Advice on meal/water time management please :)

 I'm not anywhere near snacking yet, but I am curious how you get all your water in if you follow the no drinking before/after/during meals and you factor in 2 snacks too?  Are you just able to consume THAT much water?   Because, I have a pretty hard time getting it in with just the 3 meals.  The consuming part of my day runs from about 7 AM to 9 PM Do I just need to do better sippage management?  Also, my shakes (Premier) do not fill me up enough to allow me to drink one in place of a meal.  Perhaps I should switch to a thicker shake?  Or will it help when I can eat more satisfying meals?   I am starting off with a shake, due to time contraints on me in the AM - maybe I need to eat an actual meal instead? 

Perhaps it is still a little difficult because I am still only 3 weeks out, but when I imagine factoring the wait time for snacks in, I don't know how you do it.  Sorry if this rambles, LOL

Schedule:

7 - 8:15 AM - Protein Shake 

 

8:15 - 8:35 wait

 

8:35 - 9 - eat breakfast

 

9 - 10 Wait

 

10 - 11:40 drink water

 

11:40 - 12:00 wait

 

12:00 - 12:20 eat lunch

 

12:20 - 1:20 wait

 

1:20 - 5 PM drink water/another shake. 

 

5 – 5:30 wait

 

5:30 PM - 6 PM - eat dinner

 

6PM - 7 PM – wait

 

7PM - 9 PM - drink water

 

Have to stop by 9 or I will be peeing all night, another issue I have to address.

 Edit:  The shakes do make me feel full, just not for long.  Not long enough to skip a meal anyway.

I'm almost one month out, but I am not allowed to have snacks, just three meals a day for now. I guess not having the snack forces me to drink more during the day, so I don't feel hungry. I can also drink faster so I fnish the bottle quicker now. My schedule is usually :
6:00-6;30 16 oz bottle of water
7:00-7:30-Protein Shake
I give myself until 10:00 to dring a second 16 oz bottle of water
10:30-11:00: Lunch-chicken salad or tuna salad or Chobani yogurt
I give myself until 1:00 to drink another 16 0z bottle of water.
3:00: Protein Shake I count as liquid
I give myself until 5 to finish my fourth bottle of water
6:00 Dinner-Fish
I give myself until 8 to drink my last bottle of water or crystal light for a treat....
I can get in all my protein and more than my 64 oz of water this way...
Hope this helped. It get easier as time passes.

Things will get easier when you're a little farther out. I can drink a full glass of water without "sipping" now. I don't do a shake for a meal, I do a shake as a drink, but count the calories in MyFitnessPal.

It is not really that important to wait more than 5 min. before eating after drinking.  It is however, very important to wait at least 30 min, but preferably 45 min. after your meals and you would be wise to keep this rule for life.  The water goes right through us before a meal that is why it is not that important to wait.  But after a meal, the water mixes with the food and dilutes it, so that it passes out of our stomach faster, which leaves us hungrier.  It also prevents us from eating enough in the early stages. 

Are you to the point of being able to add things to your protein shakes. This might help fill you up. I add a banana or strawberries and yogurt. You can make it as thin as you need to - just a little extra water if it's too thick. This helps me feel fuller.

I agree with Elina on not worrying as much between stopping fluids and starting foods not being such a big deal, although you are still pretty early out and healing from the surgery so do what your sleeve tells you so you don't get sick.  It only takes about 15 - 20 minutes for your stomach to empty from fluids.  Definitely wait 30 - 45 minutes before switching from food to drink. 

Make sure you are on a good PPI (like Prilosec or Nexium, etc) while you are recovering.  While the ghrelin is still leaving your body at this stage, which is probably why you are still feeling hunger more acutely, false hunger stems from too much stomach acid and after drinking your shakes, your body probably isn't really hungry. 

At 5 months out, I still take my Prilosec and may be on it for life.  I definitely notice when I don't take it that my body thinks it's hungry more.

Overall your schedule seems like a good one.  Liquids are so important and so is the protein. 

 Thank you so much for your helpful comments, as always.  xo!

 I drink right up to my meals and do fine (per dr. instructions) I don't ever feel hungry so thats no an issue for me. I have to kind of mind **** myself to get all my water in. I will not allow myself to have my meal unless i get X amount of water in and that works for me. Also I am not allowed snacking so I only do three meals a day two of which are shakes at this point as I am not allowed to drink calories unless they are my meal.
Good Luck

A couple of things: First, you will be able to drink much more at a time soon so this is temporary. Second - if it is not a meal I would ditch the protein shakes - replace it with some grilled chicken or tuna. My doctor wants me to eat my protein rather than drink it so I haven't had a shake since 2 weeks post-op. (I know this is blasphemy to some)... You'll find what works for you - keep tinkering.