Drinking question

Hi All-
I think I am doing really well....had surgery 12/7 and am down over 45 pounds....lost 80 from my highest weight....anyway- my BIG question is about drinking while eating!!!!

I know in my head that the Dr, nurses and everyone said do not drink for a half hour b4 eating....which I did for about the first 6 weeks or so...but now I am right back to drinking while eating.  I do not drink a lot- maybe a few ounces.....should I freak out- or quit stressing myself out?? 
I have ALWAYS drank while eating all my life......I am worried about stretching my pouch but this is the habit I am really struggling with.....will I stretch my pouch?  does anyone else drink when eating? 

HELP~

thanks in advance--

I don"t drink when I eat or for at least a half an hour after. I drink right up until I eat.

Here is the link to a video that gives a good demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR0VM3mnsgM

This was probably the most difficult part for me too.

I finally decided that when I'm eating, I will put my water bottle in another room. There is NOTHING drinkable within arms' reach of me. DH and DD laugh like loons, but it was the only way for me to get used to not drinking while eating.

To deal with the dry mouth after eating, once I was allowed fresh veggies and fruits, I finish off my meal with a couple ounces of a juicy fruit: grapes, strawberries, blueberries, canteloupe. Anything like that really helps me wait before drinking again.

Good luck with it!

My program saysnothing to drink for 30 minutes after eating.  The reason for this is so I don't wash down the food and loose the sense of satisfaction.   Thus causing me to want to eat again much sooner.

Here is a story that was shared by my surgeon at the informational session I went to prior to surgery.  One of his patients husbands wanted to support his wife after she had RNY.  He decided to cut out drinking with meals and 30 minutes after so it would be easier on her.  What he didn't expect to happen was this.......HE LOST 30LBS the year after her surgery!  He made no changes in HIS diet except for this.....I think that speaks volumes for why this is important for us.

I have been guilty of drinking after meals and sometimes will take a "SIP" or two to wash down dry things.  I do find that if I actually drink with my meals I can double the amount of food I consume or worse yet NEVER get the sensation of satisfaction.  

I guess I would suggest stopping before you get yourself into a habit you really don't want.  We have to force ourselves to do things sometimes....it sucks but it is key to our success!

I agree with what everyone else has said. 

When you read stories of people that have regained, many have chosen to not follow the guidlines regarding drinking.  It can be such an easy thing to alter once you get used to it. 

I do drink right up until I eat then nothing for 30 minutes after. I also make sure I eat only very moist food...that does eliminate some foods that are hard to get down without fluid but that is OK, I can live without them!!

This is the hardest thing for me..
Just wanted you to know..

I'm also supposed to not drin****il 1/2 hour before and after eating..Mostly I do it..
I need to get stronger.

COngratulations on your 45plus pounds!!!

It is what you are used to.  I grew up in a household where there was never a beverage on the table.  NEVER.  My grandfather was a dr and didn't want folks washing down their food and so mother never had a beverage on the table.  I haven't had any problem with drinking while eating unless I am at a resturant and it is stilling there.  Then I grab it without thinking.  So the key is for me, keep it somewhere else.  I often end the meal with a calcuim chocolate chew which gets my salvia going and helps with dry mouth if I have it.

The other part besides washing it down and not feeling full is the whole digestive juice part.  If you don't allow it to sit in your pouch undisturbed or washed down, you get better digestion and absorpsion.

 By far the hardest thing for me too .   When i stopped drinking with my meals i lost  some weighti was really stressing to lose  ....

After a while, drinking before eating is not a problem because it leaves the pouch quickly. But once you start eating, you have to stop drinking. Not only does drinking with or soon after eating make you hungry again soon, it can make you dump pushing food through your system too fast. If I eat something like chicken or steak, I have to wait more than 30 min. I also can't eat cereal with milk. I have to use yogurt.

I'm amazed that I never learned the rule about not drinking after eating in all the diets that I've tried.  But I truly believe that it works to keep you much more satiated.  I look back at all the years when I had a diet coke in front of me for lunch and dinner (I almost never drank plain water).  The combination of the two, diet coke and drinking with meals is probably responsible for 50 pounds. The WLS was to teach me a new way to live, and I'm embracing all the lessons. 

Put the glass down! (tough love voice).