no drinks 30 min before/ during/ of 30 min after meals...

This is the hardest thing for me to adapt to!  Is this forever?  It feels so strange not to have some water with a meal, or after. 

From what I was told this is only for your own comfort.  I haven't had any issues sipping on water between bites.  I'm like you, I couldn't stand not doing that. If you do this just be sure you are taking in very little and once you are more comfortable with your new stomach you will be able to determine what would be uncomfortable before eating/drinking :)

the issue that you might hVe with sipping water between bites,is you are turning the solid food you are eating into "soup". 

"Soup" is going to cause your pyloric valve to open very quickly letting the food you ate go on through. 

This could possibly leave you hungry soon after eating.

I'm not sure who told you it was "only for your own comfort," but I attended a workshop run by a surgeon who went ballistic when someone said they were drinking with their meals.  His explanation is that the goal of eating dense protein is to provide a sense of satiety for as long as possible to keep you from feeling hunger and wanting to eat.  If you drink liquids, it turns the contents of your sleeve into a soupy mixture which will be promptly expelled through the pyloric valve.  

For the OP, I've found what works best for me is to drink liquids right up to the point before I take my first bite of food.  I try to wait for an hour, then start drinking again.  Learning this new normal takes some getting used to, but it will become second nature over time.

I was told this by my NUT and to also wait until 1-hr after meals.

There is a reason why they are known as "nuts."  

Based on the way the pyloric valve works, I believe that it's only important to not drink for 30 minutes after meals due to comfort.  Liquid isn't going to push things through a closed pyloric valve and there's zero reason to restrict drinking before a meal.  Restriction after a meal is so we don't overfill our stomachs.  

I drink up until the minute I eat. This was hard for me to get use to. I don't drink while eating.....unless if I eat something spicy and I need a little relief, I'll take a small sip, but that is it. If I drink too soon and not wait 30 to 45 minutes I can feel it.

You'll get use to it.  Yes, the no drinking during or after is forever.  Most surgeons blame breaking this rule one of the reasons for regain, because the liquid pushes your food out of your stomach and you get hungry sooner.  The longer you don't drink, the longer you stay full.  It also gives your stomach a chance to break down your food for absorption in the small intestine.

On not drinking before, when you're fresh out of surgery, it matters.  Theoretically, the liquid should move right through your stomach and pyloric valve and make room for your food, but I tell you from experience that it's damned uncomfortable if you haven't given your stomach a chance to empty completely before your eat.  After some months, you'll find you can drink before eating without a problem. 

It has nothing to do with comfort. Once you are fully healed, you can drink and eat in any order, if that's what you want.

There is no reason not to drink before a meal. You can drink right up until you start eating. The liquid will go right through.

Drinking while you are eating or for about a half hour after eating is a different story. If you drink at those times, you will wash food through and into your intestine. You can eat a LOT more doing that. And you will never have that feeling of being satisfied with what you ate, so you will want more food.

The drinking during and after rule is to help you eat less, and be more satisfied. There's lots of good information around about how the pyloric valve works. It's worth reading.

One of the bad habits that those *****gain a couple of years after surgery share is returning to drinking with meals. It's a really hard habit to break, but is a very necessary new habit to develop.