Question:
About drinking wate with meals, what harm does it do/
I am 2 weeks post op and simply must drink a little water with meals. How does it harm you, if you do? My doctor says no liquid with meals. He says I must wait an hour after eating to drink liquid. Cant do it. I am thirsty! — ajsp (posted on May 26, 2009)
May 26, 2009
i havent had the surgery yet. They are telling me once it is done no
liquids 30 min before and 30 after. Filling up with liquids they say will
take away getting the protein.
— alaskaman
May 26, 2009
You can have a little sip here and there but it is better to observe the
water rule mentioned above.
— Kathy Thomas
May 26, 2009
When you drink water or other fluids with your meals, it just washes the
food down, instead of letting it sit in the stomach where digestion
processes can at least BEGIN to pull the nutrition out of the food. If you
wash the food down, you might as well cut your nutritional intake in half
or worse. I know it's hard not to drink with food, and there are some
occasions that I do it anyway, like this morning, I went out to breakfast
with a friend, and even though I only had one scrambled egg with some
cheese melted in it, I had two or three cups of coffee.... so the nutrional
value of that egg was essentially wasted. It is SOOOO important to learn
how to eat and NOT drink. If you MUST drink, I strongly suggest you don't
take more than an occasional sip to wet your mouth, nothing really to
swallow. It is one of those life changes that we need to learn to live
with in order to get in all the nutrition we can (since this surgery makes
us malabsorbtive) and to stay healthy. If you don't, you might THINK
you're eating the right stuff at the right times, etc.... but your labs
will show you deficient or even malnourished in several areas. I hope this
answers your questions.
— Erica Alikchihoo
May 26, 2009
If you drink with your meals, you are washing it through faster, which will
make you hungry faster, or at least not feeling full as long.
— Dawn A.
May 26, 2009
I think if you are thirsty you should drink more during the day. Your body
really only feels thirsty when you are dehydrated already. One of the
reasons you should not drink when you eat is that you will fill your
stomach with water instead of food and you will not get enough nutrition
— Vikki Matthews
May 26, 2009
from what i understand if you drink before or while eating you will become
full before you have eaten enough food. if you drink immediately after
eating and you are full, you could stretch the pouch or vomit. admittedly
i DO take a few sips when i eat, enough to wet my mouth. i was actually
"yelled at" because i ordered an iced tea (unsweetened) and i
took two sips of it. i had to explain that i wasn't really
"allowed" to drink it.
— greenpunchbuggie
May 26, 2009
I have the Lapband and was advised not to drink with meals as it washes the
food out of you small pouch and into your lower stomoach, leaving you pouch
empty and you feeling hungry. My Dr. and nut said not to drink alot of
water before I eat and not to drink until 15 -30 minutes after eating for
that reason. I have drank liquids with meals for 56 years so is a hard
habit to break. I talked to others about this especially when I eat fish
or refried beans which are very dry and even my nut said I could have very
very small sips of water. Just don't want to wash the foods out of my new
pouch. Good luck on your WL. Carolyn James
— Cjames3259
May 26, 2009
It's hard but you must learn to do it. I had to set timers and try to
distract myself so I wouldn't think about drinking. (It's still hard for me
to not drink with my meals even at 5 yrs po)..There was even a short time
when I began that habit back and I also found myself malnourished AND still
gained 10 pounds anyway! But that was at 3-4 years PO when my stoma was
already naturally stretched and I just found myself hungry and could eat
much more this way...Years PO, you make you foods become
"sliders" by drinking and you can seriously over eat and make
yourself quite uncomfortable and bloated too! You wash that food out of
your pouch and you will be hungry faster, as well as losing some valueable
nutrition...But NOT The calories! Just the vitamins! Brand newly post op,
your food sits in the funnel shaped pouch, dripping food slowly out into
your small bowel...Pour water on top you make that food heavy like a
clogged sink and can stretch your stoma...Also some foods will absorb the
liquids and swell leaving your pouch very swollen as well.... It's just a
bad idea all the way around...Moisten your mouth but don't drink...
— .Anita R.
May 26, 2009
You should wait the 30 minutes for satety. I have alway sneaked a couple
sips to get the food taste out of my mouth. I don't think you should chug
a glass full and rush all that food to your intestines all at ones. Not
good!
— lesleigh07
May 26, 2009
You should wait the 30 minutes for satety. I have always sneaked a couple
sips to get the food taste out of my mouth. I don't think you should chug
a glass full and rush all that food to your intestines all at ones. Not
good!
— lesleigh07
May 26, 2009
It does great harm. It washes the food thru the pouch and will make you
hungrier faster..when you get an appetite again, it prevents foods from
being broke down and absorbed...and most peopple who regain weight, drink
while or just after eating. Wait atleast 1/2 hour. Why chance it, right?
Best of luck to you, Hugs, Kim
— gpcmist
May 27, 2009
I thought not drinking during a meal would be the end of the world but I
learned to do it. I thought I could solve the problem by having a sf
popsicle after a meal but found out that was still considered liquid so I
stopped that. If I really need to I wash my mouth out with water and maybe
chew on a piece of gum. You will get used to it.
— Muggs
May 27, 2009
This was probably the hardest thing for me as I had esophagus/swallowing
issues for years (prior to surgery). I had to take small steps to help me.
First, I would have a glass of water/iced tea (whatever your drink of
choice was/is) and would put it at the far end of the table. I could still
see it and it made me mentally secure as I had a tendency to choke on food
(a lot). Next step would be to have it in the kitchen around the corner. I
couldn't see it, but I knew it was there and again - had security because I
knew it was there. Next step would be to not have any glass near me,
nothing poured. I finally got used to it and to this day I still adhere to
the 1/2 hour rule both before and after. I have lost 145+ lbs. Went from a
size 24/26 to a size 4/6. I would do the surgery again in a heart beat...
it's the best decision I have ever made. Good luck with your weight loss.
— jammerz
May 27, 2009
I drink with my meals but I make it milk since this adds protein.
— trible
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