Hello. This is Michelle Phelan, nutritionist at Blossom Bariatrics, where expertise meets true compassion. We’re always here for you before, during, and after your weight loss surgery procedure–because it’s the after that’s the most important part.
Today, we’re going to talk about the dangers of dehydration. Dehydration is a huge concern for post-surgery bariatric clients; 37% of bariatric clients are readmitted to the hospital for dehydration. Something to keep in mind is that 64 ounces is just 8 cups.
There’s about 12 hours in our day–that’s about a quarter cup every fifteen minutes. I think we can all certainly sip a quarter cup of water or fluid every 15 minutes.
You know, I get this a lot–sometimes water makes people nauseous or you’re so tired of water. There are some ways to get around that. Play with temperatures. Sometimes, after surgery, things that are too hot or too cold can hurt your tender stomach while it’s healing. However, once it’s healed, try playing around with ice-cold water or room-temperature or warm water. Sometimes warm water is really soothing to your tummy while it’s healing.
If water is still making you nauseous, play with some flavors. Try throwing in lemons into your water or into the pitcher of water in the fridge, try strawberries, cucumbers, even mint leaves.
And here’s a “Blossom Bite.” There’s a product that I love called, “Sweet Leaf.” You can purchase on their website at www.sweetleaf.com and they have many flavors of stevia-sweetened drops in a glycerin base that you can add to your water to flavor and sweeten it at the same time.
Some other options are herbal teas, green tea, coconut water–unsweetened–and natural broths can work as well, like Swanson’s Organic Chicken Broth.
Make sure to visit our website at www.blossombariatrics.com. Until next time, have a happy and healthy day!
