"Liquid 30 minutes before and after?"

Dave, "why you have to wait 30 minutes after eating and stop drinking liquids 30 minutes before eating something." Well, my quick answer is-- You Don't have to at all. I don’t have an "end-all-be-all" answer for this one. The Waiting 30 minutes after I do get. It keep you from washing the food on out of the pouch, Slows the introduction of food into the intestines. It’ll keep the sensation of fullness Hanging around a little longer And will go a long way toward preventing the "Gurgles" And gas that arise from having all of your food hit the intestines all at once. That one makes sense, and my doc explains it in those terms. As for the actual "30 minutes?" My doc claims that is an approx. number. Some say "45" but most default to "30." He claims it would vary from person to person Depending on stoma size, pouch size, density of food eaten, etc… My doc joked that it was probably a hold over From all those wives-tales about – "Don’t swim until 30 minutes after eating." The "Stopping 30 minutes Before?" That one is trickier to completely justify. Once again, my doc said it’s rather arbitrary. The idea is that it makes sure that one is not mixing food with liquid And thus causing it all to run on through quicker. Sort of like a guarantee that one won’t inadvertently drink "With" meal. In fact, my doc recommended "Water-Loading"- Drinking more and about as much as one can stand 15 minutes prior to eating. The water runs out of the pouch fairly quickly, Probably less than 5 minutes. But, when the water hits the last piece of the Duodenum And particularly the Jejunum, those tissues "plump up" With moisture. The thicker walls of the small intestines Would then make the food coming afterwards Produce more of a Full sensation. Follow? Some rationalize that by stopping water intake 30 minutes before eating Will allow one to "Not Fill up too soon." So they don’t run the risk of Eating too little. That’s typically not the problem that WLS patients have to worry about. If you fill up too fast, eat more later. A lot of the "It’s said that….." sort of "Rules" concerning RNY diets Are based on and article entitled – The Pouch Rules for Dummies- a combination of two writer’s material- E. Mason from 1980, and W. Barber in 1983. "The Rules" just keep getting copy/pasted again and mis-quoted again and again… a very lose collection of stuff written by Sally Perez, siting NO Studies, sources, etc… Just some stuff presented as fact. Even if those were "The Facts," a bunch of stuff has been learned since 1983. Yes? (by the way, those "Rules" claim one should have – "No liquids 15 minutes before and none until 1 ½ hours after the meal.") It also goes into a description of "Water-Loading. So that’s what I know. That there are more ways than one, and more ways than one claiming to be "The Way." Go with what your doc recommends, but be sure to ask "Why?" Often enough to understand the rationale behind the recommendation. If that works for you, then it works. Best Wishes- Dx