I Hate Water, Any Other Suggestions?

DittoDan

One of the hardest things about any diet/WOL is that you must drink a lot of water. My daily goal is 8-12 cups. I have a very hard time meeting that goal. I set a 4 cup waterbottle on my desk at work when I get there in the a.m. ~ and hopefully I have drunk it by the time I go home (6:00 pm). I use a "Britta Water" filter, so the water doesn't taste bad, I just don't like drinking water. I have tried "Water Enhancer", which is a grape flavoring you squirt into water, its marginally ok, has Sucralose in it.

Am I doomed to just force it down everyday, or is there something else I might try? Milk?

I have heard of Keto Kool-Aid. Does that help? How do you make it?

Thanks for any help on the struggle I am having with water....

Dan the Man from Watery Michigan

deansdad101

DittoDan wrote: »

One of the hardest things about any diet/WOL is that you must drink a lot of water. My daily goal is 8-12 cups. I have a very hard time meeting that goal. I set a 4 cup waterbottle on my desk at work when I get there in the a.m. ~ and hopefully I have drunk it by the time I go home (6:00 pm). I use a "Britta Water" filter, so the water doesn't taste bad, I just don't like drinking water. I have tried "Water Enhancer", which is a grape flavoring you squirt into water, its marginally ok, has Sucralose in it.

Am I doomed to just force it down everyday, or is there something else I might try? Milk?

I have heard of Keto Kool-Aid. Does that help? How do you make it?

Thanks for any help on the struggle I am having with water....

Dan the Man from Watery Michigan

DD;

Like you, I'm not a big water fan either. I accept (grudgingly) that need to stay hydrated but pretty much believe that a lot of it is "hype" (sells a lot of 25 cent bottles for 10 bucks) - especially when it comes to "you MUST drink 28.5 gallons a day or you'll die".

Firm believer in relying on my body's "thirst alarm" - worked all these years, no reason to think it'll stop now.

Anyway, mostly to quiet my bride's concerns I chop a lemon in 8 pieces and drown it in the refrig. Down a glass whenever she nags and refill - works for me. I'm sure it would taste better if I bought one of those $50 "infuser" gizmos.....maybe next year (or not).

Too many cups of black coffee, a glass or two of lemon water, 2 broths, and my glass of wine and I'm still here.

BansheeCat

I haven't heard of Keto Koolaid.

I don't know about others on here but I count all liquids including broth, coffee, dairy (if I drank a substantial) amount. The only thing I don't count is alcohol but I don't drink often.

I'm not much of water drinker but I've learned some tricks that work for me. The bottled water in the 2C (actually 16.9oz) for some reason I can pound fast. Or, if I drink out of a crystal (or thin glass). Big bottles are too daunting.

Other tricks: warm water, lime or lemon juice in the water, salted water, sweetened water, and herb tea. I guess snowcones or shaved ice with w/keto-style flavoring would be nice but it's getting a little chilly.

BansheeCat

FYI...milk has quite a few carbs. You'd be better off drinking heavy cream if you're going that route though I wouldn't recommend it if you want to eat something the rest of the day.

ScottLynn98

It seems I drink more when it's from a container with a straw. I don't know why that makes a difference but it does for me. Might be worth a try?

aireseneca

I found Twinings Cold Brewed Tea Bags. I put the tea bag in my screw top water thingie and let it make fresh ice tea for me. There are several flavors.

nill4me

I love seltzer. I have a soda stream at home and drink bottle upon bottle of my own fizzy water. If I'm in the mood for something a little sweet, I have flavored liquid stevia I'll add to it sometimes. root beer flavored, watermelon flavored...etc. you can get all kinds of them on amazon. I like the idea of the cold brewed tea.

For the record....you cannot fizz tea...or coffee....or wine...etc. I've tried fizzing just about everything...including beer that has supposedly gone flat. Fizzing of anything other than water is an activity that has been banished to the out of doors.

ScottLynn98

aireseneca wrote: »

I found Twinings Cold Brewed Tea Bags. I put the tea bag in my screw top water thingie and let it make fresh ice tea for me. There are several flavors.

I'm definitely going to try those!

wonderfullymadebyhim

I often do club soda and lemon juice(sprinkle half salt for electrolytes). I also use a product that is half coconut milk/ half almond milk and buy a splenda sweetened chai. Works out to 20 cals. I drink coffee, the odd diet pepsi (but trying to ween off) but my trick for water is to make it ICE cold. Warm water sucks!

wonderfullymadebyhim

Bone broth too hits the spot!

MirandaB24

I really like sparkling waters. They come in lots of different flavors, and they have no added or artificial sweeteners. Also, iced tea is great, and the flavor options are pretty much endless. Celestial Seasonings has all sorts of different fruit teas that are delicious.

baconslave

If artificial sweeteners don't mess you up too much, get a water flavoring like Mio or Crystal Light. And I mix in some potassium salt. You can't taste it and I get my potassium level up while knocking out water.

DittoDan

WOW! Lots of good ideas! THANK YOU everyone... I'll try some of these ideas and get back to ya!

Dan the Man

middleagedmeh

About once a day, in general after a meal, i will brew a cup of green tea and add it to a big bottle of water with some stevia. It tastes good and gets me a clear 1.5l of water. The reason i say after a meal is that i get an upset stomach if i have it on an empty stomach.

MikeEnRegalia

It takes about 40 days to form a habit ... drink your water. Re-evaluate after 40 days - there's a good chance that you will in fact get used to it. Go ahead and try - I've done that several times with things that I absolutely could not imagine getting used to liking.

truelove7

When I get tired of regular water, I drink San Pellegrino or Perrier. La Croix waters are good too, sparkling with a light flavor. I don't like anything too sweet or artificial tasting, so La Croix is my go-to for flavor. 0 calories and 0 carbs

sljohnson1207

ScottLynn98 wrote: »

It seems I drink more when it's from a container with a straw. I don't know why that makes a difference but it does for me. Might be worth a try?

+1 for the cup with a straw

Also, I drink room temp. water. I hate cold water, mostly because I have very, very sensitive teeth (no, nothing is wrong with them..I get checked every 6 months), and I just find it easier to get down that way.

You can drink teas cold...all kinds are good iced. And since you're on keto, you can add heavy cream to make it creamy like chai tea.

My favorite tea is Twining's Camomile, Honey & Vanilla. It is naturally a little sweet, and is good hot and cold.

As far as how much water you are supposed to drink..I have no idea. However, keto WOE is naturally diuretic, so I think you would be more prone to become dehydrated on it. If you are eating enough sodium, though, I sincerely doubt that would happen before your thirst notifier tells you to drink.

BitterGrace

I like sparkling water. You can use a soda stream to make it really cheap (and eliminate lugging tons of cans back and forth).

You can actually make cold brewed tea from any teabag. I use the costco organic green tea bags - I toss four in a 64oz pitcher overnight, and have tea always.

Drinking water helps with weight loss on keto. Urine is one route they leave the body, so better to drink adequately.

volfan22

I also put lemons in my water - gives it some flavor. I love water so I'm not much help in that department. I have found that my electrolytes get low and I have started drinking powerade zero about 2x per week. It helps and I get a "treat" in a different flavor beverage. Caffeine will dehydrate you - so use caution with teas and coffee that are caffeinated.

DittoDan

I have always hated straws, but I am going to give them a try. Like slJohnson, I too, can't stand cold water anymore. I am also going to try to drink tea (I never liked that either, and especially without sugar). But I will get the flavors you mentioned above. And I'll get some lemon juice and try that also. Bottled water isn't too bad cost-wise if you buy at a discount place like Costco.

THANKS EVERYONE for all the great suggestions.

Dan the Man from Watery Michigan

KaroshiQueen

UNsweetened tea (or tea sweetened with a no cal/no carb sub), seltzer water (hello Sodastream even for plain water), and a pitcher of water in the fridge steeped with a handful of fresh mint for 24 hours. Super delicious and way better than boring regular water.

DittoDan

So this last work week, I tried with good results:

Walmart had a gallon of unsweetened tea for $2.48.
Unsweetened tea with lemon juice
Unsweetened tea with lemon juice & Stevia (one packet per cup)
Unsweetened tea with lemon juice & Stevia, diluted with equal amount of water

I used a straw.

I didn't necessarily drink more water, but the water I drank was more bearable/palatable.

I will also try the tea you brew next.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I love this group!

Dan the Man from Tea Land

ajax041813

Good job on trying what you can to get more water in your body! I've heard and maybe someone has a reference for us here, that drinking the water helps flush the fat out of our bodies. I know I like cold water as well, so I alternate two bottle that are 33 oz each and there is always one cold for me.

fludderbye

i reuse containers i like the Tall Gatorade containers with the lid you can drink from - i have 3- 24 oz containers that i fill ea morning with water & Mio fit so i know i only have 3 to drink to get all my water- i also like water with ice- but hard in the winter time to drink cold fluids- so i end up leaning towards hot tea ....

everyone is different- find what works for you : )

TheTrophyWife

My trainer is always on us to drink half our body weight in water. I tend to drink more water on the days I work out. Like you, I don't like drinking water either. If coffee IVs existed, I'd have one. For me, it's easier to try and drink one cup an hour. I try to drink at least a cup or two before I leave home and that makes it a bit easier. I will put lemon juice in my water when I tire of the plain taste and like many others, I drink it at room temperature. It helps me to have a big bottle. I will drink until it feels like my stomach is too full and that's usually 2 cups there.

Good luck with learning to love water. It is a struggle!

LoraKay131

i dont drink cold water...i drink it room temp. and...im not a huge water fan, either, i just muscle it down, because its good for me. thats my advice, just drink the dang stuff.

wonderfullymadebyhim

I just discovered "MioSport", a small bottle of liquid sold by the drink mixes. It has electrolytes!

Mufflana

I struggle too but drink better from a bottle!!! Have found green mint tea goes down a treat and also a tea called stomach ease by Yogi teas which is lovely, count them in my water and it's job done. Good luck

ashleighdawnw

wonderfullymadebyhim wrote: »

I just discovered "MioSport", a small bottle of liquid sold by the drink mixes. It has electrolytes!

Was just going to suggest this! It is a lifesaver for me

volfan22

wonderfullymadebyhim wrote: »

I just discovered "MioSport", a small bottle of liquid sold by the drink mixes. It has electrolytes!

And it's great with vodka too....If we go out with friends I carry the mio in my purse - ask for vodka and water and squirt a little mio in for some flavor. (Moderation, of course!)

TheTrophyWife

Volfan, you're going to be our official bartender! I'm a tequila girl and it is hard to make good margaritas with that nasty "lite" mixer. I wish someone would make something that didn't have such a chemical after taste. I usually end up buying the pre-mixed ones and drinking a lot of water with it.