After weight loss surgery your weight loss surgeon will inform you of your stomach’s dietary restrictions. Be sure to heed their advice so that you won’t have any complications post-op. Whether you’ve had gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, or gastric banding, these procedures can limit your stomach’s capacity to store foods and liquids. As a result, dehydration is a common side effect for bariatric patients.

Before weight loss surgery one way to combat dehydration would easily be to chug a bottle of water. Unfortunately, in the case of bariatric patients, this is not suggested. Most surgeons will recommend that their patients drink at least 64 ounces of water daily, which is about 6-8 cups of water.

After weight loss surgery you’ll need to gradually work your way to hitting your doctor’s recommended hydration intake throughout your day. You won’t be able to simply down a bottle of water with your new restricted stomach. Downing a full water bottle can potentially cause nausea or vomiting. 

Life after weight loss surgery is going to take a lot of planning. However, WLS Afterlife is here to be your number one resource to turn to when it comes to settling into the new life you’ve worked so hard for. 

Our team has talked with people who were never big water drinkers and we learned that those same people are struggling to hit their daily water intake. For that reason, our team has created an array of variations to help you easily hit your water intake, and coincidentally it’s also National Hydration Day, so we decided to create and try several combinations of infused and flavored water recipes.

These water recipes are as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as they are to your new stomach. We have an array of water recipes for those that prefer something on the sweeter side and for those who are looking for a more natural and healthier approach. 

Decaffeinated Hibiscus Tea

Any flavor will suffice, however, it is important to note that you will need decaffeinated tea. Caffeine will in fact dehydrate you and that is the opposite of what we are working towards. Lucky for you, there are quite a few options for flavored decaffeinated teas, our team went with hibiscus which was surprisingly flavorful and tasted great chilled. This makes a perfect tea to stay hydrated and beat the heat this summer.

Flavored Water

For those of you looking for more sweetness in your water, our team tried a powdered mix and water enhancer. For the powdered mix, we chose the Crystal Light raspberry lemonade flavor mix which tasted amazing. With only 5 calories added per packet, the only important thing to note if you decide to go the powdered packet route is to make sure you are selecting the low-calorie and zero sugar options.

As for the water enhancer we went with Stur’s freshly fruit punch flavor. This wasn’t as flavorful as the Crystal Light however it is also zero calories and comes in a mini squirt bottle. What we liked most about Stur was that you can easily control the amount of flavor you put into your water. 

Infused Waters | hydration after weight loss surgery

Infused water is a healthy and fun alternative to drinking plain water. If you like adding a lemon slice to your water for flavor then you’re going to be amazed by these unique infused recipes we tried. Before infusing your water it’s important to make note of what fruits or herbs you’ll be incorporating into your water. Are you wanting to up your energy levels or give your body a little liquid detox?

The options are wide and not limited. Combining different fruits and herbs to your water can help you achieve ultimate health benefits for your body and lucky for you we have already explored the different health benefits of adding fruits and herbs to your water and the amount needed to activate these benefits. 

For tools to help with your hydration after weight loss surgery, head over to our Amazon Storefront

Our team put together their very own 8-ounce on-the-go water recipes and 1 pitcher-size infused water.  Rene’s water had ginger raspberry and lime, Shelby’s had orange and blueberries, and Isaiah’s water consisted of cucumber, lemon, and mint. All 3 were unique in appearance and flavor. Starting your day off with either of these combinations is a great start to your day and also helping be on track to meeting your recommended hydration count. 

For the larger pitcher, we went with a mojito flavored water which consisted of blueberries, mint, and lime which was out of all the recipes the most flavorful and perfect for this summer.

Tips For Infused Water

If you plan on trying one of these recipes our team would like to pass a few tips on what we discovered in creating each one. 

• If you plan on storing the water in the fridge for you to enjoy for the week, it’s important to note that if you mix citrus fruit into your water to peel off the skin so that your water does not go bitter. 
• You can enjoy your water immediately after adding fruits and herbs, however, for an increase in flavor we recommend storing your water in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. 
• To help with flavor it’s important to use filtered or distilled water as well when combining your desired fruits and herbs.
• For the blueberries and raspberries, we would also recommend muddling them a bit so that their flavors are released easier into the water.
• When picking off mint leaves, place 1 leaf on the palm of your hand and slap your other hand on top. This will help release the mint flavor.

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Ingredients

    Rene’s Water

        2 lime slices

        ⅓ cup of raspberries

        ½ tsp of ginger 

    Shelby’s Water

        2 orange slices

        ⅓ cup of blueberries

    Isaiah’s Water

        2 lemon slices

        3 mint leaves

        3 cucumber slices

    Mojito Pitcher

        ½ cup of blueberries

        4 mint leaves

        3 lime slices

Instructions

1. Place your selected fruits and/or herbs into a clean container (preferably glass)
2. Muddle the fruits and/or herbs to help release the flavors
3. Pour filtered or distilled water into your water bottle or pitcher, then add the muddled fruits and/or herbs
4. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours
5. After 24-hours remove the fruits and herbs so that your water doe not become bitter

Please note that we always recommend our WLS Afterlife viewers follow their doctor’s dietary guidelines, regardless of our recipe instructions. If we listed an ingredient you were told to avoid, write to us so we may provide you with plenty of other tasty alternatives.