The Water Rule

[Lady Lap Band 71]

Wanted to know if anyone else was told they would have to /should do this once they have the surgery....

No drinking 30 minutes prior to eating, during eating, or 1 hour after eating....

They said if you do, it liquifies the food more quickly and it leaves your stomach faster causes you to become hungry sooner.

[Brockbabe82 0]

the rule I was given was similar. no drinking 15 minutes before and 15 to 20 minutes after. They say that you are more apt to throw up if you over load yourself and food. It sounds as if your rule makes a lot of since too. you definitely want to feel full for longer.

[pstroud100 1]

I was told by my doctor that I should not eat 30 mins before, during and up to one hour after I eat. The reason I was told is one... you dont drink right before eating because it gives a false sense of fullness and you wont eat enough. Two.. During eating if you drink it can cause you the same as one and it can push the food through the band to quickly. and Three after eating hold off on drinking so that the band has the proper amount of time to do its job. Hope this helps.

[Lady Lap Band 71]

That definetly helps, thanks! Have you been successful at doing it? It sounds like it would be hard getting use to.

[LSF 264]

Im haven't been able to wait an hour because I'm so thirsty - I try to wait 30 minutes.

[pstroud100 1]

I can hold off on the before and during. I am struggling with the after. I have just been banded so I am in my first week of trying to adjust. I can usually hold off about 30 mins.

[Jachut 487]

I've honestly NEVER found it made me hungrier and I did it for a good long while. For me a sign of good restriction though is not being able to eat and drink together. I simply cant do it. A few sips of wine with a dinner out at the very most, but I definitely have to wait half an hour or so for my after dinner coffee.

I avoid it because of discomfort but until I reached that level of restriction I did it and my doc said that although its a fairly standard rule if I honestly felt it made no difference then it wasnt going to do any harm. Well - in moderation, I wouldnt try drinking a litre of Water with my dinner.

[Lady Lap Band 71]

the rule I was given was similar. no drinking 15 minutes before and 15 to 20 minutes after. They say that you are more apt to throw up if you over load yourself and food. It sounds as if your rule makes a lot of since too. you definitely want to feel full for longer.

Your 15 minutes and 15-20 after sound more doable to me. But I will try the 30min and 1hour. Hey Jenny you live in Springfield? I live in Tyngsboro, MA it's right near Lowell. That is too cool that we are so close! Have you been banded yet?

[RestlessMonkey 7]

My doc says 15 min before, during, and 15 min after eating. Each doc is different. What I've never heard is what Jachut does...eat and drink together if you want. That's a big no no, as far as I know.

[Sarah.R 2]

I think everyone was given basically the same info just different times, for me it was have a drink 15 minutes before, don't drink during dinner/lunch/whatever and then half an hour after wards, that I can handle - I don't think I could if the nurse told me to wait an hour before and after

[bethm 0]

Huh.. odd. My doc said no drinking 1 hour before and 2 after.

[themis 0]

I can drink before, but not during and try to wait up to 1 hour after, but at least 30-35 minutes... basically try to wait as long as you can.

[Jachut 487]

As far as I'm aware its not a dangerous thing - but there is a risk of pouch stretching if you overload constantly. Its more that it can hinder weight loss by making you hungrier, through the effect of washing the food through.

I simply never found it did at lower levels of restriction, and now with more restriction it does feel as if I'm overloading so I dont do it.

I think the thing is, there seems to a big difference between the way doctors approach banded life. In Australia it *seems* (by my perception) to be much more lifestyle focussed with no real rules. That is, we tend to approach it as you need to work out your own relationship with the band through a combination of learning how it works and reading your own body. You decide what fuels your body runs best on, there's no Protein pushing. You drink if its comfortable, but one reason not to is to avoid washing food through. You eat five small meals a day if that suits you, three larger ones if you're more comfortable with that. I really think thats how you find a balance you can live with. But on here, everyone seems to have been given a set of non breakable RULES that to my mind makes this just like any other diet with the main difference that several of those rules, if broken, will result in pain, vomiting or even damage to the band.

[TQUAD64 9]

My doc says drink a lot of Water before the meal and nothing 60-90 minutes after the meal.

[Annie0341 0]

I was told an hour before and after or the food washed thru and you get hungry too soon. Don't want that!