Dehydration Is Not Fun

Yesterday we spent the day at home. It was one of those days to lounge, nap, watch tv, and putz around, but I didn't get in all my liquid. Actually I didn't get half. I felt it. Last night before bed, I felt run down, had a headache, and felt all around crappy. Note to self - now that I'm on a solid liquid routine, I can't just decide not to drink. So today I've got my "sippy" cup to sip, sip, sip and drink my 8 glasses. I need it. I already feel better with some liquid in my system. Lesson learned and thank goodness not on a school day. I did some research and found that dehydration is one of the top 10 mistakes WLS patients make. According to this list "5th Mistake: Not Drinking Enough Water Most WLS patients are at risk for dehydration. Drinking a minimum of 64 oz. of water per day will help you avoid this risk. Adequate water intake will also help you flush out your system as you lose weight and avoid kidney stones. Drinking enough water helps with your weight loss, too."

In conjunction with dehydration and avoiding kidney stones, not drinking enough can cause dizziness according to the website living after wls. "Many gastric bypass and gastric lap-band patients report frequent spells of dizziness. In general they are using the word dizzy to describe everything from feeling faint or lightheaded to feeling weak or unsteady. Research indicates a state of chemical imbalance can lead to temporary bouts of dizziness. When a bariatric patient feels dizzy it could very well be related to the restricted diet. Most commonly going too long between meals or not drinking enough water causes bariatric patients to become dizzy or have a mild electrolyte imbalance. Many patients self-treat dizziness by drinking water or little sips of a sports drink such as Gatorade." After reading this it was very scary to see in print that not drinking or eating in the right rhythm could be causing dizziness and I had to sit back and think about times that I felt dizzy and now realizing how unhealthy that is for me. With my special condition I have to be really conscious about what I do to live every day. It is very important to keep to my goals and keep me, my tummy, and my new intestines happy!!!!