Ok. I know this a no no and i'm a bit more than 4 weeks post op. I have had an incredible run.. I also started drinking on dates (ok'd by my doc as long as they say I know they are empty calories) and obviously, i'll sip on wine or the cocktail while eating.. I also have drank at the same time as eating once in a while when the food was too dry.. I have also been approved for coffee and since I have that first thing (and sometimes MUST eat when I get up due to work), I often drink coffee and breakfast at same time. I know the only reason to do this (ie separate them by 30 minutes min) if you have no gastro issues (which I don't) is to not liquify your food and thus keep you full longer. I really don't personally see a difference from when I drink or not. I am full the same (nicely full, btw), so wanted to hear from others, especially veterans, to see if I am just being hopeful or wonder if I can eat and drink together like a normal human (less than a glass of liquid though) for the rest of my life? Do tell?!

neil

the drinking rules are hard to follow, but important

i never drink 1/2 hour before i eat

don't drink with food

don't drink 45 minutes after i eat

can't tell you what to do - this is my world, and welcome to it, for life

that being said, if i have a little Water right after a meal or during, on a rare rare occasion, i am only human - i doubt i'll die hmmmm, i don't think i will anyways

I do drink before I eat.Dont find that a problem.

But I have been looking at different boards for comments that people that has regained in the long term wrote.

A few things seems to be similar in most of them.Drinking sodas is definitely one but drinking while eating is also definitely one.And I am not talking about the odd glass of wine with dinner.I do that myself once every few weeks.It seems to me that the habit of drinking while eating have some long term influence on regain.

Of course they are eating more and more often and wrong,but I was just looking for other things they seemed to have in common.

The drinking while eating isn't necessarily to keep you fuller longer. It is to prevent dumping syndrome, and to keep you from stretching your stomach out. I would be careful about constantly drinking while eating. Yes if a bite of food is really dry a sip is good, but not a complete drink.

@tamara, I don't think you are right. Everything I have read has to do with liquification.. Liquid leaves your stomach very quickly (hence why you want to avoid slider foods_.. Drinking right before you eat, fills ur stomach with liquid and then when you eat, it liquifies and passed out of your stomach faster. Eating while does the same and drinking right after also liquifies it. the only reason i have ever read (and told my both my doc and nut) is to help you be satiated longer and thus eat less. The stretching the stomach stuff that some post on here is not true. Although it can be done with a lot of overeating (and a lot), no way liquid will do that... I do agree some have dumping like syndrome and correct there

Just FYI I am a Nursing Student and have just learned about dumping syndrome. All of what you just said is referred to is dumping syndrome. Technically there are two types of dumping syndrome. The first is what you just described, where the food you eat leaves your stomach way to fast, and can cause problems in the intestinal track, and lead to diarrhea. The second type can happen 2-3 hours after you eat and it is when your sugar levels spike which can be due to the rapid emptying of the stomach and to what you ate.

I thought dumping only happened with bypass?

Well I have been drinking (Water and diet soda's) since like 4 months post-op (now about 2 years out) because I just can't eat without moisture. I drink before during and after I eat and have not had any detrimental effects like "stretching" or dumping. I'e had 3 bouts of kidney stones due to dehydration and do NOT want to repeat that EVERY again, so I constantly drink, even while I eat. Pre-op I drank probably twice as much, so the issue with Fluid intake might very well be due to some physical need I have.

It's my experience that as long as you monitor your food intake and put a strict limit on your consumption (this much and NO more) the drinking is irrelevant AND if it does not cause you to dump then go for it.

I've lost down to 205 and have stayed there for months. I've recently upped my exercise routine to try for 195 and have also limited my calories again from my maintenance mode diet. I'm right at 200-202 now. My wife complains that I look terribly gaunt and she does not like it, so I may back off a little.

@Tamara. As noted, I agree with the dumping syndrome. However, as I mentioned, I don't have any when I do both. no nausea or implications. They still don't want me or any patient from doing it as it turns to sludge and leaves you full for a lesser amount of time. I am referring to advise on the latter, for those who don't have dumping syndrome.. Make sense?

I thought dumping only happened with bypass?

No ANYONE can dump, even those without WLS. Everyone probably has already too, remember that food you ate and you immediately got stomach cramps and diarrhea? If you felt OK afterwards then it was probably NOT bad food but dumping. It literally happens to most everyone once in a while, the stomach just dumps the unprocessed food into the intestinal tract, the small intestine doesn't like it and puts it on the fast tract to the exit and BAM! You've become a victim of dumping.

Bypass patients are VERY prone to it but we VSG'ers can be too. Certain foods can trigger it, too rich, too oily, too greasy.

@tamara, I don't think you are right. Everything I have read has to do with liquification.. liquid leaves your stomach very quickly (hence why you want to avoid slider foods_.. Drinking right before you eat, fills ur stomach with liquid and then when you eat, it liquifies and passed out of your stomach faster. Eating while does the same and drinking right after also liquifies it. the only reason i have ever read (and told my both my doc and nut) is to help you be satiated longer and thus eat less. The stretching the stomach stuff that some post on here is not true. Although it can be done with a lot of overeating (and a lot), no way liquid will do that... I do agree some have dumping like syndrome and correct there

Neilsleeve,

the process that food goes through to pass on to your gut is very complex, and if you are chewing as well as you should, and then drinking fluids - as much as you say - you are creating a situation that you are possibly "stretching" out your tummy - and at 4 weeks out may not even be feeling the full effect.

Cause and effect are not immediate in the world of sleevers.

When you mix liquids, they blend with food that has blended with sliva and gastric juices and are churning - not just passing through, still churning within your tummy.

Your stomach does not have the ability to sort out liquids from solids at this stage, beyond breaking them down a bit, and you no longer have the great chamber at all, only the lesser/upper portion...if you mix your foods you are pushing the food through faster than you should, and can lead to many issues, including things that resemble irritable bowl syndrome. if your food is contaminated, you also offer it up to your gut faster than your tummy woud be abel to counter said nasties.

Food allergies, it has been argued, can also be traced in some instances to this lesser processed food passing through.

Back to the "stretching" - what most people percieve as a physical enlarging of the tummy is often a habit develped in the sensory play between the stomach and the brain - you do not stretch out your stomach as much as create either a delayed sense of fullness, dull said fullness, or even create a pleasurable reward sensation for an increasing level of fullness.

Read the blogs of the very successful sleevers - the 3-5 year mark, with no more than 10% gain back - you will see a consistent need to keep these new habits in check.

With that said, if I want to drink with my food, I do sometimes. I will pour how much I can have into a mug (never more than a couple of ounces), and reduce my food intake as well AND make sure I have ate no complex foods, like a protien/carb/fiber combo...either protien or veggie.

@tamara. This was from BariatricChoice I have seen it also on a lot of medical sites (not forums). We are both right, it seems. HOWEVER, I disagreed and still do with the stomach stretch. My doc bro, my surgeon and my nut all say that's nonsense and the reason for me was the fullness.. GOod point on dumping syndrome (again, not an issue for me)

Avoid drinking fluids with meals.

Drinking fluids with meals may may force foods through your small stomach pouch too quickly, causing you to become hungry again quickly. It can also cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and a situation called dumping syndrome in gastric bypass patients.

Then, this from the Mayo Clini

Drink liquids between meals. Drinking liquids with your meals can cause pain, nausea and vomiting as well as dumping syndrome. Also, drinking too much liquid at or around mealtime can leave you feeling overly full and prevent you from eating enough nutrient-rich foods. Expect to drink at least 6 to 8 cups (48 to 64 ounces or 1.4 to 1.9 liters) of fluids a day to prevent dehydration.

@pookey. Great post! I'm not drinking much at all when I eat. I only sip on a cocktain for a date once or twice a week. ONe glass of wine over 90 minutes, etc... I often don't finish the wine.. I try to keep space between them, so was asking, since I did try once with the coffee and had no issue. My breakfasts are so small, that i can't see any stretching, etc, so I am indeed be careful, for sure.. Was curious about long run. The stretching, though, I still think is an old wives tale. I know it is VERY possible and those who fail often do stretch it. But I have seen sites that say it's much harder than you think and have to disregard your good eating habits. but my doc said no way will that affect me. since no issues with how I feel, he and the nut made it clear that they don't condone it for the habits and for my need to eat more when I do that..

oh and @pookey, yes, I want to learn from the vets and if those who drink/eat together put more weight back on, then I'm all against doing that. Not a real hassle and i know taking one sip for a dry mouth wont hurt me.. THat's why I'm here! I share what I now know pre-op and one month and look to learn from others ahead of me -)

Used to have a cocktail at dinner on a regular basis at home or while out (may be more later too, but that is another topic)

I guess if it is not causing you pain and discomfort now, you are likely okay, but at a later date you may or may not be able to change its effects if something changes.

Unlike Water, alcohol especially liquor, can add up empty calories rather quickly with our knowledge. Could later contribute to stalls, gains or slow progress. It is human nature to relax on portions, intake ect and count it all the same as when we where more focused. So at this point I am staying away from cocktails. I am only 2 weeks out though.

Set yourself up for a win and make it work for you

Best of luck, glad u are enjoying life

Neilsleeve, my doc and nutritionist both said that you need to void the water before hand because it fills you up and you will not get enough food in you to get proper nutritian. Drinking immediately after will then push the food out too soon. So, what you posted above is exactly what my medical people told me. I dont generally drink while eating unless, like you mentioned, the food is dry and needs a little liquid to help it go down, or if I am sipping a jack and diet coke. I think they dont want you downing a 20oz bottle of water while chowing on a hamburger. Sometimes in the medical profession they need to spell things out for people because, inevitably, people do dumb things. I dont think what you are doing, if kept in moderation, is hurting a thing.