My surgeon and all are different, says I can drink right up to a meal but wait an hour after. Why and what is the purpose of not drinking before a meal? I mean the liquid goes on down into the lower part of the stomach doesn't it? Just wondering and still learning and wanting your opinions. thx

I'm not sure, being honest. Mine lets me drink right up until the time I start eating then again 30 minutes after I finish.

Because drinking while eating can Mae the food wash away. You'll eat more and won't feel full as quickly if you keep washing away your food.

Oh no Obieewok, I don't drink while eating, I can drink right up to my meal and then I wait an hour after to drink again. My question was why do some surgeons say no drinking 30 mins prior to meals?

First, I am not a believer that liquid go straight thru the band....depending upon how tight you are....

It's 4 am, having my first cup of coffee....have not had any food in 10 hours at least....

I can the coffee sit in my pouch, and pass through the band like Water circling a slow drain...also making the infamous "Gurgling" noises...I'm always tightest in the morning....and the pouch relaxes - stretches as the day goes on (looser also a misnomer)

I have even had water come right back up if I "Gulp"..drink too much too fast....

So no,,,water does not pass right thru the band.....

I am also a believer that the pouch...same as the stomach...naturally stretches and contracts like a balloon....and being unaware of this will cause dilation...just like the "Beer Belly" I used to have.....Thus the 5-day pouch test I do at least once a month for my only maintenance...

I do not believe water washes th food down....I believe water with food adds to the volume of what's already siting in the pouch waiting to pass through the band ...possible causing extreme dilation and maybe slippage?

I know this to be true from experience....If I drink water while eating, it will cause EXTREME PAIN.....and more often than not come right back up.....

In the early days, I have used this to my advantage when I got stuck....sip warm water...adding to the volume causing it ALL to come out and out....No More Stuck! Although I have not been stuck in over a year now....

Off Topic...I am always amazed how someone will make a statement....and it keeps getting repeated until it becomes fact....my question is...have you ever EXPERIENCED It? Or are you just repeating it....

My opinion is that if liquid doesn't go straight down then your band must be extremely tight. You are obviously happy with it that way but most people wouldn't be.

For ages I have been able to drink and eat at the same time without it causing a problem , not that drinking and eating together is something I normally do. However since my last fill if I try drinking and eating together it is very uncomfortable. When properly restricted I don't believe it washes the food through I actually think it makes it more prone to block and be uncomfortable. I can however sip wine without it causing me any discomfort!

I was told.. "It may push the food too quickly" but mostly it can make you feel a "false full", resulting in more hunger between meals.

I was told 5 minutes before meals and 20mins after

My doc and team suggests for me to way two hours after I eat. Unfortuantely, I am one that just doesn't follow the rules all the time and I always drink while I eat because sometimes my food will just sit in the stoma or inbetween the band and that is a painful feeling. So for my body, I drink Water to help my food pass through the band. I will wait at least two minutes or so before I continue to eat when that happens and I haven't had any dilation problems thank God. My band and method is fine.

@Obieewok, I don't eat more if I drink with or without water. I eat the same regardless but that's me.

@donna12, I guess you need to ask different surgeons to get the best answer. Only a surgeon can answer for him or herself. Just a friendly suggestion.

well, i can just offer what my dr told me when i asked him this same question

he said to drink while i eat, it helps move the food through faster..i recall before surgery, id be drinking the entire time, washing it down...so now i stop drinking right before i eat.....wait 20-30 min after....just do what your dr suggests..keep up great job donna

Hi Donna,

As you can probably tell from the previous responses, everyone's band and experience w/ the band is different. There are some people who when they drink fluids actually fill their pouches and it takes time for it to pass through their band. Putting food into a liquid filled pouch will do 1) cause pain due to increased pressure for some and/or 2) liquify the food allowing it to pass quicker (like a 'slider').

I think docs come up with parameters based on all the varying feedback they get and so to cover all the bases they give you guidelines to ensure healthy and safe eating w/ a band.

Personally I drink up to 5 mins before my meal because fluids pass readily through my port. If I had the dilemma of fluids slowly trickling down the port I would reconsider.

And same reason for not drinking too soon after a meal, you don't want to compound pressure in the pouch or force food to pass through the port etc.

I think ALL the doctors guidelines are just that guidelines. At some point they need to be customized for you and your real experience. If someone is uncomfortable making those changes on their own, speak to your doctor about what rules you would want to modify and why. You'd be surprised how many docs will accommodate and support those changes if the rationale is sound.

This topic always amazes me on how many different strategies patients and doctors use? I believe what Dr. O'Brien has chronicled with his research. In a properly adjusted band, food remains in your pouch about 1 minute before it passes through the band to the lower stomach. Waiting one minute after you've swallowed and sipping Water or wine is perfectly acceptable to Dr. O'Brien, and other doctors are jumping on this bandwagon. Most do not and still adhere to the protocols that have been in place for a decade.

I learned to eat with my band the old way so I seldom sip/drink while eating. And I also believe that many docs want to cling to the old ways for a good reason. Obese people have a very difficult time following the rules and having a glass of liquids nearby is too tempting to bite, chew, drink and swallow. This would wash the food through the band and would minimize peristalsis which is the muscular contractions that stimulate the vagus nerve which in turn gives us the feeling of satiety.

Using less Fluid for newly banded patients seems like a reasonable request so that we can be more successful early on. jmo

thanks everyone! It does make sense now, I guess I didn't know that the fluid or my glass of water didn't go on and pass thru to my lower stomach right away and it also makes sense that it was liquidfy the food I put in my stomach if I drink right up to my meal or fill my pouch and expand it with liquid and food thus stretching. Thanks for all the different opinions and insights. As always I don't drink with my meals and dont drink for at least an hour after.