Can you shrink your pouch?

 I am still pretty new - 10 months out.  I talked to my nut last week about my portions and how important it is to stay within those portions so I dont stretch out my pouch.  Well I did not think to ask, but if you do stretch out your pouch can you shrink it back down to "regular" size??????  Ive seen that pouch test diet - is that what people do to shrink it back down?  Hope I dont have the problem but just curious!  Thanks....

My pouch was size of less than a egg orginally.  It is now like a 1 1/2 cup.   Sometimes it feels small still.  I do not see how you could go back.  But I think my eating less over time, I tend to not be so craving certain foods.   It is so important to not overeat during the honeymoon period (first year or so).    

I don't think it can shrink back.  My portions tend to be too large, and it truly is a great concern. 

I read this on OH, and it has worked for me.  Someone posted a year or so ago that the longer he goes without drinking BEFORE a meal, not the usual 30 minutes, the less he eats.  I found that to be true for me too.  I assume it is because he pouch is dry, and food does not seem to sit as easily as it does when I stop drinking the normal 30 minutes.  That has worked for me.  I especially notice the difference when my husband and I are out and about, I have not had anything to drink, and we stop to have lunch/dinner.  When I have gone several hours w/o drinking any fluids, I can't seem to eat much at all.  I will be 2 years out Nov 17th.

I'm not sure if you can shrink your pouch but I am 10 1/2 months out and my portion sizes are also a bit more than I would like.  I'm actually starting the 5 day pouch test today to get myself back on track.

I'm hoping this is the key to restarting my weightloss and eliminating some of the cravings I've been having lately.

Good luck on the 5DPT...

This is interesting to me.  I don't doubt that it is your experience, but I'm curious about why it works that way.  It's not because the pouch is dry, because the pouch is not dry, even if you have not had anything to drink for several hours.  There are some gastric juices in there and there is a mucousy stuff in there all the time.  It's moist and slimy, whether you've had something to drink or not.

It was very interesting to me too.  The original poster said it was because the pouch was dry, so I assumed his reason was sound.  However the physiology works, I have definitely found it to be true, for me anyway.  The flip side to this was another thread I read on OH where someone posted if they load up on water and drink as much and as fast as they can before they eat, it decreases their appetite.  I have not tried that one; the other one works well for me.

Yeah I am familiar with the idea of water loading, though I haven't tried it.  Maybe I will experiment with both ways and see what works best for me.

If you don't drink for an hour or so before eating, and then don't drink after meals for a while, do you have trouble getting your fluids in?  I think that would be an issue for me.

Thank you for this advise. I am 5 weeks out from my surgery and every once and a while I do get hungary. If I can remember to keep away from liquids before meals, I know this will help.
 

Your welcome.  The day I read that particular thread I never forgot the info.  I'm glad I could pass it on.