I was interested in knowing who follows the band rule of not drinking anything for an hour or two during or after a meal? This rule is suppose to keep you fuller longer so that the food you've just eaten stays in the smaller stoma longer, thus keeping you full longer.

I have a hard time with that, and can't seem to follow it. For one, I would have a hard time drinking enough Water in a day if I couldn't drink for a good hour 3 or more times a day. Plus I like to keep my whistle wet. And Besides that, I've tried to go a half hour or 45 minuetes without drinking after a meal, but it doesn't seem that I am fuller than if I drink with my meal.

Please share you experiences on this subject.

I only do 30 minutes before and after a meal. It works fine for me. Sometimes if my stoma is full with something dense like meat, the water will come up in my throat, so I avoid it for that reason, not so I remain full per se. Well....that too, but more so I don't spew water everywhere.

My surgeon recommended no drinking for 30 minutes before or after a meal. I follow that, no exception. I want my band to work for me, therefore, I will not work against it.

I find it difficult to wait longer then an hour. I really pound the water down in the early am's when im to tight to eat and drink water through out the day even right up untill meal time. But i do wait at least an hour after i eat before i drink anything

The rule I follow is 30 minutes before a meal and 1 hour after a meal.

I thought it would be hard for me, but it really hasn't. I sometimes take an occasional tiny sip of Water if something is stuck in my throat or spicy.

I drink up to the time I eat and then wait 30 minutes after a meal. It is one of the hardest parts of this process for me, as I was so programmed to drink water while eating.

Hot topic around here. Ultimately, I think you should do what works for you.

Especially if you are tracking your food & hitting a daily calorie goal, the drinking after a meal is less likely to affect you.

If you are finding yourself getting hungry too soon after eating, leading to snacking or eating more than you wanted to at meals, then the first step would be to go back to the no-drinking rule. (before going and getting another fill)

Seriously, if you wait 30 minutes after eating before you start drinking, you are not losing that much drinking time out of your day. Of course, I'm a bit of a guzzler, so it's easy for me to get in 64 oz of Fluid in a short time just by downing a liter bottle of Water a couple times a day.

I actually CAN'T drink after a meal. It just comes right back up. But, if I drink before a meal, I find that it limits what I can eat even more. I don't know if that's typical or not, but it works for me :-)

Same with me, I can't drink after eating, it would just show up again.

I was told 15-30min before a meal and 30-60min after eating. I also find that I just *need* to take a couple small sips when I'm done eating to rinse my mouth of the food I've just consumed.

Of course, this all might change once I'm restricted in a couple weeks, but for now, this is what's working for me.

As it is, I'm having a particularly difficult time getting in 48-64oz of fluids in a day...

-m

I try to wait 30 minutes after drinking to eat my food as if I do it any earlier I become full to fast. I can't consume any water until at least 1 hour after my meal as it will come back up on me if I try to. My restriction is so good right now that I have to pretty much follow the band rules or I will be miserable afterwards.

I drink 30 minutes before a meal. Usually, I can wait 1-2 hrs after a meal before I start feeling the thirst coming on.

My Dr. told me to drink up until I eat and wait 30 minutes after meals. Not too difficult.

Originally, I had a hard time with this. I slowly weaned myself down. I got down to just a small sip 1-3x per meal. I didn't get a first real fill till 5-6 months post-op. Once I had good restriction, I find it too painful to drink and eat. I can be eating and feel fine, but if I drink even the smallest amount, I get a knot in my chest and it hurts something fierce. So the band made me stop drinking while eating!

I think to follow the doctors rules is best. Yet our bands seem to work differently for all of us. I think it depends on our bodies. I think the major goal is not to drink a glass of something with your meal. Our meals were meant for us to get our food in. It is hard enough to eat enough sometimes.

My doctor's rule is 20 minutes before a meal and an hour after. However, he also points out that drinking ice Water or iced tea prior to a meal, right up until you eat, may tighten the stoma and aid in keeping your food intake low.

I usually order ice water before a meal, if I am eating out, and may take a small sip during the meal if my mouth is too dry. But I follow the rule as far as drinking any more than that. Once I got into that habit, it hasn't been hard to follow.