Stupid question, but I need to know

 Sorry this questions is going to sound so newbie, and I am a bit of a newbie only 1 month post op.

Why do we have to wait 30 minutes after we eat before we can drink anything?  I understand the not drinking before hand, but why can't we drink after we are done drinking?  I am doing it but I just wonder why.

Also, can you count your protein shake as a meal for the day?  Are fluids that have calories considered "food" or can we just have those when we want them?

Thanks for your input and help with my stupid questions!

we should wait the 30 minutes after eating so we don't flush our food/nutrients/protein out of our pouch too soon...and you can use a shake as a meal , at least my surgeon said its ok at this stage of the game. You should really try to avoid "drinking your calories"....Iwould suggest sticking to water, or a zero calorie/no sugar beverage. Sobe Lifewater Zero is my favorite!!!

First of all, there are NO stupid question!! 

You need to wait 30 minutes after eating before drinking so that the liquid doesn;t wash the food you just ate out of your stomach before the nutrition has been absorbed.  You need to let the food digest on its own to get the benefit of the calories and mineralss.

My doctor wants me to have two protein shakes twice a day as a supplement, not as a meal.  He specifically said it was not to be a "meal" but a supplement.

Anything you eat or drink that has calories need to be counted, either towards your daily calorie/liquid intake total or towards your protien intake.  If it doesn;t have any nutritional value, you probably shouldn't be eating or drinking it!!

Hope this helps, and keep asking questions!!

 If you are still on liquids, it is not a big deal to drink after 'drinking' your meal, but when you are on pureed and then solids, drinking will wash the food out of your pouch, leaving you empty and hungry again.  You lost the pyloric valve when you had surgery, so instead of letting a little bit out of your stomach into your intestine they way the stomach works before surgery, now you have basically a funnel and a tube.  If you put a half cup of applesauce in a funnel it will eventually flow out, slowly.  If you put a half cup of applesauce in a funnel, then add a half cup of water, it will all flow out fast.  Same principle as your new pouch.  

I saw a video that demonstrated this but I can't find it anywhere.  

It is also very important that you don't defeat the purpose of your surgery by drinking all of your calories later on.  

found the video on youtube, put a link in my other post.

And that was an awesome video, a real moment of clarity. I can't find it either, and I just saw it for the first time like a week ago, linked from a similar post.

I shoulda bookmarked it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR0VM3mnsgM

this is a really good video that explains it well.

all liquid counts toward your liquid, except for caffeinated drinks.