:frown:I haven't seen much on this- I'm pre-op, and I'm going to miss drinking Water or milk or wine with meals. Was giving this up hard for anyone else? Is it hard to get all your liquid requirements in for the day? Any hints for how to do it?

By the way, I'm so grateful for this site! Thanks to all of you who are helping the beginning of my journey more than you can know!

I find it hard not to drink water or tea or even milk with my food. I usually have a sip or two. So far I have not had trouble meeting my water requirement. But I have not reached restriction yet. I have 4.6 in a 10. band.

Try to drink around your meals, and by this, I mean stop drinking an hour before you eat, and start again an hour after. I seem to take a water bottle with me everywhere I go - Target has this awesome water bottle that has hashmarks that you can turn as you refill your bottle, so that you can make sure you are drinking enough.

As for your question as to whether or not I miss drinking with meals, the answer is sometimes, usually if I am out to eat, since the first thing the server asks is what you would like to drink!

Good luck with everything!

I thought this was the HARDEST rule to abide by...that is...until I got major restriction. Now I cant physically do it. This last fill did it for me and I swore to abide by the no drinking thing and now its easy cause I can't!

It also put things into perspective for me when I realized by drinking with meals I am LITERALLY negating the whole band's job. It is WORTHLESS if I drink with meals.

I thought it would be difficult, but really, it just hasn't been.

I am allowed to drink right up until eating, which helps. After meals, I just busy myself with other things. I exercise, I work, I do whatever....and the time passes pretty quickly.

It's an adjustment, to be sure--but it's not nearly as difficult as it seems. If you start "practicing" now, you'll likely find that it's nothing to be concerned about.

This has been the hardest thing I have had to endure through the whole process. Even harder then giving up bread!

Honestly, this is probably the thing I am most worried about (aside from the fear of not being able to eat sushi!)

I already drink Water all day long and I drink quite a bit when I eat. I get very thirsty when I eat and go through at least 2 BIG glasses of water with each meal. If I happen to be enjoying a cocktail or a glass of wine, that is in addition to the water, not in place of it.

FWIW- I am not diabetic. I know extreme thirst is a warning sign.

I can go all day without eating, so no fear about being hungry after I am banded. I don't eat meat, so no fear about never enjoying that again, I don't LOVE to eat, like most people do so that doesn't worry me either.

Not drinking before, during and after my meals seriously worries me.

kagead

Bread, Pasta, Potatoes, no problem, drinking my sweet tea when out to dinner, PROBLEM. Now I get a drink, have it until the meal comes, then when my food comes i move it aside. I do keep it handy for an emergency though.

I thought this was the HARDEST rule to abide by...that is...until I got major restriction. Now I cant physically do it. This last fill did it for me and I swore to abide by the no drinking thing and now its easy cause I can't!

Same thing here.

I drink up to 5-10 minutes before a meal sometimes. If I can, I try to make it 30 min. I took a tip from another bandster, and order a glass of ice with my meals out--just munch on it if needed during a meal, then I usually wait at least 1/2 hour after--longer if I can.

Honestly, this hasn't been hard for me. With all my dieting before, I've noticed that drinking w/meals tends to wash the food right through my stomach so I never feel satisfied. So, I've just naturally cut back on drinking w/meals over time.

With the band, I take it one step further by not putting a glass of Water near me while I'm eating. And, to get in enough water during the day, I make sure to get in one 24 oz bottle before lunch, another 24 oz bottle before dinner, and another 24 oz bottle after dinner. A lot of days I even get ahead of this schedule and drink more, but I don't allow myself to eat the next meal or go to bed until I've had these three at least. It works for me and I thoroughly enjoy my water between meals, but not WITH meals. :->

Thanks for all the input- I need to ask my dr. if he allows drinking up to a meal.

:frown:I haven't seen much on this- I'm pre-op, and I'm going to miss drinking Water or milk or wine with meals. Was giving this up hard for anyone else? Is it hard to get all your liquid requirements in for the day? Any hints for how to do it?

By the way, I'm so grateful for this site! Thanks to all of you who are helping the beginning of my journey more than you can know!

Prior to restriction...yes. Once I had restriction...no. The reason is that if I take even a sip of water with my meal, it immediately causes a stuck sensation. I'm guessing because it's moving things around in there. In any case, within seconds it came right back up. The thought of 'oversploding' is enough to put me off liquids with my meal. I used to drink right up until my first bite. Now that I have restriction I can't even do that because the water stays in my pouch long enough to cause problems with that first bite. So I stop drinking 15 minutes before I eat.

I have a 20 oz Dasani water bottle that I fill with either water or Crystal Lite. I just make sure to drink one bottle in between Breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner and one in the evening. That, combined with my 4 Protein drinks (breakfast, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, evening) and my cup of green tea in the morning give me all of my fluids and then some.

The only time I miss it is when I go out for dinner. Even then, I think it's the social aspect that throws me and not actually missing a beverage. In the past, as soon as I'd sit down, I'd order a drink with my friends and we'd finish them before the main course was served. Now, I sit there and chat while everyone's drinking. One positive thing is that my dining bills have gone down, no more $4 for a diet coke. Water is still free in NYC...for now :thumbup:

Best,

Lauren

Not drinking with my meal has been the most difficult part for me. I do not have any trouble getting in my 64 ounces of water per day, but I really struggle with not being able to drink while I am eating and waiting a half hour after eating. To be sure I drink all I need to, I use an 8 ounce water bottle and fill it every hour. A sip here and there and it is time for a refill. Since I am a teacher it works out really well. I step into the hallway at the change of classes every 40 minutes or so and refill my little bottle--by the end of the day I have had at least 6-8 little bottles and am nearly done for the day by 2pm!

Yesterday my DH and I went out for lunch, I wasn't thinking and ordered unsweetened iced tea--for what to look at?--totally didn't think about not drinking with meals. Because I fill up so much faster now, about a half hour after I ate my little bit of salad and two strips of chicken from the breast atop I was able to drink about half of it--now I need to remember that I don't get to order drinks with meals!

I am allowed to drink right up until eating, which helps.

Mine allow me to drink right up until I eat as well but not drinking for 2 hours after kills me. I count down the time occasionally. :thumbup: