I just don't know if I will ever be able to do it. I'm a rule follower, and I'm really trying but I don't think I'll ever get it.

This was a BIG deal for me!!! I use to drink 2-3 glasses of tea with EVERY meal!! I started practicing 4 months pre-op. I just did not put a glass at the table with me. Then would not get a glass after my meal for 1 hour. That was SUPER hard.!!

Now, it is second nature. I don't even miss drinking with my meals and can't imagine having all that liquid in there with my tiny amount of food anyway!!

You will get use to it!!

kelly

WIth the lap-band, the rule serves three purposes. Surgeons tend to tell you about two of them.

1. Keep from flusing food through the band

2. Avoid the discomfort that can come from drinking too soon (on a full pouch)

3. Allow solids enough time to activate the "full" sensation, and keep them in the pouch longer (related to #1).

I don't know if these are the same reasons given for the sleeve or not, other than the pouch obviously wouldn't be. Of those above I found that #2 was the biggest. There was never a difference in how much I ate when I didn't drink vs. when I did. But there was a world of pain if I drank too soon!

(I'm not a rule follower, but I did find that over time, drinking with meals become easy to avoid. Stick with it, and make them unavailable during meals if it helps.)

I'm also assuming that if your "meal" takes you, say, 4 hours to finish, taking a drink during those 4 hours doesn't count. Our guidelines averaged about 30 mins before to an hour after. If I grazed on something, I tended to wait a few mins.

Guess this means no more wine with dinner!

this part is really a struggle, I like to have a drink of something after a meal. Ugh

This youtube clip shows a great demo

It's a short clip (under 4 minutes).

Food combining also has a no food and drink rule. Apparently t waters down your digestive juices.

I think, and this is just IMHO, that this is BS. I CANNOT eat and not drink, although I don't drink anywhere near as much as I used to. I used to drink 2 or 3 glasses of Water ever with every meal. Now it's maybe ONE, and consumed during the meal. IN a restaurant I usually polish of a glass of whatever I'm drinking prior to the entree being served and another glass during, I sometimes have them get me a drink to go too and sip on it for the next hour or so.

I am going on 8 months out and have lost about 150 pounds so it must be working despite my "flushing food through my stomach" . I also do not get hungry, at least like I used to. I just get a small sensation that whispers, "Hey, maybe you should eat something.", not the ravenous tummy screaming at me "FEED ME . . . NOW!".

This youtube clip shows a great demo

It's a short clip (under 4 minutes).

food combining also has a no food and drink rule. Apparently t waters down your digestive juices.

Thank you so much for the video. That was an excellent illustration. I'm only 8 days out. I saw my nut yesterday, and I'm on soft foods now. I actually made it through lunch without drinking. It was hard, but I did it. lol I just hope it becomes easier as I go! I really appreciate everyone's input

From what I have been told by my NUT, drinking before eating is not a problem. I drink up until I am ready to eat my meal - then I move my drink away from the table. I don't drink during eating unless what I am eating is REALLY DRY - example is melba toast with chicken salad on it. I can't chew and swallow melba toast without a sip of liquid. I was told the no drinking while eating is to prevent the food from washing out of your stomach and into your intestional tract. If the food washes downstream before your stomach recongnizes it is full, your intestions will absorb the calories but you will still be hungry and want to eat more. They want us to "eat our sleeves until we are satisfied (but not overfull)". Drinking while eating makes this harder to do. And, if I forget and start drinking before the 20 to 30 minutes have passed after I have eaten - my stomach says "STOP - DON'T DO THIS!" It hurts if I drink too quickly.

I do take a mouthful of liquid right after a meal, to rinse the food out of my mouth. Then I put the glass away from where I will be for the 20-30 minutes. I have a bad case of "hand to mouth disease". If there is a glass or bottle of something to drink next to my hand, I will drink of it without thinking about it. (the same way I used to eat).

Good luck!

This is the HARDEST habit for me to break! So weird.....I never thought it would be. I haven't been able to break it yet. I get the point though....I feel kind of chocked if I don't chase my food with a drink. I will keep trying.

It was the hardest part and is still a struggle, but I am learning......mostly I don't do it because it hurts. Forget flushing food through, it just hurts.

I think, and this is just IMHO, that this is BS. I CANNOT eat and not drink, although I don't drink anywhere near as much as I used to. I used to drink 2 or 3 glasses of Water ever with every meal. Now it's maybe ONE, and consumed during the meal. IN a restaurant I usually polish of a glass of whatever I'm drinking prior to the entree being served and another glass during, I sometimes have them get me a drink to go too and sip on it for the next hour or so.

I am going on 8 months out and have lost about 150 pounds so it must be working despite my "flushing food through my stomach" . I also do not get hungry, at least like I used to. I just get a small sensation that whispers, "Hey, maybe you should eat something.", not the ravenous tummy screaming at me "FEED ME . . . NOW!".

I tend to agree ... However, I would never want someone to go against their doctor's instructions based on my opinions.

I have to agree with rootman, I am still full. This new sleeve doesnt let me overeat and if I have I have pain and it comes back up.

I am going with Rootman here too! I drink while I eat and it is fine. You still feel full. Granted, I can't drink a whole glass of anything at one time so maybe that has something to do with it being ok for me. The NUT did not harp on this for VSG peeps, but they stressed it for the Lap Band people. (We were in the next room and heard all the Band restrictions... wow!) Anyway, I think liquid does push your food through the tummy faster, but not that fast that you can't feel full.

To each their own.

As with everything....everyone is different. When I started eating real food again, it seems like every time I went to sit down to eat, I was dying of thirst. Sometimes I would just eat...and sometimes I would drink as much as I wanted and then wait about 20 minutes to eat. I have since learned to drink lots through the day so that I am not so thirsty when it is time to eat. My doctor said it is best to eat on an empty stomach so that you have enough room for the food you need. At times I do take so me sips while eating, but if I drink too much I can barely eat anything and sometimes it gives me a gut ache. Again...everyone is different.

I just don't know if I will ever be able to do it. I'm a rule follower, and I'm really trying but I don't think I'll ever get it.

[ get it for the band, it makes total sense. But I don't buy it for the sleeve either. In fact, I asked my doctor about it and he told me that I could drink while eating. At first I felt a little nauseous but now I have no problems at all and I do not have trouble with hunger. I still pretty much have to remind myself that I better eat. I do not get hungry and it does not seem to influence the amount that I can eat.

Like the others I guess you should follow your doctor's instructions, luckily for me, mine does not have a problem with drinking while eating. If I were not able to drink while eating and have to wait 30 minutes to an hour after eating to drink I really wouldn't be able to get my liquid in. I have a hard enough time as it is.

Good luck to everyone!