Question:
I'm sipping liquids while eating, is this going to stretch my pouch?
I am 5 weeks post op and I am starting to eat solid foods. Mostly meat, but I'm having a hard time just eating without sipping or drinking my tea or water with my food. I have been taking two to three swallows of my drink during eating. Am I stretching my pouch? Help I don't want to do that but what should I do. I'm just always thirsty. Especially during meal time. — Monette L. (posted on January 12, 2003)
January 11, 2003
Drinking with meals is one of my doc's big no-nos. He says that fluid
creates a washing effect that sends the food through the stomach too fast,
removing the feeling of satiety and enabling you to eat more and feel
hungry sooner. I have a friend who is 3 years post op and she has put back
on a lot of her weight. Even she says it is because she has returned to
drinking diet soda and to drinking with meals. She was wearing an 8 or 10
and now is back in the 16-18 range. She worked really hard for what she had
achieved. It makes me sad to see her regain so much. It does give me an
object lesson in the fact that surgery only provides a tool. How we choose
to use the tool determines how well and how long we will succeed. For
myself, I do not drink with my meals and don't forsee a circumstance that
will change that decision. (Open RNY 9/11/01 -135#)
— phoebe
January 11, 2003
Ditto the last poster's response. When I go out to a restaurant, I ask for
a glass of water just in case I get burned on my food or something, but
I've never had any. You say you are always thirsty -- are you getting in
enough water througout the day when you are supposed to be drinking?
Besides pushing the food through faster, it will fill you up quicker
possibly not allowing you to get in the necessary protein requirements.
Good luck to you.
— Yolanda J.
January 11, 2003
Well I will prob get nasty e-mails on this one but here goes. I sip while
I eat. And sometimes I will suck on the ice. And I know for a fact there
are many other poters on here who do the same. When I told my doc's office
I was told as long as Im not drinking a full glass or more during a meal,
and im NOT gaining weight then there is no harm, So no your not stretching
the pouch if your SIPPING a few sips here and there. Okay im ready for the
e-mails to come rolling in.
— Schatzie1
January 12, 2003
From my research ALMOST every recommendation is to NOT drink with meals,
just as the first poster stated- it helps wash the food thru your pouch
faster- making you able to consume more calores and make you hungrier
sooner. THAT SAID: People do what they want- you make choices with this
just like everything else in life. Why take the chance of getting burned by
playing with fire- You (and Rose too) are new at this and NOW is the time
to practice good rules- this pouch is just a tool, not a gaurentee- it does
take changing some of life's habit. Personally I never thought I would be
able to eat without drinking, but now 9 mo out (-100 pds) I dont even give
it a second thought.
— ~~Stacie~~
January 12, 2003
My surgeon recommended that I sip with meals simply because it helps the
food pass better for me. I have had blockage problems and the fliud helps
food pass thru the opening of the pouch better.
— sheri B.
January 12, 2003
Monnette, sipping with your meals will not stretch the pouch. It takes
some pretty heavy duty stuffing on a regular basis to do that, so no worry
there. I would be more concerned with your always being thirsty. Tell
this to your doctor as sometimes that is a sign of other things wrong with
the body. Your very early post-op so drinking with the meals will not
effect your weight loss at this stage. The "no drinking" rule is
one of the pouch rules that the doctors want you to embrace early post-op
so that when you are further post-op it will be a good habit that you have
developed which will come in handy down the road. Right now you don't eat
much but further out, keeping that feeling of fullness for as long as
possible becomes more important to maintaining the weight loss. Perhaps
you could try sipping a little less during meals and eventually getting to
the point where you can eliminate it?
— Cindy R.
January 12, 2003
No, you are not stretching your pouch. But what you are doing is washing
your food through too fast. The reason for not drinking during eating or
for 30 minutes after is so that the food stays in long enough for nutrients
to be absorbed and to prevent it from being washed through so fast that you
are hungry later. You really need to try to get through your meals without
drinking for 30 minutes beofre and 30 minutes after. It might not be
terribly important now, but later on you will need to do this and now is
the time to form good habits.
— Patty_Butler
January 12, 2003
As everyone states, it's a decision only you can make...to follow the rules
or not. For me, I'm 20 months post-op, below goal and loving it. The only
way for me to stay this way is to continue with what got me here. I don't
drink anything with meals ever! I don't drink soda and I do exercise. I
never eat sugar, avoid bread and starches, and I limit fatty foods because
they make me dump. That being said, I have to admit it was hard in the
beginning to develop these habits. But remember, just because you are
losing now and now seeing any impact from breaking a rules, it doesn't mean
there isn't an impact. You might lose faster, you might suffer less head
hunger, you might feel better if you follow the rules more closely. It's
all up to you. For me, there were and still are too many risks associated
with WLS for me to not do everything I can to make sure I don't put myself
at more risk by something I deliberately do. The fear of gaining my 140
lbs back is enough incentive for me not to try to see what I can get away
with. I'm used to not drinking with meals, drinking 80-100 oz. of water
the rest of the day and limiting artificial sweeteners in things like
Crystal Light until after I get my water in. I'm happy with the life style
changes I've had to make because they have enabled me to be thin and
healthy. Open RNY, 5/14/01. Down from 252 to 112 and lovin' every minute
of my new life. Even without sips during meals. Good luck with your
decision, it is yours to make.
— Teri D.
January 13, 2003
On my surgeon's post-op meal plan, with each meal it says, "sips of
clear liquid for beverage." It also says not to drink anything for 30
minutes before or after a meal. I asked about this and was told it won't
hurt to take sips with your food, but don't consume large amounts of liquid
around meal time because it washes the food through your pouch faster. So,
I sip liquids if I feel I need to during the meal (which is pretty often),
but I don't drink anything else directly before or after a meal.
— Jenny S.
January 13, 2003
Hi, I'm Laurie, living in Mesa, AZ. I am under Dr. Newhoff's program and I
must puree everything that enters my mouth and it must be 1 ounce only 3
times a day. He is very strict with his program! You must also NEVER drink
while eating! You can drink one hour BEFORE or one hour AFTER! It is just
to be sure that your food is going to be going through the new pouch
successfully each time and that you are not hungry all the time. I can't
even think about eating solid foods until six weeks post-op and even then
it has to be chewed so very, very well before swallowing. But I am just 3
days out of the hospital, 5 days post-op and I am supposed to drink 1 quart
of water a day, in addition to drinking a minimum of 40 gm of protein a
day! I got all I can handle with this. Good luck on your weight loss and
please be careful with your new stomach! Bye for now!
— Laurie P.
Click Here to Return