Forgetting to drink/eat~ bad?

It's hard for me to think of forgetting to put stuff in as a bad thing, but I'm sure I should be putting something in...I'm at my two week post op mark and I don't want to do anything wrong, yet I don't want to do something to make my stomach big either. I'm cool with it staying tiny. I just sip my 2oz of shake once or twice a day and forget to do anything other than wet my whistle a few times. I'm worried I'm dehydrated. But drinking is nauseating me. I've lost 20 pounds this first month. Preparing for surgery included. I don't want to do anything to stop the progress. Any feedback appreciated. Thank you. 

Many people have a lot of success with Intermittent Fasting (basically what you're doing by not eating).

Some things to be wary of:

-low blood sugar, usually manifests as light headedness when standing up abruptly, or "falling up the stairs" and dizziness

-extended fasting requires replacement of electrolytes to prevent upsetting the balance (this could be responsible for your current nausea)

-muscle loss from prolonged fasting (not a concern for, say, an 18 hr a day fast or a 1-2 day fasting period but long stretches of fasting should involve taking some protein to prevent muscle loss)

If you are feeling nauseaous, you could try to change the food/liquids you are having. I wouldn't shove food into me just because i am worried about not eating enough. That seems counterintuitive, and vomiting at that early stage would be painful and hard on your healing stomach. 

Well, first you should definitely consult you doctor about this, but second, you should ABSOLUTELY be getting in your 64 oz of fluids per day.  You don't want to get dehydrated.  VSG is not like gastric bypass--based on everything I've seen here on this board and read about the surgery (and what my surgeon told me), you're not going to stretch your new stomach.  You're still healing and it is swollen so that is why you can only take in small amounts.  You do need to get your protein in because it is critical to staying healthy.  You need to drink constantly, tiny sips, all day if you have to, but you really need to get the fluid in for sure.

Well said Cathy - I agree. Water first, protein second.....

Dehydration can cause nausea.  Fluids just run through your stomach and won't stretch it.

Yep, get your fluids in anyway you can. Some like hot, some like cold. Some like tea and some like plain water. I did hot  weak tea as my surgery was in the winter and I was cold (over 7 years ago). Just sip a bit at a time. Fluid is not going to stop your progress. You don't want to have to go to hospital and get an IV. Drink, Drink and be merry (or at least safe). GL.   Diane S

If drinking is nauseating you, that's a good sign that you're dehydrated.  And, yes, this is bad.  A body needs liquids, you MUST drink.  That's your job right now.  If water doesn't work, try hot tea or hot broth or cold crystal light.  Experiment until you find something you can tolerate and then make sure to get at least 64 ounces a day.  

Your body also NEEDS protein to heal.  

It's hard for me to think of forgetting to put stuff in as a bad thing, but I'm sure I should be putting something in...I'm at my two week post op mark and I don't want to do anything wrong, yet I don't want to do something to make my stomach big either. I'm cool with it staying tiny. I just sip my 2oz of shake once or twice a day and forget to do anything other than wet my whistle a few times. I'm worried I'm dehydrated. But drinking is nauseating me. I've lost 20 pounds this first month. Preparing for surgery included. I don't want to do anything to stop the progress. Any feedback appreciated. Thank you. 

you could be developing anorexia, which is an eating disorder. It is about control. However, yes you are hurting yourself. This diet is not sustsinanle and at some point, your body is going to start Canibilizing  your muscl e

s for protein. Heart and lungs are muscle protein. This is why anorecics often die from damage to their heart.

You should see your surgeon asap, tell homwhst you have been going, ask him for iv hydration and get with the program. This is a matter of life and death.

First off, a vertical sleeve DOES NOT stretch. The sleeve will get larger as swelling goes down and  later when the suture line smooths out but you can't stretch it, if you over fill  it the food sits in your lower esophagus. You would feel very uncomfortable for a while and you might vomit. This is why people talk about figuring out how to stop before they eat "one bite to many".

Second, the shakes go right through your sleeve into your intestines. Doesn't matter if you drink 2oz or 20 oz of liquid.

If you want to test this put four ounces of very cold water into a glass and drink it as quickly as you can tolerate it. pay attention and you will feel the cold go right through your sleeve. All liguids, including shakes, do the same thing. This is the reason you were told not to drink for a half hour after eating solid food.

The instructions  your doctor gave you is a PRESCRIPTION not a "diet". It is critical that you eat the prescribed amount of protein and drink your water and when you get to the soft food stage you should be adding fat. Your goal is steady weight loss and believe it or not, you will loss more weight if you eat more calories and keep your body out of starvation mode.

Now that you have all the information that others here have taken the time and energy to offer you, if you continue to starve yourself you need to contact your surgeon and let him/her know because your behavior is effecting your healing and recovery.

If there is an inhouse NUT and psychologist  you need to schedule appointments to see them. Seeing them both the same day would be ideal since they could consult and develop a care plan for you.

DO NOT mess around with getting your fluids in.  I know firsthand how hard it is to drink when you're nauseated, but you really have to try to push through it. I ended up being admitted twice post op for dehydration and it is not good at all (it turned out I was nauseated because of a different complication, but the other posters are absolutely right that nausea is a sign of dehydration and should not be ignored). The protein goals can wait a few weeks, but the fluids can't.  That being said, it took me several weeks to work up to 64 ounces a day, but if you can get in 40-50 ounces at least you should be able to prevent dehydration.  Good luck and I hope you feel better!