Do you drink while you eat?

question for vets.... Do you still not drink while you eat? I was chatting with a person in another group and he has started sipping while he drinks. I don't because I was under the impression that continuing to not drink while you eat is an indicator of long term success.  I was just curious about other people.

I absolutely follow that rule 100% of the time...here's why: 

1. It's super uncomfortable to drink when I'm eating dense protein.  And super uncomfortable if I try and sip something sooner than 45 minutes after eating a meal.   

2.  With certain foods it actually allows me to eat more (think simple carbs and how liquid makes them real mushy - obviously you can get more in.)

Bottom line:  don't do it.  Check back with that person from the other group in 2-3 years and see if they have easily maintained their goal weight.  I'll bet you $10 the answer will be "no".   

Those were the same reasons I gave him. For me there are a few non-negotiable things after surgery and this is one of them. His response to my reasons were 1. Water doesn't make you fat and 2. That's what normal people do. I'm with you, I don't drink while I eat and won't ever. I was just curios how many people out there shared my thinking. Thanks for your response!

Here's where his reasoning is off:  1) "normal" people don't have a stomach the size of a hotdog, and 2) "normal" people don't get morbidly obese.  If we spin this line of reasoning out then he'll start eating cookies, cake and pastry because "normal" people can eat that and maintain their weight.  

His problem is thinking he's now "normal" due to surgery and being at goal weight.  Just.not.true. 

His argument that "normal people do it" is flawed because non-sleeved stomach will stretch to accommodate the extra volume. Ours doesn't. And there may be a benefit to those with a non-sleeved stomach, because the fluid may make them full faster. But there really is no benefit for us to drink while we eat. Not sure why anyone would risk it.

Now that it's a habit, it doesn't even occur to me to drink when I eat anymore.

absolutely not. All the reasons listed above -- plus I am just completley out of the habit. It would feel wrong to me. I'm not even sure I'm physically coordinated enough to do it anymore

Seriously, I don't do that and I don't see myself ever starting again.

At 8 months post-op, I'm not really a "vet" yet, but I know enough to say that the drinking-while-eating idea sucks big-time. Sleevers are not "normal" people in the sense that our stomachs are no longer normal, and we must adjust our eating -- and drinking -- accordingly.

The point of the sleeve is to fill it with protein and a few healthy vegetable carbs during meals. We then feel full and don't need to eat again for several hours. Mixing the food with liquids while eating throws the whole equation out of balance. The person from the other group is setting himself up for some big-time failure. 

psychoticparrot

Almost 4 years out - so technically still not a vet, but....

I NEVER drink while I eat. I also wait 30-60 minutes after I eat to drink. I may have had some regain, but I guarantee you it had NOTHING to do with drinking while eating. Here are some things I know about drinking while eating:

1. If you drink while eating highly processed carbs, you can eat more of them. This is BAD for maintaining weight. 

2. If you drink while eating dense protein you can get extremely uncomfortable - even nauseous to the point of vomiting. 

I once ate steak too soon after drinking a glass of water and paid for it for hours afterwards - discomfort, regurgitation, gas, horrible feeling in my throat and gut.... NOT GOOD. 

This really is a non negotiable rule for me. 

Reading through the replies, they are great but no one mentioned the medical issues related to drinking while eating. I drink right up to when I start eating and then wait up to 45 minutes after finishing eating to have any liquids. The reason has to do with your pyloric valve which controls what goes into your intestines. This valve is atthebottom of the stomach. When you consume liquids this valve is open and that's why you can drink more. As soon as you eat any sort of protein. The valve closes trapping the solid food in the stomach for digestion. Waiting 45 minutes allow for this process and adequate absorption. In addition to that you will stay full longer. When you take the first drink after eating, this valve then opened. 

Good explanation. However, it is my understanding that once the pyloric valve closes for protein, it will stay closed until an adequate amount of predigestion takes place. This is why adding liquid during a meal can result in such discomfort for some people. Though, I do understand that the liquid will "encourage" the pyloric valve to open more quickly. Either way, once you suffer the consequences of adding liquid to that closed system, you're likely not going to do it again.