Pouch Reset Plan

If you are a weight loss surgery patient and you believe your pouch, sleeve, or stomach is no longer feeling as full as it did right after surgery, this may be the right place for you!* The BariatricPal pouch reset plan can help gastric bypass, lap-band, gastric sleeve, and other weight loss surgery patients “reset” their fullness point. By doing a bariatric pouch reset or a gastric sleeve reset, you’ll get the fullness point back to where it was post-surgery.

How To Restart Weight Loss after Gastric Bypass or Other Weight Loss Surgery

The BariatricPal pouch reset plan takes you through the post-op diet progression, but faster. You start with liquids and progress to solid foods just like you do after bariatric surgery, but this time, it takes only 5 days to get to solid foods. The entire plan is made with high-quality nutrition in mind, with a reasonable calorie count and it’s made to get you back to eating normal foods as quickly as possible. It can be incredibly helpful if you’ve struggled with being obese and decided a weight loss surgery is the solution.

Tips for success:

  • Continue to follow the rules of your weight loss surgery diet, such as choosing protein first and only drinking liquids when you are not eating a meal or snack.
  • Eat only a small amount of food at once. A half-cup or cup of few (4-8 ounces) is plenty. Remember, you are retraining yourself to eat less, just like you did after weight loss surgery.
  • Drink at least 64 ounces of calorie-free fluids throughout the day.
  • Revisit your nutritional supplements. Ask your doctor if you are unsure about which multivitamins and other vitamin and mineral supplements you should take.
  • Ask your surgeon, doctor, or nutritionist, or another health professional, before starting this plan.

The Plan

  • Day 1: Clear Liquids
  • Days 2 and 3: Liquid Proteins
  • Days 3 and 4: Pureed Foods
  • Days 5 and 6: Semi-Soft Foods
  • Ask your surgeon, doctor, or nutritionist, or another health professional, before starting this plan.

Meal Plans

Day 1: Clear Liquids

Starting with a day on clear liquids lets you get all residual food out of your system so you can be sure to reset from the beginning.

Day 1 Meal Plan

Breakfast
½ cup apple juice
½ cup decaf green tea
Morning Snack
½ cup orange gelatin
Lunch
1 pouch Millie’s Sipping Broth – Tomato Basil
½ cup white grape juice
(15 calories)
Afternoon Snack
1 sugar-free ice pop
½ cup cranberry apple juice
Dinner
1 pouch Millie’s Sipping Broth – Smoky Facon
½ cup cherry gelatin

Days 2 and 3: Liquid Proteins

Stick with liquids to give your pouch, sleeve, or stomach a chance to reset. You want to remember what it feels like when you do not have solid foods filling up your stomach. Protein shakes, protein gelatins and protein puddings, protein hot drinks, and protein soups are all great choices.

Day 2 Meal Plan: Liquid Protein

Breakfast
Strawberry Meal Replacement Shake (240 calories, 35 grams protein)
Morning Snack
Hot Chocolate Protein Drink (90 calories, 15 grams protein)
Lunch
Broccoli and Cheddar Protein Soup (100 calories, 15 grams protein)
Afternoon Snack
Raspberry Protein Gelatin (70 calories, 15 grams protein)
Dinner
Meal Replacement Protein Soup – Cream of Tomato (100 calories, 15 grams protein)
Totals: 600 calories, 95 grams protein

Day 3 Meal Plan: Liquid Proteins

Breakfast
Vanilla Meal Replacement Shake (250 calories, 35 grams protein)
Morning Snack
Hot Protein Drink - Mocha (80 calories, 15 grams protein)
Lunch
Beef with Pasta Protein Soup (90 calories, 16 grams protein)
Afternoon Snack
Tropical Banana Protein Pudding (100 calories, 15 grams protein)
Dinner
Meal Replacement Protein Soup – Cream of Chicken (160 calories, 15 grams protein)
Totals: 680 calories, 96 grams protein

Days 4 and 5: Pureed Foods

You get to add back in some regular foods now, but make sure you puree them to a smooth consistency. Protein shakes, protein gelatins and protein puddings, protein hot drinks, and protein soups can still help you hit your protein goals during this stage.

Day 4 Meal Plan: Pureed Foods

Breakfast
Classic Protein Oatmeal and 1 mashed banana (210 calories, 17 grams protein)
Hot Protein Drink - Cappuccino (90 calories, 15 grams protein)
Morning Snack
Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie (100 calories, 15 grams protein)
Lunch
Pureed Sloppy Joe Mix with 1 container Greek yogurt (100 calories, 15 grams protein)
Afternoon Snack
Pureed tuna salad with 3 ounces tuna and 1-ounce Greek yogurt (90 calories, 20 grams protein)
Dinner
½ cup non-fat refried beans, 3 ounces pureed lean ground turkey, 1-ounce cheddar cheese, 1 slice avocado (390 calories, 35 grams protein)
Totals: 980 calories, 117 grams protein

Day 5 Meal Plan: Pureed Foods

Breakfast
Vegetable Protein Omelet (pureed) with 1-ounce cheddar cheese and ½ cup pureed tomatoes (250 calories, 23 grams protein)
Morning Snack
Chocolate Salted Caramel Protein Pudding (100 calories, 15 grams protein)
Lunch
3 ounces pureed tuna with 1 cup well-cooked pureed sweet potato (210 calories, 23 grams protein)
Afternoon Snack
Strawberry Meal Replacement Shake (240 calories, 35 grams protein)
Dinner
Pureed Turkey Chili with Beans with ½ cup pureed green beans (260 calories, 24 grams protein)
Totals: 1070 calories, 120 grams protein

Days 6 and 7: Semi-Soft Foods

All foods on this diet should be semi-soft. Stay away from hard foods such as raw vegetables and crunchy fruit. Most well-cooked proteins should be okay, and you can enjoy cooked vegetables and soft, ripe fruit such as cantaloupe.

Day 6 Meal Plan: Semi-Soft Foods

Breakfast
Maple Brown Sugar Protein Oatmeal with ½ cup ripe cantaloupe (140 calories, 15 grams protein)
Morning Snack
½ cup cottage cheese (110 calories, 14 grams protein)
Lunch
3 ounces canned salmon with ½ cup cooked sweet potato and Strawberry Banana Protein Gelatin (250 calories, 33 grams protein)
Afternoon Snack
½ cup cooked pinto beans with 1-ounce cheddar cheese (220 calories, 21 grams protein)
Dinner
Spaghetti Bolognese with 1-ounce mozzarella and 1 cup cooked carrots. (250 calories, 22 grams protein)
Totals: 970 calories, 105 grams protein

Day 7 Meal Plan: Semi-Soft Foods

Breakfast
1 packet Honey Nut Protein Cereal soaked in ½ cup milk plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter (360 calories, 26 grams protein)
Morning Snack
1 string cheese stick plus 1 cup ripe honeydew melon or peeled peaches (120 calories, 8 grams protein)
Lunch
Chicken with Pasta Protein Soup with 1 cup cooked vegetables (210 calories, 23 grams protein)
Afternoon Snack
2 hard-boiled eggs (160 calories, 14 grams protein)
Dinner
Vegetable Chili with Beans plus ½ cup applesauce (150 calories, 15 grams protein)
Totals: 910 calories, 80 grams protein

Days 8 and Beyond: Solid Foods

You can follow this diet for as long as you want because it resembles your long-term solid foods diet for weight loss and maintenance after bariatric surgery. Tweak it as needed to add or subtract snacks. Proteins should still be your top priority, and vegetables come next. Protein breakfasts, protein lunch and dinner entrees and protein bars and snacks are great-tasting and convenient choices.

Day 8 Meal Plan: Solid Foods

Breakfast
Blueberry Protein Pancakes with 1 cup blueberries (190 calories, 16 grams protein)
Morning Snack
Oatmeal Protein Bar with Vanilla Yogurt Drizzle (150 calories, 13 grams protein)
Lunch
Spicy Oriental Chicken with 1 cup baby carrots and 2 tablespoons hummus (350 calories, 18 grams protein)
Afternoon Snack
Barbecue Lite Bites Crunch O’s (130 calories, 12 grams protein)
Dinner
3 ounces grilled salmon with 1 cup steamed green beans and 1 ounce sliced almonds; Chocolate Protein Pudding (380 calories, 41 grams protein)
Totals: 1200 calories, 100 grams protein

Day 9 Meal Plan: Solid Foods

Breakfast
Peanut Pretzel Protein Bar (160 calories, 13 grams protein)
Morning Snack
½ banana with 2 tablespoons peanut butter (230 calories, 8 grams protein)
Lunch
Salad with romaine lettuce, 1-ounce parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons dressing, served with Parisien Rusk Bread (350 calories, 24 grams protein)
Afternoon Snack
Barbeque Soy Puffs (120 calories, 21 grams protein)
Dinner
3 ounce roasted chicken breast served with ½ small acorn squash roasted with 2 teaspoons olive oil (300 calories, 25 grams protein)
Totals: 1160 calories, 91 grams protein

* Before starting this pouch reset plan, check with your surgeon or another doctor to be sure you have no medical issues, such as a leak, that could be causing your weight regain or plateau. Also, check with your doctor before starting this or any other restrictive meal plan.