Help With Getting Back On Track

[Hey Man 30]

Greetings,

So I really hit a low point with some financial stress that I went through with a small business I have and reverted back to my old ways of dealing with things - very poor food choices over a couple of months. I feel terrible, but I am ready to get back on track.

However I have some concerns. I am able to eat anything and even drink at the same time now - a year and a bit out from surgery. I don't get the "foamies" if I eat too much, etc. I don't get the full feeling that I was still getting right before my crash.

What I am saying is - I am worried that the "tool" that was supposed to help me is no longer there to help keep me in check.

I know the stomach can't be stretched to what it used to be, so I am fine with that knowledge after doing some research. However I am wondering once I go back to eating properly, drinking more Water and getting my Protein - will things go back to how things were prior to my 2 months of screwing up or is that probably gone forever now with feeling full, etc. Like I never had the surgery.

I looked into a pouch reset - but it seems there is a lot of misinformation out there. That this is not a real thing from what doctors have said - like drinking just shakes for a week again or whatever will NOT reset your pouch.

I would appreciate feedback on the above and if anyone went through something similar - what was your experience to get your sleeve back on track.

Thank you very much.

HM

[CrazyDog&CatLady 23]

I always thought of the pouch reset as a mental reset, not a physical one. You are getting back into the mindset of watching what you are eating, how you are eating it, how long it takes you to eat, etc. I think, in that way, that the reset can help.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,598]

There's no actual pouch reset, you're correct about that. It's more getting your mind right again. You have to get back to basics, not to retrain your pouch but to retrain yourself how to eat (and not eat) again. A week of stage 1, a week of stage 2, etc is a great way to start over. It's gonna be really rough, not gonna lie, but start tracking everything that goes into your mouth. Everything you eat and drink. how much, how often. Start tracking your calories, carbs, fats, and Proteins. Prioritize Protein first, then veggies, then healthy fats. Follow the eating and drinking rules. Reach back out to your surgeon's office and your nutritionist, if you can. You still have your tool, you just have to hold yourself accountable and start using it properly again.

[Hey Man 30]

40 minutes ago, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

There's no actual pouch reset, you're correct about that. It's more getting your mind right again. You have to get back to basics, not to retrain your pouch but to retrain yourself how to eat (and not eat) again. A week of stage 1, a week of stage 2, etc is a great way to start over. It's gonna be really rough, not gonna lie, but start tracking everything that goes into your mouth. Everything you eat and drink. how much, how often. Start tracking your calories, carbs, fats, and Proteins. Prioritize Protein first, then veggies, then healthy fats. Follow the eating and drinking rules. Reach back out to your surgeon's office and your nutritionist, if you can. You still have your tool, you just have to hold yourself accountable and start using it properly again.

Thanks for the feedback and understood on your points.

However am I also right in that my stomach has probably adapted now and I am not going to get the same full feeling anymore ? That in a sense it is almost like I never had the surgery as it is not going to help me keep things in check. It is ALL on me now. I don't really have the "tool" anymore.

Or will it kind of come back once i am back on track for a while?

Thanks,

HM

[NickelChip 1,211]

On the one hand, the farther out from surgery you get, the more you can physically eat. This is normal at a year post-op, and may have coincided with the timing of your poor food choices. But if you have been going "off track" by eating a bunch of slider foods, that will in part explain why you don't feel any restriction. The more you focus on eating lean Protein and high-fiber veggies, the more full you will likely feel. Your tool never goes away, but your nutrition becomes even more important the more your body can eat.

My suggestion is to skip the "pouch reset" where you go through the stages of food. There's nothing magical about eating puree and drinking shakes. You were supposed to do that because your stomach had just been slice open and stapled up. What you should do is go back to a bariatric diet. This means eating protein first, veggies second, carbs third. It means Portion Control, eating at planned intervals, avoiding sugar and fat. It means waiting 30 minutes after you eat before you drink (not because you can't physically drink, but because doing so can contribute to hunger), and making sure you get a minimum of 64oz of Water every day (but 90 oz is probably better).

Instead of revisiting the first few weeks after surgery, meet your body where it is now. Plan three high protein, healthy meals for yourself each day. For Breakfast, you might try making two eggs, a serving of spinach, and some roasted sweet potato. For lunch, you could try a salad with 4 oz of chicken and some black Beans, plus lots of veggies. For dinner, make yourself 4 oz of salmon, a serving of broccoli, and a serving of quinoa. Space your meals evenly throughout the day, around 5 hours apart. See if that amount of food fills you up. If it does, you're pretty much where you probably should be at this stage. If it doesn't, add more veg to your plate at meal times, and allow yourself up to two healthy Snacks, such some fresh raw veggies and a ranch dip made from Greek yogurt, and maybe a bowl of fresh berries with Coolwhip and nuts for dessert. My guess is, if you focus on eating the right things and not eating simple carbs and high fat comfort foods, you will start feeling much better.

[Hey Man 30]

13 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

On the one hand, the farther out from surgery you get, the more you can physically eat. This is normal at a year post-op, and may have coincided with the timing of your poor food choices. But if you have been going "off track" by eating a bunch of slider foods, that will in part explain why you don't feel any restriction. The more you focus on eating lean Protein and high-fiber veggies, the more full you will likely feel. Your tool never goes away, but your nutrition becomes even more important the more your body can eat.

My suggestion is to skip the "pouch reset" where you go through the stages of food. There's nothing magical about eating puree and drinking shakes. You were supposed to do that because your stomach had just been slice open and stapled up. What you should do is go back to a bariatric diet. This means eating Protein first, veggies second, carbs third. It means Portion Control, eating at planned intervals, avoiding sugar and fat. It means waiting 30 minutes after you eat before you drink (not because you can't physically drink, but because doing so can contribute to hunger), and making sure you get a minimum of 64oz of Water every day (but 90 oz is probably better).

Instead of revisiting the first few weeks after surgery, meet your body where it is now. Plan three high protein, healthy meals for yourself each day. For Breakfast, you might try making two eggs, a serving of spinach, and some roasted sweet potato. For lunch, you could try a salad with 4 oz of chicken and some black Beans, plus lots of veggies. For dinner, make yourself 4 oz of salmon, a serving of broccoli, and a serving of quinoa. Space your meals evenly throughout the day, around 5 hours apart. See if that amount of food fills you up. If it does, you're pretty much where you probably should be at this stage. If it doesn't, add more veg to your plate at meal times, and allow yourself up to two healthy Snacks, such some fresh raw veggies and a ranch dip made from Greek yogurt, and maybe a bowl of fresh berries with Coolwhip and nuts for dessert. My guess is, if you focus on eating the right things and not eating simple carbs and high fat comfort foods, you will start feeling much better.

Yes, it has been a lot of slider foods, but even something like pizza or a burger - I am now finding within the two months of being off track, I can eat more pieces or eat the whole burger pretty quickly - when the months prior, I would sometimes not be able to finish the burger or just have two pieces of pizza max.

I am not so much concerned about getting back on track from a food choice perspective. I know what I should be eating, but admittedly I screwed up and let my old habits take control.

I was more concerned if I had ruined my sleeve and it wouldn't really work for me anymore. Granted I always understood that a year out - I was going to be able to eat more now that I could at 6 months out.

Perhaps you are right - when I go back to eating what I should eat as I do my own reset so to speak - not slider foods, my stomach will be sort of activated again.

Thank you very much.

HM

Edited August 15 by Hey Man

[Arabesque 7,240]

Yes the pouch reset is a lie. You can’t reset your tummy. It’s working as it should. It doesn’t control you deciding to eat. What you need is to reset your head (thinking). Start reintroducing the behaviours you followed when you were nearing your stabilised weight. You can start by introducing just one or two changes every week or two (small changes are easier to accept, adopt & adapt to). For example: start by tracking your food to see what you’re actually eating (nutrients, calories), how much you’re eating ( portion size) and how often. Then ensure your meeting your Protein & fluid goals. Then introduce reviewing portion sizes. Then maybe drop a snack or two. If you’ve let your activity slide start reintroducing something even walking at first.

You’re on your way because you want to get back on track. May be see a therapist to discuss how you can avoid reverting back to your pre surgery eating behaviours again - can’t hurt.

All the best.

Edited August 15 by Arabesque

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,598]

The only reason I suggested the stages is to give yourself time mentally to adjust to the changes little by little. It won't do anything for your pouch, but trying to change everything all at once, or even too fast, can set you up for failure. Yes, it's on you now. But really, it's always been. You just didn't know it. We rely on the restriction and the small size of our pouches to tell us when to stop eating, or what not to eat, or how often we can eat. But the food choices are still on us. Slider foods, foods high in carbs and unhealthy fats, high in salt and sugar...that's still on us. Slider foods, alcohol, sodas...that's still on us. So if you want to skip the stages, that's fine. But get yourself ready mentally to make the changes you need to make. You still have your tool. You just have to relearn how to properly use it.

[Hey Man 30]

1 hour ago, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

The only reason I suggested the stages is to give yourself time mentally to adjust to the changes little by little. It won't do anything for your pouch, but trying to change everything all at once, or even too fast, can set you up for failure. Yes, it's on you now. But really, it's always been. You just didn't know it. We rely on the restriction and the small size of our pouches to tell us when to stop eating, or what not to eat, or how often we can eat. But the food choices are still on us. Slider foods, foods high in carbs and unhealthy fats, high in salt and sugar...that's still on us. Slider foods, alcohol, sodas...that's still on us. So if you want to skip the stages, that's fine. But get yourself ready mentally to make the changes you need to make. You still have your tool. You just have to relearn how to properly use it.

Oh I know the food choices were always on us, but there is the "tool" there to help keep us in check. Not being able to eat as much as we did prior to surgery.

For example, my wife had the bypass a few years ago and she is doing well still, but once in a blue moon - she will eat a little too much of something and she feels like she needs to throw up. Meaning that the "tool" is still there for her to help keep her in check and not just keep eating like she would prior to the surgery.

Basically this portion of your comment: "We rely on the restriction and the small size of our pouches to tell us when to stop eating".

I think we all hope to still be able to rely on this is what I was trying to say, but I know the food choices is ALL on me.

[MandoGetsSleeved 443]

@Hey Man - I feel your pain here. As others have stated, it's really a mental game. I'm dealing with it myself and HAVE opted to go for the "pouch reset" - or as I call it ... the "OUCH" reset. Going back to the basics seems to put me in a better mental state and reminds me constantly of what it took to lose the weight initially and what I have to do.

Personally, if I try and make small changes one at a time, I find myself cheating and going back to deluding myself (I just ate a small bowl of chili, I just ate one slider, I just ate a scoop of ice cream, etc -) whereas if I go full bariatric - track, weigh, ONLY meals (vs snacks) make fluids a priority; it's actually easier for me mentally.

[AmberFL 746]

Are you gaining weight? Are you active? if so, how much? Not everyone has the same restriction.