H2O Intake????

Okay, so I know what the docs and nurses say - 64 oz of plain WATER every day. Does anybody count soup broth, tea, coffee, SF Jello, SF popcicles toward the 64 oz? Anybody have any tips for getting in the water, vitamins and protein everyday? I'm 10 weeks post op and I feel like my days are filled with doing nothing but thinking about food and putting something in my mouth all the time. I wasn't this "obsessive" about it when I could eat whatever/whenever. Any suggestions would be totally appreciated. Thanks! Kim H.

My doc has broth, soup, and teas count towards daily fluid intake. They do count the coffee- but want you to add another cup of water or so, to balance out the dehydrating factor of the coffee... plus no more that 24 oz a day. Hope that helps! Jaci

We can count other fluids besides water, I think. I just get 2-24 oz. water bottles and fill them up and then try to drink them both throughout the day. By the end of the day, they are gone. Then I figure there are at least 2 more cups of water that can be included in my regular eating or when I brush my teeth, etc. I try not to get too "worked up" over it. Nobody is perfect. Just relax, find a system that works for you and then it will happen. Diana

I count that stuff as fluids...as long as it's decaf. I don't have any tips for you, unfortunately! I am still struggling myself and always come up short. I will tell you that I DO feel obsessive and I hate it. All I do is think about/worry about what is going in or not going in my mouth, when to take vitamins, water, etc. Chele

Those things count in my world and I also count drinks like Isopure. I also obsess about it, a little less now than I did a few weeks ago, I've got a good pattern going. My opinion is this is a time to retrain ourselves and by obsessing and highly monitoring everything in the first few months, its the only way to train an ole dog into new tricks. Ya know? You can look at it as a beastly burden or learning a new way to fuel your body.....

My surgeon counts any low-no calorie fluid (water, crystal light, diet snapple, etc). His suggestion was to buy a 32 oz water bottle and make sure to drink 2 a day. I am still only around 50oz of fluids a day... not yet to 64... but my thing is that I have to constantly remind myself to drink. I also dont go anywhere with out a drink. That way I can't say "oh, there wasn't anything to drink". Its a chore getting it it. Good Luck!

As long as it's sugar free and caffein free it counts. I only have about 20oz of regular water a day the rest is Isopure and crystal lite.

I count everything liquid (i.e. crystal light, protein supplements, diet snapple). I usually get about half of my of fluids from plain water and the rest from the other stuff. Lisa S.

Thanks for the responses. It makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one struggling with the new lifestyle. I don't post much here, but I do read everyday and am thankful that so many are willing to share their experiences.

Post anytime you have a question or wanna say hi! Its fun with new topics I'm glad you're on this board to share your experiences! *~*Jaci*~*