Back to peak fitness after J Pouch Surgery

The incorrigible Ben Barbanel has done it again!  Regular readers of Roar! will have read about the five-year plan he created to help his recovery from surgery after pre-cancerous cells were found in the lining of his rectum (Roar!’s Summer 2023 issue). For by following a set of cleverly devised rules and changes of medication, the Red Lion Group member and pouchee successfully improved his lifestyle, family life and work as a City banker. Now he has moved several steps further ahead with another, even more rigorous regime which we will call Plan A!
Ben’s aim? To reach peak fitness in all his activities at the grand ‘young’ age of 45.  And the father-of-three’s efforts didn’t go unrecognised. He joined a high-performance gym in London’s Mayfair and now features in their eye-catching, high-viz App – aptly (sorry!) named UP (which stands for Ultimate Performance). So how did our intrepid colleague hear about UP? He read about it in a fitness magazine called Men’s Health. 

As Ben says: “I often sat in boardroom meetings, glancing around, thinking ‘I’m the only fat one here’. As a senior London banker and a father of three, I felt the weight of my success – literally!

“Something just finally hit me one day when I was reflecting on the trauma of what I had been through – and I thought to myself that being in peak condition can only give me the best chance (but clearly no guarantee) of everything working well going forward, and hopefully living a long and healthy life! “I found that years of living with ulcerative colitis and long stressful workdays had taken a toll on my body, energy and mood,” he says. 

However Ben’s efforts on the course meant he not only lost all his excess pounds but also felt happier and fitter. As he told Roar!: “Losing 20kg(!) and regaining my health with UP has completely changed my life. I’m now strong, disciplined and thriving in every area of my life.” 

Ben’s personal trainer at UP, adds: “It’s no secret that Ben had complex health issues, but we managed to work through them together. He had a real eagerness to learn and was completely bought into the process at UP. That’s just one of the reasons he achieved such great results.” 

If you would like some advice and/or health tips from him, you can contact Ben at bb@barbanel.co.uk

Christopher Browne
RLG Committee member and ROAR! editor

Next week, we will be featuring Ben in a Red Lion Group Zoom webcast where he will be sharing more details about his Pouch journey and Ultimate Performance (UP) fitness routine. This will take place on zoom on Wednesday 30th April at 7:30 pm (BST) and we welcome anyone with an interest in achieving their fitness goals after pouch surgery to share their experiences. For further information and to register, go to pouchsupport.org/events/

A version of this article first appeared in ROAR! issue #68 – Spring 2025. If you would like to read other articles like this, why not become a member of the Red Lion Pouch Support group? You will receive printed copy of ROAR! twice a year and have online access to archive ROAR! editions going all the way back to issue number 1, published in 1994. See pouchsupport.org/join for further information.