I'm a pre op. When I was younger and closer to a normal weight, I enjoyed a lot of fun activities... Mountain hiking, skiing, sailing, biking on trails in the woods, etc.

I've had to give up these more strenuous activities because of my weight and this saddens me. I look forward to getting back into these activities in the future once I'm healthier.

My question is, how do you keep hydrated after the sleeve with these activities? It's not like you can just sip from a bottle that's right next to you when you're at the gym.

I'm worried I'll get sleeved and then because of dehydration risk, I will be unable to participate in some of these activities. Anyone have any advice?

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I'd suggest an Osprey hydration pack (I prefer them to camelback, as Osprey works with Nalgene and I think has a superior pack and hydration system). You can sip that little by little as needed. Post-op, I can drink about a cup at a time, wait a bit, and drink a little more.

I like that idea a lot! Thank you! I've never thought about that. I've never used one either. How much can one hold at a time? It doesn't make the Water taste weird and plastic-y?

I'm really worried about getting too dehydrated and ending up in the hospital. That would be awful.

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Im 4 months post op and take very intense hot yoga classes and have no problem at all staying hydrated. To be clear, hot yoga is intense bikram yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees. I sweat buckets and dont have any problem taking big sips of water. I only needed to sip sip sip when I was healing in the beginning. I drink just like I did pre-op now. I was worried about the same thing.

I just went on a strenuous, hot 4 mile hike yesterday. I carried water in my backpack, and stopped every 15 minutes or so to take a couple of sips (I drank almost 28 ounces on the hike). When I got back to camp, I focused on rehydrating with 32 more ounces of water. You just really have to THINK about it and not get side-tracked or forget to drink. Dehydrating is easy to do, but you can avoid it.

I'm a Camelbak believer mostly because we get law enforcement discounts from their store. I've heard amazing things about Ospreys. Camelbaks and Ospreys are both crazy expensive. What I did in the past before getting my assortment of 'Baks, was go to Wal Mart and buy one of those packs, and buy a Camelbak bladder online for cheap. I have several 60oz bladders, and 3 100oz bladders for our backpacking weekends/weeks. The good news it, most long hiking packs and suited for hydration packs, so once you have a few good bladders, you don't have to worry about buying any more, just switch them out.

If you do get one, clean them after use. I empty mine, let it air dry, then throw it in the freezer to kill off anything that may be in it. I'll use cleaning tabs once a month or so, more frequently however in the Texas summer when used on back packing trips. We're taking a 3 day back packing trip in May up in Arkansas, so between the wife and I, we'll be carrying 260oz of Water on us, plus refilling at the river from time to time.

I make it a point to start hydrating an hour before exercise. It takes a bit of time but I don't have a problem doing it. I also like camelbaks when I hike or bicycle and I wear a Nathan belt with a water bottle holder when I run...now that I have a waist.

I like that idea a lot! Thank you! I've never thought about that. I've never used one either. How much can one hold at a time? It doesn't make the Water taste weird and plastic-y?

I'm really worried about getting too dehydrated and ending up in the hospital. That would be awful.

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There are different sizes. The most common is 2qts, so it holds a good amount. My experience with Osprey/Nalgene hydration packs is that there is NO plastic flavor. It's made of food-grade BPA-free plastics that are meant for storing water without leeching chemicals or a plastic taste. I think there are larger ones, but you can hold 2qts in the pack, and pack more water for re-filling it. 2qts would get me through a good-size hike!