Hi everyone! Was sleeved 3 days ago and it’s very overwhelming. My dr said that I can’t drink a half hour before eating and a half hour after eating. It takes me a while to eat foods now( if I can get anything in) and it seems like I’m always checking the clock of when I last ate or drank in order to get everything in. Anyone else experiencing this? Does it get better? How strict is the no eating and drinking rule?

thanks!

First, let me say that you picked one he// of a time to get sleeved. You're very brave. Me, I was sleeved in the spring but as the holidays approached I grew very anxious. Eating is so integral to my family's holiday season that I had a lot of feelings that I had to work through. Kudos to you! Stay strong!

Second, it does feel like you're eating/drinking on a schedule in those first days/weeks. Hang in there. It gets better.

Lastly, to answer your question on the strictness of the no drinking with eating rule, I'd say it's pretty important and one that I can honestly say that I never break. Not only does it negate some of the benefits of your sleeve, but it also hurts (at least for me anyway). That being said, I was never told not to drink 30 minutes BEFORE I ate. This is where you'll see some variances in advice based on your doctor's preferences. I generally drink right up to when I eat, but NEVER drink with my meal and ALWAYS wait at least 30 minutes.

Think of your new stomach sort of like an hourglass. The sand (food) moves through slowly, but steady. If you introduce liquid into the mix, the liquid effectively "washes" the food through more quickly. By drinking with eating, you will empty your stomach quicker and feel hungry again sooner. So, it's good to get the habit down now while you're on liquids and still swollen from your surgery. At this point, for me, it's a habit and I only notice it when I'm in a restaurant. I always get that quizzical look from the wait staff who are confused when I tell them I don't want anything to drink/don't want refills/etc. "Yes, really. I don't want anything to drink. Not even water."

It's real and forever. You can't eat and drink at the same time. I don't watch the clock, but I don't drink with meals.

Than you all for your answers! It’s super helpful to have support. What about liquid protein shakes or soups? What categories do those fall under?

My doc has me following the 30-30-30 rule. Nothing for 30 minutes before you eat. Take 30 minutes to eat and chew 30 times before swallowing. Then wait 30 minutes before starting liquids again. It works well for me. I'm 3 weeks out and still trying to get into a good groove schedule wise. For my doctor/nutritionist, as long as the protein soups have the consistency of water/protein shakes then they consider them a liquid..I had a thicker soups last night for dinner and it was pureed so I treated that like a soft food instead of liquid and followed the 30-30-30. When in doubt, always call your doctor's hospital or message them for advice. My doctors hear from me at least once a week, but that's what they're there for! [emoji4]

as others have said, that rule is for life. But you'll get used to it pretty quickly...

Congrats on your surgery! In the beginning, it is like a full-time job to get all your fluids and protein. No matter how much anyone tells you how hard it is, you don’t fully understand until you‘re there. I think surgeons are overly optimistic about their goals for protein and fluids in the first week or so. From what I’ve seen here, almost everyone has difficulty meeting those goals at first. It’s definitely important to stay hydrated or you’ll end up back in the hospital, but since they probably pumped you full of IV fluids during and after surgery, it’s not going to be the end of the world if you don’t get a full 64 ounces per day right now. Just do the best you can and always be sipping. I was on liquids only for the first week and didn’t start purées until week 2. If you have trouble getting purées down, you can always go back to liquids (and then you don’t have to worry about the timing).

Yes, it does get easier. After the first few weeks, you should be able to drink more quickly and you won’t have to work so hard to get your fluids. I’m 5 months out and I can drink pretty normally now. I didn’t drink enough water before surgery, so I still have to make a concerted effort, but it’s not too difficult.

The rules for time between eating and drinking vary by program. Mine doesn’t restrict drinking before meals, but since so many programs do, just to be safe, I wait 30 minutes after drinking before I eat. It’s more important to wait to drink after eating. My program says to wait at least 30 minutes, but some say 60 or even 90 minutes. The reasoning also varies. Some people say that eating and drinking at the same time or too close together will stretch out your pouch/sleeve, but others say it’s just uncomfortable and can make you vomit. Either way, it’s something to take seriously because it’s not good to flush the food through your stomach too quickly. It’s weird at first, but you get used to it. I set a 30-minute timer on my phone to help me keep track.

10 hours ago, Vsg2020girl said:

Hi everyone! Was sleeved 3 days ago and it’s very overwhelming. My dr said that I can’t drink a half hour before eating and a half hour after eating. It takes me a while to eat foods now( if I can get anything in) and it seems like I’m always checking the clock of when I last ate or drank in order to get everything in. Anyone else experiencing this? Does it get better? How strict is the no eating and drinking rule?

thanks!

I too was told not to drink 30 minutes before eating, as well as not to drink 30 mins after.

30 mins before: After a couple months, I figured out that drinking before eating, no matter how long I waited (or didn't wait) made absolutely no difference. I am able to drink right up to the first bite of food I take with no issue.

30 mins after: This one I adhered to (and still do, at 2+ years out). If I drink too soon (i.e, before the food in my stomach moves out of my stomach), I will get super full and may get chest pains or barf. Sometimes I need to wait more than 30 minutes...I can feel in my chest when I know I am ready to drink.

Everyone may have different experiences though, but you will learn soon enough how your body will respond. Listen to it and act accordingly.

Good Luck! ❤️

This bothered me far less than I worried about pre surgery. My doc says you can drink right up to your first bite, then nothing while eating and for 30 minutes after. I’ve gotten used to it and it doesn’t bother me at all anymore.

This has been the hardest part of surgery for me because I'm a big water drinker and gulper.. I'm 5 months out and I've gotten pretty used to it now. It definitely gets better with time, and I can at least drink more than I expected to be able to now.
Hang in there! It does get better!

Hey it's week 3 for me and i was exactly the same, there were times when I regretted ever getting this surgery done, but week 3 and i feel so much better, just sip your fluids throughout the day and make sure it's not just water as that will lower ur electrolytes in yoir body so drink apple juice, ribena etc too. Ur 3days out so drink broths, lentils, thinned out soups etc and then from week 2 you can start purée meals. Stop drinking 15mins before meals and then resume sipping 30mins after meals. It gets easier hang in there.

On 12/24/2020 at 2:57 PM, cobear18 said:

My doc has me following the 30-30-30 rule. Nothing for 30 minutes before you eat. Take 30 minutes to eat and chew 30 times before swallowing. Then wait 30 minutes before starting liquids again. It works well for me. I'm 3 weeks out and still trying to get into a good groove schedule wise. For my doctor/nutritionist, as long as the Protein Soups have the consistency of water/protein shakes then they consider them a liquid..I had a thicker soups last night for dinner and it was pureed so I treated that like a soft food instead of liquid and followed the 30-30-30. When in doubt, always call your doctor's hospital or message them for advice. My doctors hear from me at least once a week, but that's what they're there for!

Thanks for ur input. I like the 30-30-30 rule

So i have a quick question about the drinking rule. What if you are eating something really spicy or hot and need to take a tiny sip of something? Is that totally forbidden??? Thanks!!

55 minutes ago, mmoon said:

So i have a quick question about the drinking rule. What if you are eating something really spicy or hot and need to take a tiny sip of something? Is that totally forbidden??? Thanks!!

I avoided spicy food early on for that very reason. I still kinda do that (I'm 5.5 years out) - or I'll put a dollop of plain yogurt on it (esp if it's something like Indian or Thai food) to kill the heat