Gina,
I highly recommend that you adopt some of the principles of pouch management now, before surgery. Your exercise will also work faster with this approach. Fat will burn and the high protein diet will build strong muscle. I think we have all found that when we follow the basic principles, our payoff is greater over the long haul
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Pouch Rules for Dummies
INTRODUCTION:
A common misunderstanding of gastric bypass surgery is that the pouch causes weight loss because it is so small, the patient eats less. Although that is true for the first six months, that is not how it works. Some doctors have assumed that poor weight loss in some patients is because they aren’t really trying to lose weight. The truth is it may be because they haven’t learned how to get the satisfied feeling of being full to last long enough.
IDEAL MEAL PROCESS (rules of the pouch):
1. The patient must time meals five hours apart or the patient will get too hungry in between.
2. The patient needs to eat finely cut meat and raw or slightly cooked veggies with each meal.
3. The patient must eat the entire meal in 5-15 minutes. A 30-45 minute meal will cause failure.
4. No liquids for 1 ˝ hours to 2 hours after each meal.
5. After 1 ˝ to 2 hours, begin sipping water and over the next three hours slowly increase water intake.
6. 3 hours after last meal, begin drinking LOTS of water/fluids.
7. 15 minutes before the next meal, drink as much as possible as fast as possible. This is called “water loading.” IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN DRINKING OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS, THIS ‘WATER LOADING’ WILL NOT WORK.
8. You can water load at any time 2-3 hours before your next meal if you get hungry, which will cause a strong feeling of fullness.
THREE PRINCIPLES FOR GAINING AND MAINTAINING SATIETY
1. Fill pouch full quickly at each meal.
2. Stay full by slowing the emptying of the pouch. (Eat solids. No liquids 15 minutes before and none until 1 ˝ hours after the meal). A scientific test showed that a meal of egg/toast/milk had almost all emptied out of the pouch after 45 minutes. Without milk, just egg and toast, more than ˝ of the meal still remained in the pouch after 1 ˝ hours.
3. Protein, protein, protein. Three meals a day. No high calorie liquids.
Congratulations and good luck with your progress.