My Gastric Bypass Journey- A personal weight loss story – Water, Water, Water

Yes water is boring. Many of us don’t drink enough. Ever. Personally I was brought up to drink orange juice, milk and Tab (diet soda) I don’t ever remember drinking water. I am not blaming my parents, in the fifties and sixties it was what you did.

Don’t get me started on diet sodas. They have been one of the causes of obesity since their invention and are now being touted as contributive to Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

You hear during your nutrition visits how important it is to hydrate after surgery. Listen to your nutritionist. It is more important than you know. Think of it as how to flush the years of fat you have accumulated. Your liver and kidneys take up the work here to flush those nasty fat cells out of your body, give them some assistance and do not trip them up the alcohol or fruit juices- water is the gas to fuel your fat burning engine.

The side effects of not enough water intake can be ugly.

• Leg cramps
• Blood clots
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Kidney Stones
• Gout
• Nausea

Tips to take in more water:

• Flavor
  • Essential oils- Lemon or Wild Orange are my favorites
  • Fruit infusion- add some lemon, lime, cucumber/mint
  • Crystal Light flavor packets
  • Decaf tea
• Use a straw (wait til month 4 to try this)
• Temperature (tastes change sometimes hot or luke warm works best early on)
• Fun bottles and cups
• Popsicles (sugar free)
• High water content foods
  • Cucumbers
  • Lettuce
  • Watermelon (caution of the sugar content here so only one slice at a time)

Without water your body cannot function, your weight loss will stall and you will end up with nasty complications. All of which will send you to the Emergency Room. Again, Kidney Stones, Gall Stones, Gout, Dehydration (requiring IV fluids) are ugly side effects that you can control.