Question:
I need some thought and opinions to my Question.

I am 6 weeks post-op and I having been real thirsty a lot. Its's real hot know and I want a lot of ice and juice to drink. I tend to even drink sips of juice while I am eating and after I eat and even before I eat. I have been jugging a can of juice a day( I do sip.)I was wondering could I have stretched my pouch or is a bad habit I should get out of. I have been loosing weight but when I eat I never feel full, I felt full for the first time after drinking a big cup of juice because I was so thirsty. I know tend to drink water.Thank you and any answers will help.    — [Anonymous] (posted on June 24, 2000)

June 24, 2000
Yes, drinking while eating or too soon after is a bad habit and you may as well nip it in the bud. You can drink right up to the first bite, but once you start eating, no drinking or sipping. It flushes the food through too rapidly, so you don't get the "full" signal on time. It allows you to eat consdierably more food, which bypasses the whole purpose of your surgery. The other thing that it does is create confusion in your head. You need to feel empty, then full, then empty, then full in order to reach "satisfaction". So, if you eat & drink OR if you graze, you will defeat the mechanisms you just paid the big bucks to have installed. The idea is to eat a small portion of food and feel a comfy tummy AND a satisfied brain.
   — vitalady

June 24, 2000
as usual michelle curran hit it right on the head. as a nurse i can alos tell you that we should not be drinking calories like juice that have no nutritional value. drink non -caloric liquids between meals. maybe you're so thirsty because you are dehydarted. juice will not quench that. try water or crystal light. my doctor said water cannot stratch your pouch and that it flows freely through it. i also can drink alot but i do not drink when i eat food.good luck !
   — shelly R.

June 25, 2000
Hi. Right after my surgery I developed a terrible distaste for plain water. Juice or milk seemed to be the only thing I could tolerate. I tried the various flavors of crystal light and sf koolaid, but even they tasted "bad". I had a devil of a time getting my daily 64 oz! I was also a "drinker" and I really enjoyed chugging a tall, cool glass of soda or milk with my meals. But I stuck to my surgeon's guidelines and little by little, I was able to break that old habit and after about 3 weeks I was once again able to drink plain water again. Juice is not in itself, "bad" for you but you need to limit it and be sure to count is as part of your daily calorie intake. Right now it is more important to use up whatever calories you CAN consume by making sure you get in your required protein grams. Crystal lite makes a couple of "fruit" flavors that are quite good and can satisfy your juice "urge" and they add VERY little calories per 8oz. (Orange-Pineapple and Pink Lemonade are my favorites) It also may take some time for you to get that "full" sensation from eating that you seem to be lacking right now but it will come. And if you're drinking with your meals, you could be sabatoging yourself because you're flushing out the food before your body has a chance to feel full. It is important to drink especially now when it's so hot where you are, (you don't want to chance getting dehydrated,) but don't allow yourself to drink with your meals and please concentrate on plain, ice water and/or crystal lite or sugar free kool-aid. Freeze a 1/2 sports bottle of water or CL and then add a little more to the frozen part to fill the bottle and then keep it with you at all times. As the ice melts, it'll keep the rest of it cold for a long time. Remember tnat you decided to have this surgery understanding that it would require some changes to your former lifestyle and this is just one of those changes. Good luck sweetie, and God bless.
   — cj T.

June 25, 2000
I was instructed by my surgeon not to drink a minimum of 30 minutes before or after food or while you are eating. This is for two reasons - first it can be very uncomfortable, second it can wash out everything in your pouch and will cause you to be hungry again very quickly. This is a bad habit that you should stop immediately.
   — Marjie W.

June 25, 2000
I'm very thirsty too - which is good - cause you are inspired to get all of your water in. However, you should not eat and drink at the same time (1) because you need to be able to get in enough protein and not have the space taken up by water (2) and the water can push food through the pouch faster, thereby allowing you to eat more than you should (3) trying to put too much in the pouch regularly can stretch it and (4) probably will interfere with you being able to get used to the full feeling and know when to quit. I stop drinking 15 minutes before my meals and don't drink until at least 20 to 30 minutes afterwards. By then, I am very thirsty but you'll get used to it. By the way, drinking a lot of juice adds extra calories. As little is fine - but mostly try to drink water or non-calorie drinks. Best wishes on much success.
   — Cindy H.