VGS and 5 day pouch test??

I am about 2-1/2 weeks away from being 2 yrs out with a VSG.  It has been a rough ride, but all well worth it.
I lost rather quickly - but only lost for the first 8-9 months - then leveled out over the next year.   Now I have gained back between 15-20 lbs.  I KNOW that I am not eating right - although I am eating more "regular" than I have over 2 yrs.  I am still a "normal" size and I am happy, but now knowing that I have gained has me a little freaked out.  

I am wondering if the 5 day PT will work with a VSG?
I have the smallest size stomach and have thrown up or foamed every day since I have had surgery.  I can rarely eat solid protein without getting sick - and I am sure it is bcuz I eat too much or too fast.  
I eat - get sick - then I am satisfied.  
Sweets and junk food seem to be the easiest to keep down.  It is only when I try to eat "good" that I get sick.  
I had such a problem keeping food down that my dr. ok'd me to graze just to keep food down.  I think my stomach has stretched some, as I can eat more now at one sitting than before.   I have been through a divorce since surgery and re-marriage. 
I am also finding myself somewhat comparing myself to my ex who had surgery 5 weeks before me and has lost 163 lbs and weighs less than I DO NOW!!!  He had RNY.  
I mean, I am none-too-shabby - I weigh +/- 187 and wear a size 6/8.   My lowest after surgery was 167 and I was wearing a 2/4 comfortably.  So, my numbers are somewhat decieving - and I try to keep that in mind - but knocking on the door of 200 again scares the crap outta me!!!!

In any case - I am starting back on track today by foregoing my daily sweet tea and replacing it with water with lime.  I have a very hard time getting water down, but dammit - I am determined.  I am scared to death of geting back to where I started.   I know what to do, it is just finding the will power to get it done.  

In any case - now that I have laid it all out there - my question is just does the 5DPT work for a VSG'er?  

Thanks for letting me confess....  please don't bash....I know what I'm doing is off track and I am very serious about getting back on.  

You can do the 5DPT if you want.  If you need a carb de-tox, it's probably not a bad plan. 

I'd just go back to the original diet - dense protein first, then veggies, then (if you have room) some healthy carbs.  And I'd have the doc do a scope if you're having trouble with dense proteins unless you know that you're just eating too fast/too much.

I guess the first thing I would ask is, what do you mean "will it work."  ?

Will it shrink your stomach?  No.

Will it very possibly help you to tear yourself from carbs? Yes.

I do not understand that your stomach is still very small and you vomit nearly every day but you eat more?  I also have concerns that you are satisfied after you sick your food up.  Have you been to the dentist, because you could be working on damaging your teeth and needing replacements from the connsistent acids from your vomit.

Have you tried portioning the food out to yourself, an amount you know is not too much, and consuming that? 

Sweets and junk are always going to be easiest to get down.  That will not change.  Perhaps you can motivate yourself by removing one poor choice a day?  Say, today the sweet tea leaves, and tomorrow, something else?

Some people do well with the 5DPT, some people think its a return to the yoyo diet, some people can do it for a day and then binge.

My best advice is to go back to nutritionally dense food, protein forward meals, and learn about the foods that trigger poor choices.  Willpower is fleeting for most of us and we need to find a way to make choices that reflect the outcome we want consistently. 

And if you have a problem with water alone, torturing yourself with making yourself drink it is probably not going to be helpful in the long run.  Sometimes a wee pinch of baking soda changes the pH so it sits in your stomach better, and sometimes just putting some lime/flavoring in it helps it sit better.

Finding a liveable solution to the food part can be a challenge, but we sure need to find our way there.

Good luck.

Start with eliminating the sweets and junk food. Eliminating sweet tea is a good start. If water is difficulty, what about caffeine free herbal teas? This far out, it is normal to be able to eat more. Do you weigh/measure your portions? Start with 2 ounces and eat slowly. You might be able to tolerate this amount of dense protein.

Are you exercising? Tracking your food intake? Logging food, weighing and measuring the food that I eat , have helped to keep me on track.

Since you have had so much stress, have you considered counseling? It might give you some needed support.

I have mixed feelings about the 5-day pouch test. It may help you to detox from carbs, but if you don't exercise and continue to eat sweets and junk food, the weight will come back on.

Thanks so much for the quick replies....

I do have a water with lime in it - and it has been sitting here for 3 hours without me touching it. 

I guess you could say I was wondering if it would "work" - but more so - I know it was created more for RNY patients - so yes, I was wondering if it would be worth it to do having had VSG.

I worry every day about my teeth - but mostly I get rid of foamy acid.  My esophagus doesn't close.  He made me SO tight, along with my original reflux, it has left my valve to where it never fully closes now.   We have watched it during my swallow tests - pretty amazing. 

I am sure that I am eating too fast too - we eat out several times per week and my DH eats FAST!!!  I find myself mindlessly eating fast also.  I am trying to be more aware.

Why is it that sweets have a calming effect on the foamy and acid bile after I eat?  I have also found that after I eat, cofee (usually a skinny Starbucks) has a calming effect on my tummy too.  

Again, thanks for the support and suggestions.  I need to get my mindset off of that I am "normal" and realize that I am no longer normal, but now I am special.  I need to treat my new tummy special and feed it properly.  Sometimes we just need a little kick in the butt to get back on track.  This website is a good start.  

A few things. The pouch test is pointless - you don't have a pouch. Also, as to your stoma being stretched, you don't have a stoma either. That is the man made opening they make in the stomach with the RNY. It's good you don't a have that. 

I'm more concerned about why you are getting sick with meals. That is NOT normal. If you are sure it's from gobbling food, then stop that. I have a sleeved stomach that was fairly small as well, and usually big bites, don't really matter (at least further out, once you are healed). The sleeve is still a fully functioning stomach with it's own pyloric valve to regulate food, and will still break down the food. Is there any chance you have an eating disorder? Or maybe your sleeve is actually smaller than it should be. You may need a doctor to help you rule these things out.

You seem to understand that the sweets and sweet tea are problematic. It sounds like your weight will be fine if you just cut out the junk, but you really need to figure out the getting sick thing. It's dangerous.

I would never bash you about weight gain or eating crappy. I eat crappy all the time!

That said, I think the 5 day pouch test is bogus. It's just another fad that will screw up your metabolism. The only thing I think you should do to stop regain or lose further would be to analyze your intake (which it seems you have), and start tracking your food using an online tool. Be sure that you have a protein forward diet, with moderate fat, limited complex carbs and extremely limited (or none) simple carbs.

Getting off the carb wagon is not easy, but worth it in the end.

I would just go back to basics. When I was actively trying to lose weight, I stayed in the 600-800 calorie range every day, 70-80g protein.  Having good restriction and no hunger made it easy.  I still have good restriction (and no hunger), and I'm working at stopping weightloss by upping my calories without adding 'empty' calories in the form of sugar/white carbs, etc.  I've worked my way up to 1100-1200 calories a day, still following 'the rules.' 

I will sometimes 'lube' my dense protein with compound butter, sauce, or hummus to make it go down easier.  Fish is my friend.  I can get it down easier than other proteins and it packs a lot of nutritional bang for the buck.  Seared Ahi Tuna is very sleeve friendly, for example, as is shrimp.  I like Atkin's Daybreak Bars (Peanut Butter Fudge Crisp/Chocolate Crisp) because they have protein and fiber but not a lot of sugar alcohol. I can drink after eating one without waiting an hour.

Instead of sweet tea, try diet sweet tea (Arizona Tea) or an Arnold Palmer Zero (also Arizona Tea, 1/2 tea-1/2 lemonade). 


 

I just finished the 5 day pouch test and it worked for me. I guess for me it got my head back in the game and more aware of what I eat. I am now logging everything that goes in my mouth and I mean everything. Still doing battle with my head and wanting to graze but I lost 12 pounds (I know, mostly fluid but I'll take it).
I am sure just getting back to basics works as that is what I am doing now, but it did help me, bogus or not. I am more aware of feeling full as I was ignoring it before.

Thank you all for your input.  It makes alot of sense about why not to even bother with the 5DPT. 

As far as the getting sick thing - the valve I was referring to is the valve at the top of my stomach/bottom of my esophagus - that is the part that doesn't close. 
I can eat (or drink) and just lean over (actually don't even really have to lean over...) and it comes right back up.  Someone mentioned guzzling water in another post - lol - forget it.  I dream about the days of yester-year when I could turn up an ice cold bottle of water or even (God forbid) a coke and just guzzle it down!!! 

I also know that some of my mindless eating has come from being so bored and slow at work over the "slow season" these last few months.

I felt good about yesterday with what I ate and weighed in this morning, although I forgot to weigh yesterday morning.  
Here's to another good day.  Tonight will be a struggle for me as it is our weekly dinner at the Mexican restaraunt with friends.  That is my downfall - chips and salsa - I could eat that all day, every day.