Fluid Intake

[Crisscat 169]

Does anyone have a hard time getting 64 oz of fluids in during a day? I know this may sound odd but I rarely get that much Fluid in each day. I am struggling with pre op fluids so Im actually worried about post op once I have surgery on May 3rd. As far back as I can remember I do not drink that much fluids. Ive really been watching it lately and keeping track, if I am lucky I may get about 50 ozs in sometimes 55 ozs. If I push it and drink the 64 oz amount I literally feel bloated and sick to my stomach. I started my pre op liver shrink diet today and since 530pm I have been bloated and feel horribly full. If Im like this pre op how the heck will I be post op.....😲😕

[catwoman7 11,212]

a few years ago I started drinking a 16 oz bottle of flavored water first thing every morning - as soon as I'm out of bed, and before I eat Breakfast. Once I started doing that, I rarely had problems making it up to 64 oz by the end of the day.

[Crisscat 169]

11 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

a few years ago I started drinking a 16 oz bottle of flavored water first thing every morning - as soon as I'm out of bed, and before I eat Breakfast. Once I started doing that, I rarely had problems making it up to 64 oz by the end of the day.

I need to figure something out lol I am miserable after getting in 70 ozs today 🤔 Day 2 I hope will be better

Edited April 20, 2022 by Crisscat

[kcuster83 1,504]

My team says 48-64oz. Obviously more Fluid is better.

I have always been a huge Water drinker, drinking upwards of 100oz a day before surgery. But I was a chugger too, so I started working on that part before surgery.

Now, after surgery I had to figure it out all over again.

I put myself into a routine to hit those goals since 4 days after surgery.

8/16oz at wake up-breakfast-16 or 20oz bottle-lunch-16/20oz bottle-dinner-drink until bedtime.

I am also allowed to count any fluids towards my goal, like milk for example. So, sometimes my breakfast is a glass of milk for the liquid and Protein.

They also have hydration additives (liquid IV) you can add to your water. It doesn't change your water intake but your body absorbs it better and helps keep you from getting dehydrated. So if you are at the lower end of your fluid range or a little shy, the hydration additives will help you from getting dehydrated. Can also do sugar free stuff, like Gatorade zero, or those crystal light drink mixes.

Just keep trying and you will get there. Good luck!

[Flab-U-Less Forever 140]

I have a hard time getting it in. I have a 32 oz bottle with 4 oz marks on the side (made myself but you can buy fancy ones). I have to get two bottles in a day. I am 6 weeks post op and have only missed my Water intake a few times (mostly the first few days post op). Pre surgery I could chug the water to get it in so now that I cannot do that, it makes it harder. Frequently, I have 24 oz plus to get in after 8 pm but manage to do so. It just has to be foremost in you thoughts.

[summerseeker 2,139]

In my modest opinion and I may be wrong but back in the bad old days -If your urine was dark then you were dehydrated but if its light yellow - you are doing just fine. We get liquids from fruits and vegetables, Soups and stews and we never think of them as liquids. I still have to work at my liquid [and Protein levels] I still can not drink for an hour after meals. I take a drink to bed at night and drink every time I wake and that gets me a bit more in. I am doing ok so don't sweat it anymore. You can only do so much as your body will allow. Not eating so much seems to indicate that I do not need so much liquid as before

[GradyCat 3,695]

Okay, so we've heard all our lives to get 64 oz of Water each day. But why? I just watched a YouTube video with a doctor whose name I can't pronounce or spell say that our bodies naturally tell us how much water we need. We have a built-in mechanism to keep us from drinking too much. He said that the 8 glasses a day is an arbitrary number.

[lizonaplane 1,612]

64 oz/ 8 glasses a day was basically invented by bottled Water companies. You do get a lot of fluids from foods. HOWEVER: post surgery, you are more prone to dehydration, and you are eating less food with fluids in it.

So... drink up as much as possible. I definitely drink less now that I can't drink with my meals. Also, plain water doesn't taste good to me, so it's hard to drink that. but I feel better on days that I drink more. If you are in hot weather or exercising, you will need more.

I find that drinking things other than water helps a lot. For example, I drink a large iced coffee every day. It's a myth that coffee/caffeine dehydrates you. As long as you stay under 450 mg of caffeine, it's much more hydrating than dehydrating (alcohol is really dehydrating, so that doesn't count as fluid). I drink hot tea, diet juice, and water flavored with starburst packets. I also drink some diet soda, which my surgery center says is fine. I do have to let it go a bit flat or it's uncomfortable.

[Tony B - NJ 642]

I guess everyone has their opinion on this but I think everyone can agree that being hydrated is good for the body and good for weight loss. I drink around 90-100 ounces of Water a day and I credit my water intake for the weight loss I have seen. If I drink a lot of water I rarely if ever get hungry between meals. Remember that water also:

1. helps keep the skin hydrated which will help the skin contract so you do not have a lot of loose skin after the weight loss. I lost over 100 pounds and my skin is nearly back to where it was 30 years ago on my stomach.

2. Reduces water retention which helps keep weight off.

3. Dehydration slows down metabolism....scientific fact....so if you are trying to lose weight, that is something you do not want to happen.

4. If you are diabetic, plenty of water helps flush out waste and keep your numbers under control.

5. More hydration keeps the joints lubricated reducing inflammation and making it easier to walk and move which will improve weight loss.

My advice to anyone that has WLS is to continue to force fluids until it becomes second nature to you. I do not think 64 ounces is enough, but that is my personal opinion on my experience. Most people are up 16-18 hours per day, so based on 64 hours, all you have to do is drink 4 ounces an hour....4 ounces....to get 64 ounces in a day. Challenge yourself and go to 6 ounces and you get up to 76 ounces of water. Anyone can force down 4-6 ounces of water in an hour...that is a one ounce shot every 10 minutes to get to 6 ounces.

Force yourself to get this done and you will be glad you did.

[Crisscat 169]

2 hours ago, Tony B - NJ said:

I guess everyone has their opinion on this but I think everyone can agree that being hydrated is good for the body and good for weight loss. I drink around 90-100 ounces of Water a day and I credit my Water intake for the weight loss I have seen. If I drink a lot of water I rarely if ever get hungry between meals. Remember that water also:

My advice to anyone that has WLS is to continue to force fluids until it becomes second nature to you. I do not think 64 ounces is enough, but that is my personal opinion on my experience. Most people are up 16-18 hours per day, so based on 64 hours, all you have to do is drink 4 ounces an hour....4 ounces....to get 64 ounces in a day. Challenge yourself and go to 6 ounces and you get up to 76 ounces of water. Anyone can force down 4-6 ounces of water in an hour...that is a one ounce shot every 10 minutes to get to 6 ounces.

Force yourself to get this done and you will be glad you did.

I will give this a shot and set an alarm if I have to. I was actually planning on after surgery drinking a few ounces every 15 mins to make sure I get enough fluids in. Thanks

[lizonaplane 1,612]

1 minute ago, Crisscat said:

I will give this a shot and set an alarm if I have to. I was actually planning on after surgery drinking a few ounces every 15 mins to make sure I get enough fluids in. Thanks

Right after surgery, it won't be a few oz at a time. More like a few sips at a time. But setting an alarm is a great plan - many people do that. I found that keeping a bottle of Fluid in my hand at all times while on the sofa right after surgery helped a lot. It hurt to move, so if I had to stretch to reach for the drink, I just didn't drink. Once the pain went away after the first week, and I was back at my desk, I just started keeping a drink on my desk. Also, play around with different temps of Water - I prefer ice cold or hot, but many people like luke warm or room temp.

[Crisscat 169]

Today is Day 2 for me and I have 32 ozs in already. Plus I had some sugar free Jello and I think that counts as a Fluid as well?

[Crisscat 169]

1 minute ago, lizonaplane said:

Right after surgery, it won't be a few oz at a time. More like a few sips at a time. But setting an alarm is a great plan - many people do that.

Good point! I have heard many say they could only take sips until the swelling went down. I had forgot about that....Thanks

[Flab-U-Less Forever 140]

Yes...SF Jello does count as water...so do SF popsicles.

[kcuster83 1,504]

16 hours ago, Crisscat said:

Good point! I have heard many say they could only take sips until the swelling went down. I had forgot about that....Thanks

Yea, I was given 1 oz cups and told to get AT LEAST 3 sips out of it. It only lasted a few days and then I could drink the 1oz cup in 1 sip.