I'm 8 months out and I've forgotten what does drinking with meals do to us. Does it cause weight gain or just flush the nutrients out? I haven't mastered not doing this.

I physically CAN'T drink while eating. With my band' date=' they suggested us not to do it. Everytime I'd take a sip with food, it would come back up. I understood why I couldn't drink with meals with my band. It acted as like a plug. Not understanding WHY I can't drink with my meals now (except that it'll wash the food out of my stomach faster), I've tried it several times. Doesn't work still. The only time I've vomited with my sleeve is when I've had something to drink with or within 30 minutes of eating.

Bummer[/quote']

Well, I guess you can be thankful that you can't since it should help you stay full longer.

You know' date=' guys, I'll be honest here. I am a HUGE DRINKER! (not booze, yall!!!!) I can remember as a very young child drinking at least two glasses of Water BEFORE our food arrived if we ate out. That has always been the case. Now, I have also ALWAYS HATED water! LOL. As an adult, I always drank gallons of Diet Coke. Once I was sleeved, I actually cold turkeyed from DC a few months before not even realizing I was going to be sleeved so I had broken the habit prior. I did have the occasional diet drink or carbonated diet something but nothing like before.

Once sleeved, and having the need to get the water/fluids in I found that the water made me nauseous and discovered Crystal Light (I know - I know - don't give me any guff about the aspartame) I now drink at least 12-15 cups of water a day always with my favorite citrus Energy CL. And I drink during, before and after meals. It doesn't phase me. I have played around with it and I don't get any hungrier if I wait or don't drink prior.

Now, in the early stages of recovery I did adhere to the policy simply because I could NOT eat/drink and needed to get my Protein in. At 3+ years out, I don't see myself not drinking with my meals. I don't actually drink much at all. Maybe a few sips because I don't eat much food either!!!!! STILL. Here is a good explanation of the Pyloric Valve and how it works with fluid:

The function of your Pyloric valve is the single most not talked about important part of understanding how and when you should eat and drink.

The Pyloric Valve is just that....It is a valve that is located at the bottom of your stomach/sleeve. This valve is in between your sleeve and the lower intestine. The basic definition of a valve is an apparatus that opens and closes.

When open this valve it is about the diameter of a dime. When closed it’s opening is closed down to the diameter of the head of a ballpoint pen.

Dense Proteins and harder to digest foods will cause the Pyloric valve to close to hold the food in your stomach for pre-digestion...... stomach acids breaking down this “Rough” food.

That’s why we are told to eat dense proteins first.....To close the Pyloric Valve so food stays in your stomach/sleeve longer so we have a sense of satisfaction.

It takes about 30-60 minutes for the food to clear the Pyloric Valve...... Than it’s OK to drink.

That is also where the term slider food comes into play. A slider food does not close the Pyloric Valve and as the term is intended.....food slides right past an open Pyloric Valve.

There is a video that gets posted every so often that is supposed to explain food going past the Pyloric Valve. The guy uses a funnel and has apple sauce or something in it....and it shows the apple sauce dripping out the end of the funnel very slow. Than he pours water on top of the apple sauce to dilute it, illustrating drinking after eating.....and the diluted apple sauce runs through the funnel end faster. Than he concludes that this is how your pyloric valve works.

Well, it is a great video that only tells half the story.....remember it’s a valve...and he is only showing it in the open position....

So now the other half of the Pyloric Valve function..... You eat a dense protein like chicken that causes your Pyloric Valve to close. Say for example your sleeve has a 4oz. capacity.....and you eat 4oz. of chicken.....your sleeve is full and holding all 4 oz. of chicken for pre-digestion because your Pyloric Valve is closed.

So now try and drink something....where is it gonna go? Up.....Up until it hits another valve of sorts..... the Esophageal Sphincter (valve) and above that is a flapper valve. The function of these two valves is to hold food, bile and stomach acids in your stomach and not backing up into your air way. This is a very high pressure system. Thats why when you eat to much or drink after eating a hard to digest food and your Pyloric is closed.....It hurts cause you pressurized your intake track. Vomiting would be a natural pressure release.

So you can see how learning and understanding how the Pyloric Valve works is important as it pertains to eating and drinking with a Gastric Sleeve.

So that was kinda like VSG and the Pyloric Valve 101

As you get further a long you will want to use the Pyloric Valve in other ways to keep food in your sleeve longer to stay satisfied longer.

A sleeve empties faster than a stock un altered full size stomach so sometimes it’s beneficial for you to learn what foods stay in your sleeve longer to extend satisfaction.

Dense proteins are #1 in closing the Pyloric Valve. Chicken, steak, pork, fish.....in that order seems to be the way it goes for me.

Other foods that are hard to digest and help close the Pyloric Valve are foods like:

[*']Broccoli Stalk

[*]Asparagus

[*]Celery

[*]Cucumber with Skin

[*]Radish

[*]Cabbage (I’m testing this right now)

[*]Bell Pepper

So I hope you understand my 5 cent tour of the Pyloric Valve and how it effects the way we eat with a VSG and how important it is to work the Pyloric Valve to your benefit.

Thank you for contributing such an informative and great post.

Love the info on the pyloric valve. I too am a huge drinker! After I was newly sleeved I could not eat and drink at the same time because I couldn't get food in with too much fluid. Now at the 1.5 year mark I normally sip with my food if I don't it's difficult for me to get the food in due to dryness. I can't say I notice any difference with losing/gaining with the drinking either. I started back drinking with my meals at maybe 6 months out.