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Eating, Drinking, and Time In Between?



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Another "guideline" that seems to vary greatly is whole topic of "Eating, Drinking, and Time In Between..."

My program handbook says to wait 15 minutes after drinking to eat and then 30 minutes after eating to drink. I noticed the first week that thin Soups seems to go down with no issue, but Beans and sweet potato hit the restriction.

I starting thinking ahead (6 months out) and going out to dinner, having Soup for an appetizer, and a glass of wine with my uber small dinner dish.

So I asked one of our doctors to explain this guideline in physiological terms.

She said there was nothing magic about the time intervals. The reason they suggest it (ah, sure sounds like a rule), is because they want to make sure we get our 70+ grams of Protein every day. She said that if we drink with our solid food, we won't get enough in our stomach before we feel full.

To me, that explains the 15 minutes before, but not the 30 after...

I thought I had read somewhere about food digesting differently in the stomach than the small intestine, but she said that wasn't the case.

How about you?

1. What's your guideline?

2. Have you deviated?

3. Anything bad happen?

PS: Not interested in advice, just personal stories...

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I was told no drinking 30 min before and after eating, but I have been taking small sips of Water when I eat. I just cannot break that habit and it helps me to eat easier. I have not had any side effects from it.

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My surgeon's rule is 30 min. before and 30 min. after. On the rare occasion that I've accidentally taken a sip of Water before the 30 min. after a meal is up, I did feel uncomfortable, with a lot of gurgling from my sleeve. I'm 5 months out.

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1. Min 15 minutes before and 30 minutes after.

2. No.

3. None

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Another "guideline" that seems to vary greatly is whole topic of "Eating, Drinking, and Time In Between..."

My program handbook says to wait 15 minutes after drinking to eat and then 30 minutes after eating to drink. I noticed the first week that thin Soups seems to go down with no issue, but Beans and sweet potato hit the restriction.

I starting thinking ahead (6 months out) and going out to dinner, having Soup for an appetizer, and a glass of wine with my uber small dinner dish.

So I asked one of our doctors to explain this guideline in physiological terms.

She said there was nothing magic about the time intervals. The reason they suggest it (ah, sure sounds like a rule), is because they want to make sure we get our 70+ grams of Protein every day. She said that if we drink with our solid food, we won't get enough in our stomach before we feel full.

To me, that explains the 15 minutes before, but not the 30 after...

I thought I had read somewhere about food digesting differently in the stomach than the small intestine, but she said that wasn't the case.

How about you?

1. What's your guideline?

2. Have you deviated?

3. Anything bad happen?

PS: Not interested in advice, just personal stories...

1. None, because I have a functioning pyloric valve.

2. I have found that sometimes I don't drink anything immediately after eating because I don't have room or am not particularly thirsty, not because I don't want to "wash food" through my stomach.

3. No.

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15 before and 30 after. However, if I am eating something spicy, I will have a bottle of Water handy to rinse out my mouth a bit. Swallowing that little bit of Water has never caused a problem.

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My guideline is I can drink right up to when the food comes but need to wait 30 minutes after. My doctor says it's because the food stays in your stomach longer and doesn't wash the food through making me hungry again quickly.

I don't deviate from this because it makes me physically ill if I drink with my meal. I get overfull and throw up. I don't enjoy that so it's a great natural reinforcer of the rule.

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My timeframe is 10 minutes before and 40 minutes after. I do sometimes take a small sip after a meal to "rinse" my mouth and throat.

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I think mine is 15 before and 30 after, and I adhere to it mostly. Especially the after.

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Mine is 30 min before and 30 min after. The funnel effect was explained to why we shouldn't eat and drink together. The liquid and food together clogs the funnel so we were told. I guess the before is so you won't fill up with liquid.

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My doc said to follow the 30/30 plan, with nothing to drink 30 minutes before or after eating. I followed this plan for about 3 months. Then, in speaking with my friend who was much further out than I, I began following her plan, which allowed for her to drink right up until the moment she began eating, but to have nothing to drink for 30 minutes after eating. This works well for me when I'm out socially. When I'm at work or at home, I still try to wait 15 minutes after drinking to eat anything, and I always wait 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything.

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5 min before, 30 min after. For the first 8 months, I ignored because like you I got a nonsensical explanation for the time variance. I was waiting 15 min after because my logic was it takes 6 min in the esophagus and the rest passing through the sleeve (no more storage pouch after surgery).

I didn't seem to have much issue until I realized I was consistently constipated. Did my own research to discover that the after guideline is to prevent maldigestion. I heard of malabsorption, but the former is particular to VSG and basically makes the small intestines do the work of the stomach so food is processed more slowly. So I started waiting the suggested 30 min and have had no more issues.

The 5 min before is to ensure the liquids are passed through the stomach and that stomach juices are acidic enough. However, I don't always abide because food takes some time to travel down the esophagus.

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My drs office "rule" is 15 min before and 15 minutes after

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