Water

Drinking Crystal Light or green tea or lemon flavored water, etc., definitely counts towards your water consumption. I tend to drink more water when I use a straw- weird, but true for me. I like the hard plastic insulated cups with straws. I tend to drink a lot of iced green tea and flavor it with Truvia and maybe lemon; I make a big container of it and drink several of those every day along with water (even bring big containers of it to work with me). You do get used to drinking more water - especially if you're eliminating some other beverage that's high calories. I would just take care with zero calories drinks like diet soda, especially if caffeinated. It does get easier!

Don't rely on artificial sweetners...they are full of toxic chemicals.

Stick to water. It does a body good!

Yep. I've always felt that once you add flavored powder (or liquid) to water, you're no longer drinking water.

I tend to drink more water when I use a straw- weird, but true for me.

I don't know if it matters to you, but drinking through a straw causes lip wrinkles.

I know I have an easier time drinking water if it's ice cold.

So much hysteria in this thread. It must be difficult to navigate life with all these alarmist beliefs.


To the OP - obviously artificial sweeteners are not the best choice, but used sparingly will not probably cause you any ill effects. And they are not going to make you fat. Too many calories make you fat.

Fercryinoutloud, if ya like straws, use them.

water i get about 3 glasses in. the rest is usually plain black tea, hot or iced. i sometimes use a tiny bit of stevia to sweeten it if i really am craving it. I also love Yogi Teas, they have lots of great flavors and i noticed that drinking them can help keep the appetite down

So much hysteria in this thread. It must be difficult to navigate life with all these alarmist beliefs.

I think you must be reading a different thread than I am. No hysteria whatsoever.

I always get flamed when I say this but I'll keep trying; the 8 glasses of water a day thing is a misunderstanding of study results which actually said you need the equivalent of 8 glasses of water, most of which comes from food.

But somehow it's become diet truth (like coffee dehydrates you or saturated fat causing heart disease, based on a flawed study by Ancel Keys).

Don't stress it, drink as much as your body says you need.

Google 8 glasses water myth or see:

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

I have found through experience that I lose weight faster when I drink water. I always add flavoring because it adds dimension to my meal. It is scientifically true that you get a good deal of water from food, but that doesn't seem to work as well as adding glasses of water, at least for me. I say just enjoy what you like. Life is too short to worry about it.

I drink tea 24/7, unsweetened real loose leaf tea not some lipton sugared crap so I count it towards my water. Also no milk; I didn't know people added milk to tea until reading it here on mfp.

I recently switched over to only drinking it through straws, as it was beginning to darken my teeth. I'd rather some wrinkles down the line than dull stained teeth.

Also I kind of just really like bendy straws, they totally make it more fun =].

For some reason, not sure why, I try to drink enough water to pee clear. When I'm not doing that, I drink a little more.

That's what my mama taught me to do, if it's clear you know you're getting enough she said.

I like to drink a pint before every meal and have water sitting near you at all times. Drinking really cold water can make you drink more but also just generally giving yourself a time to drink water each day helps, eventually you'll realise you're actually that thirsty and it will become a go-to drink. That's what happened to me anyway x

For me, drinking water is one of the major keys to losing weight. I drink more than the normal suggestion, but I truly believe it helps me to feel more full and it does wonders for my skin. I take out five 20-ounce bottles of water every morning and cut a lemon into wedges. Squeeze one wedge into each bottle of water and put them in the refrigerator to chill up. That keeps track of my consumption for the day - I know that I have to finish all five bottles of water by the time I go to bed in the evening. The lemon makes the water taste better and it also helps to flush out/detox you. Also, I have read that drinking your liquids ice cold helps to burn a few more calories because your body has to heat it up inside of you... extra bonus! Good luck.

I tend to drink more out of a bottle than a glass so I fill up a litre bottle of water in the morning, take it to work/college with me and when I get home I fill it up again and make sure I have finished the second bottle before bed time! that way I'm getting 2 litres of water and day and feel sooo much better for it!

Don't rely on artificial sweetners...they are full of toxic chemicals.

Stick to water. It does a body good!

Yes... artificial sweeteners are a poison if you take too much - your body actually starts to fight the toxin by.... making you fatter!!!!

Well it can kill dogs and they are mammals too! Step away from the diet drinks!

Life Sucks, eh!?

Where are all the people that should be dropping dead from poison? Just curious.

I'm going to make a recommendation since this topic is going. I like water, so I have no problems drinking it in its natural form. But I was finding it hard getting in the 8 glasses a day....usually drinking about 6 after putting in some effort.

WELL, I recently purchased a Nalgene water bottle that now makes it so easy for me to reach my water intake goal. Something about its size and design makes it perfect. I never thought a water bottle would make such a difference, but it has. I fill it up, keep it nearby, and know that once I've had 3 bottles full (at 650ml mark), I've had my 8 glasses of water. Easy to monitor and keep track of....

I purchased mine at L.L. Bean for less than $9....but here it is on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Nalgene-Water-Bottle-Clear-White/dp/B0043T37UY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357502531&sr=8-1&keywords=nalgene+on+the+fly

I was using a different water bottle before with a screw top, but this other one has kicked it to the curb.

I am no way affiliated with the brand and have never publicly promoted any product (seriously the first time), but I couldn't resist passing on this tip, especially if it will help someone else.

Good luck!