I am trying to do everything I can to prepare for my new Bandland life. I am struggling with the "no drinking with meals" rule. How did you get over this? Also, I drink a lot of water, but it tends to be in gulps and small clumps of time, like 32 ounces in 1 hour. How do you drink your daily water?

I started the no drinking with meals the week before surgery. It was tough, but it can be done. My treat inbetween meals now is my icy cold Crystal Light slushie. I put my Crystal Light in a Deja Blue bottle and put it in the freezer just before I eat breakfast. It's ready an hour later when I can drink it. I do the same before lunch. I drink 1/2 of one bottle between breakfast and lunch, 1/2 a bottle between lunch and dinner and then 1 bottle from dinner til bedtime. That's 66 oz a day, a little more than the recommended. And you must remember to sip, sip, sip.. no gulping!! Your band will remind you of that rule!

Thanks for the advice, I've been trying and not having much sucess with it either. I'm trying to practice for when I start my band life as well.

I am almost 3 weeks post op and let me tell you for the first week it was very hard for me to drink very fast. it would take like 1 1/2 hours to drink one 16.9oz bottel. but now I drink fast. not as fast as I was pre op but I gulp and I can't really tell anything.

this is by far one of the hardest things for me to get used to... I am so guilty and i wish it were easy but its not... im am getting slightly better at this but still struggling and im 4mts post-op:rain:

I started not drinking with dinner at the same time I started my post lapband diet of a shake for breakfast and lunch and a small Protein dinner--about 2 weeks before surgery.

I'm a visual person and what helped me was to imagine all between meal liquids as cool and refreshing. I would visualize cold mountain streams or waterfalls to entice me to drink more.

At meals I would imagine liquids as oil or melted butter. Would I consider drinking either with food, heck no.

Try also to keep your eye on the prize--not drinking for 2 hours a day is a small price to pay for permanent weight loss.

Good luck! We all know how tough it is to break old habits.

The first time I gulped and went "holy crap!" pretty much kept me from doing it again.

I just keep liquids away from my plate at meal time.

As for inbetween times, when I think about putting something in my mouth, I go for Water or decaf iced tea before I eat anything. Keeps my hydrated and I typically don't want to eat.

With 2 fills and 2.75 cc's in my band I am still able to gulp Water..... I drink 1-2 30 oz glasses between breakfast and lunch and another 1 or 2 before leaving work.

I constantly remind myself that I will only be washing my meal through the band if I drink with meals... I have a daily talk with myself about it because I WANT to STAY FULL!!!!!!!!! Right now my restriction has loosened so I can eat plenty, any liquid would empty my stoma...

Not drinking with meals takes some getting used to but you can do it.