I should be getting my band this month and am wondering why they say not to drink water with meals. Isn't the general rule, no water (drink) 30 minutes before meals and wait 30 minutes after? It seems that a few sips of water might help lubricate the food and help so it does not get stuck. Very confused on this.

Well, see, that's the point. You want to CHEW the food well enough to not get stuck, and you don't want to drink anything with it because it washes down what's in there and defeats the purpose of the band. Also, if you do happen to be stuck, at least in my experience, the liquid has nowhere to go, so it comes back up faster than it went down. Not fun!

Now, my surgeon disagrees with the 30 minutes before rule, he wants me to drink at least 8 oz of a non caloric drink immediately before eating, to help with the full feeling, and then no drinking for 30-45 minutes after finishing the meal.

As I understand it, the water will wash the food into your large stomach and you won't get your full feeling.

I can't drink water when I eat! It always leads to me vomiting ("pbing")! I highly suggest that you wait til the food digests a little because the pressure/pain is horrible, plus, throwing up just sucks!

Its not just water its ANY drink. And like COLady if i attempt to drink when i have good restriction when im eating It is VERY PAINFUL !

It will CAUSE me to get stuck . Its NOT a pleasant experience !

The purpose is so the liquid does not wash the food from your stoma into your stomach . It helps to keep you full longer. Also ( if i remeber correctly ) eventually doing this can stretch your stoma ?

I drink right up until i eat and wait an hour afterwards to drink.

THIS BY FAR was the hardest thing to get use to . By once i got my band I Stopped it Immediately . So i would practice this now .

HTH

Mindy

I was told by my surgeon (I will be banded next week)- no drinking up to 30mins before a meal. He wants me to drink 2 glasses of water before. It washes the food through too quickly, you won't feel full and you might stretch the pouch and lose the restriction. He doesn't want me to drink 2 hours post eating. (I might have to check that).

Good luck!

I was told by my surgeon (I will be banded next week)- no drinking up to 30mins before a meal. He wants me to drink 2 glasses of Water before. It washes the food through too quickly, you won't feel full and you might stretch the pouch and lose the restriction. He doesn't want me to drink 2 hours post eating. (I might have to check that).

Good luck!

2 hours seem a little too long. Most of the post that I've read about drinking post eating, is about 30 minutes to an hour. I would definitely ask about that again.

2 hours seem a little too long. Most of the post that I've read about drinking post eating, is about 30 minutes to an hour. I would definitely ask about that again.

I agree I would double check that as well, the longest I have heard is an hour. Some people will go ahead and eat after 30 mintues But I found early on that if i do that im hungry faster than if i wait for an hour. So I have learned to wait for an hour now.

And it does not take very long ( at least for me ) for you to get use to it.

I have found a few tricks that helped me deal with it early on .

When im at home I dont get a drink at all when i sit down with my meal . Set a timer for an hour after your done eating.

At a resturant , i drink up until my food comes, when my food gets there i ask the waitress for a to go cup ( no straw) i put my drink in the to go cup and write the time on it so i know what time to drink it .

Sort of out of sight out of mind kind of thing.

HTH

Mindy

you don't want to drink after eating for about 30 minutes to 45 minutes. think of it this way, if you drink after eating, it will make the food go down faster, you will then feel hungry sooner.

you don't want to drink after eating for about 30 minutes to 45 minutes. think of it this way, if you drink after eating, it will make the food go down faster, you will then feel hungry sooner.

Yes good way to put it . The sooner you drink the sooner you will be hungry

Mindy

The best explanation I have hear for not drinking is this.

Think of your stoma as a funnel. If you put a scoop of mashed potatoes in the funnel (representing food) they will trickle thru slowly keeping you full longer. as soon as you add Water to the funnel they run thru. making it empty.

I use this visualization for other things too. like if your too full it overflows or will get compacted and not move at all for a while till it is not as full.

Thanks so much, it makes so much more sense to me :-)

I dont know about you but I needed the visual. It seemed to help me understand Why.

different strokes for different folks i see!!!:speechles