Don't use the 5 Day Pouch Test as a Fad Diet

When I began developing what became the 5 Day Pouch Test the least of my worries was losing weight. I wanted to know if my pouch still worked or if I had ruined my tool forever. Next, I wanted to arrest the eating behavior that felt so destructive and so much like before surgery when I fork-fed my way into morbid obesity. Finally, I wanted to follow my surgeon's directions and "get back to basics" - I just needed to figure out how to do that.

With much trial and more error I finally honed in on what became the 5DPT. Over the course of five days it advances through the stages of WLS post-op eating and effectively breaks the commonly reported carbohydrate addiction we tend to fall into. Most importantly, it is a refresher lesson in the oddly effective rules that keep our stomach pouches in tip-top shape and working as they are intended to work. It is a wake-up call that in most cases the pouch is still working and when we follow the rules the tool does its job.

The plan was never intended to affect weight loss in five days. That is stated multiple times in the Owner's Manual, on the 5 Day Pouch Test website and in the Neighborhood.

The plan is like an airbag you hope you never have to deploy because it means you are in an emergency situation requiring extreme action to protect you. But if you find yourself in trouble wouldn't you rather have an airbag you can count on to save you from harm?

Many people do in fact report weight loss during the five days; some significant weight loss. That is a wonderful motivational by-product of the 5 Day Pouch Test plan. But more rewarding is the spirit of empowerment that comes from knowing our pouch still works and we are capable of following the very rules that helped us lose weight after surgery.

The smart people use this momentum to continue following the Four Rules, the liquid restrictions, avoiding slider foods, and making good sound decisions so they do not need to employ the 5DPT airbag again.

Greedy people, hungry for more weight loss, disregard the lessons learned and hop on the 5DPT-do-over wagon hoping to flush away more weight.

The good news is there are more smart people embracing the full program of the 5 Day Pouch Test than there are greedy people. I honestly believe none of us went into surgery thinking we would be the one to regain lost weight. None of us wants to fad diet, we are over that. But we do get off track and we do need to have a "back to basics" plan to get back on track. Often our centers are vague with advice and we feel foolish begging for answers. That is how I felt when I went to my center for help. And that is why I share the 5DPT with the world because I do not want anyone to feel foolish and left without hope.

I encourage you to take the plan as a whole and make it your great start to 2010. Get back on track and celebrate the basic principals that, once we appreciate them, are not so difficult to follow. Below I've listed three of the best things you can do with the plan so that you own it and it becomes your victory giving you momentum to go further and better than you ever dreamed.

You Can Do This!

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