Hi, I am new to this board.. Question...

I have lost 53 pounds since surgery but mine stalls every 10 pounds, at -32 it wil 10 days before I lost any more. Then at -42 it was 8 days, now its been almost 2 weeks at -53. I am feeling great but I do not drink my liquids. I was wondering if anybody else is like me. I can't drink water, it makes me sick, and I do not like Crystal lite either. I drink lowfat milk about a hald cup at a time several times a day but not much else. I just dont want anything, I know its awful.....(sigh) I just can't make myself drink. I do not have a problem with it I go to the bathroom fine several times a day but I was just wondering if I am the only one who is like this...I get a dry mouth sometimes but then I drink some water,,, very very little and sometimes watered down gatorade ........I guess I was just curious to see if I am the only one like this...Why do they want us to drink so much water anyway? If I coulda drank 64 ounces of water a day I would not have weighed 255 to start with....Any input appreciated.... Melanie Pigg -53

Welcome to the board Melanie! I sure do hope you can find a way to get your fluids in. You need that much water in order for your metabolism to function effectively. Your body is 70% water. You lose water every day through urine and sweat and evaporation through your pores that you don't even notice. By the time you feel thirsty or have a dry mouth, you are already dehydrated and some people estimate you are about 32 oz behind on your fluid intake. At any rate, if you don't give your body enough fluids, you won't burn fat effectively. Also, if you don't get enough fluids, during times that you are in ketosis, it is much much harder on your kidneys. There are people who lose kidney function in that situation. So, it's very very important to your health... at least during the rapid weight loss phase. Truly, it's not about "wanting" something to drink... you have to make yourself do it because it's important for you to do. Have you tried different temperatures of liquids? Some days, only ice cold or partially frozen liquids work for me. Other days, I want something warm or room temperature. Maybe you could do decaf coffee or tea. If you are doing protein shakes or drinks, you could count those in your grand total as well. There are all sorts of sugar free flavored waters on the market and other sports drinks. Perhaps you could experiment with some of those. Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you!

Melanie - I totally agree with Cheryl. Fluids - not jus****er - are so important. Your fat free milk is a good start but it has a lot of calories per oz. I know if I don't drink enough I just don't feel right. A quick and dirty way I can test my fluid intake is looking at the color of my urine. If it's like water (little or no color) I might be over doing it. This rarely happens. Most of the time it's the color of lemonade. That's about right. Sometimes it's more like apple juice in color - that's when I know to start drinking a lot more than fast. Sorry if that's a bit gross but it does seem to help me get on track. Some of the water by Gatoade (Propel I think it's called) might be something to try. I know many people in my support group that love it. Most of them are like you - can't stand water or crystal light. Good luck!

Melanie- It's great that you're trying to up your fluid intake. I understand that kidney stones are a big risk after rapid weight loss, and if we drink lots of water, we can avoid that. You said you didn't care for Crystal Light-I wonder if you like sugar-free KoolAid better? I was a diet pop freak pre-op, and I've found that Minute Maid and Tropicana both have canned sugar-free uncarbonated stuff. I like the lemonade, myself. Iced de-caf tea is another good thing. Some other things you could try are sf popsicles, low-sodium broth, sf jello, hot tea or coffee (decaf if your doctor restricts caffeine), or slushies (sf, of course... lol). Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to go from where you are now to the full 64 oz right off, start off by adding 8-10 oz to what you're already doing per day, and work your way up from there. Keep up the great work! Hugs, Susan