Drinking Water, Any Tips ?

cjh03

I would suggest keep a case in the car....set a goal to drink one at every 2-3 stops.....Keep a liter bottle at work to refill at all times....All helped me...

Be careful if you do this...I'm personally not comfortable drinking anything that's been sitting in heated up plastic so I wouldn't leave it in the car. My dad keeps a 2liter full of water with him at all times. But he takes it out of the truck when he gets out so it's not sitting in the truck baking tasty plastic chemicals into something he'll be drinking.

I second this...I remember reading/hearing somewhere that leaving water bottles in the heat will release nasty chemicals that you don't want floating around in your body.

Theforce31

I use slices of lemon in mine. I find that it softens the water.

Erica27511

There are so many ways to naturally add flavor to water. Lemons, cucumber, mint.
What is it about water you don't like?

916lude

Crystal light or flavored sparkling water can help

herillusion

Honestly I hate water but I like it better when its ICE cold and thru a straw.

Most of us confuse thirst for hunger so the next time you think you are hungry - drink 8 oz of water. Wait about 15 minutes and still see if you are hungry.

I started drinking before/after a meal.

Only downside is that I had an overactive bladder before and now I'm in the bathroom every 15-20 minues.

But plain water with a slice of lemon or lime or something else is what your body needs.

Try these ideas for fruits in water

http://nancycreative.com/2010/06/25/feast-your-eyes-on-flavored-water/

ATT949

Hello,
I was just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to drink more water. At the moment I struggle to drink a cup a day, not because I don't like it (although I will admit Dr Pepper does taste nice) it's more that I never feel like I need a drink of something.
I hope that made sense :S

I've "been away" for a while (haven't been on the forums much in a few months) and have seen one great change here on MFP - folks who "admit" that they've lost weight eating < 1200 calories aren't being shouted down now. I'm very pleased to see that.

What hasn't changed, however, is that folks here are holding on to the myth of "8x8". "8x8" is the myth that you need to drink 8 cups of water a day.

Here's a posting of mine from some time ago that explores the "gotta get your 8 a day" myth:

"A lot of places urge dieters to drink water and for good reason - it can help you lose weight. If you have a stomach with lots of water, you feel full, and will tend to eat less. Many sites don't explain why they recommend 8 cups/day but the only reasons I've seen given are that it fills you up. And that's a good thing.

As my fiancée, who runs a very successful weight loss clinic here in Southern California, clued me in on, there's a second benefit to drinking water when you're dieting. When some folks start losing weight, they get constipated. By drinking lots of water, the unneeded water can help loosen your bowels.

That's about it. If doesn't make you skinnier faster, it does bloat you and add to the work that your kidneys have to do, and you end up spending money for it (bottled water is a multi-billion dollar industry), and you get to spend quality time peeing out all of the extra water.

My take on it — if you need to drink water to control your urge to eat, do it because being overweight is much worse than drinking water all day. If you don't need help controlling you appetite, why bother? Most of us have the urination thing down pretty well, right?

That comes across as a bias but it's one I've had for a while and part of it comes 'cause I grew up in a place where the drinking water wasn't that great (in Bermuda we used to catch the rainwater on our roof and store it in a tank under the house. Water tanks had mold and bacteria so we put guppies in the water tank to get rid of things like mosquitoes. Mold, stale water, and guppy…remnants — yummy!).

Fast forward to now and it appears that there's no medical evidence to drink the infamous 8 cups a day.

Yes, that flies in the face of "what everyone knows" but, heh, that's how life is some times. Everyone knows that stomach ulcers come from too much acid in the stomach, right? Wrong. It's a virus - a fellow won a Nobel prize when he proved it even though he had been denounced for his beliefs!. Another example - even the best scientific minds accept the fact that the human body will survive going faster than 10 MPH in a steam engine but it wasn't always that way. In the early 1800's, scientists were convinced that people would be killed if they were in a train going that speed. So, times change and we learn, right?

References anyone?

This paper, written by a Dartmouth MD, professor, and author of a book on kidneys has 100 footnotes.

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2002/aug/080802.html

And here's another link to a different version:

http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/283/5/R993.full


Even Snopes gets in on this:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

In short:

Is there value in drinking 8 cups of water? Yes!

Do you have to drink 8 cups a day to lose weight? Nope.

Do you lose weight faster by drinking 8 cups a day? Perhaps recent research has been posted that proves this but, as of a few years ago, there was no medical evidence to support this claim.


The most recent issue of Running Times has an article on this subject. It's an excerpt from an upcoming book about running. I do realize that MFP isn't a web site for runners but that doesn't mean that knowledge isn't applicable.

Here's the link:

http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=26481

And, yes, Dr. Noakes, makes it very clear that there is no need to chug down lotsa water.


How much water do I drink? As it turns out, not a whole lot. I drink water when I'm thirsty (it's humid today so my run will be more demanding than normal) and I'm thirsty after a run. Other than that, I drink coffee (I know how "everyone knows that caffeine is a diuretic - it's measurable and immaterial for someone who regularly uses caffeine), diet soda, and iced tea. But what about when I get thirsty, what do I drink? Heh, I'm no fool. I turn on the tap and pour myself a glass of water!

Cathy_Daydreams

One way to make water more desirable to me is to get those crystal light or off brand flavored powder packets to pour into my water. They're only 10 calories per pack and they taste very good. Also what makes me really thirsty is moving. Like even if I just go on a short walk outside, I come back and I'm so thirsty. Drinking a lot of water throughout the day does get easier though after doing it a while, I am at the point where it is pretty much all I ever want to drink; I do 8 to 10 cups a day. Watch out for diet sodas though, they tend to have a lot of sodium in them which can bloat your tummy.

I've never seen or heard of flavoured powder packets before but they sound like a good idea.
Does anyone know if they're available in the UK ? I know a number of people have mentioned them and I wouldn't mind trying one.

Cathy_Daydreams

I am not fond of drinking water so I put one of those crystal lite packets in mine and find that I will drink more water. Also adding a lemon to your water is refreshing too. I agree with you though Dr Pepper is yummy but what my Dr told me is that by drinking soda pop it will increase your want for more sweets. I of course still drink a coke zero but only one a day Anyway...good luck and cheers to you.:drinker:

I don't find that it does, I think part of the reason I like it is because my diet can at times be pretty bland. Mum cooks tea for all of us you see and we have the same thing week in week out, so you can imagine how much my taste buds ache for something different with a bit of taste. I do sip at coke during the day, usually during the morning to wake me up

Cathy_Daydreams

Personally if my thirst never kicked in Id see a doctor- I would wonder if thats a sign of something more serious. Dehydration is no joke and most ppl walk around dehydrated on the regular and they wonder why they are foggy, have head aches, muscle aches and various other ailments.

Find an 8 oz glass- keep it at the sink and slam one before and after each meal for starters- that will at least get you started to 8 glasses a day. Then make it a 16 oz glass (what I do) and slam those at least after the meal if not before as well.

Have a glass before and after your shower, before and after a work out, before and after work- any places in your day where it would be convenient to just walk over to the sink and get a drink. Not hard just gotta make yourself do it.

I have to admit I have had a lot of headaches lately. It's something I'm definatley mentioning to my doctor when I see him again at the end of the month. I understand what you are saying and I always take water with me, but I tend to find that I'm just not thirsty at all and I'm very cautious of drinking too much water when I'm out. I would like to actually be out and not sitting in a public toilet all day ...

Cathy_Daydreams

I hate water, being perfectly honest. When I would try to get eight glasses a day in with nothing in it, I would gag on it. I know that's ridiculous but I just can't stand it for some reason.

So I use Propel Zero packets are the Crystal Light Pure. I use them because they don't have aspartame like other water sweeteners, which gives me a migraine, plus the Propel has no calories but it has a ton of flavor.

Also try drinking water whenever you feel hungry, because sometimes it's your body signaling you that you're dehydrated so instead of overeating you're hydrating yourself.

Plus if you just don't want to drink water, I'm the same way, I always make myself drink a few glasses of water before dinner or before you have that soda, that way, you have on soda and not multiple. Hope that helps!

My mum always tells me to drink when I feel hungry and thank you for the suggestion about the soda. It is helpful because we don't always have soda in the house so I generally have to walk to the shop to get some, which makes me a little thirsty. Thank you for the suggestion.

Carl_Duffin

Try not to drink glasses of water immediately before or after a main meal. This will dilute your digestive juices and slow down the digestive process. Drink water at least one hour before and after a meal to ensure you are hydrated but not on top of a full stomach.

Cathy_Daydreams

Personally if my thirst never kicked in Id see a doctor- I would wonder if thats a sign of something more serious. Dehydration is no joke and most ppl walk around dehydrated on the regular and they wonder why they are foggy, have head aches, muscle aches and various other ailments.

Find an 8 oz glass- keep it at the sink and slam one before and after each meal for starters- that will at least get you started to 8 glasses a day. Then make it a 16 oz glass (what I do) and slam those at least after the meal if not before as well.

Have a glass before and after your shower, before and after a work out, before and after work- any places in your day where it would be convenient to just walk over to the sink and get a drink. Not hard just gotta make yourself do it.

So true!

Also, since I've never been a big water drinker, other than sometimes adding flavor packets... I always keep ice water at my desk at work. Drink a cup first thing in the am, since Bob Harper says to do this to help boost your metabolism. But also, I don't let myself have my mid morning snack after breakfast until I've drank my first 24oz glass of ice water. Just a motivator, maybe it'll help you too. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

My problem is being really tired in the morning and a caffeine addict from years of one - bottle - a - day of pop I always go for a fizzy drink, otherwise I get withdrawal symptoms (e.g. splitting headache, unable to concentrate on much) so I'm not sure how to manage drinking water in the morning when I rely so much on caffeine to make me function ... but thannk you for the suggestion.

Cathy_Daydreams

I like/hate water. It depends on how I feel...sometimes I love it, sometimes I can't stand the taste.

I'm like that at times, although now it's just a case of 'I'm not thirsty, why do I need to drink' and then by the end of the day it's like 'oh ... no cups of water again today, I'm screwed'

Cathy_Daydreams

I am such a dork, but I always drink more water if it is out of some sort of container that I like. For a while I used one of those insulated Starbucks cups with the straw. Now I have a new bottle from there that is actually glass which is fan-freaking-tastic becuase it doesn't alter the taste of the water at all. I also prefer ice cold water if possible.

Also, when I was working, I would plan to drink 3 glasses of water before I left the house. One immediately after waking up, one after my shower, and one more before leaving.

OH MY GOD I LOVE THOSE THINGS
Sorry I'm a huge Starbucks fan, despite that I still can't bring myself to like hot drinks ... such a shame
and thank you for the suggestions it;s really helped

Cathy_Daydreams

I don't like plain water ... tried many many times, now I just don't worry about.
I drink lots of other things.... ice tea, coffee, decaf coffee, almond milk, diet v8 splash, protein shakes etc...

Find something you like to drink and drink it. If it has calories, track it in your food diary and well as counting it towards fluid intake.

That's what I'm doing at the moment, my only problem is I would like to get into water since it flushes things out of your system a bit, which is always a good thing. But thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one with the water issue

Cathy_Daydreams

There must be a lot of us that just don't like water. Here's my thing on water: It tastes disgusting. With that said, the water is a really important part of losing weight. So I use MIO water enhancer (other's use lemon or something), and then after my two cups of coffee in the morning, I don't allow myself to drink a diet Dr. Pepper or anything else until all of my water is done for the day. That could take any number of hours. When I finally get my Dr. Pepper, it's more of a reward. You may not be feeling thirsty, but for sure your body is. Try it out and see if you can't make a game out of it.

This is a brilliant idea, I hadn't thought of it at all but now you've said it seems so obvious.
Thanks

BucsGirl4Life

I actually found this from another post earlier on here: Mio! It's about $4 and it'll flavor 24 oz of water. I've bought it at places like Raley's, Walmart, Target and you add 1/2 tsp for every 8 oz of water. I have a 16oz glass mug that I fill to the top and add 1 tsp. But I also suggest totally getting rid of sweet drinks (not talking about mio) and drinking at least one 8 oz. of water a day. I really think you'll come to love water! It's refreshing and I now drink at least 8oz. with every main meal because I like the way it cool, "washes" everything down and cleans my taste buds for another tasty bit!

I concur with the suggestion of Mio. I NEVER drank water and was addicted to sweet tea. Mio has awesome flavors, my favorites are sweet tea and mango peach. Now, I don't drink anything BUT water with a little squirt of Mio. You can put as much or as little as you want in the water.

MelStren

Try setting a timmer to ring once every hour until you've had your 8 glasses.

Nikki_Nx

I try to drink 2 glasses of water (200 mL) at certain points of the day: breakfast, lunch, tea time and early evening, which should total 1L...which is your daily requirement and just keep in mind that water is a better filter for your kidneys than any soda drink ) xx

Illona88

Keep some water in you line of sight the entire time.

At work have a bottle next to the monitor, if you are watching tv have a big glass on the table in front of you etc.

It is best to take a sip every now and then than to chug a whole glass in one go.

Shrinking_Moody

I found a refillable water bottle at Wal-Mart for about $5. It's 32oz - so I initially set goals for myself to have had one of those by noon - and then the other one before dinner - and if I hit that goal I'd have a diet green tea or a diet coke w/ splenda. Now I go through 4 or 5 of those bottles a day and sometimes add lemon/lime/orange slices - or even a squirt of Mio.

Cathy_Daydreams

I actually found this from another post earlier on here: Mio! It's about $4 and it'll flavor 24 oz of water. I've bought it at places like Raley's, Walmart, Target and you add 1/2 tsp for every 8 oz of water. I have a 16oz glass mug that I fill to the top and add 1 tsp. But I also suggest totally getting rid of sweet drinks (not talking about mio) and drinking at least one 8 oz. of water a day. I really think you'll come to love water! It's refreshing and I now drink at least 8oz. with every main meal because I like the way it cool, "washes" everything down and cleans my taste buds for another tasty bit!

Getting rid of sweet drinks, as much as I would love to, is tricky. I still live with my parents and my mum loves diet coke, which means we sometimes have it in the house and it makes getting rid of it really quite difficult (it's not fair on her to stop her drinking what she likes because I'm on a diet) I used to love water, especially when we went down to London last year I drank soo much. I think, as well as not feeling thirsty at all, the fact that the water up here, in Yorkshire, is so pure and has no taste is a reason I can't drink it. I like to taste something

Anastasia0511

I do not understand when people say they hate water. What's to hate? There's no flavor ,just liquid going down your throat. I mean unless of course you're drinking out of 100 year old rusty pipes. Like NIKE says, "Just Do It".

Cathy_Daydreams

I have been trying to choke down a gallon of water a day... but my biggest problem is going to the bathroom every hour...makes long car trips a no-go...

That's what I'm worried about, not so much now cos' I'm on holiday but when I get back to school I don't want to be missing out on lessons and valuable revision time going to the loo.

tejasmh87

I drink about 80 ounces / 2.36588 liters a day of water and it was a stuggle to get there.

I have a 24oz / 0.71 liter stainless steel water bottle at work and first thing when I get there is drink down a bottle full.

Anytime I feel hungry I tend to drink another bottle full to see if it really is hungry pains. When my stomach growls right after the 3rd bottle of the day it is usually time for a snack

I drink another bottle full with my lunch. By the end I will have had about 72oz - 96oz of water.

My trick is Mio water enhancer. My boyfriend actually got me hooked on them since he cannot have any other sweetner with Aspertame in it and dislikes any gritty powder taste. The flavors are bold and 0 calories all the way. Target and Kroger stores now have their own versions as well.

By most standards my water intake is really high for someone who isn't a hardcore exerciser but I can tell the difference to my personality when I am well hydrated and feel sooo much better.

So whatever amount works for you, tweek it until you can enjoy the taste and you'll be surprised when you start craving water.

Cathy_Daydreams

I use to hate water too.. never drank it...always diet 7-up until I found out what the soda does to your body and won't let you lose weight...I usually put 1/2 of those sugar free packets like grape,orange,berry (great value from walmart) in my orange thermo cup that holds a water bottle full of water (16 oz)..thats 2 cups and put a few ice cubes in and take it wherever you go...there...you have drank 2 cups already...just have to drink 4 like that...You will get use to drinking water...soon you will crave it! Good Luck!

This is a really good idea actually.
I always take a bottle of water with me but never seem to drink it at all, I don't know why, maybe the fact it's a small bottle that get's thrown in the bottom of a bag and forgotten about is the reason. If I had something bigger, like a thermo cup it might make me remember more. Thank you for the suggestion.

opuntia

I know what you mean - I like water, but I often simply forget to drink it, because I'm not conscious of being thirsty. But once I drink a glass of water, I realise I needed it. I've found it helpful to have an app on my phone which tells me to drink 8 glasses of water (or however many you want to make your goal) and it has 8 cups for me to click whenever I have a drink of water, and it tells me how many I have left to drink. Also, if I am planning my day, with a timetable, I add 'drink water' to the end of each hour, to remind me.

epiper69

I like adding a couple of drops of Mio to my water (when I have a craving fro something sweet to drink). The Watermelon-Strawberry is my favorite. Crushed cubes in my water also makes me feel like I'm having some type of treat and with the Mio, it is like drinking a Slushie!

Cathy_Daydreams

Find an 8 oz glass- keep it at the sink and slam one before and after each meal for starters- that will at least get you started to 8 glasses a day. Then make it a 16 oz glass (what I do) and slam those at least after the meal if not before as well.

Have a glass before and after your shower, before and after a work out, before and after work- any places in your day where it would be convenient to just walk over to the sink and get a drink. Not hard just gotta make yourself do it.

I could never do the "keep a cup of water near you" thing because water that has been sitting out is really gross. Refilling a cup before and after doing common daily activities seems a lot more reasonable.

hmm yeah I know the feeling. Had that a lot when I was at school by the time it came to lunch I had a bottle of luke warm water in my bag and even if you like water that is not a nice thing. I think putting ice in it might be a good idea. It's a suggestion that I've heard somewhere on here and it might work for you as well

Bronx_Montgomery

I figured out a way. I love to drink really cold liquids and making my water ice cold made it easy to drink tons of it. Plus I heard drinking really cold water boots your metabolism