So can someone tell me more about this drinking with meals rule....

I am getting banded in ~ a week and am starting to have all these last minute questions.

Tonight I was at a dinner with a bunch of co-workers and thinking about how hard the not drinking with meals will be at social events. Is this a HARD set rule to always be applied? Or if I go out to a social dinner occasionally (once per month or so), can I sip Water or wine like everyone else? What will happen if I break this rule every blue moon?

Does anyone "cheat" with this"

Thank you for everyone who answered my post.

I KNOWN that not drinking Water with meals in important. I understand why it's a rule and that it should be followed. I was just wondering on those occasions when you are out socially and cannot drink how ODD and potentially self conscious that may make me. So I will try the "sipping" here and there once on my own and see if I get the "hurt" or if I feel no discomfort other than the knowledge that I am just being semi-counterproductive to the band for that occasional meal/social event...I personally have no issues with that and don't think a sip of water or wine with food every blue moon will break my stride.

Thanks for the info and feedback!!

I don't think anyone has ever noticed whether I am drinking or not during the meal. Seems like a weird thing to keep track of when out with friends, doesn't it?

I got the band so that I could lose weight, so that means following the rules. I wouldn't get the band if I still wanted to continue on with my eating habits as they were pre-band. So, even though this is a hard rule to follow for me, I am still going to do it because my goal is weight loss, not steady weight or weight gain. And since I spent all this money on the band, I am not going to drink while eating and defeat the purpose of the band, seems silly to me.

But when I do sip an occasional glass of wine with dinner, I take accountability and understand the trade-off I'm making.

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I think that's the main point. If I'm going to "cheat", then I know and accept the consequences.

I am soooooo happy for these people who follow every rule to the letter, but frankly, I don't think most of us can do that forever. I would guess that this is why people regain weight. One can only follow the rules for so long, and the more restrictive, the more difficult and the more likely one is to stop "following " it.

When you get enough fluid in your band and you go to take a drink after you have eaten a bunch of food it will make you feel very uncomfortable. Eventually you will be able to gage when you can and cannot take a sip of something when you are eating and how long afterwards.

When I do go out with friends I order the wine or whatever & I just drink it before my meal comes & no one seems to notice that I don't drink with my meal!

No one seems to notice that I don't drink when I eat. At restaurants, the drink orders are taken first, and everyone drinks first anyway. I sip on Water with lemon until the food comes, and that works for me. I honestly don't miss drinking with my meals.

My doctor recommends not drinking with meals but to drink adequately before a meal and wait at least an hour after meals to drink again. I do not find this difficult if I drink 4-6 oz. before I eat. Drinking with meals fills your pouch and comes back up. You will be fine. This is not difficult at all.

I Always get water when I'm out with other people, I sip on it before the meals and maybe, occasionally has a sip or two with the meal. Initially it was a pain in the butt but now it is second nature, not a problem. Good luck!

My doctor recommends not drinking with meals but to drink adequately before a meal and wait at least an hour after meals to drink again. I do not find this difficult if I drink 4-6 oz. before I eat. Drinking with meals fills your pouch and comes back up. You will be fine. This is not difficult at all.

The actual reason is a little different. It will wash your food through quicker and then leave you hungry sooner. If you have food come back up when you drink, you were already stuck. I sometimes use several big gulps of Water to loosen and bring up food that is stuck!! Then at times I wait the required amount if time, and still have trouble because I did not realize I was stuck!! Waiting isn't a problemm, but sometimes it just doesn't do any good!! Hugs!!!

I try not to drink with my meals but I usually end up doing it anyways. I stay full for the same amount of time either way.

I religiously follow the no drinking rule unless I'm out to dinner with friends. My husband gets the rule treatment, but if I have to fake it (meaning not having anyone guess that I have a band) I drink wine with dinner and totally enjoy myself. I think I have decent restriction but for whatever reason I can do this no problem. That's an important thing to note. The band is a fickle thing and the way you feel varies day to day and person to person. No two experiences are alike so there's really no predicting what you'll be like. My advice for now would be not to overthink this. The liquid diet and bandster hell are no joke, but the not drinking water with dinner isn't a big deal (to most). Good luck!

Thanks for posting this question because I've been wondering about it too. I haven't had my first fill yet so I've been really curious about how major this rule is. It's the one thing that I've consistently seen information about but wasn't sure why.