Vet help me what is the water rule and why?

Now that I am 6 weeks out. I find that I can eat larger amounts.. okay I mean 1/2 cup of ground meat  or 3 oz of chicken / turkey as oppose to the  teaspoon.  I can also drink more now too.  I just ate my  3oz of turkey waited  30 mins and just drank  24 ounces of water and I feel really full  but I will go for my walk and it will help digest it.

 

I never drink with my meal, but don't always remember to stop 30min before or after. So if I am able to get my protein and calories in does it matter if drink sooner than the 30mins. I think I understand the  no drinking before you eat because you don't want to get full before your protein, the drinking after I don't understand. I do worry about stretching out my sleeve but is that really even possible ? 

Drinking after eating mixes the fluid you drink with the food you ate. This thins out your food making it easier for it to pass through the pyloric valve (gateway between your stomach and small intestine). Waiting 45-60 minutes after eating helps keep you feeling fuller longer. This is to help you keep from getting hungry right after eating. 

(I'm not a vet, but I've read this explained by a vet, and my NUT)

Water goes straight through your sleeve, and won't fill you up if you drink before eating. The primary concern about drinking during or immediately afterward is that it can cause pain, nausea and (for some) vomiting.

Some will tell you that it'll also "wash food through" but that doesn't happen if you've followed the "protein, then fibrous veg" rule, which means your pyloric valve will be closed. It may somewhat speed up the emptying of your sleeve by making the food a bit easier for your sleeve to process. (Think of it as a small cement mixer - wet food grinds up faster)

This is only a problem if you're equating "not full" with "hungry." If you're eating measured amounts at planned times and understanding that it isn't true that just because you don't feel full you must be hungry, you'll be fine as long as you are waiting long enough to avoid the pain/nausea bit.

The no drinking rule is really about keeping the food in your stomach for as long as possible.  Don't drink before so that you stomach is dry; don't drink during because it'll either push the food out of your stomach or make it come back up (most unpleasant); don't drink after to keep the food in your stomach to digest.  You will feel full longer and your food will be better digested when it moves into your intestines for absorption.

Thank you all for the replies.  I just came back from my  30 min walk and I am sort of hungry, although it might be head hunger because I am not so full anymore.    I can feel and hear gurgling in my stomach. Thanks again for all the replies I will try harder to remember

I'm 4 months out so I'm still very new at this. I keep my schedule strict to 3 meals a day with one occasional snack. And I get in 80-100oz of water/day. The hunger I feel at meal times is much different than the hunger I had before surgery. It's really hard to explain. It's just kind of an empty feeling in my stomach. But once I eat my protein, it goes away till the next meal. Be sure you're getting in enough protein at meal times to keep you full. I do still have some old habits that try and sneak up on me and make me think I have to eat. When that happens, I drink a bottle of water. It really helps. Thirst can be masked to make you think you're hungry. Fight hard, DON'T GIVE IN TO YOUR HEAD HUNGER!! Good luck to you! You can do this!!

Yes you can stretch out a sleeve.  I'm 6 years out lost 149lbs and in the last year I have gained 90 of it back.  I'm going in for a revision surgery on the 30th.  So just know your sleeve is a tool.  Follow the rules even if you can drink doesn't mean you should.  I'd hate to see anyone in my position after 6 yrs of maintenance