Question:
Why is it you're not allowed to eat and drink at the same meal?
I was wondering what the reason is behind not eating and drinking at the same meal. Does it fill you up too much? I eat and drink at the same meal now and have a hard time imagining no longer being able to do that? Is this something I can "fudge" on? The reason I ask about getting around that is because I have a one year post-op friend who literally eats whatever she wants..cookies, soft drinks etc.. with no problem...so I'm just wondering. It's kind of confusing to know what you REALLY can and cannot do after this surgery. Thanks for any input/insight. — kathleen-Joan piper (posted on February 28, 2003)
February 28, 2003
The way it was explained to me is that because our new pouch is so small,
we need to reserve all the room possible at meal time. Should you eat and
then drink on top of that, basically the food is just swimming around and
not getting absorbed. If you drink and then eat on top of that, you will
likely become ill. There's just not room for both. Like anything,
re-trainig yourself to wait a bit between eating and drinking will take
some deliberate action on your behalf, but eventually it'll seem natural.
— Kimberly L. A.
February 28, 2003
Liquids will flush the foods thru the untestine too fast. You want the food
to stay in the pouch and intestine as long as possible to promote
absorbtion of the nutrients in the food. If it is flushed out its not doing
you much good.
— Jamie M.
February 28, 2003
Also, keep this in mind. . . if the food gets flushed out, it's as though
you haven't eaten. You will be hungry all the time and overeat. I can not
tell you how much this has been stressed to me over and over. This is one
rule you need to follow. If not, you are more than likely going to overeat
and defeat your surgery. Trust me, it's not as hard as it sounds. I was
really worried about this, too. You have to remember that you are eating
such a small amount, you won't be that thirsty. You will adjust.
— Kathy S.
February 28, 2003
It hurts me like hell if I put liquid on top of food. I have trained myself
to look at the clock when I eat, so I know when I can drink again. It's
natural now. You'll manage! I didn't practice before surgery. I waited till
I absolutely HAD to do it. :)
— Diana L.
February 28, 2003
As always, great answers and great support! Makes you wish all areas of our
lives were as suportive and caring as this everyone is in the Q&A
database. Thanks again :))))
— kathleen-Joan piper
February 28, 2003
The other posters are all so right. I am three weeks out and not eating
and drinking at the same time is the hardest part. We have a tendency to
wash our food down. But so far, I am following all the rules. BTW, your
friend sounds like she is going to be one of those who regains her weight
back. She will eventually pay for her pouch "misuse" and wonder
what happened.
— Delores S.
February 28, 2003
Someone recently posted a link to a study that addressed this topic very
well. The link is
http://gastricbypass.netfirms.com/understandingsmallpouch.htm - basically
what the other posters have said below is correct. According to the study,
the biggest concern is that the liquids wash the food out of the stomach
and you will become hungrier again sooner than if you don't drink during
meal times and therefore will be likely to eat more. If you don't drink
while eating the food will stay in your stomach longer and you will be full
longer and prevent snacking in between meals resulting in a more successful
weight loss. I am also having a hard time with this too so I try to drink
liquids before eating or limit it to a few sips. After reading the article
I really want to do better at this for better success in my weight loss.
— Lisa F.
March 1, 2003
I just want to add my 2c on this issue. One of the critical things about
making this surgery WORK for us is changing our long-term eating habits. I
follow the no-eating-and-drinking-at-the-same-time rule because it is a
"pouch rule" (as noted by the other posters below). But I ALSO
follow it because it slows down my tendency to overeat, or to eat too
often, and it forces me to distinguish between thirst and hunger
(sometimes, hunger really is thirst). If I follow this rule, it also keeps
me honest about getting all my water in during the day. If you're fighting
head hunger, downing a bunch of water (or Crystal Lite, or whatever)
immediately buys you 30 minutes when you CAN'T eat. Pouch rule aside,
having to wait to eat helps a lot on those "head hunger" days.
— Suzy C.
March 1, 2003
The previous posters are right in that we should'nt drink with our meals.
However I do it. I tried to stop drinking half hour before and several
hours afterward. Then I'd just plain forget to drink... and got dehydrated.
To me it was'nt worth it. So I drink alittle with meals. (Sometimes alot).
I don't get all my liquids in anyway, so I'm not going to worry about
drinking with my meals. (I'm at 84% of excess weight lost).
— Danmark
March 2, 2003
The explanations given below are what I was told, too. However, pre-op I
used to drink a 1/2 liter of soda with dinner, so I was afraid about this
rule. However, I find that if I have a little canned fruit or applesauce
with my meal, it is enough to help me wet the insides of my mouth. It has
helped me to adapt to the rule with very little problems-- even when I have
chili for dinner! Good luck, Beth
— Beth S.
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