I'm pretty much right in the middle of bandster hell and believe me reading about it and trying to be prepared is not near the same as being there! My problem is the drinking thing. How on earth do I not drink with my meals or after my meals having done it for the past 28 years! This is sooo hard! So, there has to be a secret for not thirsting to death, so please, what is it????

As I understand it, the reason for the no drinking while eating rule is that the liquids flush out your pouch so you don't get full as fast and stay full as long.

My problem is that my doc's rules are no drinking 1 hour before and 2 hours after. That leaves me very little time to remember to drink, especially when I workout in the morning. I'm going to double check with him when I go for my fill tomorrow.

frog.

I don't pour myself anything at home. I tend to drink up until the moment I start eating.

When I'm finshed eating I look at the clock and say "Okay, 30 minutes."

After that set time I start drinking again.

I dearly loved my beverages before being banded, but it's a small price to pay. EVENTUALLY, you'll not miss it so much. It's a new habit. That's all. You'll not die. you're taking small bites anyway. You don't need the liquid to wash down the food.

Good Lucky.

DITTO...I do not even let the waiter bring Water to the table!

Yep, that was one of the hardest things I had to learn. I usually drink water before a meal and then put a little piece of ice in my mouth if I get thirsty during the meal.....it helps. But when my band is tight, I know better than to drink a lot of ice water....it tightens the band even more and makes it hard for food to go down.

There are two reasons I have heard for not drinking Water with meals and for a period of time after (Some docs add before as well.)

First potential "Side Effect" of drinking with meal - you can water down the food enough to allow more food to pass through the band before you feel full and also cause what food is still in the pouch to be "runny" enough to also pass through rather quickly making you hungry for more sooner than if you didn't drink. This "Side Effect" happens most often when people drink small amounts consistently from before to throughout the meal. This method of drinking during a meal works against the band's ability to help you lose weight but it is not "dangerous"

The Second potential "Side Effect" - If you have ate most or all of your meal without "watering" it down as you go then get thirsty and take a drink the food that is already in the pouch can act as a kind of plug that the drink will just sit on top of. This is VERY uncomfortable and can send you running to the restroom to PB. This is the worst to drink around a meal as it is not good for anyone to over fill their pouch even if it is just water on top. It even has the potential of contributing to complications from the band.

Picture this: The food you chew to the consistency of mashed potatoes and your stomach with the as a funnel. In the first senario you would be evenly placing very small amounts of mashed potato in the funnel along with small amounts of water, helping the small bits of potato to flush through. Then in the second senario you are setting a large spoonful of mashed potatoes in a funnel then pouring water on top. The water won't instantly mix with the potatoes and wash it through. Instead it will run up over the top of the funnel.

By the way at just one day from my 2 year anniversary - I am not the model drinker at meals. I use to tell the waiter not to bring me anything including water. But now will just concede to let him bring the water. I will drink a small amount before the meal and maybe a sip or three during the meal. Afterwards I don't tend to drink for approx. a half hour but I don't time it one way or the other. If I'm really thirsty after a meal I just try to take it slowly and carefully. At home I don't pour myself a drink but do take a few sips of my DH or DS' cup from time to time. My behaviour may mean that I've lost a little less than I could have over the last 2 years and it may mean that I've been a bit hungrier between meals than I needed to be. But for me, at least, having gone from a size 26 to a 10 over the last two years, I'm not going to second guess whether I may have been an 8 by now, or if I could have gotten to the size 10 a few months sooner by forcing myself not to ever take a sip here and there throughout my meals.

The band is our TOOL. It up to each individual to decide wether and how much they are going to take advantage of the opportunities the Tool provides. I just chose the path that worked for me.

i drink right up until i start to eat and then dont drink again until 30 min after the meal... i will take a sip just enough to wet my mouth if i absolutely need to... i didn't break the drinking with meal habit until after i had good restriction, once i had the restriction i noticed i PB'd with almost every meal when i was drinking.. the habit fixed itself - the most painful PB' to me are when you drink with a meal so i never want to feel that pain again.

I have a question. If the pouch is empty after 30 minutes to an hour, how does it keep you feeling full?

I have a question. If the pouch is empty after 30 minutes to an hour, how does it keep you feeling full?

A study I saw stated that without drinking after meals, the food stayed substancially longer in the pouch than 30 minutes to an hour.

My problem is that my doc's rules are no drinking 1 hour before and 2 hours after. That leaves me very little time to remember to drink,

wow, that is a L O N G time.