Quest Bars / 5 Day Pouch Test

Howdy folks!

Things here are humming away.  I’ve lost six pounds of my regain and am feeling really good.  Just a few items I wanted to share with you.

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Tried a few flavors of All Natural Quest Bars.  They are not cheap, but they are by far the best protein bar I’ve had: great calorie to protein ratio, low carb, use of whey isolates, high in fiber, wonderful taste/texture, no funky smell, no sugar alcohol overdose, and very filling.  So far I can attest to the strawberry cheesecake, coconut cashew, and chocolate peanut butter flavors of the low-carb line.  You can order them at netrition.com one bar at a time or in a case of 12.

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Folks that have spent a lot of time on the web and have had surgery are likely to know or have heard about the 5 Day Pouch Test.  Some refer to it as a crash diet, some think it is a real test that will tell you if your pouch is broken… there are a lot of strong feelings out there about it.  I never really cared either way and dismissed it since it didn’t seem to be relevant to me.

As you know though, my portion sizes started getting larger and I struggled more and more with carbs.  When I read further about the 5 Day Pouch Test, it didn’t strike me as either a crash diet OR a test.  It just sounded like a progressive 5 day diet to help one detox from carbs and get used to a protein rich diet of small portions.  Basically there are two days of a liquid diet (protein drinks) and from there it progresses similar to how the diet post-surgery progresses (soft foods, firm foods, etc.).

I didn’t share that I was using it because I really had no idea what to expect.  I figured there was nothing harmful in spending five days reverting back to the progressive diet that I went through post-surgery, as long as I consumed enough each day to feel healthy and strong, but I was dubious about it helping me get my portion sizes back on track.

The first few days were mixed – liquids only can be hard for many of us.  I made great protein shakes and suffered through the carb detox.  Outside of missing carbs, I found myself appreciating the break in thinking about what my next meal would be.  If you know you’re just consuming liquids/protein shakes, it really takes the pressure of decision making off.

I started to feel much better as the program advanced though and by the end, I found myself thinking about munching on chips, crackers, etc. very little.  At the end of the five days you return to a regular diet, however lower in carbs and with appropriate portion sizes.  It’s been a week and a half since I completed it and surprisingly, I’m still getting full on smaller portions.  I feel satisfied by the protein rich foods I’m eating and while it hasn’t been easy in any way, I feel in a good head space about my eating habits.

I don’t see it as a magic cure in any way and I don’t see it as a “test” in any way.  What I do think it provided me with was a plan to get me off the carbs and get back into the habit of close attention to my food choices and portion sizes.  So, all in all, I give my experience a thumbs up.  We’ll see where I’m at in a few weeks, but for now I’m feeling good.  I lost a few pounds on the “diet” and have lost a few more since then.  I didn’t do it for weight loss though – I did it steer back to better habits.

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Hope everyone is doing well!