Being a good ole southern boy my one vice is sweet tea. I have been able to transition to using splenda so there are no calories but I struggle with avoiding drinking tea with my meals. I'm just so used to it that I find myself doing it unconsciously. Anyone else struggle with this?

I usually avoid drinking with meals but when I eat out and order a glass of wine, or cocktail, I sip along with eating. Now..I have no Fluid in the band so I don't worry about being uncomfortable or stuck. My concern is that I don't have the satiety if I let the liquid move the food into the stomach too quickly.

I usually eyeball the amount of food I'll eat and push aside the rest so I often have no issues with overeating. When I'm home though, I never drink with meals. I'm a rule follower in general.

The only problem I have is that if I drink while there is food passing through the bad, it will immediately increase the volume and with nowhere else to go, it will come right back up!

Also can cause pain, I suspect possibly causing dilation.

So I learned the hard way, as with many other things with this band, to drink (anything) right to the point I begin to eat, then test it with small sips until I can feel it is safe....then I can have my after dinner coffee!

But, as is the case with all topics, everything is indicative as to how much your band is adjusted.

I sometimes will drink with food usually when I'm done eating for the day I let the 1hr rule slide but I make sure I've not gone over my calorie limit for the day, also my band is loose right now, I may stop breaking that rule when it's tighter.

I have a such a hard time to Not drink water or milk with my meals as it's something I've always done! What reminds me to NOT do so...I throw up...as soon as the liquid hits I feel like there's a basketball in there and UGH

OUCH<which serves as a constant reminder to NOT do that

after being banded 2 years I am so used to not drinking with meals. I actually just trained myself to not drink. If I go out to eat I usually sip a little Water with lemon before my meal arrives. After eating I will usually take a to go cup of water if I'm not going home right away so at about 30-45 minutes after eating I can drink. My family is so used to this new deal with me they dont' even fix me a drink when we all eat together. I drink mostly water but occasionally I like chic fil a diet lemonade. Of course my morning coffee is a must.

In my experience I am not comfortable drinking while I eat, I have to wait a few minutes for everything to pass through the band then I am good to go. I would suggest not drinking while eating you will do yourself a favour and reduce your risks of complications.

As well chewed food passes through a well-adjusted band in under a minute, as long as you wait for that minute there is no reason not to drink.

When I was banded in 2006, we were taught food needed to remain above the band to stimulate the vagus nerve,. Research from about that time, widely accepted and taught to bariatric professional since about 2008, has shown that food does not and in fact MUST not remain above the band. Hunger is dimmed not by stimulating the vagus nerve but by the increased number of movements of the oesophageal walls. Food remaining above the band can lead to serious long-term problems.

So there is no reason not to drink with meals as long as you allow food time to pass through.

Repeat

Edited April 13, 201511 yr by shugal