If solid food is supposed to sit in your pouch for 3-4 hours, then why is it OK to drink an hour after eating, but not during? The drink will push food thru the band right? I'm confused.

You know, I would have to see it on fluoro to be convinced that this happens. To me, it's not logical. I would think that if you have food in your pounch and drink, either the water trickles through the food, maybe taking some small bits with it - or the water gathers on top of the food, causing discomfort (I KNOW for a fact this happens, but not all the time).

From my understanding, the food is gone from the pouch after an hour, but it's been sitting there long enough to give you a full feeling for a few hours. If you drink while you are eating you push it through right away (assuming you don't make yourself sick, like Wheetsin mentioned), and it doesn't sit long enough to keep you feeling satisfied longer.

nope it doesn't, makes it worse, sorry!

I am not banded as of yet but was wondering do you sometimes take a small sip of water while you are eating? I was having dinner lastnight and I usually dont drink while I eat anyway but sometimes if the chicken is spicy or something maybe you want a small sip or two of water?

From my understanding, the food is gone from the pouch after an hour, but it's been sitting there long enough to give you a full feeling for a few hours. If you drink while you are eating you push it through right away (assuming you don't make yourself sick, like Wheetsin mentioned), and it doesn't sit long enough to keep you feeling satisfied longer.

Ok, so this is the part I didn't get before....that the food is actually GONE from the pouch within an hour but the FEELING of fullness is still there. AH HA!! Ok, I can wrap my head around that. Thanks.

The food should be gone from the pouch within an hour. However, the area of the stomach that was stimulated by the food and was told that you ate got "satisfied" and your body's chemicals and hormones are then working on digesting, breaking down and metabolizing that food. By drinking an hour AFTER you've eaten doesn't affect the food's presence in the system and you should still feel satisfied because of the fact that you're body's so busy doing those other things. Besides, that center that got stimulated by the food and told you that you were full is a little "slow on the trigger". It takes it at least 20 minutes to realize that you've eaten. Why would it realize you're empty any sooner than that?

The drinking with the meals was described to me very vividly in this manner and it's stuck with me ever since: Imagine you're banded stomach as an hourglass. The food you've eaten is at the top of the glass and is slowly moving through because of the narrowing in the center. If you introduce liquids into the food, it makes the food a slurry and literally washes the food through the narrowing much easier than it would go through on it's own. Also, depending on you and your physical reaction to it you may just clog yourself up and cause yourself to PB. Best to avoid doing either one. The first scenario defeats the band. The 2nd causes you to lose your food and results in pain.

Thank you! That's an awesome explanation. Mind if I dupe it in my April 07 bandster thread? I think they'd find it very informative.

Ok, so this is the part I didn't get before....that the food is actually GONE from the pouch within an hour but the FEELING of fullness is still there. AH HA!! Ok, I can wrap my head around that. Thanks.

Protein doesn't mess with blood sugar the way sugar does. So you don't get the blood sugar spikes as you would with a chocolate bar. When you eat sugar your blood sugar increases, in response your body produces insulin. Insulin kicks in and lowers your blood sugar levels and then that signals your body that you are hungry and it's time to eat. We fatties do this allllllll day long.

With the band you feel full longer, if you eat protein first and cut out/down sugar it doesn't mess with blood sugar levels so your body isn't screaming at you that you are hungry.

One of the biggest challenges most bandsters seem to have (especially ME!) is learning to tell the difference between head hunger and true hunger. When is your body actually hungry and when do you just simply want to eat.

For me the key has NOT been to say, "I can't have "X" food to eat." Instead I have to remind myself that I can have it, just not this minute. Maybe I'll have it tomorrow, or next time I am actually hungry. That makes a big difference for me.

Think about it, if you are dieting the whole idea is that you can't have it at all. With the band you can have it next time you are due for a meal, or next time you are actually hungry. It's a world of difference than saying you can't have it at all.

I Have Been Doing Great Went Back To Work Friday And Now Today I Am Starting To Get Hungry For Something Other Than Protein Drinks I Ate A Little Tuna Salad About A Tablespoon Full And That Did The Trick I Fell Ok,now I Am Pushing It To Fast To Try To Eat That Kind Of Stuff To Early. Last Night I Ate Melted Velvetta Cheese With Rotel Tomatoes And Eat About Two Ounces Of That With No Pain And The Hunger Went Away I Need Some Of You Seasoned Banders Comments On This. Thanks In Advanced Its Been 3 Days Since The Band Was Placed.

You are eating solids this soon? Who is your doc?

My Doctor Dont Know It I Was Just Asking About Eating This Early. I Dont Know That Tuna Salad Is A Solid But I Chewed Up Into Mush Before Swallowing It. And Not Over A Tablespoon Total.

You are making a big mistake here.

The sutures are not what is holding your band in place long term. The sutures hold the band in place until your body makes adhesions (scarring). It is the adhesions that form that will hold your band in place. These adhesions will continue to form for years to come. The first 6-8 weeks the adhesions are at their most fragile state.

When you eat food your stomach has to churn and move, almost like a spasm to break down food so it can pass through your GI system. When you drink Clear liquids it doesn't have to work much at all, so it doesn't have to move much at all. Thus, the adhesions have an opportunity to form. When you advance to full liquids your stomach only has to work a very small amount. When you are eating the foods you are, your stomach has to work extra hard, pump out enzymes and hormones to break down food and you simply aren't going to heal. But you are likely to have a slipped band. The food you are eating will also tear away the sutures.

So chewing food up to a mush is kind of silly when you look at the whole picture. You seem to be under the impression that the goal is to not fill your pouch but let it slide through. That isn't the goal, the goal is to not make your stomach work.

Now, I'm going to be blunt here. Your doc gave you a diet for a reason. Amazingly, he got a medical degree after a bit of education and he has a reason to put you on the diet he did. We are talking THREE DAYS!!!!! You haven't followed the diet and you are only three days into this? Com'on.... Do you suppose there is a REASON he put you on a post-op diet?

You need to get back to the diet as prescribed. Well, if you want to keep your band that is. Remember, the VAST majority of slips are not the doc's fault, they are the patient's fault. This one will be on you.

Got Your Point And Thanks For Getting Back On Track,

Got Your Point And Thanks For Getting Back On Track,

What is your new diet plan for today?

Remember, Protein will kill hunger, sugar will want to make you eat your right arm. What is your plan to keep protein up and sugar wayyyy down?

Your biggest challenge will be head hunger. Each time you race for the kitchen stop yourself dead in your tracks and ask yourself if your stomach is painful and hungry or if you are just used to eating and it's head hunger.

Back On The Prescribe Diet But It Says I Can Have Thinned Soups Or Belended Soups, Ceral With Milk Let It Get Soggy Thinned Oat Meal Low Fat Yogurt Sg Free Pudding Vegetable Or Tomato Juice Sf Popsicles Sf Gelatin