OK I need a little clarification.. Is the no drinking with meals because youll fill up to fast or is it because you'll stretch your pouch or is it because you'll end up just washing down whatever few nutrients you would have gotten .?

I was told by my NUT that it can push the food you have eaten down so it allows you to eat more bc you don't feel the fullness like you would just by eating. But I have heard a few different reasons.

It was explained to me as 1. filling the stomach (prior to eating), reducing the amount of food you will be able to eat. 2). working to empty your stomach more quickly, after you eat. There was no mention of the possibility of stretching the sleeve.

I'm sure others (here) have been told different things by their surgeons....we none of us seem to get the same instructions!

None of the above ...

From what I understand:

The pyloric valve sits at the bottom of the stomach. When it opens, it allows the food which has been mechanically digested by the stomach to pass into the large intestines. This is where nutrients, for the most part, get absorbed, not the stomach. (B12 is an exception) The stomach, combined with acids and the moving around of the contents, makes a liquidy paste of the contents. When it is liquidy enough, the pyloric valve opens allowing some of the contents to pass lowering the amount of food remaining in the stomach. Not all will pass at once, depending on what you ate.

Adding liquid to the stomach gives the pyloric valve a *false* signal to open and allow food to pass a bit too early. This allows food to pass out of the stomach sooner which would allow the consumer to eat more. Eat more food, consume more calories ... well, you get the point. Kind of misses the point of having the sleeve in the first place, doesn't it?

I have experimented with this when I was running a lot of races. I couldn't get enough calories in to maintain my exercise efforts, so, a couple days before a race, I would drink with my meals. I could DEFINITELY eat more food at a single sitting and could eat again sooner. Now, I'm not talking about eating like I did in the old days, for sure, but I could get up to 1,600 to 1,800 calories in a day, no problem.

My surgeon said it's VERY VERY tough to stretch the new stomach - you'd have to seriously overeat for months and you'd be miserable - he even laughed at me when I asked if soda and such could stretch the new stomach - he said if that was the case all these people who drink 6 sodas a day prior to surgery would have a stomach the size of a car....so think about that.

i was told drinking while eating would just push the food through too quickly - and since we are not taking in as much food anymore we need to be able to get all the nutrients we can - so we don't want to rush it.

My Doc did tell me that drinking while eating could stretch the stomach, but it could just be a scare tactic. Who knows? Every Surgeon and their thoughts and practices seem to be different when it comes to this stuff

I don't know the exact science, but I have noticed that I feel full longer if I wait to drink...and I lose weight faster. Therefore, no drinking water with meals for me.

my R. D. also said it would stretch the stomach and fill me up too fast. I sure wish these people we are required to see for surgery would be more knowledgable instead of giving us all a bunch of different stories...

My NUT said the reason they tell their patients NO on soda is usually once they start they can't stop and it's just useless calories - I've not been sleeved yet (Monday 10th at 7:30 is my big day) but already cut out soda's back in May when I was diagnosed with diabetes - and my blood work pre-op came back and I already reduced my A1C to 6.3 from 6.9 - so really even though i work for a large soda/snack company - I know how bad soda is....for me it's a once in awhile treat and I buy the tiny cans. Everything in moderation after I have reached goal, so my NUT says.

But if you read PDXMAN's post above - that makes perfectly logical sense....

About the soda, I was a Dr. Pepper junkie prior to surgery but I don't even miss it!!

I will vomit if I drink any sooner than 30 mins after eating or try to drink a sip with my meal.