Fluids

Hey everyone,

Even after 2+ years out I struggle with fluid intake. What can I count as fluid? Does coffee count? Soups? Any advice on how to reach my fluid goals?

Coffee and soup count. I found I enjoy Crystal Light Lemonade. Every morning I make a 64 ounce pitcher of it and try to fini**** by night. It is four 16 ounces glasses. I have one 30 minutes before each meal. I also drink a lot of plain water, and diet sodas.

One of the hardest things for me post WLS was developing good habits for getting enough fluid. Here are some things that are helping me meet my goal of 2 litres per day.

I alternate hot and cold liquids. Although I know that hot fluids count toward the goal, I tended to avoid them early on because you have to sip them instead of gulping them the way you can with cold liquids. However, I later realised that I actually consume hot liquids at a faster rate! That's because reaching for the cup and taking a sip at regular intervals happens automatically, without my consciously having to think about it. Also, hot liquids don't make me feel "waterlogged" and "sloshy". Compare that with cold liquids, which I have to remind myself to keep drinking. Also, I measured my favourite mugs and was surprised to discover that they hold 500 ml, so that's a quarter of my daily requirement. So now I tend to alternate between hot and cold liquids to avoid boredom.

I start before breakfast. Just thinking about drinking 2 liters per day is intimidating for me. So (and this is brain dead obvious in hindsight), I focus instead of getting in 500 ml before each meal. Drinking 500 ml before breakfast was a game changer; getting a quarter of the way to my goal that early really inspires me to keep at it.

I turn some of my liquids into indulgent "snacks". To decaf coffee I add protein powder, cocoa, cinnamon, and almond flavouring for a decadent "latte". One of the highlights of my day, and I'm killing two birds with one stone: protein and liquids.

I prefer a little acidity in my water. Adding lemon juice is one way. Another thing I do is fill a bottle with water, put an herbal tea bag in it, and stick it in the fridge for a few hours. Effortless ice tea!

For cold liquids, I prefer to bottles with screw-on lids. I drink them more quickly and automatically. I think this is due to years of unconsciously sipping on diet sodas. Liquids in glasses tend to warm up, evaporate, and collect dust more quickly. I have tried using water bottles with flip top lids, but I have found it difficult to develop a habit of drinking automatically from them. I now use those steel double-walled vacuum bottles. They keep drinks cold/hot for ages, and somehow liquids just taste better. Easy to clean, and never develops a funky smell like plastic bottles do.

Use fluids as an appetite suppressant. When I feel "hungry" outside of mealtimes, the first thing I do is drink. That usually makes the "hunger" go away, at least for a while. If it comes back the second time, I have a snack.

If you skip breakfast, try to get in 1.5 litres of fluid before lunch. I'm generally not hungry for breakfast. In fact, I find that breakfast "wakes up" my appetite, so I usually skip it. Drinking most of my fluid before lunch accomplishes several things:

• All that fluid reduces my appetite.
• I've met 75% of my fluid requirements early in the day, so the rest of the day I just drink fluids as desired and am virtually guaranteed to meet my goal.
• If I drink a lot of fluid later in the day, I will have to wake up frequently to pee.
• Drinking that amount of fluid over a relatively short period of time really helps me avoid constipation.

I know im not that far out im just over a month an half at the moment. but I know that fluid intake has been a huge struggle for me as well. I have had many spells where my mouth is so dry it feels like its coated in cardboard. Even though my urine is only usually darker in the morning i still know im not getting enough * i am also terrible at tracking my food/water intake* I have been trying different things. I just bought some pure lemon juice and some Monk Fruit in the raw. and have been trying to get thru making some lemon ade thru during the day. Some days are better then others. BUT on the days i do tend to get enough I personally have issues with Drinking to much at one time. I am terrified im going to stretch my pouch more by drinking to much then by eating to much witch will cause me to probly eat more as i wont feel satisfied as quickly or so ive been told.

I have tried setting an alarm pattern to drink water every 5-10 min or whatever but after an hr i just got super annoyed with it and ended up ignoring the alarm mrs calls it my selective hearing >