Drinking....w/ meal?

Hello - I am just curious.....Does anyone drink w/ their meals? Even a teeny tiny sip? I find it SO hard not to. What is the exact reason we should not? Do you think it can really stretch the pouch OR do you think it is to avoid getting full on liquids? Your thoughts please! Thanks!

Melissa~

It doesn't have to do with stretching the pouch. It's so that you don't wash food out of your pouch prematurely and induce hunger (physical hunger) sooner than it should occur.

If you are new out this is not so much a problem with the hunger. As you get further out, avoiding drinks with meals will help you control your intake a lot. I look at the first year as the time to build good habits and one of them is NOT drinking and eating at the same time.

I don't drink with my meals. I usually wait between 60-90 minutes after eating to drink. That works well for me at 3 years out. Most newer post ops need only wait about 30-45 minutes.

If you need something to wash flavors out of your mouth, consider ending your meal with a bite of water-filled fruit, like strawberry or watermelon.

I'm sure others have their tips as well.

But I would NOT get into the habit of eating/drinking together. It's a bad habit for post-ops to start.

Do a search on this. Last night there was a great post that shared a video from YouTube about what it means to drink while you eat. I'm 2 weeks post op and i will say that it was completely compelling. I'm sold.

It is hard, but worth it. Just don't eat things that are super salty. I am setting a timer for 30 min after I eat and then dawdling till I get to about 40 min before I have a drink. Staying well hydrated the rest of the day helps, too.

Hi, i have heard that it is because they dont want you getting full on the liquids.  they just want you to get your proteins in, so i was told no drinking 30 mintues before and I think an hour after or something like that.  Havent had my surgury yet, but almost done with my test.   I also like to drink with my  meals so it is going to be different not to.  Hope all works out for you. 

Thanks guys!

As a matter of routine, NO.  I have, however, on occasion taken sips when something was exceptionally dry or if I started choking (e.g., while eating a pretzel).  As Nik said, it has nothing to do with stretching the pouch (if it were going to stretch anything, it would be the stoma) or with filling up (because the liquids go through the pouch very quickly like a funnel)... it is because the liquid washes the food out of the pouch as the liquid goes through.  This will 1) enable you to eat more than you should, and 2) get hungry sooner because your pouch is empty sooner.  It is the thing found MOST commonly in poeple *****gain weight, so you SHOULD NOT do it.

Lora

Can you please tell me the difference in the pouch and the stoma? I never heard the word stoma except on this site. Thank you.

The pich is the small top portion of your stomach that is left after the surgery.  It is made form the top protion of your old stomach right where the esophagus enters the stomach.  The stoma is the place where the pouch is stitched to the newly moved intestine.  The surgeon has to create this during the surgery. 

Lora

Oh my I am sold...Just saw the video! Here is the link if you would like to see it ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR0VM3mnsgM

No, it won't stretch the pouch.  It'll push food thru the pouch so you can eat more than you should.

I take a sip if I need one.  A sip is not going to cause a problem.