all the way back to the basics to retrain myself to do what I need to do... while following nutritionist guidance. And if I find I am struggling, I will definitely schedule an appointment with her as needed. I am doing it this way, because I know I can be successful at getting back to the way I am supposed to be eating if I go through the stages to get there.

[Creekimp13 5,840]

When I think of "getting back to the basics" in regard to healthy living.... I think of fruit, veggies, Beans, lean meats, whole grains, sunshine, evening walks, tea on the porch, and throwing a toy for my dog.

Oooo...and a good book. On a porch swing. With the fireflies coming out.

Not sure why this particular idealizations happens in the summer. Huh. Winter basics could include a down comforter, and Fall basics should have something with apples or cider. LOL

But yeah....I think my idea of getting back to basics is different.

And that's totally cool. You do you, girl! It's all good.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Creekimp13

[Creekimp13 5,840]

Opted to omit this one. Sometimes less is more.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Creekimp13

[momof3_angels 465]

12 minutes ago, Creekimp13 said:

When I think of "getting back to the basics" in regard to healthy living.... I think of fruit, veggies, Beans, lean meats, whole grains, sunshine, evening walks, tea on the porch, and throwing a toy for my dog.

Oh... I am doing that too... I am just phasing back in from the VERY start. Starting with my pre and post op diet training. My nutritionist gave me a VERY good plan to progress my diet from clear liquids to a normal, healthy, balanced bariatric diet for life. And that is what I am following. Giving my stomach a rest so that when I restart what you are talking about I am not craving too large amounts of food. and so I will be eating at good intervals again. Will my pouch shrink back down? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it needs to. Maybe it doesn't. I don't know... but if it does, I will be happy. If it doesn't... I will be happy if I am just back into my healthy eating routine that I did so well at for year one. More importantly, I need to start recognizing those warning signals that I no longer have. They are coming too late. I don't think that will happen without these steps I am taking right now. And resetting my schedule so I don't graze so much. And making sure I don't eat anything later in the evening. It really has been good for me so far. As for the 128.... this just puts me back to where I had been hovering before all heck broke lose in my life... 124-128. Like I said, I hadn't gained a LOT of weight... but I had begun unhealthy habits and gaining the bit of weight that I DID gain was a warning to me to get back on track. See... I have been here many times before surgery. I reach a goal weight. I get complacent. My weight creeps up just a little here and a little there... and then before I know it I am somewhere in the 170-226.8 weight range. Never again!

[momof3_angels 465]

Day 2 of full liquids complete. Still feel great. I got more than my required Water in again. My kidneys and bladder are thanking me. I have huge scarring and atrophy of 1 of my kidneys, so chronic dehydration from the days that I can't get enough water in really aren't good for it. I often wish I could just schedule and appointment for an IV bag... but my doctor doesn't do that. Because I have just done 2 days clear and 2 days full liquids I feel I am much better hydrated and it feels like I just did a kidney cleans. Maybe I should do this more often LOL (No... I am not serious... but it does feel good!) Like I said in earlier posts... I usually get my 64 ounces in.... but on the days I don't it really puts me behind hydration wise so I do my best to avoid it... but heaven forbid I am at work and step away from my desk and kept away longer than I intended... by the time I get back I am feeling it! Same with if I go into a store to grab just a couple things... if I forget my water in the car... or heaven forbid run out.... I feel it. And when I do I have a hard time making up for the missed fluids. I swear I can feel myself dehydrating when I am not actively sipping fluids.

I also got more than my required Protein in. My goal is 60 Grams and I got 102 grams in. That almost never happens... but I had Protein Shakes for my 3 meals plus a greek yogurt for one of my Snacks. Again... this helped me feel good all day. (And again... my nutritionist adds the yogurt to full liquids so patients get more nutrients in).

Today's weight is 127.1... so again, back to within my normal maintenance fluctuation range of 124-128. I am happy here. Upping my calories yesterday helped so I didn't drop too much. And today I advance my diet. Next stage is supposed to be pureed. I will include protein shakes and greek yogurt, as that is what my nutritionist builds my pre-soft food diets around. But I will add some other puree style foods to the list. But since my weight is already so low... I might be shortening and/or modifying this stage. Haven't completely decided how I want to handle it. I would definitely like a little more time to rest my pouch.... but I have to be mindful that I don't also keep losing weight. The max I am willing to lose is 3 pounds more... but I don't NEED to lose 3 pounds more.

My challenge today? I am driving to see my son who is away at college. With that... my daughter will probably eat some sort of fast food in the car on the way there. She is always hungry during the car ride. And it will probably be something that smells really good. LOL And add to that... I promised to take both of them out to dinner. And of course, I don't want to just sit there and watch them eat.... so I need to be strategic with where we go so I can eat something too. This might be one of the times I have to "modify" my puree diet stage. If I can't find something of a good puree consistency... I might go for something in the soft diet range. Of course, I can do this because I am not recovering from surgery. But I also don't want to have left overs, and I certainly can't overeat.... so this will be a challenge.

Next stage is soft foods... so really I will be eating a normal diet but picking foods of a soft consistency. So, will I do 1 or 3 days (3 days is suggested) of pureed first? I don't know! Again... if I am shortening stages a bit.... pureed is the one to shorten. Soft foods allow me to have a nice balanced diet, so there really is no advantage to shortening that stage. I like a lot of nutritious foods in the soft diet. And I can get my maintenance calorie requirement in with soft foods. But pureed is less of a balanced diet.... so if I am going to shorten stages to prevent too much weight loss, that is the stage I am going to shorten. And remember... I did an extra day of clear... so if I do 1 less day of pureed My diet progression is about the same number of days, and if I shorten by 2 days, I am only shortening the true "stomach rest days" by 1 day. Not bad. I think it will have the same effects.

[momof3_angels 465]

Day 5 1/2 now... 2 clear liquid days done... 2 full liquid days done... and just finishing up my first "pureed" day that I decided to mix up a little since I can lol.

Started the day with a Protein Shake. sugar free pudding for an AM snack. Then took my kids to cracker barrel which is when I had to decide... stick to puree? Or just move on to soft diet foods. Well... I found a meal that was the best of both worlds. Mashed potatoes (pureed), Cooked baby carrots (cooked so tender that when they get to your mouth they mush very fast lol... so I can almost count them as pureed), and the meatloaf (soft diet). (And of course skipping Corn Bread/Biscuit) I ordered the lunch portion. Plate arrived and I immediately requested a togo box. Put over 3/4ths of each item plus the Corn Bread/Biscuit in the box (hubby gets those). For my afternoon snack I had a greek yogurt. And for dinner... I had another small portion of my meal from lunch.

How did it go???? Apparently just 5 1/2 days of the "Pouch Reset" - or what I view more as a "resting my pouch" diet WORKS FOR ME! I got my "getting full" hiccups after 8 ounces over 20 minutes of Protein shake. Got all of the pudding in. For lunch, I got my "getting full" hiccups as I was taking my last bite or two of my tiny meal. And then afterwards I felt full for a couple hours. Got my "getting full" hiccups after eating about 75% of my yogurt. Then I got them again after my tiny dinner. Plus the need to burp a couple times lol

So what have I learned? At least for me... this pouch reset DID WORK! And I didn't even need to "finish" the pouch reset diet to feel the benefits. I am getting the benefits NOW. On day 5! Did it actually "shrink" my pouch? Who knows... but it certainly feels like it did in the months after surgery. AND... I am already well on track to eating my normal scheduled diet of 3 meals and 2-3 Snacks every 2-3 hours (got the 3rd snack in the last several days but will probably skip tonight since it is getting late and I am still full. Obviously I have to work to keep this up... but I am doing great so far. And my portions are DEFINITELY much smaller. Probably to wear they were about 5 months post op... though I can't be sure. I just know they haven't been THIS SMALL in quite a while. And I am NOT hungry in between meals. And with the two tiny puree/soft diet meals... I got my warning hiccups followed by my signals that I really should stop eating right away. And with the second actual meal I ate probably 2 extra bites and not only did the hiccups last a little longer, I got that need to burp. Yep... when I get 1 hiccup... it is time to stop. Now I have to figure out how to stop before that first hiccup. And if I had gone to cracker barrel just before starting this... I probably would have eaten nearly half right away and then continue to graze for a while until it was gone. And today... I not only didn't do it... but my body wasn't going to let me do it.

Did my belly shrink? I dunno. I will never really have that answer since there haven't been any before/after scans lol. But did I get my "getting full" signals back? Heck yeah! And I was VERY satisfied with the tiny portions on my plate. I think over the next few days I will continue the mix of full liquid/puree/soft diet similar to what I did today. But will gradually transition away from the liquids - then purees and then stick with the soft diet.

Anyhow... I knew before I posted this tread that there are a TON of people on this board who think this is a hocus pocus scam crash diet.... but I think I am a believer. Should everyone do it? Absolutely not. I knew I had my nutritionist's blessing and I followed stage plans she previously outlined for me. And I monitored my health and I advanced when I knew I needed to in order to prevent too much weight loss which would simply cause me to rebound. I also feel I went into it with realistic expectations. It was something I wanted to try to reteach myself the steps I took before to get to the lifestyle maintenance diet I had in the past. And to hopefully start recognizing those full signals again. THAT was my goal. And losing my little bit of gained wait was a nice side effect. Will it work for everyone? Maybe, maybe not! I think one key is if you are going to do this you must 1) consult your nutritionist at some point before doing it and 2) it should be done before you are fully back into very bad habits and before you have gained a significant amount of weight. I think it worked for me because I am doing it before I totally lose control. I may have not have been eating right... but I knew I was still able to regain control if I simply did what I needed to do. While it wasn't so hard for me to regain control. And I also haven't forgotten what I am supposed to be doing (well... except I forgot my macro guidelines... that post is in another thread lol)... but I know how to eat a healthy maintenance diet and I did well before and I knew I could do well again.

Going forward will be interesting.... to see how my body continues to respond. But I am glad to be able to recognize my stomach signals again! And that they are the same signals as before lol

[momof3_angels 465]

Day 6. Diet is a mix of full liquid/puree with some soft food today. Nothing much to report really. Doing well with eating at regular intervals. Not grazing in between meals/snacks. Sticking to small portions. Pre-measuring food so I have the right portions on my plate and nothing more. Protein first. I have been stickling to one cup of food max per meal/snack today. Feeling full for a couple hours after. Still getting my hiccup... although today because I measured better than yesterday. I am getting the hiccup AFTER the last bite. Meal prepping some shredded chicken today so I can make various meals with them. Anyhow... good day.

[momof3_angels 465]

Day 7. Weight seems to be stabile after a couple days with soft foods meals. 127.6 today and that is after drinking fluids this morning... I usually weigh before I drink anything at all. I am still doing Protein Shakes for breakfast (which was my "full liquids" yesterday) and will probably still do a combination of different consistency of Snacks - pureed texture (like sugar free pudding) and soft food texture. lunch and dinner are soft diet. Yesterday I did some meal prepping for a 2 month backpacking trip I will be taking this summer. Both meals are in the "soft" diet. Shredded chicken is the meat source.... so I used those for lunch and dinner yesterday and will again today. Today my dehydrator arrives so I need to finish the rest of the meals. The meal I was eating yesterday was a mexican style chicken and black Beans and corn. The other Chicken I made was BBQ so I will be turning a lot of it into BBQ Chicken Mac and cheese for my two kids... but need to decide what I want to mix with mine. Probably beans... I am thinking that since I will be backpacking I might use bushes baked beans... I will actually need the extra sugar for a backpacking trip. Maybe I will make half with bushes baked bean and half with some non flavored beans? I don't know. But it will be important to have healthy food on trail. And I would rather put the extra sugar carbs on beans than find myself resorting to candy on trail. BTW... when I say I am backpacking for 2 months... I am doing either the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail... these will be hard hikes with 10-20 mile days on mountainous terrain. So yes... I will need the extra sugar. Just making sure it is going to be in a form that doesn't derail my diet after the hike. Anyhow... doing well and continue to feel the restriction and those "getting full" signals. Will continue to eat more thoughtfully this week.

[momof3_angels 465]

Wrapping up day 7 as far as meals are concerned. Still going well. Enjoying the soft foods I am eating. Even picked up a yummy quiche from costco. It was SO GOOD! It is funny because a lot of people think the "Pouch Reset" is a starvation diet... but I never felt it was.First day of clear liquids I felt a little hungry, but drank broth or other fluids and it helped. Was less of an issue with day two... and remember... "I" chose to do a day two of clears because I had actually eaten a very small breakfast before starting clears. Days 3-4 were full liquids. My nutritionist allows greek yogurt on a full liquid diet and between that and Protein Shakes I felt very satisfied. Now... sticking to a full course of purees would have sucked, just because they are gross... but even then I am always able to find something to satisfy me. Anyhow... I don't see a few days of puree as a huge deal... it is nowhere near as bad as you experience post op. And soft foods? OMG.... you can make some really great meals with soft foods. It has been good to remind myself of that. A lot of people believe this diet regimen to be "hocus pocus" and while I am sure it doesn't work for everyone, it did what I needed it to do. And I didn't just go out and look it up on the internet... I had an actual plan outlined for me by my nutritionist. Anyhow... I will likely stick to soft foods for the next week just as recommended by this plan. I am not nutrient deprived. I am not starving. And I feel great. And I am feeling the sensations and signals that I had lost over the last couple months. Oh... and this was NEVER about punishing myself for bad behavior. I own that. I did the best I could with the resources I had at the time. And now that the crises is averted... I am getting back on track of my own free will. Anyway.... my follow up self accountability replies will be less frequent now. No sense in beating a dead horse lol.

[Jaelzion 1,127]

Good on you for taking the initiative to get back on track, glad things are going well for you. I struggled so on the pre-op diet that I could never go back to it, LOL. But I do understand the impulse to make a clean break with previous bad eating habits and start fresh. Once in a while, I allow myself a treat and then I do go right back to extra clean eating for a couple of days. I'm not convinced it does anything for my stomach but it definitely helps snap my mindset back to where it needs to be. Don't forget to plan for how you will eat once your reset is over, successfully making that transition back to "normal" (new normal) eating will be crucial.