I just started the soft food stage this week and I am finding it hard to not drink when eating. Is this something that others have experienced? Is this a forever thing or something that should be done in the beginning?

My clinic also says the latest research shows that you can drink with your meal...but you have to wait at least one minute after each bite. But please check with your own clinic.

I find I have a lot less problems with stuck food if I sip during meals.

How is this partially correct? Please explain in your vast knowledge of 4 months.

First of all regardless of whether I have been banded four months or four years I have educated myself with this lapband process. I researched it for one year prior to making the decision so I fully understood what I was getting myself into and to be 100% that this was the right decision for me. My surgeon is a the leadind lapband pioneer here in Australia. Before my initial appointment with him I had a list of questions which he answered thoroughly. My appointment was one whole hour, I wasn't rushed through, it was easy to talk to and I felt comfortable with him from day one. Now lets roll forward to me being banded four months and having a "vast knowledge" in that time in relation to the lapband. No, I do not claim to know it all but if I come across something on the forums that hasn't come up with my surgeon or nutritionist I query it with them when I go in for my appointments, gaining more knowledge along the way. I am one of the lucky ones, had a smooth operation, smooth recovery, everything has gone smoothly so far. I have followed the rules given to me by my surgeon and after care team.

As you read on these forums there are different sets of rules for so many different people and of course we are always to follow our own surgeon's instructions but to go out there and say you must never do this or that is wrong, you must follow your own instructions but as you can see so many people have been successful with different instructions.

So many people who have the lapband really do not know how it actually works. I was confused by it all too but I made it a point to understand 100% how it works by reading, researching and asking questions even if I thought some of those questions were silly at the time. And of course I came across the no drinking rule in these forums (and I respect each person's individual rules) so even though it had been explained to me by my surgeon and nutritionist about the drinking and eating, I still queried it with him over and over and he explained that in the past they believed that if you did drink whilst eating then yes the liquid would make the food too much of a liquid and it would pass through the band and not help give that satiety feeling. He then went on to explain that after studies, conducted by him and his team that it was ok to drink provided you followed the one minute rule as you do with food to give whatever you have above the band to pass through so it helped trigger the communication between the brain and the stomach and at the right consistency.

The video you posted is very outdated.

When you take the right amount of food into your mouth you chew, swallow and wait a minute, the reason why you wait a minute is so your food passes through the band, the food does not sit in the little pouch above the band, if it does then that's when you get stuck episodes, pb's vomitting yada yada yada yada. Then and only then if you feel you need to drink then you sip, swallow and wait a minute. Not saying that's what you or others have to do, that's what my instructions are.

I've dropped 80 pounds since pre op diet, which is 5 months and if I have needed to drink whilst eating I have done so by following the rules and have been fine and proof that drinking whilst eating is not something that should not be done. Now I am sure others who have been given the it's ok to drink whilst eating don't do well, one set of rules does not work for every single person.

So yes only been banded four months and yes have been drinking with my meals and yes I have gained a lot of knowledge since being banded through experience and through asking questions. I'm sure as time progresses I may encounter issues and if I do then rather than say oh I know it all I will look into it further and be in contact with my care team to sort things out.

I drink while eating, by following the 1 minute rule. My doctor follows Dr. O'Brien's guidelines.

these were the rules given to me.... but go on and do what make you happy

Lap-Band: Rules To Live By For The Rest Of Your Life

1. Eat 3 small meals per day. Eating 3 meals per day will provide the proper nutrition your body needs. Eating more than this or "grazing throughout the day is unconsciou eating and can lead to excessive calorie intake.
   
2. Limit portion sizes to 3-4 oz. Portion sizes should reflect the size of your new pouch. Eating more will eventually stretch the size of the puch and lead to an increased calorie consumption and weight gain.
   
3. Eat slowly - when you are comfortably full... STOP. Eating too fast will cause pain and can lead to overeating or vomiting.
   
4. No snacking in between meals. Snacking in between meals will only add additional, unnecessary calories. It may also revive bad habits of unhealthy snacking and grazing.
   
5. Do not drink and eat at the same time. liquids will speed up transport of food through the stomach, decreasing the sense of satiety (feeling of fullness) and giving you the ability to eat more. Drink fluids 30-60 minutes after eating.
   
6. Consume adequate fluids-sipping at all times. Fluids should always be sipped. Gulping can cause pain and lead to stomach stretching. Drink at least 64 oz. of Fluid every day - in between meals in order to prevent dehydration.
   
7. Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals - Protein first! Providing yourself with the proper food is important in order to provide your body with the necessary Vitamins and minerals you need to survive. Eating your protein first will ensure that you are meeting your protein needs of at least 60 grams per day. The rest of the meal should be balanced with small amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain carbohydrates. *see the protein guide*
   
8. Limit high calorie food and drinks. Consuming high-calorie food and drinks such as soda and high-fat foods will only increase your calorie intake, leading to less weight loss and possibly weight gain in the long run.
   

these were the rules given to me.... but go on and do what make you happy

Lap-Band: Rules To Live By For The Rest Of Your Life

[*]Eat 3 small meals per day. Eating 3 meals per day will provide the proper nutrition your body needs. Eating more than this or "grazing throughout the day is unconsciou eating and can lead to excessive calorie intake.

[*]Limit portion sizes to 3-4 oz. Portion sizes should reflect the size of your new pouch. Eating more will eventually stretch the size of the puch and lead to an increased calorie consumption and weight gain.

[*]Eat slowly - when you are comfortably full... STOP. Eating too fast will cause pain and can lead to overeating or vomiting.

[*]No snacking in between meals. Snacking in between meals will only add additional' date=' unnecessary calories. It may also revive bad habits of unhealthy snacking and grazing.

[*']Do not drink and eat at the same time. liquids will speed up transport of food through the stomach, decreasing the sense of satiety (feeling of fullness) and giving you the ability to eat more. Drink fluids 30-60 minutes after eating.

[*]Consume adequate fluids-sipping at all times. Fluids should always be sipped. Gulping can cause pain and lead to stomach stretching. Drink at least 64 oz. of Fluid every day - in between meals in order to prevent dehydration.

[*]Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals - Protein first! Providing yourself with the proper food is important in order to provide your body with the necessary Vitamins and minerals you need to survive. Eating your protein first will ensure that you are meeting your protein needs of at least 60 grams per day. The rest of the meal should be balanced with small amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain carbohydrates. *see the protein guide*

[*]Limit high calorie food and drinks. Consuming high-calorie food and drinks such as soda and high-fat foods will only increase your calorie intake, leading to less weight loss and possibly weight gain in the long run.

For some reason youve taken my reply to the video you posted as personal. I have not attacked you or your rules as being incorrect. I said the info in that particular video was incorrect . I just went back and watched and I stand by my post. Food that you have eaten does not sit in your pouch and dribble through slowly till the pouch is empty. The tiny bites that you eat are squeezed through the band in a minute of swallowing. If you drink as soon as you've swallowed your food then the liquid will make that food into more of a liquid consistency and push it through the band faster. If you have eaten something that swells with liquid then you can get stuck if you drink right away hence wait one minute before you sip a bit of fluid if you need too. Again my drinking rule is not everyone's rule but it is one that doctors with updated info are also giving their patients.

If your rules are to not drink and it's a forever thing that's fine and they are your rules, if my rules are I am allowed to drink following the instructions in how to do it that's my rule. I have never said oh you are all doing it wrong, I have put it out there that that is not a rule for some of us.

Your rules you posted are like mine except for the drinking part.

I am not doing whatever makes me happy, I am following the set of rules given to me by my surgeon who happens to be professor O'Brien in the video tmf posted.

So again I was commenting on the info the guy posted about in the video not you personally.

k

I have been banded for almost a year. Not drinking and eating at the same time wasn't that difficult a thing to get used to. It only bothers me if I eat a late meal like past 8pm then I first have to wait until after 9 to drink that sucks especially if I'm going to bed soon. The other thing is that every stuck moment I've ever had was because of drinking and eating together.

Even though some doctors are now saying it's ok to "sip" after each bite...... The "majority" of doctors are still instructing their patients to wait 30 min. after eating.

This is the rule i live by. I learned the hard way also buy forgetting and drinking... and got stuck.

So now i don't even allow the waitress/waiter to bring me water. Of coarse they look at me like i have an alien on my face... but i say... No, not even water, but thanks.

How is this partially correct? Please explain in your vast knowledge of 4 months.

Whether or not she is right or you are right - it just wasn't a nice way to respond.

Well drinking water during the eating have not bad but its not good to drink water after eating your meal beacause it makes trouble to your stomach for diegesting the food. Because you can see if you put something in water it desolver more quickly then if you put water in something. I hope guys you understand what I wanna say.

Agree with many here. Hardest thing I have ever done! But I follow my drs orders until they prove that wrong I am going to listen and not drink.

Whether or not she is right or you are right - it just wasn't a nice way to respond.

So how should i have responded?

So how should i have responded?

Why respond at all? She was right.

tmf

Why respond at all? She was right.

tmf

The majority of the LB doctors are still instructing there patients to NOT drink with meals and too wait 30 min. after.

I went back to the beginning of this post and out of the 17 people, 9 say no... no drinking, 6 say yes.. sips are ok and 2 i'm not sure where they stand. But, this question has been ask numerous times and each time the "majority" up till now has said.... No no drinking with or till 30 min. after.

But either way this has really gone too far.... you all do what your going to do and the majority of the rest will do what they will do....