I was sleeved on June 4, and I am hearing various reasons why we shouldn't eat and drink at the same time. Does anyone know the real reason why we shouldn't? Does it stretch the sleeve?

My understanding is that fluids will act as a filler not allowing you to be able to eat enough. More liquid intake during meal time means less protein intake. But I could be wrong.

The reason they tell you not to drink and eat is because the liquids flush the solid food out of your stomach so you eat more than you would have otherwise. It won't stretch your sleeve or hurt you in anyway. I decided I wasn't spending the rest of my life having a dry mouth with food so the entire time I have had the surgery I have had a drink with meals. I still have very good restriction, I'm below goal weight, and I can enjoy food which would not be the case if I had to choke it down with a dry mouth. You just need to be cognizant of how much you're eating so what you're drinking doesn't get washed right through your sleeve a lot mroe quickly.

Does the sleeve stretch? If I drink and eat at the same time, will I not lose the same amount of weight?

I think for some of us, it is more than a liquid flushing your food down to your intestine and then eating more. For me it's mechanical reason of the sleeve itself.

Early on when I drank Water during a meal or right after it made me vomit. At almost 7 months I can drink a few sips of liquid at a meal so I can take pills but if it's any more than a sip, my tiny tummy revolts and I will vomit. And this is with 1/3 cup of food or less. I also have to wait at least 30 minutes after and sometimes longer if my meal is mostly Protein to drink fluids, or I might vomit.

I know everyone's experience is different. I am a lap-band to sleeve convert. With the lap band I had no trouble drinking water anytime and it did wash the food down my pouch. Not so with my sleeve.

Try and compare your Sleeve Gastrectomy operation to a sink. Think of your new small stomach as a very small sink. Imagine pouring liquid into such a sink – if you pour the liquid too fast it will overflow, but if you pour it slower or wait for a minute the liquid will eventually drain thru the sink hole. Now imagine putting thick, dense sludge into such a sink – the sludge may never make it down the sink hole unless we add Water and stir.

Once you start eating, no drinking with your meal – do not liquefy the food you are eating. You will be able to eat more, and you will be hungry sooner if you are drinking while eating. Never put a glass of any liquid next to your meal – the habit to eat and drink at the same time is very strong. You may not realize that you are even doing it till it is too late. Do not help mother nature – your pouch can liquefy the food on its own without your help. Your pouch will take longer on its own, thus giving you prolonged satisfaction and hunger control.

The point is that you DON'T want to add water once there is food in your stomach so that you can stay full longer. Will it stretch your stomach? I don't think so, but everyone seems to have their own opinion on this one.

Edited July 26, 201511 yr by WL WARRIOR

@@bunnybunny626

From my understanding, YES your sleeve can stretch just like our stomach used to.

For me, I try to be careful not to eat too much or drink Water with a meal. I don't want to go thru all of this to lose my restriction. Also eating too much can cause me to vomit of get serious acid reflux.

I've talked to many people that have gained part or all of their weight back years after surgery. Most of them say the same thing: "My restriction is still there; I just made bad choices."

If you overeat to the point of discomfort and pain more than a few times EVERY week over a long stretch of time, you may be stretching your stomach a little. If you overeat a few times, then learn from it and move on.

I have found that I physically cannot eat food and drink. As WL Warrior said, it is like a sink. If you poor cement into the sink and then poor liquid on top, it won't go down and for me it just comes back up. So one of two things happen to me. 1. I throw up or 2. If it sugar (e.g. cookie and a sip of coffee) I then get dumping syndrome as the food has been sent to my upper intestinal tract too quickly. I then spend an hour sweating and wanting to vomit - usually involves me lying down for an hour. So I avoid drinking/eating at all costs. It's not a big deal, I just need to wait 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the meal.

I find that if I eat and drink I am more likely to have food come back up. The NUT said liquid will sit on top of food and make its way back up, not to mention taking space in your stomach with liquid instead of protein.