Okay sleevers I'm still pre-op and I'd like to know how good YOU are at not drinking anything while you eat. This is one post surgery rule I'm not sure I can manage in the entirety even if I come close. I have always been very thirsty while eating. It doesn't matter how much I drink before I eat, my throat gets dry while I eat and then I must stop eating until I can drink or I get nauseous. I'm super super super worried I won't be able to stick to this rule. :\

I know the REASON behind it -- not washing food out of your pouch .. which makes perfect sense.. but a lot of people talk about it like it is a choice.. TBH I'm not sure it's truly a choice for everyone.. I know I personally can't do it well.

So my personal plan as of now? Drink -tiny- sips.. just enough to wet my throat and stop the nausea. But hopefully not enough to wash out my pouch once I have surgery. I heard someone say their surgeon allowed an ounce of liquid with a meal for this purpose.

So was this/ is this an issue for you? Did you struggle with it? Did you overcome it or do you drink with meals and just try to do your best regardless not to eat around your surgery or wash out?

(( PLEASE do not tell me I'm just "choosing" to need to drink while eating even if it's only a small sip here and there. I have super sensitive gag reflex and trust me when I say.. it's not a choice thing. If I get extremely thirsty while eating and try to ignore it.. I -will- find myself in the bathroom retching. I've had it happen when we had poor wait staff at restaurants who didn't keep our glasses refilled...so needless to say I'm worried about this lifestyle change and need to hear from others who struggle with it how they handled it. Especially those who couldn't follow the rule to the T.))

I have yet to drink anything while eating 9 months post. I didn't have any issues with not drinking. Once your stomach is sleeved you may not have an issue either?

I'm 14 months out and except for a handful of time when it felt like food was stuck in my throat (usually chicken breast) I am able to eat and wait the hour my program suggests with no problem. I found it much easier then I thought it would be going in because I was a take a bite take a glup type of girl.

Edited August 8, 201511 yr by Kissifur

This is a big fear of mine as well. Actually, this is the one thing my husband says he thinks I will struggle with the most. I gave up diet coke about a week ago (so very hard as I LOVED my diet cokes). Maybe it's all in my head but I don't feels the same kind of thirsty now that I am drinking tea or Water.

I plan to switch to water only after the aspartame/diet coke withdrawal is over. I was afraid to give up caffeine at the same time. I didn't want to set myself up for failure.

Did anyone try to practice not drinking with meals prior to surgery? I wondered if that would help.

How soon prior to eating have you been told you will need to stop drinking? It seems like it is one of those things that vary by doctor.

2+ years post-op and I have only mixed my eating and drinking a couple of times. A couple of times by accident and a couple of times because I was in a huge hurry and didn't have time to wait. I regretted it when I did because once you get used to separating them, it feels physically weird and wrong to do it together. Not painful but uncomfortable -- at least for me. I don't see this changing, ever, in my life.

If you end up in a place where you need to take tiny sips occasionally to avoid puking or gagging, I think that's understandable. But I would say don't plan to make up your own rules up front. Have the attitude that you will follow the plan your medical team lays out for you unless and until you are physically proven that it's impossible. Don't give up and admit failure at any part of it until you've made a sustained effort post-surgery. Good luck!

Completely unrelated but just FYI you won't have a "pouch" -- that's what RNY'ers get. You will have a sleeve.

Did anyone try to practice not drinking with meals prior to surgery? I wondered if that would help.

It actually was easier than I thought. Remember after surgery you are not eating solid foods. You go through steps so by the time I could eat regular food again it wasn't a big deal. I thought that it was going to be a struggle but after liquids, than mashed, than soft I didn't even think about it anymore.

How soon prior to eating have you been told you will need to stop drinking? It seems like it is one of those things that vary by doctor.

I was told to stop drinking one hour before and wait one hour after. I am more strict with after.

I am dreading this very thing.

I thought not drinking with food was going to be tough. But it's not. And yes, I did practice it for a few months prior to surgery.

First of all, you'll find it a good idea because very early post-op (even during the puree phase and then soft foods an then during real foods) you simply won't feel like you have enough room in your very small, very swollen stomach for both food and liquid.

You'll also be VERY motivated to get the most out of your sleeve. After all, you / we are all doing this to lose weight. Yes, there are a few idiots out there who try to "cheat" from Day One, but most of us are really trying to follow our instrucs well.

There are some meats you will eat that are dry -- and in those instances, just take a little (little!) sip of something to keep it from sticking. I also used sour cream to avoid dry meat sticking.

I'm nearly a year out, and I still don't drink with meals 95% of the time. I may have a few sips of wine at dinner, if I haven't finished my pre-dinner 4 ounces of wine. But that's about it. And those few wine sips haven't made me yearn to drink with food all the time because I really do like the feeling of restriction I get by eating only 6-7 ounces max of food at a time.

That's my experience. I think you'll find this easier than you think.

Maybe this is just me but if I take a sip of anything liquid during or after eating I get stabbing pains in my chest/esophagus and I'm a year out. It also makes really loud, embarrassing gurgling noises. I'm realizing from reading everyone's responses that maybe this is related to my GERD, but I've definitely never worried that I would drink at the same time as eating because of the pain. The few times I have been forced to (you can't turn down a rural Kyrgyz woman's bread and tea), I have hated it and felt like death was imminent. You probably don't have this issue but I thought I'd share my experience.

I didn't practice beforehand and haven't had any issues so far. I'm just conscious that I'm going to eat in half an hour and stop drinking, have my meal (soup soup soup - boo liquid diet!), and wait another 30 minutes to drink again.

how good YOU are at not drinking while you eat.

@@Beck90

in my pre-op "life", i always drank with my meals

i've heard on the board that many, many OP have trouble/struggle not drinking while they eat

once i was PO - i just stopped drinking while i ate - cold turkey

not too happy about it

i might have the teeniest sip of Water to wet my mouth when/if necessary (very seldom)

do what we gotta do, right

pre-op it might help you to get used to not drinking while you eat

please don't have the "defeatist" attitude that you won't be successful

i "think" i understand your situation

talk to your NUT (nutritionist)

explain your gagging/other problems

she might be able to help you/talk with you

give you suggestions

(glass held high - drinking to your health )

good luck

kathy

Really good. It doesn't bother me. I was sleeved 6/16/16

Easiest part after surgery! It doesn't bother me at all. The funny thing is the looks from others when I say "no I don't want a drink". "Nope not even water"!!! It is comical! Bothy hubby and my 9 yr old son have stopped drinking while eating, for the most part.

I don't even miss it. I thought I would but nope. What I do miss..... Chugging! Silly I know. I am 8 months post op and still sip.... Sometimes after a workout I'm so thirsty all I want to do is chug a big ole bottle of water and then..... Bam!!! It flys right back up and I'm quickly reminded that I have a new pouch! Hahaha. Good luck with your surgery let me know how your doing!!

I was worried about this, too. Twenty some years of WWs trained me to drink drink drink before, during and after meals to get full faster.

Now, I can drink right up to a meal, and I can MAYBE take a small sip during (think thimble - full), but I can't actually drink a full mouthful for about 30-60 minutes after a meal or I will puke.

Even if I eat really slow, chew really well, and eat only 2-3 ounces total, drinking is not an option. It sometimes sucks when I'm eating something super spicy but other than that, it's not a big deal. I use sauces to add moisture, but I no longer NEED the drinks.

I'd much rather be thin and healthy.

Thanks so much for this thread and all the wonderful input.

This is my biggest concern for after surgery. My need to drink is totally psychological though - my Mom was not a very good cook. So growing up, i would basically eat the food like it was a pill. I'd take a bite and swallow it with drink (soda, Water, milk, whatever). So after 40-something years, it's just how I eat. LOL

I am hoping (and thanks to y'all's input, quite sure) I will be able to overcome this compulsion post-op. I'm thinking all the time with just liquids before, then after, then mush, etc that the "habit" will be broken.

I'm 4 months post-op and athletic and have rarely made my hydration goal. I find the 15 before/30 after rule annoying but at the risk of stretching my sleeve, I stick to it! You have to really time eating/drinking to work on getting hydrated but it gets way easier as time passes.