I havnt been following this rule....exactly and was wondering if this is why I am not feeling restricted...I havent had my first fill yet I was just banded on Nov 13th and well I havent done all that great as far as sticking to the post-op diets. At this point though I am able to eat pretty much anything and have. Outside of the TERRIBLE GAS I have experienced much else...no restrictions for me....oh except on Thanksgiving the Lasagna almost killed me...wont be doing that anymore... so should I be drinking 45mins b4 eating or vice versa or does it even matter?? :thumbup:

First, and much more important than drinking...just because you can eat this early it doesn't mean you should. Many people think that if it goes down OK then there is no problem eating too soon. You need to give the internal sutures time to heal and eating too early can easily set you up for slippage either now or down the road. There will be no signs or symptoms until it is too late.

As for drinking. The rule for me during post-op was no drinking 60 minutes before until 60 minutes after. When I got on solids it was 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after. Now that I am at restriction I can drink up until the meal then I can't drink until 30 minutes after.

The reason for the rule is to avoid washing the food out of the pouch too soon. Drinking during the meal will wash it out and allow you to eat more than you should and drinking too soon after will wash the food out and you won't stay satisfied as long.

Until you get a fill or two you will be hungry, you need to practice willpower until then.

My nutritionist and surgeon told me not to drink fluids 30mins before a meal and 30mins after a meal. The explanation was the same as what's been posted; you don't want to fill your stomach or pouch with fluids that will both help fill you up and wash away the food you did eat quickly, thus making you hungry sooner.

Both affect the feeling of satiety and that's the goal; to feel full with food only so that it lasts longer and you're not hungry between meals and are not tempted to snack.

Hope that answers your question.

Nat

My doc stated no drinks 30 minutes after a meal. The real question is, What did your doctor tell you to do? Call he or she for clarification.