Hello! I was told by my doctors that I will never be able to drink and eat at the same time and I still struggle to wrap my head around it. I am 16 days post-op for gastric sleeve and in the mash diet phase. I have followed instructions and not drank 30 minutes before food and 60 minutes after but being a person that loves to drink water, coffee, tea throughout the day I find it difficult to organise my time for drinking and eating. I understand that this is done for the absorption of nutrients and the dumping syndrome, but I was wondering if there is hope for me and maybe it doesn't have to be like this forever? Maybe after a few months I can drink if I need to with the food?? Or not having to wait soooo long to eat after drinking and drink after eating? I'm not even asking about doing it all the time. I'm wondering about the special occasion that are needed like eating spicy food and drinking milk with it or going to the cinema and eating and drinking at the same time...

Please help because to think about the rest of my life doing this gives me a bit of anxiety.

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it has nothing to do with dumping syndrome. It's because fluids will wash the food out of your stomach, and you'll get hungry again faster. And yes - it's for life. Fortunately, you get used to it. It doesn't bother me at all anymore, and really hasn't since close to the beginning.

You will get used to it!!! I used to be the type of person who would drink 3-4 refills of coke during a restaurant meal. I'm grossed out now just thinking about how I used to wash down junk food with junk soda, blech! You definitely eat a lot less when you aren't washing it down, with or without WLS!

Best of luck to you!

Think of your sleeve as a sort of hour-glass. When the food is there, it sort of takes a pit-stop in your stomach and moves through rather slowly. If you introduce fluids into this, the fluids will "wash" the food through and you will likely be hungry again sooner.

I don't mind not drinking with eating and it just seems sort of "normal" now unless I'm at a restaurant where they don't quite understand WHY you don't want anything to drink. I've even had them bring me water, just in case and regardless of the fact that I specifically told them that I didn't want water.

So I was told (and experience it) a little differently (p.s. I'm a sleeve):

Its not that the liquids "wash down" food out of my stomach, and makes me hungrier sooner, its that when I have food in there, any liquids I drink will take up the available space and fill me up quick. So much so that I can't eat another bite...and if I do (or take another gulp of liquid) I can feel the material rise up in my esophagus or something and eventually barf.

I have found that this phenomenon happens only when I drink AFTER I eat something (i.e., when there is something in my stomach already). But if I down a 500ml bottle of water before I start eating, there is no issue. So I imagine it as food blocking the way to my intestines, and then liquid just sitting on top of it. Anything more added until the food goes on its way will just come back up.

For this reason, I don't drink until about 30-40 minutes AFTER I eat, nor do I drink during. But I DO drink right up to the moment I take my first bite. Which is why I rarely order/eat brothy soup with solid chunks in it.

Edited January 30, 20215 yr by ms.sss

I've experienced both the "wash down" and the sensation of being too full if I drink with or after eating. And I 100% agree with @ms.sss about coordinating food and drink. I can and will drink right up to the point I take my 1st bite and don't drink until at least 30 minutes after I eat. *I say "at least" because I drink when I feel like I have "room" for it. Sometimes, I feel satiated and/or full for longer than 30 minutes and I just know that I'll be uncomfortable if I drink sooner than when it "feels right."

PS: I DO eat soups. I love soup and eat a variety of soups including broth-based soups with solids in them, cream soups, or chili/chili-like soup. I haven't found it to be a problem. I still get full. They satisfy me the same/similar to if I'd had a fully solid meal. EX: earlier this week, I ordered a small Wendy's Chili. I could eat a little more than half of it and was satisfied for the rest of the evening.

Thank you all, this is very useful for me and now I have less anxiety knowing that I will get use to it!!

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Hello, I just wanted to tell everybody that I have managed no problem to drink an hour after the meals. I do 90% of the time not drink 30 minutes before the meals although occasionally will drink until my first bite. It's going well and I'm not even that thirsty although I do think that now I'm not drinking enough liquids but I'm still working on it.
Thank you all!! I felt a lot better and less worried after reading your comments!

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I am close to 6 months out, and still follow the rules I was given by my surgeon. I don't drink anything 30 minutes before, or after a meal or snack. If I do, I am too full to get my protein in. I have already had to cut my water back from 8 cups a day to only 6. If I drink 8 cups, I am too full to eat all my protein for the day.