Drinking Water, Any Tips ?

13

Replies

  • moserbean
    moserbean Posts: 1 Member
    I make a pot of herbal, caffein free tea and ice it, that gives a little more interest and extra vitamins and minerals as well
  • fallonrhea
    fallonrhea Posts: 388 Member
    I found that I just didn't like drinking water out of a glass or a water bottle that I had to tilt upward...so I bought a plastic 24 oz water bottle that has a built in straw.

    It's changed EVERYTHING. I went from drinking NO water to 20+ cups a day!
  • Cathy_Daydreams
    Cathy_Daydreams Posts: 120
    If you like it but aren't remembering to drink it, try getting a decent sized water bottle and making a rule that you have to finish it before doing certain things (getting lunch, etc). That's worked pretty well for me. Some days I'll set a high goal for water and keep a note that shows my starting goal and then subtracting out each glass. For some reason, I find myself going to get water and downing a glass just because I want to update my progress so it's partially a mind game.

    I can't say I'm water's biggest fan but there are times when I'm really into it and times when I'm not but the idea with the flavoured pouches, or what ever they're called, which has been offered as a solution by many on here, may be a good way to get me back into it. I never thought of it as a mind game, it's interesting seeing it from that perspective.
  • Cathy_Daydreams
    Cathy_Daydreams Posts: 120
    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...

    Although I don't have a car, since I'm seventeen and don't have enough money to learn or insure myself on dad's car, I do think this is a really good idea, I might actually suggest it to my mum who's trying to spread her water intake out through the day (she drinks nothing all day and then come home and drinks 2 liters, she wants to spread it out so she can actually sleep at night :L) thank you.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    Set an alarm on your phone to go off each hour, every time the alarm goes off have a glass of water. It soon becomes a habit.
  • Cathy_Daydreams
    Cathy_Daydreams Posts: 120
    There are so many ways to naturally add flavor to water. Lemons, cucumber, mint.
    What is it about water you don't like?

    I don't know really, sometimes I love it and I will drink nothing else and then sometimes I just hate the tastelessness of it.
    At this moment in time I think I just don't feel thirsty enough to drink 8 cups of water a day, but I think some of that might be because of the taste. I live in Yorkshire, which means the tap water here is really pure and there is no taste. I'm not keen on things with no taste and I'm only just getting into still drinks with taste (I have tried sparkling water but it is a really weird taste that I don't like) I hope that answers your question .
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    just glug it down in one, really, it isn't a chore. :-)
  • Cathy_Daydreams
    Cathy_Daydreams Posts: 120
    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/

    Thank you for the link that was so helpful :).
    Has anyone got an alternative to citrus fruits at all, it's not that I don't like them I just feel like if I was having that every day for a number of years I would get bored of the taste and it would be great to shake it up a bit from time to time ?
  • samcran0318
    samcran0318 Posts: 5
    Sweetbay Supermarkets sell a bottled water called Ice. I love the grapefruit flavor... Zero calories, a little carbonation, and all the vitamins that come from the fruit. I feel like I'm drinking soda so it makes it easier.
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
    I hate water. Only way I will drink it is if it has ice. Also sometimes if I want flavor those Crystal Light packets are good. I like the energy ones. 10 cals a pack. Also, try to sip it because if you bombard your body with too much water at once your system will just flush it right back out. Don't wait until you're thirsty, at that point your already getting dehydrated. Oh, also get one of those 20oz water bottles, that's about 2 glasses in one of those and you can take it with you.
  • phillieschic
    phillieschic Posts: 615
    Just do it. It sucks sometimes, but the bad outweighs the good. This may sound sill since we're adults, but I bought a fun cup to drink out of...keeps it cold and has a straw. I challenge myself all day to see how many times I can fill it up. It holds 24 ounces and I usually refill it at least 4 times!

    Keep it handy.
    Sip it often.

    :drinker:
  • kvelcro
    kvelcro Posts: 44
    I find if I drink water as soon as I wake up, I'm in a sort of water groove for the rest of the day.

    Generally about 200+ml in the morning.
  • Cathy_Daydreams
    Cathy_Daydreams Posts: 120
    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!

    Thank you for the advice, that's been a great help.
    I cannot say I want to drink to lose weight, I am more concerned about my digestive system working properly and clearing headaches and the like, because that happened a lot when I used to drink loads of water and then missed a day or didn't quite make the goal I would get really bad headaches and I think that's coming back again. It's good to know that you can lose weight without drinking an ocean of water. Thanks :)
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
    Keep a bottle of filtered water with you at all times. Make sure it's a decent sized bottle (I have a 24 oz and a 32 oz that I use).

    I switch between plain "flat" water, to sparkling water that has a hint of flavor and no calories (no sweeteners of any kind either); I also add a squeeze of lime, lemon, or orange or I also have an herbal Ginseng Mint tea that I add (it doesn't have any tea leaf in it, so no caffeine); this is especially refreshing during the hot, humid summer. No need to steep the tea; I just toss the tea bag directly in my cold water and it brings the mint flavor to the water.

    ****Actually drinking water helps the metabolism continue to burn, so it does help you lose weight

    On another note - you shouldn't drink (a lot of) water within 30 minutes of eating because it actually will dilute your digestive enzymes and cause digestive problems.
  • mmychal
    mmychal Posts: 69
    I usually drink it straight and like it that way, but sometimes to mix it up, I keep a bottle of realemon lemon juice in the fridge and just add a teaspoon or so to nt glass. The citrus taste is really refreshing especially after a workout.
  • FitBunnyEm
    FitBunnyEm Posts: 320
    hi, i never used to drink water, which is why i over ate due to thinking i was hungry but i was thirsty! i now drink 3litres to 4 a day depending on exersize etc....so many people dont drink enough, it clears my migranes also and improves my skin.....
    i carry a 2 litre bottle to work and drink it then refill it.....
  • Cathy_Daydreams
    Cathy_Daydreams Posts: 120
    Try setting a timmer to ring once every hour until you've had your 8 glasses.

    I had never thought of this but it's a brilliant idea. Thank you
  • paulaface12
    paulaface12 Posts: 1
    Good morning carrying a bottle of water with you at all times may help.
  • LorryGuthrie
    LorryGuthrie Posts: 113 Member
    I'm always thirsty when I have my meals, so I try to drink half a bottled water before a meal and finish it off while I'm eating. But I'm still struggling to get all 8 cups in a day!!
  • Cathy_Daydreams
    Cathy_Daydreams Posts: 120
    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.

    Same and I had one of these for a while but forgot to use it . I tend to use my phone for music until like 10pm when I go through messages, games etc. I know I shouldn't but you only live once I guess :L. and the timetable is a good idea, I might have to add this to my school timetable when I get it in September :)
  • leanne9876
    leanne9876 Posts: 301 Member
    I've found a good way, I buy a pack of water. 500ml bottles. I get 4 out of the pack each day and I know thats how many I need to drink.
  • Cathy_Daydreams
    Cathy_Daydreams Posts: 120
    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

    Yeah, I found it easier to drink cold liquids at school but it's a lot harder now because I used to top up with cold ice at the water fountain, which is brill, especially during free lessons when the small children aren't around. But now they turn the water fountain on at break and lunch and that's it and there's always a queue which has cut off that supply for me. The ice suggestions I've been getting on here are really simple but effective though. It is sometime I will have to try :D thank you
  • kimmi2448
    kimmi2448 Posts: 3
    I have a 2 liter that I fill up with water everyday. I then put one single pouch (normaly for 16 oz bottles) of Crystal Light flavor in my bottle. Shake and chill over night and it adds taste to your water with only 5 cals for the day. It keeps me full in between my meals and gives me what I need for the day. Hope this helps!
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
    I've found a good way, I buy a pack of water. 500ml bottles. I get 4 out of the pack each day and I know thats how many I need to drink.

    Bit expensive and all that plastic is bad for the environment.

    I have a special hiking water bottle, that I can put in the dishwasher every day. I just fill it up with tap water.
  • SCSleeve2012
    SCSleeve2012 Posts: 76 Member
    I was never a water drinker either. But what works for me is I mix hawiian fruit punch singles (10 cals a pack) (any flavor) & water then freeze them. I have a ice shaver (cheap @ walmart) that I use to make a snow cone. It's just like you are drinking water with ice, but it doubles as a treat. Hope that helps
  • quilterann1939
    quilterann1939 Posts: 2
    Hi,

    I do the same thing with crystal light. I am now able to drink about 6 glasses a day, thats it. I guess thats better than none. Good luck. Ann
  • MrsLeyva11
    MrsLeyva11 Posts: 90
    I make myself chug at least 8 oz on the hour, every hour. It works for me, because I'm a stay at home mom and have nothing better to do with my time. But I could see where it wouldn't be practical for people who work or attend University.
  • Nikki_Nx
    Nikki_Nx Posts: 27 Member
    headaches and being thirsty are signs that your body is telling you that you're dehydrated. Don't forget in hot weather we lose weight through sweat/perspiration and your body needs to replace that loss to help your circulation, espesh your heart....xx
  • spicypepper
    spicypepper Posts: 1,016 Member
    I either use the Crystal light or Mio when I'm having a rough time getting mine in. I'm super excited that Mio came out with more flavors, I just wish they were cheaper. :(
  • enb5056
    enb5056 Posts: 31
    I never knew how important drinking water was until I passed out one day from dehydration, its serious stuff. I bought this really cute cup with a straw lid attached (i believe they are very popular now) and always keep if full, I've never drank so much in one day! The straw makes it super easy to drink out of and makes the water just disappear! Sometimes having cute things motivate me to use it haha

Categories