Hi All! I'll ask my surgeon this when I see him in October but inquiring minds are curious now.

What do you think is the rationale behind not drinking for a period BEFORE you eat? I understand the "no drinking during" and in fact when I do, it HURTS. I understand the "no drinking afterward" and in fact if I just allow the time my doc requires, it HURTS! :w00t:

But before? liquids flow through the stoma down into the lower part of the stomach easily, unless you are uber tight. As far as I know they don't linger there long, either.

So I can't quite figure it out. Anyone know, or have a good guess?

My doctor told me to drink up to the point of eating then no drinking during the meal and for 30 minutes after. I had my first fill on the Sept 2 and he told me then he wanted me to work up to drinking an 8 ounce glass of water just before each meal. He said this keeps you from eating as much and quickens weight loss. He has been doing WLS for over 20 years and swears it works wonders.

My doctor told me to drink up to the point of eating then no drinking during the meal and for 30 minutes after. I had my first fill on the Sept 2 and he told me then he wanted me to work up to drinking an 8 ounce glass of Water just before each meal. He said this keeps you from eating as much and quickens weight loss. He has been doing WLS for over 20 years and swears it works wonders.

Which is the exact opposite! of what most of us (also with skilled experienced surgeons!) have been told. The plot thickens.

My Doc thinks it's silly and has no idea why anyone would require it. I have to agree.

I drink before myself but it's always right before and that is a problem as liquid takes a minute for me to go down then I go to eat and I am stuck! I have diabetes Insipidus and it's hard not to drink especially when my medicine DOES NOT absorb in my nose and starts to work. The constant dry mouth (hence diabetes) makes me thirsty but with the band you just CAN'T drink during or after I will get sick. I have learned to live like this it's weird to think back I remember when...lol

My doctor has told me 30 minutes before NO DRINKING do I listen no :laugh: but because I am so darn thirsty all the time..darn diabetes! I personally don't see a problem cuz as you stated restless, it goes down it doesn't stay in the pouch!

Though I haven't yet been banded :biggrin:, I too have questioned the many theories on drinking before, during and after eating. It makes sense to not drink while eating or immediately after. You don't want to push the food through too quickly. But, the liquids don't stay in the pouch for too long. Therefore, why not drink up until you eat? I have no idea what my surgeon's advice is on this matter. I'm hoping I find that out soon :biggrin:.

Because liquids don't stay in the pouch, I really don't understand why docs would say no diet soda - the carbonation will stretch your pouch. Not if the soda flows through quickly to the larger stomach. Obviously, many bandsters have pain with soda and avoid it. I disagree with those who say stop drinking soda because it has no nutritional value. Neither does Crystal Light. I've read many posts that are anti-soda but pro-CL. :cursing: And of course, follow what you surgeon says in most cases but don't be afraid to ask the rationale behind the restrictions!! Doctors, nurses (sorry Monkey), PAs, RDs, etc. can be wrong! They are human. They make mistakes. Sometimes they just spout the rules but haven't really put them into practice. They follow the letter of the law but have never considered the spirit of it.

BTW, can you tell from my post that I've given the Diet Coke issue some thought? I'm not addicted but coming close! :laugh:

Poolgirl since your not banded yet I have to tell you as you state "you don't want to push the food through too quickly" I had to laugh because with me haha there is no pushing the food through if "I" were to drink as I eat or accidently take a drink while eating not only does it have NO WHERE to go but it is extremely painful I have to say this no one will ever know what it feels like until they experience it just keep that in mind for when you get your band you will see I used to be like oh that won't happen to me but when you push the limits (and you will we all have) you will see and will come on here to share your experience as well. GOOD luck to you!!!

Poolgirl I am definitely human! You know I am! I try not to make mistakes but am not perfect, not by a long shot (how boring perfection must be! Not that I'll ever know) and you are right. If you get a medical professional who "knows it all", odds are they don't. LOL

But liquid doesn't push things through for me; it just pushes against my pouch and hurts. When I'm eating, that is.

My point was really more of agreeing with the OP's position. If Water goes straight thru an unfilled pouch, why not drink up until you eat? Never fear, I'll question my surgeon relentlessly on this matter. I won't let the man sleep until he gives a firm, neatly typed, double-spaced written explanation of his methods, his thoughts, his experience and his preference of boxers or briefs.

I shall apply the same methodology to his feelings on diet soda. I just read yet another post where the somewhat holier-than-thou respondant proclaimed her distaste for diet soda, blamed it for making her gain weight, and professed her love of Crystal Light. Hmmmmm.

Perhaps I shall refrain from making any posts related to band life as I don't have a band and therefore cannot possibly relate. I shall instead drink my Diet Coke, burp, and drink some more. I will drink with my all-bread evening meal tonight as well.

Perhaps I shall refrain from making any posts related to band life as I don't have a band and therefore cannot possibly relate. I shall instead drink my Diet Coke, burp, and drink some more. I will drink with my all-bread evening meal tonight as well.

Great practice! :laugh:

My doctor told me that he doesn't care if I drink 30 seconds before I eat. The liquid passes right through. He told me to make sure I am not drinking my calories. As long as I don't eat and drink at the same time. The liquid helps the solid food pass through the band and you will be hungry again. He told me if I drink before I eat, I won't be thirsty while I am eating. He also said to wait at least 1 hour after I eat to drink again.

Liquid doesn't help the food pass through MY band. Not a bit. In fact if I drink while I'm eating, I'm either in pain, or in for a PB.

And in fact while my doc said to wait 15 min after a meal to drink, usually I wait longer because I'm not thirsty.

I also drink before I eat until a few minutes before the next meal. This is acceptable to my band surgeon. Like RestlessMonkey and others, it is not really a question of whether or not you drink while you eat or immediately afterwards. It hurts too much and sometimes liquid comes right back up.

Because liquids don't stay in the pouch, I really don't understand why docs would say no diet soda - the carbonation will stretch your pouch. Not if the soda flows through quickly to the larger stomach. Obviously, many bandsters have pain with soda and avoid it. I disagree with those who say stop drinking soda because it has no nutritional value. Neither does Crystal Light. I've read many posts that are anti-soda but pro-CL. :mad2: And of course, follow what you surgeon says in most cases but don't be afraid to ask the rationale behind the restrictions!! Doctors, nurses (sorry Monkey), PAs, RDs, etc. can be wrong! They are human. They make mistakes. Sometimes they just spout the rules but haven't really put them into practice. They follow the letter of the law but have never considered the spirit of it.

Hmmm. I drank soda during pregnancy because I had no fill and was entirely open. I ended up with a slipped band and dilated pouch. My band had to be replaced one week ago. The surgeon said the dilation was caused partially by soda and partially by having a slip for an extended period. The gas expands in your pouch and the gas doesn't escape fast enough. Yes it escapes eventually, just not quickly enough.

If you have read very many posts regarding banding, most people complain about gas problems post banding. It is difficult to relieve it and there is a lot of it . . . and that is when you are not drinking soda. Throw soda on top of it and it makes sense you might just have a problem. If you do get banded, gas is one of the first things that will give you problems and you might look at this discussion differently at that time. You would think that, like liquid, gas should also be able to flow back and forth fairly easily but experience for most of us with bands tells us different.

Could all of those surgeons possibly be wrong??? There are many points upon which different surgeons disagree . . . but the "no soda" rule seems to be uniform across most. Many of us decide to pick and choose which rules we want to follow . . . unfortunately some of us suffer dire consequences for doing so. I agree on checking on the rationale behind some rules but I think this one is better followed than ignored from personal experience.

For your own sake and the health of your band-to-be, please be careful about what you choose to do or not do post banding. Too many of us make our own decisions to not follow some of the band rules and either don't lose, don't lose as much as we want or cause irreversible damage to our bands.

I just read yet another post where the somewhat holier-than-thou respondant proclaimed her distaste for diet soda, blamed it for making her gain weight, and professed her love of Crystal Light. Hmmmmm.

Is she holier-than-thou because she has a different opinion than yours post banding? I guarantee you that your feelings on a lot of subjects pertaining to banding will change dramatically once you have the experience of being banded yourself. It happens to all of us since experience is one of our greatest teachers.

In my opinion, I don't think Crystal Light if really much different nutritionally than soda. However, post banding you are supposed to avoid soda due to pouch dilation so CL is indeed a better choice than soda given dietary restrictions. Studies have also shown that sugar substitutes can lead to weight gain in some people due to a multitude of reasons, but that would apply to both diet soda, CL and a ton of other beverages.

Good luck with banding.

Hmmm. I drank soda during pregnancy because I had no fill and was entirely open. I ended up with a slipped band and dilated pouch. My band had to be replaced one week ago. .

very sorry to read this heather, hope the new band can remain in w/out issue.

I'm free to drink up until my meal. Just not during or for about 30 minutes or so after. Not drinking during or after makes complete sense to me, but when I heard some patients are told not to drink for a half hour (or even longer sometimes) before a meal, I got a big question mark over my head. It just doesn't compute.

hey RM, you know - my doctor never advised of this. I do drink all the way up until I eat. I personally need to get in my fluids whenever I can. I've never had any issues with this whatsoever. I mean think about it. I'm not going to drink any fluids again until up to an hour after eating. I try to keep my solids in my pouch as long as possible.

IDK, I've seen this posed here many times and I'm even curious as to why? I like to drink a good cup of Water before eating. Actually it helps alot by taking some of the hunger pangs away while I'm eating and thus I eat less.

Good luck and please let us know!