What happens if you don't get enough water? - Page 3 - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

quilterpam · 07-10-2009, 10:50 PM

I sip after and before every bite, yikes!!!! Why can't you?

jerseygrl684 · 07-10-2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quilterpam

I sip after and before every bite, yikes!!!! Why can't you?

Please tell me you are kidding. Anything pre/post-op tells you not to drink with meals.

NikkiJoT · 07-10-2009, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrappinlaurie

I am going to have my surgery 7/21 and I have a couple questions about the water issues. Can you count your protein drink that is mixed with water as part of your water?

Also I was wondering how many of you had a really hard time not drinking with your meals? Did you start doing it before your surgery to get used to it? I am thinking about starting that a couple weeks ahead of time...my doc doesn't make you do any special diet so I thought maybe I should at least do that.

I didn't start doing it before surgery and don't usually have a problem with it now. You have to be careful, though, because you may (I have) absent mindedly reached for your glass when you eat something that is going down hard. Luckily my glass was empty. But as Sue said, just remove it from your sight/reach and remind yourself and you should be fine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by quilterpam

I sip after and before every bite, yikes!!!! Why can't you?

You are not supposed to drink 30-60 minutes before eating, no drinking while eating and wait 30-60 minutes after eating. The reason is because:

A. You want to get that full, satisfied feeling so your stomach will send this message to your brain. You are, in a sense, training your brain to recognize when you are full. If you drink while eating, you can wash the food out of your stomach too quickly and the stomach doesn't reach that full state.

B. The new opening from your stomach out to your intestine is small, so if you drink while eating, you could be forcing undigested food out this tiny hole too quickly or too forcefully and cause damage to it.

Ms. Readytobehealthy · 07-11-2009, 02:10 AM

This is a really good thread. I have jotted down some tips and I want to start making this my focus.

LisaM · 07-11-2009, 04:09 AM

For those who really struggle to get liquids in, this has already been said, but YES, you can count any liquid as liquid. I, too, use a straw, but didn't until after all the internal incisions had healed, right about the six-week mark.

And, if what you're struggling with is water, there are a significant number of us, me included, who can't drink plain water. It makes my stomach start cramping within moments, whether it's cold, hot or lukewarm. I have to change the consistency of the water, either with a sugar-free drink mix, or making it tea. I drink about a gallon of iced tea every two days. For my doc, caffeine was a no-no the first six weeks (might lead to ulceration of the surgery sites), but afterward it was OK.

For me, drinking directly after eating is not just a no-no, it's a vomiting trigger. Laying liquid directly on top of a solid makes me lose everything. The only exception is breakfast, and I made it an exception myself. If I take supplements without food, they make me ill. So, between bites of breakfast, I take supplements with a tiny amount of iced tea. I still chew carefully, and am careful not to wash the whole thing down with too much liquid.

Everyone is SO individual on this one, but dehydration is one of the primary dangers, particularly in the first few months post-op where our capacity is so small. I learned that when I started getting lower back pain in the early afternoon, that's actually my kidneys screaming at me. I too ended up with a kidney stone, so I pay attention. You need to get to know your new body's signs and signals quickly, it's really important.

Jobu · 07-11-2009, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NikkiJoT

You are not supposed to drink 30-60 minutes before eating, no drinking while eating and wait 30-60 minutes after eating.

Wow thats harsh.. I was told 15-30 before and 30 after... an hour sometimes would kill me I think.. lol

NikkiJoT · 07-11-2009, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jobu

Wow thats harsh.. I was told 15-30 before and 30 after... an hour sometimes would kill me I think.. lol

Yeah, me too! If you were told 15-30 then use that. I just read on another thread - I think it wa Sherry7 who wrote it but I can't find the link - that the longer you wait the better it is. There was some really good information on that thread but I just can't remember where I saw it!! Maybe Sherry will remember and post.

Godsblessedme · 07-11-2009, 05:44 PM

Quote:

but YES, you can count any liquid as liquid.

NO........ you CANT count any caffeinated beverage (coffee, tea) as liquid UNLESS its DE caffeinated

LisaM · 07-12-2009, 03:44 AM

I did an awful lot of research on this one, and there are still a very, very few in the medical profession who argue this point. However, according to the International Food Information Council, and they are only one among many who weigh in on this:

"Although caffeine is considered a mild diuretic, it does not generally contribute to dehydration because the liquid in the beverage itself cancels out any loss of fluid in the body. In fact, “a study on The Effect of Caffeinated, Non-Caffeinated, Caloric and Non-Caloric Beverages on Hydration” in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition concluded that there were “no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males.” Therefore, according to this study, “advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated.”

Here's the link to the original study that's cited there.

According to The Beverage Institute for Health and Wellness:

"While caffeine may have a mild, short-term diuretic effect in individuals who do not normally consume caffeine, studies have shown that this is not the case for people who regularly consume caffeine. As a result, a report on water needs released in 2004 by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that all beverages, including those with caffeine, contribute to hydration."

Here's an interview with the lady who did the research above that blows this particular myth out of the water. She's very clear that, while there's a slight diuretic effect if a person hasn't had caffeine for days, that our bodies do adjust in a very short period of time, and even that effect is smaller. If you've ever taken a REAL diuretic and gotten up to go pee all night long, you know that the effect of coffee/tea is actually quite small.

Can we PLEASE stop telling people that coffee and tea don't count? Any liquid counts.

shecee34 · 07-12-2009, 10:21 AM

Lisa I know I don't know you but I think I love you now.

I'm a coffee lover. I allow myself my morning mug of coffee and stay away from it the rest of the time because I knew I had to get my liquids in. Every once in awhile my hubby will stop at starbucks and I usually don't get anything because I know I should be drinking my liquids. Now I can get that occasional treat without feeling that I've done something wrong.