Someone explain the 'drinking while eating' thing to me.

I understand those restrictions: 30 mins to an hour before and after meals. But why? Does the liquid take up too much room in your sleeve and you are unable to get your nutrients in? Does it make the foods slide down easier and therefore you'll eat more?
Thanks in advance.

I wish I had a link to a video I saw on this. The guy had a funnel and put applesauce in it. We are supposed to chew our food really well to applesauce consistency. The applesauce did not flow thru it quickly at all, add a bit of water to the funnel the applesauce flows quickly, then add more the sauce goes faster still.
So basically you move food through your sleeve faster, and will feel hungry and consume more food.

Short answer, Yes and Yes.   

I don't wait the 30 min before, but that's me.  Be sure to follow your doc/NUT's plan.  I do wait at least 30 min after eating to drink again.  It will keep you satiated longer and the food won't be flushed through.  Also, drinking right after you eat could overfill your stomach and it could lead to a quick - and nasty - trip to the ladies bathroom.

GOOD LUCK!

You don't drink before to give the liquid time to get into your intestines so you have room in your stomach for protein. Dense protein stops up your pyloric valve and builds up so it has time to digest. If you throw liquid on top of food and it hasn't been digested yet you will build up too much pressure and it will usually come right back up.

FRISCO posted this once, which was helpful to me:

 

 

This may be old news to some..... But I’ve noticed a lot of people who have had VSG do not have any idea how the Pyloric Valve works.

 

This is my understanding how the Pyloric Valve works.

 

The Pyloric Valve function and how it pertains to your VSG.

 

The function of your Pyloric valve is the single most not talked about important part of understanding how and when you should eat and drink.

 

The Pyloric Valve is just that....It is a valve that is located at the bottom of your stomach/sleeve. This valve is in between your sleeve and the small intestine. The basic definition of a valve is an apparatus that opens and closes.

 

When open this valve it is about the diameter of a dime. When closed it’s opening is closed down to the diameter of the head of a ballpoint pen.

 

Dense proteins and harder to digest foods will cause the Pyloric valve to close to hold the food in your stomach for pre-digestion...... stomach acids breaking down this “Rough” food. 

 

That’s why we are told to eat dense proteins first.....To close the Pyloric Valve so food stays in your stomach/sleeve longer so we have a sense of satisfaction.

 

It takes about 30-60 minutes for the food to clear the Pyloric Valve...... Than it’s OK to drink.

 

That is also where the term slider food  comes into play. A slider food does not close the Pyloric Valve and as the term is intended.....food slides right past an open Pyloric Valve.

 

 

 

So now the other half of the Pyloric Valve function..... You eat a dense protein like chicken that causes your Pyloric Valve to close. Say for example your sleeve has a 4oz. capacity.....and you eat 4oz. of chicken.....your sleeve is full and holding all 4 oz. of chicken for pre-digestion because your Pyloric Valve is closed. 

 

So now try and drink something....where is it gonna go? Up.....Up until it hits another valve of sorts..... the Esophageal Sphincter (valve) and above that is a flapper valve. The function of these two valves is to hold food, bile and stomach acids in your stomach and not backing up into your air way. This is a very high pressure system. Thats why when you eat to much or drink after eating a hard to digest food and your Pyloric is closed.....It hurts cause you pressurized your intake track. Vomiting would be a natural pressure release.
 

So you can see how learning and understanding how the Pyloric Valve works is important as it pertains to eating and drinking with a Gastric Sleeve.

 

So that was kinda like VSG and the Pyloric Valve 101

 

As you get further a long you will want to use the Pyloric Valve in other ways to keep food in your sleeve longer to stay satisfied longer. 

 

A sleeve empties faster than a stock un altered full size stomach so sometimes it’s beneficial for you to learn what foods stay in your sleeve longer to extend satisfaction.

 

Dense proteins are #1 in closing the Pyloric Valve. Chicken, steak, pork, fish.....in that order seems to be the way it goes for me.

 

Other foods that are hard to digest and help close the Pyloric Valve are foods like:

 

• Broccoli Stalk
• Asparagus
• Celery
• Cucumber with Skin
• Radish
• Cabbage (I’m testing this right now)
• Bell Pepper

 

So I hope you understand my 5 cent tour of the Pyloric Valve and how it effects the way we eat with a VSG and how important it is to work the Pyloric Valve to your benefit.

No wonder that little bit of bell pepper just about destroyed me last week! God. I thought I was going to explode. Awful feeling!!! Hiccups, burping - holy **** And I wasn't able to eat more than one baby bell pepper.

I'm almost 3months out and dr. Said I could drink up to the point of eating but will have to wait 30 min. After forever....

Ok so I do get this but the part that I'm trying to wrap my head around is the soup.  I almost always have soup with my meal. Soup is a liquid so................I would wait 30 min after drinking water before having soup, then wait another 30 minutes to have more water, then another 30 to eat my meal? Does that sound right? Almost like I should forget about the soup altogether.

Soups can be a bit tricky early out, but they are doable! While one is on full liquids and mushies it is best to have cream or pureed soups for your meals. The soup being a liquid eliminates any question of how to eat it. You just dip it down.

I don't know where you are in your post VSG food stages, so I'm just going to assume you are on solids with no dietary restrictions. When I have soup this is what I do: I drink the liquid first, spoonful by spoonful. Then I will eat the solids. I do not worry about the 1/2 hour before eating rule when it comes to soup, because frankly, one can't - it's soup for crying out loud! 

I also no longer adhere to the 1/2 before eating rule - ever. I stop drinking about 5 to 10 minutes before I eat and that is plenty for me. I never drink during and I always wait at least 1/2 hour after eating before I drink again.

Thanks. Haven't had the surgery yet - Aug 27 is my date.