I KNOW water is the best, buuuutttt...

chubbyNHgirl628
chubbyNHgirl628 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is there anything else that is "equivalent"? I do love a cold glass of water, but it's nice to mix it up, you know? I have tried adding fruit and that's ok, but it gets nasty pretty quick..

I used to be a diet coke junkie and I cut that out because I am trying to be healthier... how do we all feel about crystal light?

Looking for any positive suggestions and thanks in advance! :)
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Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited September 2016
    Don't overdo it, or overthink - drink water when you are thirsty, and you know that you are thirsty when water tastes sweet. When you focus on drinking for thirst, you may even lose the urge to drink for "fun".

    ETA: I also drink black coffee and unsweetened tea, but not all the time.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I drink water or unsweetened teas.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    I like Mio flavorings. The water were I work tastes like *kitten* (not buying bottled) the Mio takes care of it.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I love it all. Here are some of my combos:

    Loaded with ice
    Loaded with ice and lemon juice
    Sparkling water or Perrier
    Cold steeped herbal tea; spicy, fruity, whatever
    Iced tea sweetened with sweetener
    Mio
    Crystal Light
    Diet sodas

    Any combo of the above.
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
    chubbyNHgirl628 wrote: »
    Is there anything else that is "equivalent"? I do love a cold glass of water, but it's nice to mix it up, you know? I have tried adding fruit and that's ok, but it gets nasty pretty quick..

    I used to be a diet coke junkie and I cut that out because I am trying to be healthier... how do we all feel about crystal light?

    Looking for any positive suggestions and thanks in advance! :)

    Anything liquid counts. Just make sure the calories fit in your daily quota. It's been months since the last time I drank plain water. Normally I drink coffee, sometimes flavored waters with natural sweeteners like stevia. Rarely a diet beverage.
  • Raysie1
    Raysie1 Posts: 53 Member
    I've heard that milk, with its electrolytes, is actually better than water for hydration.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I don't overdo water. I might drink a glass straight per day. Maybe more if I'm at the gym. Otherwise coffee, diet soda, watery vegetables, tea. My pee is about clear too.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    edited September 2016
    Anything you drink is about 99.9 percent . . . (wait for it . . . . ) . . . water.

    So it all counts. You don't really need to worry about water being "better" because as long as you drink enough of anything you're getting plenty of it. Of course you do need to count for any extra calories consumed and, if you're sensitive to it, any caffeine consumed. Someone will probably come along and post that caffeine is a diuretic and will dehydrate you but that has long been disproven (at least for people who consume it on a regular basis). As @MarziPanda95 said, alcohol can be a concern as far as dehydration. But I'm guessing on a diet you're not consuming overly large quantities of that.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
    I drink crystal light and the other various sugar free drink mixes every day and I'm not dead.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    I don't overdo water. I might drink a glass straight per day. Maybe more if I'm at the gym. Otherwise coffee, diet soda, watery vegetables, tea. My pee is about clear too.

    This. The only thing you need to worry about is if your pee is in the good range. If it is, you're fine. I know it sounds gross, just pretend you're a professor of biology and turn around and check the toilet if you're concerned.

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  • JulieSHelms
    JulieSHelms Posts: 821 Member
    I can't stand the taste of water (since I was a kid). With the exception of after I exercise and I put it on ice. Then I can't taste it--it's just cold and wet and perfect. So I drink a total of one cup of water per day as long as I worked out. Otherwise its diet soda, V8, and raw milk.
  • Troutsy
    Troutsy Posts: 275 Member
    edited September 2016
    chubbyNHgirl628 wrote: »
    Is there anything else that is "equivalent"? I do love a cold glass of water, but it's nice to mix it up, you know? I have tried adding fruit and that's ok, but it gets nasty pretty quick..

    I used to be a diet coke junkie and I cut that out because I am trying to be healthier... how do we all feel about crystal light?

    Looking for any positive suggestions and thanks in advance! :)

    I tend to use the MIO water "enhancer" things when I don't want plain water. The sweet tea and the fruit punch are my usual go to ones. The Lemon aid isn't terrible either. Nothing wrong with a diet coke here and there as its zero calories.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    JulieSHelms wrote: »
    I can't stand the taste of water (since I was a kid). With the exception of after I exercise and I put it on ice. Then I can't taste it--it's just cold and wet and perfect. So I drink a total of one cup of water per day as long as I worked out. Otherwise its diet soda, V8, and raw milk.

    What is "raw" milk?
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    I rarely get thirsty and if I do after a few gulps of water the thirst is gone so I have to consciously make myself drink water so I don't dehydrate. Granted I eat a lot of foods containing water and don't have much salt so I don't think I need much water to begin with. I've started drinking a 500ml glass of orange squash with some Green Boost powder for the nutrients and to get the water down too.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Also, La Croix. Coconut is really good.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Sparkling water, unsweetened ice tea, seltzer...
  • barni71
    barni71 Posts: 30 Member
    I don't like plain water unless I'm really thirsty so it's always flavoured sparkling water and diet sodas for me
  • JulieSHelms
    JulieSHelms Posts: 821 Member
    edited September 2016
    CoffeeNCardio wrote: »
    JulieSHelms wrote: »
    I can't stand the taste of water (since I was a kid). With the exception of after I exercise and I put it on ice. Then I can't taste it--it's just cold and wet and perfect. So I drink a total of one cup of water per day as long as I worked out. Otherwise its diet soda, V8, and raw milk.

    What is "raw" milk?

    @CoffeeNCardio Straight from a grass-fed cow--not pasteurized or homogenized. Pasteurizing removes all the healthy enzymes and helpful bacteria. Homogenizing breaks the fat down into a less healthy form.

    ETA: and the taste is just amazing.
  • shellyld2016
    shellyld2016 Posts: 288 Member
    I personally feel there is no substitute for water. That being said, I love the flavor add ins. I just use them as a reward for meeting my water goals as a treat. Back when drinking water was a challenge I did use them more and just began mixing them weaker to get used to drinking more water.
    Maybe some will have good results counting any liquid as water, but that never paid off for me. I always lose better sticking to the basics.
    Milk is never a good replacement as just drinking milk can dehydrate you. My son passed out a few times due to drinking only milk and green tea.
  • Troutsy
    Troutsy Posts: 275 Member
    shellyld2016 wrote: »
    Milk is never a good replacement as just drinking milk can dehydrate you. My son passed out a few times due to drinking only milk and green tea.

    I've actually never heard of milk dehydrating a person before. Do you happen to know how that works, I'm curious.
  • jillybeansalad
    jillybeansalad Posts: 239 Member
    JulieSHelms wrote: »
    I can't stand the taste of water (since I was a kid). With the exception of after I exercise and I put it on ice. Then I can't taste it--it's just cold and wet and perfect.

    I was like this until I was forced to drink all the water from my canteen after it sat in the sun for a couple of hours during PT. I even used to gag on tepid water. :p
  • JulieSHelms
    JulieSHelms Posts: 821 Member
    stevencloser wrote: »
    JulieSHelms wrote: »
    CoffeeNCardio wrote: »
    JulieSHelms wrote: »
    I can't stand the taste of water (since I was a kid). With the exception of after I exercise and I put it on ice. Then I can't taste it--it's just cold and wet and perfect. So I drink a total of one cup of water per day as long as I worked out. Otherwise its diet soda, V8, and raw milk.

    What is "raw" milk?

    @CoffeeNCardio Straight from a grass-fed cow--not pasteurized or homogenized. Pasteurizing removes all the healthy enzymes and helpful bacteria. Homogenizing breaks the fat down into a less healthy form.

    ETA: and the taste is just amazing.

    And pasteurizing also reduces the risk of catching any sickness off of it a hundredfold.

    This is absolutely true if you buy milk from feed lot dairy cows (ie milk from the supermarket). Raw milk from pastured cows is rigorously tested and perfectly safe, not to mention a whole lot healthier.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    JulieSHelms wrote: »
    stevencloser wrote: »
    JulieSHelms wrote: »
    CoffeeNCardio wrote: »
    JulieSHelms wrote: »
    I can't stand the taste of water (since I was a kid). With the exception of after I exercise and I put it on ice. Then I can't taste it--it's just cold and wet and perfect. So I drink a total of one cup of water per day as long as I worked out. Otherwise its diet soda, V8, and raw milk.

    What is "raw" milk?

    @CoffeeNCardio Straight from a grass-fed cow--not pasteurized or homogenized. Pasteurizing removes all the healthy enzymes and helpful bacteria. Homogenizing breaks the fat down into a less healthy form.

    ETA: and the taste is just amazing.

    And pasteurizing also reduces the risk of catching any sickness off of it a hundredfold.

    This is absolutely true if you buy milk from feed lot dairy cows (ie milk from the supermarket). Raw milk from pastured cows is rigorously tested and perfectly safe, not to mention a whole lot healthier.

    Apparently not if you look at the CDC statistics.
  • RhapsodyWinters
    RhapsodyWinters Posts: 128 Member
    I drink only a lot of water at work. At home, I have water for when I'm reaally thirsty. If I'm wanting something "better" with a meal, I do a 12oz of Dr Pepper as long as I have the calories to spare. Sometimes I drink orange juice and grape juice.

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