Drink your water...

I am over 10 years post op. I am Ilive in SC which means is is hot here. Like a lot of people post op WLS and on low carb diet - I had my times dealing with constipation. Not fun times. But over the years I found a protocol that works great for me. Or so I thought.

On good days I drink over 120+ oz of water or other liquids. Adding my protocol to prevent constipation - worked like a charm. I got overconfident. Last few days I was very busy. I still took what I take to prevent constipation. But I did not drink enough liquids. I was busy, and in meetings, or on conf calls. Naturally I did not drink enough because I did not want to be the only person in a room who has to leave every 60 min. So in last few days I probably got app 80-90 oz of liquids (coffee, tea, flavored water)

Well.. after just a few days neglecting drinking enough - I am dealing with moderate constipation.

Be aware that 64 oz of liquids is bare minimum. In hot days most of us need more. 64 oz may be enough to not get severely dehydrated, but some other things may be affected. Like constipation, or BP, or even good sleep.

What she said, folks! My biggest "excuse" to not get all my liquids in (strangely enough) is thinking that it is seemingly impossible to eat-wait 60 min- drink- eat...etc. --not enough time in the day, so I put the liquids down at the bottom of the to do list. I think I have to choose- either get the food in or the liquids in. What I have actually done there is put activity- or job-or needs of others or....whatever as a higher priority than my health.

Just got to suck it up (pun intended), get my priorities in right order and, most of the time, my world day is better for it.

Thanks for the reminder!

I only wait 30 after a meal, and I cheat and drink up to the time I eat, but do not eat and drink at the same time. Also, I cannot drink regular water very well anymore! I used to drink it down like a fish, but I struggle unless it's flavored. Crystal-Light sticks have been my savior.

Thanks for the emphasis on this. I could also do a much better job of drinking water and am working on it.

My current approach is to drink water after every bout of walking (I walk multiple times throughout the day). Even half a glass of water drunk multiple times throughout the day gets my water volume up significantly.

BTW, I'm also being more successful with exercise the last few weeks by spreading it throughout the day, which gets me up on my feet much more often and reduces stiffness.

I failed on my water drinking the past couple of days, as well. I only hit minimums, which is really dumb since it was crazy humid (for my area, at least) and I was exerting myself constantly. Trying to catch up now, but I can tell I'm behind and have a lot of work to do. I'm so mad at myself for letting this happen.

Thanks for this reminder. I too, have been "too busy" to get all of my water in. Of course I'm never too busy to eat. Hmmmm. I haven't had a problem with constipation yet. I think the magnesium I take literally saved my butt. :)

Getting some water right now. Thanks!

Haha. I love my magnesium (helps my sleep and my anxiety too, I think). Once it helped save my butt a little to well and I had to make a panicked pit stop on a family trip lol.

1. Try an epsom salt foot soak to get magnesium in. Will do the ame thing except for gastric effects. some people get muscle weakness and can't figure out why. Replacement of Magnesium, citrate capsule most of time for me...but do use the foot bathss as well as my Hubby... and a daily K2 helps me immensely.

In addition to drinking enough water, it's really important to get adequate fiber. I've read that most American's get less than 15g of fiber a day. The recommendations are that women get at least 21-15 grams a day and men get at least 30 to 38 grams a day. Many of our diets are woefully lacking in fiber, and even with a high water consumption this can lead to a variety of issues.

I suspect (my opinion only, I don't have data) that the average WLS patient could even be lower than the average American as many avoid all carbs like the plague, and it's foods that contain carbs that contain the fiber.

Here's a very concise list by the Mayo Clinic of high fiber foods in you're interested.

Adding fiber back in has been tough. I have lots of restriction at this stage and often run out of space before I get to the veggie bit of my meals. What's crucial is that if one adds fiber, they also add water. Fiber with insufficient hydration can cause blockages.