Trick question: How much WATER should I drink?

Everybody seems to have a different opinion on this and I'm confused. My surgeon/dietitian said on a normal day 1.5L (so that's 51oz give or take), more if it's hot or I'm exercising a lot. That seems really low seeing that most people on OH talk about 70+oz, but honestly it's hard enough drinking 50oz for me... So what should I do?

Generally you want 1 ml of water for each calorie you take in.  If you are eating 1000 calories a day, 1 liter works. In a healthy, normal person the recommendation is usually 30 ml/kg of body weight (now that might be too much!) Drink your 1.5L.  Drink more if it's hot or you're exercising a lot. I think you are doing fine! Danielle Halewijn RD eNutritioncare.com

Hey Danielle!  I also thank you for your input on these issues.  You guys at eNutritioncare.com are so godd at the education part. I have the other end of the water spectrum.  I find that if I don't have at least 100oz of water a day, spread out well over the day, that I get headaches.  I also tend to retain water if I'm not drinking enuf.  Is that just me being weird, or what?

I can't answer your question, but I have noticed that once I got into the habit of drinking mostly  between 9am and noon, the next day I get really thirsty at that time. So maybe it's a learned behavior?

Using your ticker for weight... I would put your water goal between 85-115 oz per day. If you are taking in 100 oz and are comfortable with it - you are right in there. In calculating fluid needs for WLS people, it's sometimes tricky. There are tolerance issues, co-morbid conditions, etc. etc. For most people the more fluid, the better - others do fine on lower amounts. Your 100 oz is 3 liters of water - for some people, that's an impossible goal. Maybe we need to do a post on fluids.  I'll talk to my RD comrades about it. Have a great weekend! Danielle Halewijn RD eNutritioncare.com

Thank you Danielle, you're very helpful! I've read a lot of your other responses as well, it's good to have someone like you here, we can use some factual information and not just rumors!