Following bariatric weight loss surgery it is extremely important that you ensure that you do not suffer from dehydration and that you assist the weight loss process by not overeating. For this reason many surgeons recommend what is known as ‘fluid loading’. Fluid loading simply means filling yourself up with fluid so that you feel full and are thus deterred from eating too much. The process normally starts by drinking as much as you can as quickly as you can, which normally means drinking about 8 to 12 ounces of fluid. Then, every few minutes, take a little more to drink until you feel that you cannot drink any more. The process of fluid loading is best started about one and a half hours before a mealtime and stopped about 20 to 30 minutes before eating.