One of the first places we go off track after weight loss surgery is forgetting to follow the liquid restrictions. Some centers call them water rules. In short, the liquid restrictions mean to cease drinking beverages 30 minutes before meals and refrain from drinking beverages with meals and for 30 minutes thereafter. This is so our pouch fills more quickly on solid food, we stay full longer, and our bodies have ample opportunity to digest food and absorb its nutrients. Most bariatric centers apply the liquid restrictions to all surgical procedures including gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding (lap-band), and gastric sleeve.
As informed and well-intentioned patients we do not willfully ignore the liquid restrictions. The reason it is easy to get away from them is that eating is more comfortable when we mix food with water to form a slurry rather than solid mass which tends to sit like a lump in our gastric pouch. Over time it becomes common to abandon the liquid restrictions all together as we return to a physically and socially more comfortable practice of eating and drinking together. This often leads to feelings of hunger not long after meals, and ultimately may lead to weight gain.On the 5 Day Pouch Test website we read, "It is difficult for weight loss surgery patients to follow liquid restrictions because doing so causes tightness to occur in the stomach pouch, which for some is quite uncomfortable. Paradoxically, this discomfort is the mechanism by which gastric surgeries work: it is the signal to stop eating."
Days 1 and 2 of the 5 Day Pouch Test menu include liquid meals only. Participants can plan to have clear broth, protein drinks, or the carb monster soups. A person who has been following a strict weight loss surgery diet free of soft processed carbohydrates (snacks) will be able to complete Days 1&2 successfully on clear broth and protein shakes. To break a soft carbohyrdate snacking habit one will do better to enjoy the carb monster soups which facilitate a more gentle transition from snacky carbohydrates to complex vegetable and grain carbohydrates.
Because Days 1&2 are liquids people following the 5 Day Pouch Test to get back on track often ask if is necessary to observe the liquid restrictions. Yes it is necessary, for two reasons. First we are using the 5DPT as a mechanism to get back to our WLS basics, which includes liquid restrictions. Days 1&2 are the starting point of return to good habits. Next, we need to give our body time to digest the liquid and absorb the nutrients. Learn more about this in the article below.
Any time we eat it should be with the intention of providing our body food that it can digest and absorb in order to efficiently and powerfully fuel the metabolic process of living. If you have practiced guided imagery or meditation for other purposes apply those techniques as you visualize your food as it moves through your body and powers you through the day. Such practices facilitate moments of appreciation and understanding ultimately leading to treating our bodies and health more compassionately.
Please review the liquid restrictions and your habits if you are using the 5 Day Pouch Test to get back on track this week. Take your knowledge and let it empower you.
You deserve to be your very best!
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Kaye
"I believe in you.
You deserve to be healthy.
You deserve to be kind to yourself.
You deserve to achieve your greatest level of success with weight loss surgery when you harness your inner resources."
--Kaye Bailey
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