As your appetite decreases after surgery, you may find that you have trouble remembering to stay hydrated. Staying hydrated is not only vital to your health and survival, but it can also make your healing easier. Additionally, drinking too few fluids can lead to dehydration, which can encourage your body to store more fat, which results in weight gain.
What TO Do
Each day, you should drink between 40 and 64 ounces of non-caffeinated fluids. While you can drink other low-calorie drinks, at least half of your fluid intake should be regular water. When drinking, be sure to drink small sips, and don’t feel like you have to drink your entire daily allotment in one sitting. During the summer or while exercising, be sure to drink additional fluids to make up for those lost through sweat.
What NOT to Do
The most important thing you can do when trying to get your 40 to 64 ounces of fluids each day is to avoid or limit your consumption of sugary drinks such as soda, juice, and milk shakes. The reason for this is two-fold:
- Sugar-filled drinks can be high in calories and hurt your weight-loss progress. As a matter of fact, not only could they interrupt your steady weight loss, but they could make you gain weight.
- High-sugar drinks can lead to dumping in people who have had certain weight-loss surgery procedures. Dumping happens when simple carbohydrates pass through the stomach very quickly and are subsequently “dumped” into the small intestine. Symptoms of dumping include gas, nausea, racing heart rate, and cold sweats.
In addition to avoiding the sugary drinks, make sure you also avoid carbonated drinks and caffeine, or at least limit them.
Be sure not to gulp your water as you drink it. Gulping can make you nauseous and can cause vomiting. Another thing to keep in mind is when to drink. Because your stomach size is reduced, you can no longer drink while you’re eating. You’ll also need to wait at least 30 minutes after eating before you begin to drink fluids again.