Staying hydrated is important for everyone but there are some persons who cannot do without water. If you’ve had bariatric surgery abroad, taking the right amount of water helps you recover fast. In spite of the effective solution water offers to bariatric patients, many patients choose to look the other way.
When the surgeon tells you that your stomach will be “reduced” after weight loss surgery, it covers every part of your digestive system. For instance, the perception that only food is restricted is wrong. Liquids like water are also restricted. After the procedure, your stomach can only contain a fraction of food and liquid. Some bariatric patients are happy with the fewer meals they are to take but forget to realize the important role water plays. It has been discovered that these patients find it hard to drink water. In the light of this, they choose to avoid liquids or take them in small proportions.
Each of the bariatric surgeries restricts the amount of liquid and food you can take in. However, a bariatric patient has to make efforts to be hydrated all day. Bariatric surgery abroad is good for weight loss but not ideal for the body’s hydration. Studies have shown that dehydration is the major reason why patients make their way back to the hospital after a bariatric surgery. Surgeons suggest eight (8) glasses of water every day. If you’ve had bariatric surgery abroad and find it hard consuming water as you ought to, here are some tips to keep you hydrated all day.
1. Make the Water Bottle a Companion
A new habit is in the offing when a patient is recovering from bariatric surgery abroad. One tip to drink all that water is making the water bottle your companion. Tag it along with you everywhere you go. From the grocery store to taking a walk, make sure you have a bottle of water with you. This is perhaps the easiest way to consume water while recovering from bariatric surgery. The rule is simple, “if you don’t bring your water bottle, you can’t drink”. Having a bottle of water with you when doing your routine activities is a great way to meet up with the rule of 8 cups of water a day.
2. Avoid Big Gulps
You might have had a tiring day at work and all you craved for is gulping down a cup of chilled water. Before you do that, take a pause and think of the problem you would be getting into. The rule permits you to take water as much as you can. On the other hand, you’re expected to drink with caution. Big gulps are a no-no. It is okay to take occasional sips from your water bottle but gulping it all down at once is not advisable. It is important to pick a water bottle with a straw. With this, you will maintain the “sipping” rule.
3. Set a Timer
If you cannot resist the urge to take glasses of water at a go, consider getting a timer. You need to be time-conscious when taking water during the day. The human body works for an average of 10 hours a day. During this time, you can set a timer to drink half a glass of water at intervals. For instance, you can set the timer to remind you every thirty minutes. In an hour, you must have taken a glass of water. By the end of the working hours, the goal of 64 ounces (8 glasses of water) is achievable.
4. Track that Water
Is it possible to track abstract items like water? If you have gone under the knife to shed off an extra kilo of flesh, keeping track of water intake is a skill you must get acquainted with. As you set about the task of drinking occasionally, also realize that a timely check of the quantity consumed is required. Bariatric surgeons suggest taking a minimum of 8 glasses of water (64 ounces) each day.
Even though you can easily do this by counting the number of glasses, it is better to use a bottle with measurements. For instance, if you tote a sports bottle with a measurement of 64 ounces, it would be better to track your water intake. As an option, consider getting an app like the HY Hydration App to keep track of your fluid intake.
5. Start your day with a Glass of Water
Make your water goals after bariatric surgery abroad a priority. Most patients leave out liquids until the day had worn on. You don’t have to wait until later in the day to start walking the rope of 64 ounces of water a day. If you can spend the first hour of the day catching up on fluids, the rest of the water consumption in the day will be a lot easier. You could be on the way to dehydration if you start your day with a meal instead of drinking. To achieve the 8 glass of water daily requirement, start your day with a glass of liquid.
6. Flavor the Water
Sugar additives are not options after bariatric surgery abroad. Patients are expected to keep away from sugar-inducing meals until they fully recover. In spite of this, flavored water will help you drink all the liquid. You don’t have to work with well-known brands. A few out-of-the-box thinking will help you make flavors out of fresh ginger with pear, cucumber, and citrus. A slice of lemon or lime will make a big difference. If you find it hard taking water after the procedure, a flavored drink will be a lot easier to consume.
7. Keep Liquid off when Eating
This is the golden rule of water intake after bariatric surgery abroad. Whether you had gastric bypass or gastric sleeve, it is important to keep water off when eating. Studies have shown that water makes you fill up faster. Separating meals with liquids keeps you away from filling up too quickly. This is a great task but it has to be followed. When you keep away from water when eating, you can be able to digest the nutrients in the meal. It also keeps you away from dumping syndrome. After your meal, wait at least 30 minutes before taking water. You can take a little amount of liquid before the meal but not when eating.
8. Give Room for Alternate Liquids
Water is not in dispute as the common liquid patients identify with. In spite of this, there are other liquids that have similar function as water. While drinking water is recommended, it would be better to change liquids. Low-calorie liquids can serve. If you find it hard taking flavored water, alternate options like non-caloric liquids can fill the gap. It won’t be too good an idea to focus only on water. As your body returns to normalcy, try to vary liquid consumption. Alcohol should not be taken. If you must heal completely, keep away from alcohol for at least 6 months after your bariatric surgery abroad.
9. Don’t Bring Carbonated Drinks
As the body returns to its old self six (6) weeks after bariatric surgery abroad, a patient might be tempted to try out liquids he consumed before the procedure. It is worth noting that every bariatric patient lives with a “new stomach” which is smaller and “sensitive” than the former. In the light of this, resist the urge to consume carbonated drinks. If you’ve had soft spot for canned and bottled drinks, it is time to keep away from them. Carbonated drinks have bubbles which can cause the stomach to bloat. When making a list of liquids to take throughout the day, leave out carbonated drinks.
10. Convert to Tea
Some patients find the direct consumption of tap water distasteful. If you’re looking for a way to drink your eight glasses of water without discomfort, consider converting the water to tea. This can then be consumed with some other meal as breakfast. If this does not tick the right boxes for you, you can take it with green tea. Green tea is reputed for antioxidants which cleanse the bowels. Making a tea out of your daily liquid consumption not only helps you keep the body hydrated but also speeds up your recovery. When consumed, it helps in cleansing the body of unwanted matters.
11. Work with the Temperature
Pay attention to the weather before you sip from that glass of water. There are times water makes you nauseous. In such cases, it is important to understand how the weather works at that moment and adapt to it. It would be fool-hardy taking a glass of water when it snowing. If the water does not appeal to you in the cold, try heating it up. While boiling, the “bad taste” is frozen; leaving you with a clean and tasteless glass of water. A glass of warm water helps in relaxing the body tissues. A drop of ice into the drink will also help the body burn calories faster.
12. Make Liquids a Priority
With the small shape, the stomach needs a good combination of liquid and food. But if you want to lose weight faster after bariatric surgery abroad, it is time you give less thought to proteins. While vitamins and proteins help the body get back to shape, liquids are major factors that affect the success of a patient’s weight loss journey. It is important to keep in mind that liquids should be kept away from meals. Your 64 ounces of water should be a priority. With the right amount of liquid intake, you can attain the hour-glass figure you crave for.
13. Calibrate your Measurements
We all have special drinking mugs we have by our side when munching away favorite meals. If your liquid quantity must count, it is important to keep in mind that accountability must be expressed throughout the process. It has been noted that 8 glasses of water are the least you can take a day. You have to find out if this quantity tallies with your regular mug. For instance, get the tumbler you wish to use in measuring the amount of water you consume. Pour a cupful of the liquid content in your mug to the tumbler. With this, you can determine the number of liquids the mug contains. The calibration allows you to make an informed decision on the measuring tool to use – your regular mug or a tumbler.
14. Let your Urine Guide you
To achieve long-term success in replenishing the body with nutrients, careful considerations should be made about liquid consumption. As you map out plans to consume 64 ounces of liquid each day, call to mind that the “input affects the output”. Let you urine be a guide. Most times, patients fail to realize messages passed through their urine. If you pass out dark yellow urine, it is clear sign that your liquid intake is low. It is important to keep to mind that the color of the urine lets you determine how hydrated you are. So if your urine takes on the dark yellow color, more glasses of water are to be consumed. On the other hand, if your urine is light yellow, there’s no cause for alarm.
15.Encourage Yourself
“He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches”. There is no other person to consume the 8 glasses for you. It is quite true that water consumption after bariatric surgery abroad is not easy to come by. Patients try against all odds to drink as much as they wanted. You’re the one who knows the amount of liquid you have been able to consume. If you must achieve the daily amount of water intake, you have to motivate yourself. Setting up a note on your fridge with the inscription “8 glasses are waiting for you” is a good way to start off. With self-encouragement, you can drink as much water as you can.
Drink to Health
Even though pains from the surgery wear off as days go by, the actual weight loss comes after the right amount of diet and liquids have been consumed. If you have been looking for quick fixes to drinking all that water after your bariatric surgery abroad, the aforementioned tips will be your guide. Always be on the lookout for signs of dehydration like dry skin, sunken eyes, and rapid breathing. When you notice, take steps to increase your liquid intake. Weight Loss Riga provides pre and post-support to patients who want to be sure of getting the required amount of water intake for their recovery.
