Drinking More Water - How?

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Replies

  • DrDrea411
    DrDrea411 Posts: 10
    Just like many of the other members that commented, every morning I fill up a 64 oz water jug (bought at Giant) with water and a whole tray of ice. After my coffee in the morning at work, I open the jug and keep a straw in it and drink it all day long. I think that it is very important to have a visual of how much you are drinking. But be prepared for many trips to the restroom :)
  • hkry3250
    hkry3250 Posts: 140
    Well, I hate water, especially out of a glass. The only way I drink it is out of either a sports bottle or gallon jug. Try different containers, and I also use flavoring sometimes. I especially like the energy flavors, but don't get the liquid drops, they use propylene glycol which dehydrates you by absorbing water in your system as well as the fact it is used as an antifreeze agent under certain conditions.
  • Brighteyes9
    Brighteyes9 Posts: 8 Member
    I had a difficult time with this in the beginning. Diet Coke was my beverage of choice . . . breakfast, lunch, dinner . . . all day every day. When I began modifying my life I made my diet coke a reward. If I hadn't had my 8 glasses of water I didn't get my diet coke. It wasn't easy but now when I'm asked what I would like to drink, my automatic response is "WATER please". There are lots of good suggestions here. Find one that works for you and stick with it.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Where is the proof that a body needs 8 glases of water a day? In fact, drinking water with a meal will dilute digestive juices and drinking such a large quantity of water will cause water soluble nutrients to be literally pissed out.

    Show me some solid prove, otherwise I will drink when I am thirsty and an hour before I am likely to sweat heavily - yoga, cardio etc.

    Check this out: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/06/08/water-eight-glasses-myth.html
    Drink if you need or want to.
  • rce884
    rce884 Posts: 47 Member
    i find that having oversize glasses helps a lot. i have huge water glasses. and use them religiously. theonly trick is to avoid at all costs puttting juice in them.
    also i have a stock pile of crystal light for when i get too bored of warter.
    ice water makes me crave moer water so i would go with as cold as you can handle.

    those are my tips.
    good luck
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I keep a glass near me at all times, and refill when empty. If it's there, I'll drink it.
  • angiechimpanzee
    angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
    Force it at first. Have a refillable water bottle and take it everywhere. Every two hours or something, set a timer on your phone to drink a whole bottle (or maybe start with half). Just chug it.

    Soon you'll learn to like it. Also at restaurants don't ask for coke or any of that crap. Have a glass of cold water with a lemon on the side/squeezed in. Its refreshing, zero calories, and its free.
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
    Keeping it right next to my computer at work keeps it handy 8 hours a day! I usually get my "8 cups" in by quitting time (and usually more).
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Where is the proof that a body needs 8 glases of water a day? In fact, drinking water with a meal will dilute digestive juices and drinking such a large quantity of water will cause water soluble nutrients to be literally pissed out.

    Show me some solid prove, otherwise I will drink when I am thirsty and an hour before I am likely to sweat heavily - yoga, cardio etc.

    Check this out: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/06/08/water-eight-glasses-myth.html
    Drink if you need or want to.

    Exactly, you'd almost think the diet industry had stocks in water!
  • shadoewz
    shadoewz Posts: 46
    Put ice in your water and use a straw. Sip on water all day. Try to drink a full cup of water every two hours, or whenever you go into the kitchen, or both. Put a cherry in your water, or a lemon or lime slice on the side of your glass, it makes it look a little fancier. It can be very difficult for adults to want to drink water after they have spent so much time drinking coffee, tea, soda etc. Drinking lots of liquids with tons of solutes in them tends to turn off our thirst center. When I first was told by my doctor that I had to drink water I felt sick getting down 8 cups a day....I felt like I was being forced to drink a kiddie pool. It took 2 months for me to get my brain rewired right, and now I don't think I could get by with less than 16 cups of water a day (and that is plain free-water, I do not count tea, coffee, milk, soda, crystal light, or anything else.)
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
    Where is the proof that a body needs 8 glases of water a day? In fact, drinking water with a meal will dilute digestive juices and drinking such a large quantity of water will cause water soluble nutrients to be literally pissed out.

    Show me some solid prove, otherwise I will drink when I am thirsty and an hour before I am likely to sweat heavily - yoga, cardio etc.

    Check this out: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/06/08/water-eight-glasses-myth.html
    Drink if you need or want to.
    I don't need to read about why it's good or bad. When I was barely drinking water, I got headaches and was irritable and shaky. In addition to that, I couldn't go more than six weeks without binging on junk food and completely ditching my exercise routine. Now that I drink lots of water, I get few headaches, I feel better, I look better, and I've been eating well consistently for nearly four months and exercising consistently for 8 weeks (six days a week for the last 4 weeks). And I'm at my lowest weight in the last 6 years. There's not an article in the world that could convince me I shouldn't drink water when my life is proof enough for me that it's good for me.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    I wasn't suggesting anyone shouldn't drink water - just that everyone should learn to listen to their own body's needs and respond accordingly rather than stick religiously to a code without knowing why.

    Gingerjen - you obviously do feel better drinking lots of water and you are likely to need it considering you are exercising more. You are responding to your body's needs as am I.
  • cardozojoann
    cardozojoann Posts: 85 Member
    I chug a glass of water before I eat and I drink a glass while I eat. I usually get in 8-10 glasses of water a day.
  • LadyoftheDisc
    LadyoftheDisc Posts: 136 Member
    I use a tumbler with a straw. I've tried the flavor packets, lemons, etc but I find that I drink far more water now than I ever did before simply by using a straw. Also, the colder the water the better for me personally.
  • issystclaire
    issystclaire Posts: 113 Member
    Tbh, this is a bit difficult for me, bc I have been in the habit of drinking mainly water since I was about 13-14 years old. (I am now almost 27).

    For me, water is such a normal part of my daily routine, I do not even think about it.

    I do not like soda, haven't had it in so many years. I drink juice at breakfast, and coffee(alongside my water) as well as herbal teas (usually 1-2 cups a day after dinner), and that is about it. I drink alcohol of course, but this is obviously only at certain times. (But I ALWAYS make sure to have water alongside this as well, to prevent dehydration and aide detoxification.)

    Any other time, every meal and snack, I have water. When I work out, of course I have water. So I drink anywhere from 10-12 cups a day, easily.

    For me, it is more mind boggling when people struggle to even make half of this! I feel like if I didn't have water, I would die of thirst!

    I think it is probably just a case of getting into the habit of it. If you turn to water versus soda, etc at meals, eventually you will come to go for it right away automatically.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    If I try to drink eight glasses of water in a day, I spend much of the time urinating - so I am not drinking 8 glasses of water - I am passing 8 glasses of water through my body and losing water soluble vitamins and minerals in the process.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
    Just wondering how you get more water into your daily routines? I do well on some days, but most of the time I know I am lacking on my water intake.

    If anyone has any helpful suggestions, I would appreciate it. Thanks!

    I was stuck on water and ensure for about 10 days, it grows on you. Just keep a full glass of ice water at your desk when you can. Turvis tumblers keep it colder, longer
  • carpediem4263
    carpediem4263 Posts: 167 Member
    Drink through a straw! It always helps.
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
    Drink through a straw! It always helps.
    Except that it's more likely to give you gas--drinking anything through a straw increases the amount of air you swallow. FYI.
  • jojorocksforeva
    jojorocksforeva Posts: 303 Member
    I just do it i just have to do it. Its necessary i drink some at all my meals a lot and than just throughout the day i get to my water goal than after that if i still want to drink more i doo... lol
  • Marc713
    Marc713 Posts: 328 Member
    Drink through a straw! It always helps.
    Except that it's more likely to give you gas--drinking anything through a straw increases the amount of air you swallow. FYI.

    You simply do it. Obtain a container of water of some fashion, lift, drink, swallow. Set your limit for the day & keep drinking until you reach it. While adding all the flavor to it may help, I recommend simply getting used to drinking it plain and maybe using one of those packets as a treat now and then instead of trading one crutch for another, like if you are getting off sodas. If you really feel you need flavor, use lemon, limes, cucumbers, or something for flavor.

    If you need help on the weekend or certain days, set calendar reminders on your smartphone. I use my google calendar alerts for all sorts of timed reminders as you can add several reminders to one event in the calendar. Also, I think there are water drinking apps to remind you that you can get for ipones & droids. Just search your app store of choice i'm sure "there's an app for that".
  • issystclaire
    issystclaire Posts: 113 Member


    If you really feel you need flavor, use lemon, limes, cucumbers, or something for flavor.


    Lemon is a great addition as it is also a natural detoxifier. I use one lemon slice in my water at least once a day, if not twice.
  • Sylv93
    Sylv93 Posts: 28 Member
    This sounds pretty silly, but because my "party trick" used to be the ability to down pints of cider on super speed, sometimes if I haven't drunk enough in a day I challenge myself to drink a pint of water in under 5 seconds. Don't judge me! lol
  • btwalsh132
    btwalsh132 Posts: 289 Member
    It takes less than 30 seconds to down a bottle of water :drinker:

    -That's how I do it....chug away!

    Agree. I keep a gallon in a corner of my cube. Every other hour I drink as much as I can.

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