How to Stay Hydrated After Bariatric Surgery: Seven Tips and Tricks

How to Stay Hydrated After Bariatric Surgery: Seven Tips and Tricks

Alex Brecher

Protein, calories, and carbs may be at the front of your mind after weight loss surgery, but water is a nutrient that is even more critical. In fact, dehydration is a common cause of trips to the emergency room, and hospital admissions, after bariatric surgery patients are discharged initially. Plus, staying hydrated supports faster healing, increased fullness, and decreased risk of dehydration headaches. 

You can take steps to stay hydrated after bariatric surgery. With helpers such as Fruit-Flavored Protein Drinks from the BariatricPal Store, it may be easier and more fun than you may think. These are seven tricks and tips that can help you stay hydrated after surgery. 

  • Know and Track Your Goals
  • You need at least 6 to 8 cups of water daily after surgery, and more may be better. Logging your fluid consumption, such as using an app, can help you stay aware of how much you have had and how much you need to have to meet your goal for each day. 

    You can also use reminders, such as the following.

    • Visual reminders, such as setting out a pitcher of water that you need to drink by the end of the day.
    • Setting a timer to remind you to drink at regular intervals. 
    • Putting water bottles around your kitchen, car, or office so you have cues to drink.
  • Learn to Recognize Thirst
  • Sometimes, we forget what thirst feels like. We either ignore it, or mistake it for something else. Thirst can feel like hunger, and eating instead of drinking can not only add unneeded calories, but also leave you dehydrated. Feeling thirsty, having dark urine, and having an unexplained headache can also be signs of thirst.

  • Choose the Most Nutritious Beverages
  • Water is a nutrient, and you’re drinking to stay nourished. It’s best not to choose sugar-sweetened beverages, since you don’t need the extra sugar and calories that they contain. Flavored coffee beverages, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and soft drinks are some examples.

    Fruit-Flavored Protein Drinks offer both water and protein without excessive sugar and carbs. They are low in carbs and have little to no added sugar. Each serving has 12 to 15 grams of protein, or the amount in about 2 ounces of chicken. That means they are helping to hydrate and to get you closer to your protein goals.

  • Turn Hydration into a Treat
  • You’re not alone if you’ve lost your taste for water after surgery, and that makes it more difficult to stay hydrated. Other challenges to drinking enough are getting bored with water or simply not liking it in the first place. Low-sodium broth, decaf coffee, decaf black or green tea, and herbal tea are some reasonable alternatives to plain water.

    Fruit-Flavored Protein Drinks can make hydration fun. They are sweet and refreshing, though without excessive sugar, and they come in different varieties, such as the following. 

    Whatever fruit flavor you are craving, you can find it at the BariatricPal Store. Sipping on water, a critical nutrient, can be a highlight of your day!

  • Keep It Convenient
  • You’re more likely to stay hydrated if it’s convenient, and Fruit-Flavored Protein Drinks come in all sorts of convenient forms. You can have them anywhere at any time. Here are some examples. 

    • Ready-to-Shake Bottles that you can just open, fill with water to the fill line, close, shake, and drink. They can go anywhere with you.
    • Single-Serve Packets that you can put in a purse, suitcase, or pocket, and have while traveling or at a restaurant, or anytime you’re on the go.
    • Powder Tubs that you can leave in your kitchen so it’s always ready for you to mix up a quick drink.

    You can make Fruit Protein Drinks in seconds by mixing a serving with water or another favorite beverage. 

  • Watch Alcohol Consumption
  • Alcoholic beverages can be dehydrating, and they’re usually discouraged for bariatric surgery patients for other reasons, too. These are some examples.

    • They can be high in calories from alcohol, sugar, and other carbs. Too many can lead to weight gain.
    • They can lower your inhibition, so you eat more and choose less nutritious, higher-calorie foods.
    • They can wreak havoc on blood sugar levels.

    After bariatric surgery, you’re more susceptible to alcohol. You’re likely to see effects of alcohol consumption at lower levels, and the effects can be apparent more quickly than before surgery. In other words, it’s best not to drink, and if you do drink, drink with caution. 

  • Follow Your Surgeon’s Guidelines
  • Your surgeon or nutritionist likely has some guidelines or rules for the best beverages for hydration, as well as what you should and shouldn’t choose after bariatric surgery. These are some likely rules.

    • No carbonated beverages. Sodas and sparkling water can make you feel overly full.
    • No fruit juice. While fruit juice may be okay for a day or two after surgery, it’s packed with sugar and calories, and isn’t a good choice later on.
    • No caffeine. Caffeine can irritate your digestive system at a time when you may be particularly sensitive.

    Fruit-Flavored Protein Drinks can be good alternatives to the above forbidden drinks. They’re smooth and low in carbs and sugar, and they’re caffeine-free.

    Staying hydrated after bariatric surgery is both critical for optimal health and weight loss, and challenging for many patients. There are tricks to getting enough fluid every day without consuming sugars. Besides tracking your fluid consumption, you can choose delicious and convenient Fruit-Flavored Protein Drinks to make it easier. It’s just another way The BariatricPal Store is here to help you along your journey.

    Fruit-flavored protein drinksStaying hydrated