** This is pretty dumb this far along **

But do I have it wrong?  I'm drinking up to the time I eat.  Then I wait 30-60 minutes after I eat to drink anything.  Except I will take my gall bladder pill with a sip of water since it says take with food.  I'm pretty sure that's what my instructions said but DH is telling me it's 30 min before and 30 after.   For example I had some clear broth (soup) at the Japanese steak house then I ate my protein.  Am I wrong to have the clear broth, then the protein? 

'preciate the advice.

C

Hey there. I am in the same practice and I was told I was able to drink right up to meal time. I hate all the mixed information we WLS patient's get!! I can see the reasoning to limiting drink up to meal time so as to avoid filling up on water and not the protein we need, but for some reason the nuts in our practice seem to be easing up on the recommendation. Maybe they have found it to be unreasonable to take a chunk of an hour and a half out of our day, 3 times a day or more for meals and still expect that we'll get in all our other fluids. I see them Tuesday and plan to pick their brains again.

Oooh, I want Japanese steakhouse!!

I'll let you know what they say.

Denise

Denise,

I was being to lazy to go look it up in my paper work, but I've been pretty good on following the "rules" and I'm sure it's supposed to be okay prior to eating, at least by our team of Dr's.  Doesn'****er pretty much flow through the pouch where as food remains, and then if you back it up with water it will expand the pouch?  That's the theory I thought was behind not drinking after eating. 

I know sometimes I don't feel like drinking 30 minutes after, still feeling full so I'll wait an hour or more or until I don't "feel" like there's food before I drink.

Japanese Steak House was a pretty good place to eat for WLS I think.  DH got a regular meal and I got a "side" of chicken.  I figured I didn't want soup or salad or rice or many veggies so I'd just eat my protein and pick off his plate for some veggies.  Well, it turned out they gave me soup and salad anyway, I passed on the salad but the broth was nice.  Then the chef gave me my own serving of veggies, ???, and then my chicken.  Not sure if he was just being nice or what.  But I had a very tastey and satisying meal that I know was okay. 

I'm not sure about the expanding pouch part, but I know they say if you drink too soon after a meal, you will wash the food through the stomach much faster and you will be hungry sooner. I'm sure it is even more important the further out we go from surgery. I read yesterday about a gal who waits 2 hours to drink. I guess whatever works. I do know that I have to rinse my mouth if I've had something like chicken or something. It just tastes funky for that long without a drink.

Your dinner sounds awesome. So the chicken was moist enough? I can't wait to go.

Thanks!

Denise

I was always told to stop 30 minutes before and wait until 30 minutes after to start drinking.  I'm still on the gallbladder meds so I too take a sip with the pill while I'm eating (it isn't going to kill us)! 

The soup question is a good one.....I'm interested to see what other people think about that. 

Isn't it funny that all of us that have posted on this thread use the same practice...I'm assuming that means we see the same nutritionists.  Mine (and the literature that I was given) says to stop 15 minutes before and wait at least 30 minutes after.  I've followed the 15 minutes before and usually wait for more than 30 minutes after.  I wait longer after the more dense the meal I've eaten is. 

Charla - I've always taken the gall bladder meds first thing in the morning with all of my other morning meds and vits.  Usually that's on an empty stomach.  Occasionally I have taken it with my morning protein shake.  I've had no problems either way.  I just finished the last of mine yesterday....woohoo, one last pill to swallow!