Drinking while eating...

[fat2nrml]

Hello everyone,

I have to admitt that I've been drinking with ALL my meals and snacks since being banded. :lb12: I go for my first fill next week and I realize that I have to stop! I drink ALOT throughout the day,.. water, milk, tea [no soda] or juice. I really can't imagine not drinking while eating.... :dash1: how did you all do it? What kind of chages did you make? I appreciate your help, Thanks, Darlene :punish:

[MamaMichelle]

First off: DARLENE STEP AWAY FROM THE BEVERAGES... lol

I think for everyone this is the HARDEST rule to learn to follow, it is also the most likely reason for your pouch to stretch which can totally sabotage even having the band...

Here is a great post on the same topic, about the issues it can cause and how some of us are dealing with it: http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=5815

Hope it helps!

[Alana]

Hey Darlene,

Have you tried sucking on ice cubes while you eat? I've heard that's a good tool on cutting down drinking while eating. I know it's not the greatest substitute, but just remind yourself it's only about an hour before and an hour after. We can do this!!

[Dontondan]

I too have a lot of difficulty with this. I drink a nice glass of water or crystal light while I prepare my families meal and then I don't drink anything when we are eating, even having it on the table is too hard for me. I eat and then set a timer for 1 hour and don't drink again until the alarm goes off! When we go to a restaurant, I drink while I order and then ask the waitress to not refill my glass, but leave the ice cubes. If I can't do it, I suck on an ice cube. Good Luck!

[God4me]

Darlene,

Don"t panic....your honest. Not eating and drinking is for the health of your band. If you understand why you should not do it, that may help you to change it.

Eating and drinking will cause a few things. First it washes down your food too quick and will cause you to become hungry sooner. Second, it will stretch your pouch, of which will pose a problem later. Getting fills will become useless if you continue to do this because, you will feel that you have no restriction once the pouch is stretched. You must correct that.

All you can drink before your meals and up to 5 min before you eat......wait about 1 hour after you eat, to continue to drink and you are on your way. Your band should work for you not against you! Remember, when drinking stay away form the calories!!!!!!!

I believe over time, you will have no problem in this area.....in fact it will become second nature as it has done for me. Honestly, we were not meant to eat and drink at the same time anyway...so your correcting a bad habit, we all have.

Be encouraged! >

Monet

[fat2nrml]

Thanks everyone, I do really appreciate your tips and advice!! Michelle, I WILL STEP AWAY FROM THE BEVERAGES! LOL The "funny" thing is, I answered that topic and tried to support Kimmie and kept on drinking anyways! :punish: I'm going to have to put my own foot down and start behaving. I've probably already stretched my pouch.... I hope not though. I pledge to my fellow bandsters that I WILL NOT drink with my meals or snacks from here on out! Also, I'm going to get one of those little timers to set for an hour after I eat. Thanks again! Much love, Darlene

[Blazn]

Darlene - once you get your fill it will be easier than you think. For example, right after my first fill I ate a small bowl of cereal....afterwards (mostly from habit) I turned the bowl up and drank the milk left in the bowl. BIG MISTAKE!!!!! With the cereal passing through the band the milk could not and it backed up in my chest - OMG the pain!!!!!!! I had no choice but to go to the bathroom and throw up the milk - the pain was unbearable. That cured me right then and I have not drank while or directly after eating since then. I learned it the hard way!!!

[Jann]

I'm pre-op and actually fundamentally pre-diet for pre-op and I am really struggling with the drinking thing. I don't salt my food so that it doesn't encourage me to be thirsty. I'm really trying to chew 20 times every bite (sometimes not so much). I'm trying to cut everything into tiny pieces -- very frustrating pre-op! I use salad plates not dinner plates to make the amount look larger. I put my fork down between bites (mostly!) I'm not snacking AT ALL anymore!

I'm eating protein first, followed by salad, followed by starch (if there even is any) and I've cut my bread consumption down to no more than two slices (tuna or egg sandwich, l/f mayo, no butter, onion) per day, usually no bread at all. (Amazing for me. I'm such a bread hound!) I can accept all of that thus far with a struggle or two here or there.

Losing the carbonated drinks was easy surprisingly. I drink one or two protein drinks a day. Giving up coffee -- well, I'm down from three pots a day to two large mugs with dairy powder and no sugar. In summary, I can let go of the salt, sugar, soda, chips, peanuts and even condiments but giving up my water especially at dinner is diabolical! Having said that, the diagram is a wake up call. Who'd have thought water would stretch your pouch!

I read somewhere that an adult has to repeat a behaviour 500 times consecutively before it becomes an entrenched habit.

So, here I go tonight -- one ...

[fat2nrml]

Thanks ladies, I'm working on my bad behavior. I ate meatloaf for supper and I waited exactly 1 hr. before I drank... I was so proud! I also wrote myself a note and left it on the island in the kitchen.. "DO NOT DRINK WHILE EATING OR UNTIL 1 hr. AFTERWARDS!" I also wrote a grocery list and added a kitchen timer to it, I think that'll really help. I just hope that I didn't stretch my pouch, if I did, hopefully it'll shrink back within a week... my first fill's on the 29th. Fingers crossed! Thanks again, I'm so greatful for everyone on this forum! >

[mlgpdx]

:-h Just a side note here... I had my fill at the OCC Monday 5/12 by Dr. R he asked me if I was still drinking while eating and I replied.. uh yes I am. :lb12: He explained the same things that everyone else has said BUT he told me that as long as I wait at LEAST 15 minutes it will be fine. He said 1/2 an hour is BETTER but if you are DYING.. then 15 minutes is fine. That works for me. If I am truly feeling parched and think I might actually die I wait the alloted 15 minutes then have a few little drinks. I then wait another 15 minutes (total 1/2 hour) and have what I want. It works for me. 15 minutes goes by quickly and I usually forget about it and make to the 1/2 hour point. I know it's contradicting information but seriously that's what he told me! :-?

[fat2nrml]

Thanks Mindy, that's good to know. Did the Doc say anything about your pouch being stretched or anything like that? That's one of my concerns, I worry that I may have already screwed this up! I'm doing much better, I think that it's just a bad habit that is going to take some work to break. [i'm weak! :lb12: ] I've always been a big drinker but I need to work on my timing.

[mona-camille]

For me, this topic is humorous because I was never one to drink with meals to begin with. Never did, my whole life. But, now that I am told I CAN'T do it, I want it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that ridiculous or what?

I am soooooooo impressionable!

[Paula Bee]

A couple of things to think about if you want to drink while eating: (and believe me, I do! I have diagnosed dry mouth and have to brush with special toothpaste, etc.)

1. You are wasting the $8,000 you spent on the band if you don't follow the doctor's directions. This is the absolute show-stopper for me. I just will NOT waste that money.

2. Chewing food creates saliva and is the first step in the digestive process, as spit is a digestive fluid much like that in the stomach. Chewing well and moistening your food with spit thoroughly before swallowing it begins to break down the food so that the stomach secretions can digest that much more efficiently. Drinking something while you eat dilutes this whole process. The diluted stomach acids take longer to break down the food, leaving it in your stomach longer than it should be, creating additional acid to try to overcome the dilution AND creating creating additional gas as the little bacteria critters "fart" while they do their job. (yes, all gas is the fart of some little critter in your digestive system. Funny that their accumulated gasses become our own.)

3. After removing all water from our dining table during meals, I have noticed that as I chew my food thoroughly, the last chews actually seem moister. It seems that I can produce productive spit after chewing a while. It is those last chews that I actually notice the deeper flavor of the food.

4. The ice cube idea is great.. but you need to just wet your mouth and spit it out, not suck it down. (Unless you have those tiny ice cubes.) This would be particularly gross in a restaurant, as you would be spitting in public constantly. (If you were raised by wolves, it won't really matter anyway.)

5. After eating, I go to the bathroom and "swish" my mouth with water until I don't have any food particals washing out. I do this because of my braces, but everyone could probably benefit from it.

6. Listerine strips are your friend; they removes the urge to drink anything. I also chew sugarless gum to hold off for that hour.

7. I use the kitchen timer so I know when I can drink again.

Hope this helps some of you..

[paulafox]

Thanks those are all great ideas and I was the same I never really drank with meals but now that I know I can't do it I really want something to drink. I go for my first fill in 16 days and I have really been trying to not drink for an hour after my meals, but I do drink something while I am cooking and that seems to help. I am just hoping that as time goes by it will just become easier and easier to do with out.

[fat2nrml]

I am doing much better with the "No drinking with food". I just keep reminding myself of it. Also, I noticed that I seem to be eating LESS!!?? Thanks again everyone! >