How am I supposed to drink 8 cups of water!

carolina_r

I found it hard at first, but now I do manage the 8 cups. Here's how I did it:

- I define a "cup" as around a cup measurement wise, not a huge glass!
- I avoid all drinks except water (and the occasional tea). I prefer to eat my calories
- I have made it a routine - 2 cups with each meal, one with each snack, two after workout out.

Hope this helps

myth4ever

It is easy after you get going..... Try sipping from a straw

bexominglex

Well, a cup of water is only 250 ml- which is not very much at all. You could try to drink a cup every hour, or every time a commercial comes on. Make it a game. Spread it out. Measure it with a measuring cup. It's really not that much. make it a game- measure it, and for every liter you drink, allocate 1 dollar to spend on something nice for yourself. I like to make things into games (losing weight, drinking water, chores, whatever).

Nos150

8 glasses is not necessarily what YOUR body needs. It’s only a recommendation. What you really need to be watching is the color of your urine (pee) if it is bright yellow almost brown that means that you are VERY dehydrated. Clear urine would be the ultimate goal. But slight yellowing is ok range. So once again you have to pay attention to YOUR body. For some it may take more then 8 glasses to clear their urine, others much more.

mhankosk

Just remember... 8 CUPS is not the same as 8 glasses. A "cup" is a lot less than you think...

rlysrh

I don't know why everyone takes this drinking water thing so seriously on MFP. It actually has no health benefits compared to just drinking water when you're thirsty.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eight-glasses-water-per-day

Its probably a good idea to drink some water when you're hungry just to see if its actually hunger or thirst, but otherwise it doesn't benefit you

In the above article it says "the vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide."
And
"There is no clear evidence of benefit from drinking increased amounts of water."

wildcata77

I can actually understand where the OP is coming from...before starting to care about what I put in my body, I struggled with fluid intake as well, I just didn't need to drink a lot, and strangely I was never dehydrated.

But a few years ago age caught up to me and I started NEEDING the water. It's still a daily struggle to get it all sometimes, esp. b/c I get a 3PM sugar craving and want Coke or Pepsi, but I just set rules for myself. I have to get at least half my water in before I can have any soda or juice. I bought a Nalgene bottle that holds 32 ounces and when I think about only having to finish 2 of those a day, it's much more doable. I keep it on my desk at work, and when I'm consistent with it, I start craving water instead of soda when I'm thirsty.

Shweedog

I drink anywhere from 15-20 cups of water per day. I down a couple at a time.

BarbWhite09

I normally drink a minimum of 10 a day. I did that even before trying to lose weight. Get some bottled water [generally 16.9 oz], only have to drink 4 of them throughout the day to get your 8 cups. Just sip on it while you're at work or school [idk anything about you, lol] or whatever. Add lemon if you need extra flavor in it. I wake up every morning and have a glass of warm water with lemon, there's an easy way to get 8oz in first thing & jump start your body.

daisynsunshine

most water bottles are 16.9 ozs so theres 2- 8ozs there. have one at breakfast, lunch, dinner and while working out= 8 cups. if you do this a week or 2 you will soon notice you need more lol

trhjrh06

I was the same way, couldn't imagine how I could get all that water in. Well I get normally at least 12-14 sometimes 17 cups in a day. Once you start drinking it you want it.
But even before I started drinking it I was always having to have something to drink, constantly had to have a drink with me so I dont know if that helped or not. Good luck with it.

AnninStPaul

Do you exercise? I start my workout with a 20oz bottle of carbonated water, which I drink in between sets and finish while getting showered dressed. I refill the bottle with water from my Brita pitcher, and usually drink another 10+ ounces driving to work. A large glass with lunch and another at dinner, and I'm pretty close to 64 ounces for the day.

TrudyJo195

Oh yeah! I love drinking water and you will to once you get use to it. The colder the better! It helps to flush the toxins and the fat out of your body. It's also good for your skin. It keeps you hydrated and you feel better. Give it a try.


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skinnymeinaz

I drink 10-24 glasses a day but I live in AZ so I stay thirsty. Try drinking a glass with meals, drink a bottle of water when you exercise, when you want to snack, etc..... I gave up soda so this is got a lot easier.

d2footballJRC

So it says to drink 8cups of water... i dont drink tea or coffee or carbinated drinks. Maybe some juice or powerade but very rarely will i have more than one cup of water in a day! To take my medication in morning and night its only one or two sips, not a whole cup. I cant go to sleep within 30mins of drinking water.
How am i supposed to fit in 8 cups of water a day? Does anyone actually do this?

It blows my mind people ask this question.. Really, you don't know how to drink water? Here is a picture..that depicts are way to drink water.



As for how to meet the daily water goal, you just do it. Grab some water and slam it down your throat. You want to lose weight and you want to be healthy, then you just do it. If you can't show the willpower to drink water then you aren't ready to lose the weight, you'll never stick to it. People can think I'm being pretty mean here but, its the truth. If something as simple as drinking water is causing you to get hanged up, how do you expect to keep to a lifestyle change.

bbbgamer

pretend its beer

frumpytofit

I guzzle down two 8oz glasses of water before I'm allowed my meals-this seams to fill me up a bit..

caitlinmcauley

i found it hard at first, and had to run to the bathroom way too frequently, but it becomes a habit, and your bladder gets used to it. i love water now, its all i drink, and i usually go beyond the 8 glasses.

Effief21

I was looking this up last night, because I hardly drink any water either.

According to 'netdoctor' (http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/womenshealth/features/watermyth.htm) - you don't need the full 8 cups, just 2.5 pints because there's a lot of water in certain foods, obviously depending on how active you are etc. (This is just what I read, whether it's true or not I don't know)

I try to keep a bottle of squash with me at all times (I don't like the taste of water), as when I have a drink with me, I'll drink it. It works, I just need to try and do it all the time.

Hope that helped a bit

kristelpoole

I hate it when I struggle to drink water....

moosenbratsmommy

i bring a water bottle with me to work that gets refilled at least 2x before i leave (we have an office 5 gal jug for refills) my bottle holds nearly 24 ounces, so make sure i get 2 bottles gone and usually half a bottle before i leave work and drink from the same water bottle the rest of the day- usually 2 or 3 more refills at home because my kids tend to drink from my bottle!

when i was first starting out with water (big soda drinker) i made myself finish at least one cup before 8 am, then 1 cup before 12pm, and so forth and when that got to be habit, i changed it to 1 cup every 2 hours at least during my work day- now its like nearly a cup an hour until 12 (i start work at 5 am) and then around lunch i'll have a diet coke instead and the water drinking slows down!

ElizabethRoad

I hate it when I struggle to drink water....

Looks like she has a drinking problem.

kassandra81

Absolutely! I drink a minimum of 4 litres a day. I have a 1 litre water bottle that I have a time frame that I finish it by.

Bottle one I drink between 9am and 12noon.
Bottle two I drink between 12noon and 3pm
Bottle three I drink between 3pm and 6pm
Bottle four I drink between 6pm and bed time

On gym days I drink an extra litre while there.

onatutu

I am first gonna try to drink small glass of water when wake up, and before each meal and when I go to bed...Hope I remember...Ha.Ha.:drinker:

pmlife

I used to be the same way ... I still can't stand plain water.. but I learned to give up 10 cals / per 16oz bottle of water and started using Crystal Light flavored powders ... now I average about 12 cups of water / day ... always have extras made up so I won't drink soda. Good Luck !!

kflynn28147

What about the Propel water and the powder little sticks you can add to your water, that may help.:flowerforyou:

deksgrl

I find that using a re-usable cup with a straw helps me get 8-10 cups of water per day:bigsmile: and the fact that water is mostly the only beverage of choice for me.

I have a 32 ounce plastic cup with straw, keep it at my desk. Drink 1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon. That is (8) 8 ounce glasses. Extra fitness walking to the bathroom more.

AEcklar813

On average I drink 8 cups a day. I buy the flavored water from walmart, clear american. It's 32 oz a bottle. I refill them a few times and then get new ones. So I know if I drink 2 of those bottles a day it's my 8 cups.

marycmeadows

what do you drink?? I just keep water with me all the time and end up drinking 12-15 cups a day on average. it really helps with a lot - weight loss, hydration (also, I rarely have to use lotion on my skin because I'm super hydrated).....

They say if you wait until you're thirsty to drink something, you're already getting dehydrated.... so best thing is to just keep water with you and drink it all the time.... it's not a hard habit to develop, just like anything else.

Poison5119

I have been through this twice. The first time through, I drank no less than 120 oz of water per day. I was always in a panic over it. This is my second time losing 25 lbs,, and I'm not drinking nearly as much as I used to, and I am still losing weight at a normal rate of speed.

The general rule of thumb is you should drink enough water to pee clear 2x a day. Whatever that amount is. I'm at about 66 oz per day.