Question:
I have been water loading and I wonder...

I have been water loading and I wonder if anyone else gets a "drunk" feeling shortly after you finish 24oz. of water? I can easily finish 24 oz. in 5 minutes or so and drink 2 24oz bottles one right after the other. I have been drinking 12-14 glasses of water a day. I am battling head hunger like crazy lately!!! I have only about 25lbs. until goal! count my 2-4 glasses of herb tea or hot choc.(I figure these are extra).    — Peggy N. (posted on February 16, 2002)

February 16, 2002
I just want to echo what Ronni said. There is such a thing as getting TOO MUCH water and it can make you very, very sick. In fact, it can be fatal. Find a therapist and see if you can work some of this out. Good luck.
   — garw

February 16, 2002
My surgeon specifically recommends water-loading to help with the hunger in between meals. She says that the water will not stretch the pouch permanently. I have been experiencing more hunger between meals and have added another bottle of water to my day for a total of about 80 ozs. per day. 48-64 ozs. is not the limit for water intake but a MINIMUM. However, I do agree with the other posters that too much water can be just as bad as not getting enough. The most important thing to remember is to listen to your body. If you don't feel well after drinking so much water, then don't. If you feel that your hunger is psychological then it makes sense to seek help through a therapist. However, one thing you might want to consider is that as you get further out from surgery, your calorie intake should be increased slightly because you will soon be going into a maintenance stage. I would consider speaking with your nutritionist or surgeon to make sure that you are eating enough. Good luck!
   — Angelia M.

February 17, 2002
I disagree strongly that 64 oz is &quot;plenty&quot;. 64 oz is the <b>minimum</b> for good health while losing weight. Your body requires 1 liter for basic maintenance, and during periods of rapid weight loss, you need at least another liter to keep the kidneys healthy. Most people need 1/2 oz (15 cc) per pound of body weight. For me now at 199, that means 100 oz of water a day... roughly three liters. I feel fantastic when I drink that much water, and I usually do drink that every day.<p>Water that you drink during exercise (you are exercising every day, right?) does not count towards your daily total. In an hour at the gym, you burn through almost a liter of water, more if the air is dry, and most people do not manage to drink that much water while they are working out.<p>I would count herbal tea in my daily water consumption, but not hot chocolate. Hot chocolate has caffeine in it; the normal formula for caffeinated beverages is that for each 12 oz. you drink, you must add 14 oz. of non-caffeinated beverage to counteract the diuretic affect of the caffeine.<p>I think your water loading IS a bit fast. I try to do half a liter (around 17 oz) in 10-15 minutes. That's fast enough to quell my hunger, and it's manageable. If necessary, I will drink a liter in half an hour. Faster than that seems to risk pouch stretching IMO, if you do it routinely. But pouches ARE very hard to actually stretch, so don't sweat that TOO much.<p>Ultimately, I bet you'd be better off if you really up your cardiovascular exercise, not adding more water to your regime. HTH ... down 111 lbs to 199 in 5 months! :-)
   — Julia M.

February 17, 2002
Hi, it's me the orig. poster. I thank you for your responses, I do exercise daily...2X, in the a.m. I go to Curves and in the p.m. I walk 5 miles. So my water intake must be higher than 64oz! I do have a call into BTC about this question. I think I may be pushing the water quickly...but I never have pain or discomfort while I drink so I wonder about the possibility of stretching my pouch? The head hunger...I think I'll have to always fight :(. I really enjoyed the first 5 months of not being hungry ever! Thanks again!
   — Peggy N.