Question:
Hey everyone at one year post...can you EVER eat and drink together during a meal ?
I'm only talking small sips here! I am having a hard time with spicy foods or garlicy foods and NOT having anything to sip on seems like torture..and then to have to wait an HOUR?!! Anyone out there who is a long term post-op who can shed some light on whether ths is for us recent post-ops or a forever kind of thing? — Kim M. (posted on May 3, 2002)
May 2, 2002
It is a physical reason to not drink after eating... not an arbitrary rule.
The food blocks the exit to the pouch... and if you drink more than a sip
of fluid it backs up into your esophagus. I throw up the liquid if it is
on top of the food. A few small sips with my meal is all that I can
handle. I am 11 months post op... and I believe that this is a permanent
function of the surgery. It is difficult for me as well but being a size
10 is worth being thirsty for an approximate hour after eating...lol.
— SusanMaria
May 3, 2002
You don't want to drink enough to wash the food out of the pouch or to back
up and cause you to throw up, but it IS OK to take a couple of small sips
during a meal to moisten your mouth. Just make sure you don't keep drinking
subconsciously--I have a real problem with that. I usually place my water
slightly out of reach so that I have to think about it before I sip.
— ctyst
May 3, 2002
Unlike Susan I have no problem drinking while eating physically. However it
does push the food through faster which means you get hungrier faster and
end up eating more. Even though the food is pushed through the pouch it's
still absorbed into the intestines and you still get the calories. Also my
surgeon told me that eating and drinking together is one of the fastest
ways to expand the pouch. It is difficult because I love spicy foods. I
find keeping an ice cube or two next to me helps. I can suck a little bit
to moisten the mouth and sooth the heat, but it's not enough to really
compromise my pouch. Good luck!
— Becky K.
May 3, 2002
I'm 16 months post-op. I have never had a physical problem with drinking
while eating. My surgeon suggested I wait 1/2 hour not a full hour after
eating. I've always had such a hard time not drinking while I eat. I do
drink with meals, not a tremendous amount, but if I don't stuff gets too
dry and I have difficulty swallowing it. Now, I will say that my weight
loss has been slow from the start, and I've "only" lost 100
pounds, but it's a realistic solution for me, otherwise I couldn't swallow
most stuff. Try to follow your surgeon's instructions, but since this is a
lifetime committment, you may need to modify a few things here and thereto
fit with YOUR body's needs. Good luck!! Maria
— Maria H.
May 3, 2002
I am 16 months post op and I started "sipping" with meals about 4
months ago. My surgeon recommended it to allow me to get more calories in.
I have lost more weight than I planned and want to stop losing. I also read
this in the "pouch rules for dummies". If you want to gain weight
(or stop losing) you should reverse the rules given. While I don't
recommend it during the weight loss phase, it has helped me to put the
brakes on my weight loss. I don't really take drinks, just an occasional
sip. It does help. Shelley
— Shelley.
May 3, 2002
Girl I hear you!!! As soon as I take my first bite of food I want to drink
something bad. My mouth gets so dry. Every time I see that cute commerical
about the ants at the picnic. Everybody is eating chocolate cake and cake
is dropping onto the ground and so the ants are eating it and getting
thristy for ice cold milk?? I love that commerical because thats how I feel
when I eat!!! I am 4 1/2 months out and I do sometimes have started taking
alittle sip of something while I eat. Iam really struggling with this
because I know its a no-no to eat and drink. If you ever solve this problem
please let me know!!! We all do it from time to time. Well, I made myself
super thirsty now!! Good Luck on your wls journey!!!
— Laura G.
May 3, 2002
It's only as long as you want to maintain your wt loss. AS the others said,
to sip & eat simply turn everything into puree whereby you can eat 3-4
times as much as you should for long term maintenance. I KNOW how hard it
is, as I used to drink 3 HUGE glasses of milk with every meal. Maybe it
helps that I don't do milk any more, as I now do neither. I do hydrate
well before a meal. ANd I do always have a tiny glass, about 3 oz beside
my plate in case I get dry or hot or choke. But for a routine meal, it had
BETTER be nearly full when I am done!
— vitalady
May 3, 2002
I understand about the spicy or garlicy foods. This may sound gross, but
the solution I have come up with is to order water in the restaurants and
ask for a straw. When I get dry or too spicy I take a sip, swish, and put
it back in via the straw. It is your glass, it is your water and I make
sure not to share my drink with others! This way I keep hydrated and do
not drink with my meals.
— Mary U.
May 3, 2002
If I can get thru a meal w/o a drink, I do. If I find myself becoming
really bothered & thirsty, I have a few sips of water. I usually don't
have a glass beside my plate so if I need a drink, I have to go get it. But
if I NEED a drink, I have one. I have found that my "needs" for a
drink with my meal have changed drastically in my 2 years post op. Where,
before, I would drink 3 or even more large glasses of iced tea w/ a meal, I
now sometimes have as much as 1/2 cup--not often that much, but
occasionally. You really can learn to adjust to just a few little sips, but
it comes gradually.
— Kathy W.
May 4, 2002
I had a VBG 7 years ago and I still never drink with my meals. For me its a
painful experience, the liquid just sits there until it can move thru. It
sometimes takes up to 10 minutes of walking around to get it to go down.
It's totally habit now. It's funny because if I'm eating supper at my
parents house my Mom still asks me what I want to drink and I have to
remind her that I'll get something after we eat.
— Ali M
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