It happens! Sometimes without following the proper nutrition plan and healthy lifestyle habits, weight regains after bariatric surgery can occur. Even if you do everything right, sometimes it just isn’t working! Many people hit plateaus, and some get discouraged without being able to bounce back. Regardless if you hit a stall or are regaining weight, the 5-day pouch reset diet is for you!
What is the pouch reset diet?
The 5-day pouch reset or metabolic reset diet is a condensed version of the post-op diet. The only difference is that the pouch reset diet is done over a five-day period to get you back to eating smaller amounts of food. Through the metabolic reset plan, former bariatric patients can get back on track and lose weight again.
After it’s complete, you can continue on the pouch reset diet or switch back to the post-op diet that worked best for you.
Who is the pouch reset for?
Weight regain is common for everyone. Nobody is perfect, and situations arise where you may not be able to follow the post-op diet. The important thing is to bounce back and change your eating habits as fast as possible. It’s always easier to gain weight than lose weight, so don’t lose all your hard work over a slight relapse in eating. Even if you haven’t been on track with healthy nutrition habits for an extended period, the pouch reset diet can still be a very effective tool for you to reset your stomach to a more beneficial size!
The pouch reset diet is for you if:
- You have hit a stall or plateau
- You have gained weight
- Your portions have exceeded 6 ounces
- You stopped tracking your food intake
- You want to take control of your diet
- You are worried that your pouch or sleeve has “stretched” out
Day 1: Clear Liquids
The pouch reset diet begins with the most challenging phase before working your way back to eating solid foods. During day one, clear liquids will help flush your body and disrupt ghrelin and leptin levels, which are the hormones responsible for hunger and feeling satisfied. You can have unlimited sugar-free drinks, but try to incorporate nutrient-rich clear broths to give your body energy.
- Water
- Tea
- Broth (chicken, vegetable, beef)
- Sugar-free drinks (crystal light, propel, vitamin zero water, Powerade zero, Mio, etc.)
- Unsweetened tea
Day 2: Thick Liquids
If you make it to day two of the pouch reset diet, you are doing great! From here, you can enjoy protein in the form of thick liquids. Blending protein shakes is the most effective strategy for consuming full liquids as it breaks down all the nutrients from fruits and vegetables. Protein powders are the easiest way to incorporate protein into your smoothie or shake. Space out your three protein shakes every 2 to 3 hours.
- Must drink three protein shakes
- Weight Loss Magic Soup (as many servings of the vegetable soup recipe spaced out every 2-3 hours)
- 64 ounces of water or a sugar-free beverage
Remember, you can always incorporate foods from the previous day!
Day 3: Soft Solids
- 3 protein shakes
- Unlimited Weight Loss Magic Soup (link above)
Choose two servings out of these soft solid protein options:
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 6 ounces Greek yogurt: plain or flavored Dannon Oikos Triple Zero
- ½ cup beans (whole or refried)
- 2 scrambled or poached eggs
- 4 ounces tofu
Day 4: Firm Solids
- 3 protein shakes
- Unlimited Weight Loss Magic Soup (link above)
Choose two servings of protein per day:
- 4 ounces chicken
- 4 ounces fish
- 4 ounces tofu
- 2 eggs
Choose two servings of fat per day:
- ½ avocado
- 15 almonds
- 1 TB oil, butter, or peanut butter
Day 5: Whole Foods
Same as day 4, protein can be any lean protein (including beef, pork, venison, etc). Add 2 servings of your choice:
- ¼ cup beans
- ¼ cup berries
- ¼ cup quinoa
- ¼ cup sweet potato
- ¼ cup vegetables
How to avoid stretching your pouch/sleeve after surgery?
There are a variety of ways to prevent your pouch/sleeve from stretching. Most importantly, following the proper post-op diet and staying connected with your nutritionist or dietician will be the most beneficial. With a smaller stomach, it is important to:
- Avoid Overeating
- Stay Away From Carbonated Drinks
- Chew Food Thoroughly
- Follow Post-Op Diet
Metabolic Reset to Tighten Your Pouch or Sleeve
The metabolic reset is designed for gastric bypass/mini gastric bypass patients who have stretched their pouch and gastric sleeve/duodenal switch patients who have stretched their stomach. There are two options if you are faced with weight regain after weight loss surgery.
- Pouch Reset Diet: This is the non-surgical option to get back on track with weight loss and resume a healthy lifestyle. By following the pouch reset diet, the pouch (stoma) is tightened and shrunk to effectively restrict eating and continue losing weight.
- Revision Surgery: Different variations of revision surgeries are available for patients who cannot succeed in resetting their pouch or sleeve. To find out what options are available for you, click here.
Learn More: Want to Test Your Pouch Size? Here is our Guide!
Protect Your Stoma After Gastric Bypass Surgery
The stoma is the new “stomach pouch” for gastric bypass patients. It is a tiny golf ball-sized pouch, generally holding between 4-6 ounces of food intake. Your stoma can stretch, causing weight gain in patients. To adequately protect their stoma, RNY patients must keep up with their post-op diet and take vitamins and supplements after surgery.
Protect Your Sleeve After Gastric Sleeve Surgery
The chances are slim that you will stretch your sleeve stomach after VSG surgery. Although, a slight change in sleeve size may occur, which can lead to possible weight regain after gastric sleeve surgery. If faced with this problem, there are a few options to protect your sleeve from stretching.
If this diet doesn’t work out, try the 10-day pouch reset diet for a more long-term approach that can be followed at your own pace.
Keynote
Patients who experience weight regain now have several options besides pouch reset. New medications like GLP-1 and surgical interventions like mini gastric bypass and SADI are available as well. Contact Mexico Bariatric Center’s surgical teams to find out what is the best option for you.
Related Resources
How fo i know if my pouch has stretched and is it possible aftrr 7 months out
Here is a guide how to test your pouch size – https://mexicobariatriccenter.com/pouch-test-to-test-your-pouch-size/
Will this diet work with the original gastric bypass surgery. I had it when it first came out and have gained about 40 pounds and need to get it off asap. Any help will be appreciated.
Yes this diet will work for you as well. Once you have completed day 5 you can continue with that plan as long as you would like to get more weight off.
Thanks for all the help.
could you gain weight after reset push for gastric bypass
Can someone send me the recipe for the “weight loss magic soup” please? thanks!
jana
Go above where it’s talking about the soup and click on the words in blue. That takes you to the recipe
My question is; I had my gastric bypass surgery 10 years ago and have put back on most of my weight. I found this 5 or 10 day reset; my question is do I stay on this until I get back down to my lowest weight?? Any suggestions or advise would be appreciated!!
Thank you for sharing this I have not gained any weight however it’s been almost 4 months I’ve been at the same weight. I admit it’s my fault I stopped eating right and have been eating sweets and not drinking my protein drinks.
I am 15 months post op. I had a modified gastric bypass due to a hiatal hernia that had already been repaired once. Im 5 7 and weighed 250. Im down to 135 and still losing. I wanted to stop at 165 but it keeps falling off. I drink high calorie, high protein drinks but can eat very little without getting sick. How can i stop losing weight but still keep my sugar and cholesterol under control?
Does this really work
I cannot tolerate anything sweet.. (not a post diet thing, I just don’t care for sweets) is there a reset diet that I can do without protein drinks? (I am allergic to whey protein too)
Que proteína recomiendan? Se puede utilizar alguna leche vegetal con el batido?
Hola Alejandra, recomendamos proteína que tenga al menos 20 g de proteína y menos de 5 g de azúcar. Sí, puede usar cualquier leche vegetal sin azúcar con su batido
Can I use milk with my protein shake?
What V-8 juice do I use?
I would like to know will this still work if I’m 4 or 5 years out since the surgery ?
Yes
Can fruits be added to protien shakes?
I am 6 years out, will this help me???
I’m almost 4 yrs post sleeve. 210 down to 160. I’ve been down to 148. That’s my goal. On day 2 of reset. Going well. Good luck to you
What is considered a serving size of the Magic Soup?
Recipe yields 20 servings
Each cup is
57 calories
11 carbs
0 fat
4 protein
225 sodium
Any original but my favorite is spicy tomato juice
[…] am following the Mexico Bariatric Center’s 5-day pouch reset (https://mexicobariatriccenter.com/5-day-pouch-reset/). According to them, this diet will help you shrink your stomach or pouch again, help you get back […]
Where is the soup recipe?
Hi Heather, here is the link for the soup recipe https://mexicobariatriccenter.com/weight-loss-magic-soup/
Is there a time you will have to stop eating and drinking at night like the soup what I find is I get hungry at nights can I have the soup before going to bed
Hello! Eating before bed isn’t necessarily bad, but after surgery it can cause indigestion or bad acid reflux at night so please take that with precaution :)
I had my surgery 16 years ago & I’ve gained alot of weight back my problem is my health & that I can’t eat cheese or alot of these over foods or shakes & I don’t know what I can substitute with that well work if anything at all?