• Hi, If you cannot get into the site, be sure to Contact Us. Please be advised that the app is no longer in use!

Allergic to food and immune to diets: my gastric bypass story

tendersage

New Member
I will not be ablee to do pilates at the sprot centre either they are at 9am twice a week, hence i am looking into doing it at home but wish i knew where to start
 

Thaialina

New Member
Hi Tendersage,
I know what it's like. I fancied getting back into yoga, which they also have in the mornings or evenings I can't make. The only thing that seems available to me is body pump and even the name puts me off! Lol.
Having a go at home first is a good idea though. I have done that with yoga and I'm so glad I'm at home when I topple over!
 

Thaialina

New Member
This week's been a funy week. Not productive but really busy. I've only been able to go to the gym once, which I'm not very pleased about because it wasn't a choice but a lack of time. Eating's not been too great either as I've not had time to make my healthy soup or to go shopping to get the ingredients.
So, I've decided to do the 5 day pouch test that Shel did. I know that I've slipped since my op. Silly things like drinking when I eat a meal, snacking too much (sometimes on naughty things that don't make me dump etc) so I want to make sure my pouch is still restricted and retrain my brain and body so that it feels like a virgin bypasser again. I'm hoping it will help at least. The first 2 days on fluids and protein drinks doesn't sound much fun though. Neither does the last 3 days where I, being a vegetarian, will only be able to eat eggs on day 3 and quorn on the last 2 days. I really hope I don't get that food being stuck feeling! So
I'm off to Holland and Barrat over the weekend to stock up on protein shakes, which I've never even tried.
 

Thaialina

New Member
Just nipped to Tesco and found some low carb protein drinks for the 5 day pouch test. I was devestated that they didn't have banana flavour as I hate chocolate milkshake. I decided to go for the strawberry at 99p a carton and bough 4 for each day. I sipped some whilst shopping and it left a really chalky aftertaste. I can't drink it fast, as I would cordial because I don't like milkshakes really. I'm planning to start on Sunday, so watch out for the moaning threads that I'll be posting! lol. I havebought gallons of sugar free vimto cordial to keep me going but may have to chew something inedible just to keep me sane and get rid of that need to chew! God help me!
 

Thaialina

New Member
I have spoken to Gordon about the 5 day pouch test. After being ill, he knows everything about enzymes released by the pancreas and the absorption process that takes place in the upper stomach etc. He doesn't think that sticking to just a high protein diet is a good idea at all and disagrees with what the woman on the 5 day pouch test website says.

I know this is controversial to a lot of people, however, Gordon has seen one of the best gastrologist in the country who deals with all stomach related operations and pouch disorders as well as numerous top nutritionists. I know that he hasn’t had a bypass, but he has done the next best thing, going through my bypass journey with me! He understands how bad dumping can be and how easy it is to increase your food intake, like I have, by eating foods that we can eat a lot of and get away with without dumping.

He had a look at the 5 day pouch test for me and was amazed at how different it was to the post op diet. He was particularly amazed at the lack of vegetables and the amount of protein. I’m a vegetarian, as I’ve said before, and he knows how much I can suffer if I eat a lot of protein (quorn in my case) and I was really worried about this stage of the diet. He also knows how the op has made my hair thin and knows that I, like many post op people, need all the vitamins I can get, so decided to help me out with his knowledge.

As I found his information really helpful, I asked him to type down his ideas so I could share it with you.

This is what he had to say:

“I disagree with parts of the 5 day pouch test because protein, especially complex protein from protein drinks and all the meat etc, take a long time to break down in the stomach and swell (yes, making you feel less hungry). However, it does no good for your stomach and your metabolism. In addition, protein has to be typically measured to your weight because if you have too much protein it can damage your liver, kidneys (causing kidney stones) etc. Your stomach has to work really hard to break down the protein and the protein swells and your pancreas has to work extra hard to release a lot of enzymes to deal with the breaking down process. Also, it does no good for your colon tract.

In addition, red meat is the worst thing possible for you pouch because it can take 24 hours to digest in the stomach and ferments. You should only have one piece of red meat a week and I would not have that. I have none at all. Just imagine, you eat red meat, it takes twenty four hours to break down, so in that twenty four hours food is just piling on top of it so you get a bigger pouch, a slower metabolism and end up in a sluggish mood.

You should not be messing with diets like this, they do more harm than good. The ultimate way to shrink your pouch back to normal size is to go back to when you had surgery: liquid diet, pureed food etc for two weeks... one week is not long enough anyway because your body will go into survival mode. It takes two weeks to adjust to the new intake of food. Yes, you will be hungry, but if you want your pouch to shrink and lose weight then tough because it will be worth it.

However, I can understand the woman saying about slider foods being carbs etc, but fluffy white potato and other certain carbs (not dead carbs and sugar etc) will not put weight on you at all and helps to speed up metabolism so they should be included in the diet with lots and lots of vegetables because the potato is full of fibre and roughage that your stomach needs. This is because these foods will break down really quickly in the pouch (reducing swelling and the size of the pouch) and the fibre and complex carb content of the veg etc keeps your insulin levels (sugar levels) straight without spikes or dumps. The food’s not particularly nice, but, again, if you want to lose weight and shrink the pouch to its original size, here is an example of what my diet would be:

Day one to three:
Clear soup, soft vegetables, mashed potatoes (plain, no skin, no butter or anything) pureed fish or pureed chicken, vitamin tablet and only drink water through the day.

Day four, five, six, seven, eight, nine to ten:
Vegatables, mashed potato, chicken, fish, water, vitamin tablet and soft fruit (if you don’t dump from the sugar).

Day eleven to fourteen:
Slowly introduce solid foods on the digestion process.

Please remember that carbs don’t swell your pouch or make you gain weight. Calories put weight on. Your body can’t tell if you eat a potato or a plate of veg. It is the total amount of calories you consume versus the calories that you burn a day. I.e. if you eat 1000 calories and you burn only 800, you have 200 calories left that your body stores as fat.

Also, carbs don’t make your pouch grow (except slow digestion foods which makes food pile on top of it as it takes longer to digest). “Plate size” IS THE ANSWER (SIMPLE AS THAT). You should be grazing like a cow "lol" yes like a cow. Little meals often, proven everywhere to keep sugar levels constant, speed metabolism up and the best way to lose weight. This is just what you did after the operation. Also, by eating little and often your pouch will not grow because your stomach is never completely full so it will shrink. Yes, you will be hungry, but DO YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT AND REDUCE POUCH SIZE? Also, do this for two weeks and your body will adapt and you won’t be hungry. If you are well it’s in the head!

Also, have no water at all for at least 15 minutes before or after your meal because this fills your stomach and reduces stomach acid. So it takes longer for food to digest because the body has to make more acid and enzymes to counteract the reduction of stomach acid, hence longer transit time...

So, if you want to lose weight and reduce the size of your pouch it’s simple. Graze like a cow, eat loads of vegatables, mashed potato, chicken, fish, no water before and after a meal, NO POP, No bread, no sugar etc for two weeks. Try to have four little meals a day. No snacking at all. Basically you’re back to a fist full of food maximum. Take at least fifteen minutes to eat your food.”

He is looking forward to what you all have to say and if you need more details or more in depth knowledge of how it all works then he’s here.





 

Thaialina

New Member
Well I've let myself down today and had a really lazy day. Been a busy week and haven't managed to go to the gym much, but today I couldn't find the energy to go. At least my batteries will be recharged for the 5 day pouch test tomorrow. So right now I'm sat in the living room waiting for the time to pass until my hair colour is ready to rinse out. Nothing exciting, but at least it will get rid of my grey hairs.
 

Thaialina

New Member
Well, I started the pouch test yesterday and felt like I was going through Hell. All I wanted to do was chew, chew, chew but all I could do was sip, sip, sip. The good old days eh! I was also sooo tired last night. Today's been miles better as I've been much busier.
Gordon's tweaked the diet for me though so that I can have all the healthy foods that I need and don't just stick to proteins and a few bits of veg later on in the week.
I'm pleased that tomorrow's the last day that I'm doing on fluids though as my mind keeps reminding me that solid food is so nice! On the plus side, I'm not physically hungy as my little pouch is happy with what I'm giving it. Here's to a small pouch and less mind hunger. Brain training the WLS way!!
 

Thaialina

New Member
It's been a bit crazy this week. I abandoned the 5 day pouch test after 5 days (I'd hoed to do it for longer) as Gordon had an operation to remove the lower part of his sternum on Thursday. I was in hospital with him as much as possible from Wednesday night onwards, just nipping home to sleep and take the dogs out for walks.Thankfully the operation went well and now he'shome and I'm playing nurse because he can't do much himself at the moment. Needless to say, this is the reason why my pouch test was abandoned. I'm hoping to start again as soon as he's well on the road to recovery because it really does work. I lost 6 pounds, realised that my pouch can get used to eating tiny portions again and it made me realise that my hunger is mind hunger. Because of all the events of the week I've not had the time or energy to make it to the gym yet...
 

Thaialina

New Member
Gordon had to fend for himself at home today and did well. He's getting alittle better and more flexible every day. Because I was on the go, I started back on the pouch test today in the hope that I can complete it this time. So far I've had carb control shakes, sugarfree vimto cordial, water and clear soup so it's looking good so far...
 

Thaialina

New Member
The last two weeks have kind of gone to pot as I have been travelling quite a bit and had a bad cold that's really made me feel awful. I'm hoping to get back on track when I'm better, hopefully for work next week. I'm trying the universal contour wrap tomorrow at a beauty salon to hopefully test how it can shed pounds fast, especially for fitting into my wedding dress. I am now only 1 and a half inches from fitting into my wedding dress as opposed to 5 and a half inches in January. I've also had a big clear out of clothes to give away as they're too big. It was lovely to fit into my size 12 tankini...great for the honeymoon xxx
 

Thaialina

New Member
Hello everyone!
Sorry that I've not been on for a bit, but I've been busy.
I'm now back on track, losing weight, dieting and going to the gym. The size 16 trousers that I wear to work are now getting loose and I can fit into nicer and smaller bras. I have bought shorts for my holiday at the end of this month that are a lot shorter than my normal ones. By now, my skin is getting really wrinkly on my belly and my arms are batty too. I hope the gym helps!
The universal contour wrap was quite uncomfortable but I lost 13 inches in total so it's really handy to know in case I need that extra inch loss before the wedding.
 

shelbell

Proudly maintaining
Glad to hear things are going well Sara :) Keep at it and you'll be wearing that wedding dress in no time!

Meant to ask, how's Gordon getting on these days?
 
Top