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I was wondering if anyone else cheats on the liquids before eatting, and how do you think it's affecting you? I drink Water before I eat if I'm super hungry, not so that I can eat more, but it "primes" my pouch if it's been a long time since the last meal. If I don't do this, I will get sick.

I have to admit (because this is my only safe place to do be so honest), that sometimes I do drink liquids prior to a meal because it is a special meal, or I'm going out to dinner. It's a way for me to be sure that I won't get stuck or sick during dinner, which has happened and is very embarassing to vomit in a public restroom. I don't think my band is too tight, I don't get stuck or sick often.

What;s your experence with liquids affecting your band?

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I will admit, I have fallen off the liquid bandwagon, also. What is the true reason for not eating before and after a meal? Maybe that's why I'm having so much trouble, but it's just such a habit to grab your food, grab your drink, that I don't usually give it much thought. Maybe I need to adjust my thinking! I'm only down 35 pounds since Feb 23, and maybe this is the reason why? Looking for other opinions here, does anyone see a huge difference in whether they eat right before/after meals or if they don't?

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I drink warm Water or tea in the mornings before I eat. If I eat first things get stuck. I also drink right after meals because I'm thirsty. Not a full cup but I do take small sips.

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I don't think anyone is "falling off the bandwagon" by drinking liquids. We should all be hydrating ourselves. The reason your band loosens up a bit and allows you to eat without problems when you drink liquids before hand is probably because you are hydrating yourself. I drink liquids all day long. Always have a bottle of Water next to me and will drink a half a bottle of Water right before eating, not because it helps me eat more, but just because. We should all be drinking as much water as we can throughout the day - it really makes a world of a difference with the band. I will say the only time I do anything to aid in my band more than just keeping myself hydrated would be by drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, because that is when i am the tightest.

I've told many of my band friends that have trouble more often than I do with eating to try keeping a bottle of water with them all the time and re-filling throughout the day. If I drink at least 6, 12.9oz bottles (of COOL water, not ice cold) a day I usually don't have problems eating at all. I definitely notice when I am not hydrated, get stuck more frequently.

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I will admit, I have fallen off the liquid bandwagon, also. What is the true reason for not eating before and after a meal? Maybe that's why I'm having so much trouble, but it's just such a habit to grab your food, grab your drink, that I don't usually give it much thought. Maybe I need to adjust my thinking! I'm only down 35 pounds since Feb 23, and maybe this is the reason why? Looking for other opinions here, does anyone see a huge difference in whether they eat right before/after meals or if they don't?

The official reason for the no drinking while eating rule is that filling your stomach pouch with liquid changes solid food into a sludge that doesn't provide the early and prolonged satiety that the band is supposed to give you.

In Australia, where the band has been in use a lot longer than in the USA, current thinking that drinking (that's sipping, not chugging) and eating during a meal are OK. Dietitian Helen Bauzon wrote an interesting article about it: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/healthy-living/food-nutrition/yes-you-can-drink-and-eat-at-the-same-meal-time-r63

My own experience was that when I drank while eating, there was nowhere for the liquid to drain, so it came right back up and out my mouth, like a baby spitting up. The resulting fountain (or at times, drool) was not at all socially desirable.

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In almost 5 years of banded living, I drank copiously up until about 5 minutes before starting a meal. Since I got to my weight goal a year after my surgery, I don't think that hurt my weight loss. However, I didn't drink while eating or for 30-60 minutes afterwards (depending on the circumstances).

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Some doctors are slowly coming around to some new statistics regarding fluids before and during meals. Here are a couple of links to some good information regarding liquids with meals:

http://www.globalgastricbandsolutions.com.au/lap-band-diet-drinking-and-eating-with-your-food/

This is a series of 4 videos and I highly recommend all 4. Go to about 6:30 minutes into this video before the lecture on eating with fluids begins:

I have always drank before a meal with the band and don't understand the panic from doctors over drinking before we eat. I stll monitor my beverage intake while eating and keep it very low.

tmf

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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