After month of liquids total from preop and post op, I was feeling so incredibly thirsty all the time. I was drinking 100oz of fluid and had clear urine. Turns out since I was only doing my protein shakes that have 11% of my daily sodium recommendations each, I wasn't getting enough sodium to actually have the fluids I was drinking enter my tissues and blood. It was just going straight through me and compounding my dehydration. Lesson learned. Make sure you keep up in you electrolyte balance.

HW-292 • SW (6/29/17) 256.6 • CW 243.2

When we go on these super-restricted diets, many of the nutrients that we take for granted are removed from our diets. It's easy to think.. hey, I'm getting my protein, water, and vitamins.. I'm good! Things like sodium, potassium, and magnesium aren't IN vitamins, and from what you are saying, aren't in a large quantity in the shakes. Good to know, thank you!

Once I went on a regular diet, I ran my normal daily intake through a recipe nutrient calculator (actually several, with varying results.. which to believe?!) and was really surprised by some of the deficiencies. This tells me what to add to my diet to make up for those things.

Vitamin E is a bugger.. mostly found in sunflower seeds, potassium is low.. have to add low sodium v8 or coconut water, and sodium is low, so my nuts/seeds are salted. The added salt helps with iodine consumption, especially for those that don't eat seafood regularly.

The interesting thing is how MUCH food we can consume for relatively few calories, when you leave out added sugars, oils, and grains. (Grains aren't inherently bad, but they truly are low on the nutrition hierarchy, and should be reserved for maintenance for most of us).