Dehydration

I also have a TMI kind of gauge: if my pee isn?t clear or nearly clear by early evening, I have not been drinking enough.

I do the same thing..lol

Remember that prior to surgery you were also getting more food and food has fluid in it.

Yes, dehydration can really mess with your body and stop your weight loss. I agree with your nut and others that you need alot more fluids. Remember that SF popsicles count and I also count my clear protein shakes.

I will say for myself that the suggested 64 oz of fluids a day is WAY too little. Once I could drink more than sips, I found that my body needed at least 100 oz to stay hydrated, keep my bowels moving and keep losing weight.

I am now 18 months post RNY and I aim for at least 128 oz (1 gallon) and more like 150 oz if I do vigorous exercise for an hour. I know that sounds like alot but it really helps keep me healthy and everything working as it should.

Just my experience and opinion...

Same here. If I get less than 120 ounces a day, I feel like cheap. I'm usually over 200 ounces.

Sorry you experienced that, it must have been frightening. Dehydration can cause too low blood pressure and a whole host of other problems. I've had a few days where I didn't get all my water in, and I could always feel the difference.

I was finding it tough keeping track of my water intake, so I finally bought a couple of Nalgene bottles from Amazon. Each bottle is 1000 ml or 32 oz, with a measurement scale along the side. I can see exactly how much water I've drank and how much more I need to go. Having the visual cue has made a huge difference. I take a bottle with me everywhere I go.

One thing is these bottles have a "wide mouth" so they're not so easy to drink out of directly, but I also bought these little insert thingies that convert the mouth and they solved that problem.

When I finish a full bottle, I log it into my food tracking app.

Sorry you learned the hard way but by posting this you've warned all the newbies, pre-ops, and even post-ops how important staying hydrated it.

I've found it more helpful now that I'm a few months out to have a water bottle that you know is a set number of ounces (mine is 30) and set goals by the breaks in your day. For me this is easy because I work a regular "9-5" and take 2 15 minute breaks and a lunch. So I know I need to empty the water bottle to refill on each break and after lunch, which gives me 4 30oz bottles before I've left work! 120 oz there, and often I'll drink another at home that night and then a cup or two of hot herbal tea before bed.

Admittedly, on weekends when I don't have this regular pattern of breaks/deadlines to drink, I do struggle to get that much in, but I am still mindful that I drink steadily when I'm not eating.

I've worked my self up to over a 120 oz a day, it really helps. Normally I get in a 20 oz protein drink (it counts) then 4 water bottles at 32 oz each plus 20 oz of coffee, they say it counts but I don't count it. So, 148oz is my minimum and I working on maybe adding more. It's one of those things where more is better.

I'm sure you won't make the same mistake again.

Liz