Hello- I was banded June 18th. I'm starting to eat more regular non mushy food. The "no drinking" rule is difficult. I am having the hardest time following this : ( I can go the entire meal without drinking. The problem is immediately after. I know i need to wait 30 min correct? Any best practices out there? Thank you!

I was told 15 minutes, every doctor is different. It's my understanding the no drinking rule is too keep the food in the pouch longer. In that vein, I wait about 1/2 hour before I drink anything. It takes a little getting used too.

trixj..here are a couple of suggestions..1) at the beginning of your meal get a large glass of ice and set it on the counter...when it melts you can drink it..it should take about 45 minutes or so and you will have an ice cold glass of water. 2) not sure what your custom is after dinner in particular with the dishes..you could help clean the table and help with the dishes. That is what I get caught up with..cleaning the table and doing dishes and the next thing I know 30-45 minutes have went by easily. 3) any type of distraction..as soon as you are done eating read someting..go online..take a walk..any type of distraction that can take your mind off of drinking. I hope this helps.

Oh, I tyipically wait about an hour..that is just me. I believe I was told 30 to 45 minutes.

I was told 30 minutes as well. I will never like this rule because there are so many foods I used to combine with various drinks however, it has kept me away from those easily since I'm a rule follower :-) (i.e. soda and pizza, milk and cookies, etc) I do the distraction thing as well.

It is hard to get used to... but I wait an hour after eating. Just know that it is one of the "rules of the band life" - gotta do it!:confused:

I was told 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after. Later my PA said it was ok to drink right up until I eat.

Don't have liquid in front of you while you are eating and you can't drink.

It is really that simple.

This is one rule I do break. I try not to but its way to hard for me! It doesnt seem to effect me any differently with how long I stay hungry for.

I felt the same way and even started this same thread a few weeks ago. Everyone told me when I got to sufficient restriction with my band that I would no longer be able to drink while I ate. I thought they were nuts but have found they were absolutely correct. Now if I take a drink while eating or without waiting after I eat I immediately get either a very heavy pain in my chest or immediately it comes back up. I don't have to watch the clock to know when I can drink again. I don't really know how to explain it but I can feel a "weight" lift after the food has moved sufficiently.

This is hard for me as well, but so far I have been doing pretty well. Though, I too manage to get through my meal without drinking, but right after I want to drink, but like I said I have been doing fairly decent. This rule has actually decreased my soda intake as I used to drink soda with my meal and water the rest of the day. Now I have had the same 2 liter in my fridge for 2 weeks and that is astonishing for me. (probably flat by now..LOL)

I drink coffee for breakfast and then have a milk based protein drink. So I've never been sure if this follows the 30 minute no drink rule or not. Any opinions?

Since I've had problems getting my water in, I drink anytime at all that I can.

I always sip room temperature water when I eat. It's never been a problem for me, as I don't get hungry that often.

I tolerate broth based soups much more easliy than any other foods, so to me, drinking water with meals is the same as eating soup.

I'm sure that you'll do whatever is best for you, though -just thought I'd share from one who does drink with meals...

My doc wants us to wait 90 minutes after eating!

I've gotten used to it. On very rare occasions, I'll have a sip or 2 after 30 minutes--but like everything else, it's possible to change habits.

(Are you allowed to chew gum? My doctor doesn't have a no-gum "rule," and it has helped a time or two.)

I was told to stop drinking 30 minutes before a meal and wait an hour after. Believe me, it's difficult sometimes. But, I follow the rules to a tee and I've lost 66 pounds since May 1st, 2010!!! BTW - try sucking on an ice cube if you get thirsty!

i am post op 3.5 yrs and ate and drank together all the time and i never lost..only gained 15 lbs. so here i am...starting all over for 1 week i am chewing my brains out till the food is unrecognizable!! dont try cheating...chew till its liquid or you will fail!! please do not push your luck!!!

Most research says that the reason why you are supposed to wait between eating and drinking is so that food will stay in the the pouch longer. If you drink right away, the liquid will push the food up and then it will just slide right down the hole. Thus, defeating the function of the band since the food is just supposed to trickle down. I imagine that not following this rule would slow down weight loss. Which would really be a bummer.