Struggling with Water

Ok. I must confess. I have NEVER liked water. Never. No matter how much I try, what I add to it, or how thirsty I am, I can never sip on water. Immediately after my surgery, I noticed that every time I tried to drink water, I'd get stomach pains - almost like burning. I discussed with my gbs surgeon who suggested I try Powerade Zero instead.

I don't remember that last time I had a Powerade Zero, truthfully. Instead I drink Arizona's Arnold Palmer ZERO, and maybe one or two glasses a day, at most.

Am I alone on this one? If you struggle, can you share what you do? I'd love to get back on track - 100%. Seeking ideas. :)

It's SUPER important that you get your water in. Dehydration can be incredibly serious, so it's important to either find something you like, or suck it up and drink it anyway. One glass a day is NOT going to cut it.

Have you tried drinks at different temperatures? I had trouble with ice water, but much better luck with lukewarm water or hot tea. That may work better for your stomach.

I do like water, but I too found it tough to get enough in - for quite a while I don't think I was getting in more than at most half of the recommended minimum. Then I started drinking tea, either black or herbal, into which I add a bit of cashew milk (creamy but extremely low cal) and a little sweet & low. I find I can drink tons of this and usually am up to or over 100 ounces. One benefit is that my really uncomfortable dry eyes completely resolved. My surgeon doesn't want us using any artificial sweeteners, so I am not compliant in that way, and don't bring it up. Nevertheless, I am glad to be having the quantity of liquid I now enjoy!

That's great! Thanks for sharing! I just downloaded an app on my phone called Plant Nanny. I'll start "playing" it immediately and report my findings. You're supposed to keep a plant alive by virtually watering it every time you log your own water intake.

When I had my surgery I was told I could have Splenda. Then, after a few years I discovered that Stevia is supposed to be better, so I switched over. No artificial sweetner at all? That's hard!!!!

I LOVED water before. Just plain ice water. After surgery? Hated it. 8 months later and I still can't stand to drink plain water without getting discomfort and feeling bloated. So I mix in crystal light lemonade. I swear, that is what the streets of gold will be made out of in heaven, lol. It's honestly the only way for me to hit my water intake goals. I also like to drink teas all the time, especially with this winter weather (in the Midwest). Just experiment and don't feel guilty if you can't do plain water. Flavored water is always better than no water.

I'm in the same boat. I hate water. Before surgery Diet Coke and bubbly water were my drinks. Alas, no more. I have tried everything and it has been difficult to get to 64 oz a day, let alone 80-100 that everybody here is recommending. After some trial and error I finally settled on crystal light powders. They have different flavors; my favorite is pink lemonade. The suggested use is 2 packs in a 4 cup water bottle but I use just one. It gives it enough flavor without it being sweet. Since I discovered them I see myself drinking more water, sometimes even finishing 3 of my water bottle...which is unheard of for me. Try different things and don't forget to count your tea/decaf or protein shakes part of your daily liquid. Good luck.

I'm three months post-op and I can not stand plain water. Ice water also gives me cramps. I get by with lots of herbal tea and coffee during my down time. I also take 3 bottles of room temperature Propel to get me through the work day. As a teacher, I don't have time to make drinks during the day, but I can sip on the Propel the whole time. My students have recently started commenting on how much I drink, so I think I have hit the right amount of fluids. I slacked off a bit over the break and ended up passes out, so keep trying to get those fluids in. Other things I drink are low sodium broths and I am amassing a catalog of protein hot chocolate drinks. All those help with the fluids.

I will always struggle with plain water. I'v gone through many water enhancements. I do know if I have it beside me I will drink it. Keep trying. Try to keep it calorie free. Good luck.

Although I loved tons of ice water pre surgery I just could not drink it post surgery, and to this day it still hurts to drink plain water. So here is what I drink to get my liquids in and some other suggestions for any newbies who might be reading this.

• decaf coffee and tons of it (usually 14-16 cups a day for me)
• herbal tea, my favs are fruit flavoured teas
• Crystal light peach, I love anything peach flavoured
• I drink a crap ton of SF or "diet" cranberry juice that I mix with cold water. Its usually 1/4 cranberry juice and 3/4 water. I drink this the whole time I workout at the gym
• In the summertime I use one of those water bottle infuser that have the centre hallowed out and you can put fresh berries or mint or lemon slices its so nice and refreshing. see Amazon link here for what I mean: Water Bottle Infuser
• water based soup i.e chicken soup not something creamy like mushroom soup
• low sodium broths
• Protein shakes. Milk based (cows milk, almond milk, coconut milk) or water based protein shakes. Syntrax Nectar has a lot of great flavours of water based protein drinks, they have a peach one that some people on here mix with orange juice and it tastes like an "Orange Julius" and lots of people like the "Roadside Lemonade" syntrax flavor
• SF popsicles
• water with lemon or lime slices to break the water tension

Good luck, its no fun when you get dehydrated. It just makes you feel so lousy and it becomes a never ending cycle of trying to get caught up

Great suggestions!!! I love all of these options! Never thought to count the protein shake not coffee as part of my drinking. So, is the Arizona Arnold Palmer Zero a good option? I can ddefinitely drink lots more of that!!! Zero calorie, zero sugar....

PS - I thought I was the only one that had stomach pains when I drank water! I mention It to people and they look st me as though I'm crazy. Ughhhh. Feels good to not be the only one.