Water problems

sremarie
sremarie Posts: 37
in Food and Nutrition
Hello all! This is kind of a stupid question but I thought I'd ask.. I find myself having a very difficult time drinking the recommended 8 cups of water a day. On a good day I can usually drink about 6 cups and consider that a success.

A large part of my problem is that I just don't like water very much. It's nice during/after workouts but to sip on throughout the day? I'd rather not. Most times I have to force myself to drink water and then just feel nauseous afterwards. Sadly I can't use crystal light or mio, etc because it makes me break out like a 13 year old boy.

So my question is do the fruit sparkling waters count as water? For whatever reason I can drink those without any problems but I've stayed away from them because I kinda feel like they're like soda and it's cheating. At this point though I'm getting desperate on how not dread having to drink my water.

Or just in general does anyone have tips on how to get all my water in?

Thanks!

Replies

  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    You can get your water from any drink and sparkling water is totally fine, I even bought a Soda Stream to make mine. It's just water with bubbles after all! Herbal teas are another good way to get it in.
  • DollyMiel
    DollyMiel Posts: 377 Member
    Personally I do think those count but others may say differently.

    Are you sure you're drinking just a cup? Some people think they need to drink "8 glasses" without realizing their glasses actually hold 12-16 ounces of water. A cup is 8 ounces. I actually made this mistake for a while and was trying to fill up with way too much water.

    Another thing... your body probably knows best. If your pee is relatively clear, then you're likely getting enough water in your system.
  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
    I usually only drink 4-6 cups per day, but I also eat a lot of raw veggies. I would suggest trying fruity herbal teas in place of sparkling juices. It won't be as sweet at first, but your taste buds will adapt over time.
  • emmymcq
    emmymcq Posts: 278 Member
    I think anything that is zero calorie liquid can be counted as water. One thing I do is fill a pitcher or large water bottle with water, then add sliced lemon, cucumber and mint, let it steep in the fridge overnight and drink it the next day. It's pretty tasty. I've also put fruit juice in an ice cube tray and add that to water. Flavors it up a bit. :drinker:
  • sremarie
    sremarie Posts: 37
    Hmm....my pee is almost completely clear so that makes sense...maybe my limit is just 6 cups....
  • kahjam
    kahjam Posts: 17
    Try a hot cup of tea, there are many different flavors of tea, find one that you like.. I found that I do not need sugar with the flavored teas, just the hot water & the tea bag.. yummy! My favorite's are Cranberry & Chamomile
  • sremarie
    sremarie Posts: 37
    You can get your water from any drink and sparkling water is totally fine, I even bought a Soda Stream to make mine. It's just water with bubbles after all! Herbal teas are another good way to get it in.

    Ha! I wondered if herbal teas counted...good to know!
  • WifeofPJ
    WifeofPJ Posts: 312
    The one thing I would watch with the sparkling waters is if it has a sugar substitute like sucralose. The artificial sweeteners can cause you to not loose weight as well. The Herbal tea suggestion is a great one you don't have the added sweetener and many of them do not have caffeine in them.
  • DollyMiel
    DollyMiel Posts: 377 Member
    Hmm....my pee is almost completely clear so that makes sense...maybe my limit is just 6 cups....
    Everyone is different... I used to force down so much water it made me sick. : [
    I say if your stomach feels like a water dispensing machine then it's probably time to cut back... haha
  • sremarie
    sremarie Posts: 37
    Try a hot cup of tea, there are many different flavors of tea, find one that you like.. I found that I do not need sugar with the flavored teas, just the hot water & the tea bag.. yummy! My favorite's are Cranberry & Chamomile

    Thanks, I literally just put on some Blueberry tea...I usually have it with sugar but if it counts as water I'll happily do without!
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Try a hot cup of tea, there are many different flavors of tea, find one that you like.. I found that I do not need sugar with the flavored teas, just the hot water & the tea bag.. yummy! My favorite's are Cranberry & Chamomile

    Thanks, I literally just put on some Blueberry tea...I usually have it with sugar but if it counts as water I'll happily do without!

    You can still count it as water but you must also count the calories of the sugar if you prefer it with it in. You are still drinking water just water plus sugar.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    The 8 glasses of water a day is a myth based on a study it the 50s that concluded that humans needed roughly 8 glasses of fluid a day. The body cannot differentiate whether the water came from just water or another liquid source. As long as you feel adequately hydrated then you probably are.
  • frasergentles
    frasergentles Posts: 11 Member
    The recommendation is based on total water intake from all sources. be it a glass of water, glass of juice, or another food source as the majority of food sources contain water also. Just use some sugar free diluting juice.. There have been many studies done in sports science where athletes who consume water only will typically drink less than athletes who add some sort of flavouring.
  • sremarie
    sremarie Posts: 37
    Thanks for the help everyone!
  • bobf279
    bobf279 Posts: 342 Member
    Water when doing indoor cardio but I drink water with added orange squash/barley water/cordial basically concentrate diluted to taste with no added sugar.

    And I really like my tea (PG Tips)
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
    8 cups is a recommended general course,
    if you eat a lot of fruit, or soup , then its different. herbal teas and non caffeinated drinks count too, and generally most people say caffeinated beverages count as 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup, because of the diuretic effects, but ,
    again , depends on your diet guru, as with anything , YMMV.
  • HotAshMess
    HotAshMess Posts: 382 Member
    I count everything that doesn't contain caffeine. So....herbal tea, lemonade, morning juice. All of it. Also....getting that water in....can you handle sugar free drink mix? What about adding a lemon or a lime? What about something like this.... http://www.theyummylife.com/recipes/251/Easy+Fruit+&+Herb+Flavored+Water
  • Davina_JH
    Davina_JH Posts: 473 Member
    For me, eight cups is nowhere near enough! I find have to drink at least 12-14 to feel okay. But that's me. :wink:
    The VitaminWater Zero, and Sobe 0 calorie drinks are both naturally sweetened with stevia. They taste good and are nice change! I sometimes drink those and "count" them as water too. And yes, herbal tea. :)
  • MissMormie
    MissMormie Posts: 359 Member
    As long as your urine is a right colour pale yellow you drink enough. If you sweat a lot it'll be more than 8 glasses, if you're in a very damp environment it'll be less.
  • TriShamelessly
    TriShamelessly Posts: 905 Member
    Although a minimum of 8 cups of water is ideal, but the real issue is to get at least that amount of low or zero calorie, non-caffeinated liquids. A lot can also be obtained from consuming raw veggies and fruits - much of which is just water. The 8 cups of water a day is a marketing tool to reinforce that concept. There are some clinical references out there that I don't have readily available here at work, including one from the Mayo Clinic, to back that up. Of course, since water is free and readily availalbe, it is the easiest to obtain. As long as your hydrated (as evidenced by clear or pale yellow urine), I wouldn't sweat it too much.
  • pdphelps138
    pdphelps138 Posts: 25 Member
    I have always used "anything without caffeine" as an excuse to get my water in - just my opinion.
  • toastnhunny
    toastnhunny Posts: 25 Member
    I totally understand!!!! My whole life, I've really hated drinking water, and I would go out of my way to drink everything but water. But I'm really trying this time to change that. It's literally a daily struggle for me. I don't like the taste of it either, and I'm not a fan of mio. But what I've been doing lately that's been helping is every time I get a glass of water, I throw in a couple lemon slices. I love fruit, and it really helps me "want" to drink it. So maybe you could put lemon, lime, orange or cucumber slices in your water, or even some berries or mint leaves. Add me as a friend if you'd like and we could support each other into drinking more water everyday. So many people don't understand how much of a struggle it is to actually drink your 8 cups a day.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    You get your hydration from everything you eat and drink. There are some who believe that you must drink a certain amount of pure water each day however your body gets it hydration from everything.

    Drink water, drink coffee, drink tea, drink juice, drink milk... eat lettuce, watermelon, fruits, etc. Everything will hydrate you. The caffiene in things like tea, pop and coffee is not as dehydrating as the liquid is hydrating to your body (unless you are drinking cups upon cups a day).

    If you don't like pure water add things to it. You mentioned you can't use normal water flavourings so use things like citrus to flavour your water. I always keep a jug in my fridge filled with water. In the water is lemon and lime slices... or orange slices.. or grapefruit.. or cucumber... or berries. I refil it every evening for the next day. Fruits give flavour to your water without any chemicals.
  • TurangaLeela
    TurangaLeela Posts: 70 Member
    I wish MFP would get rid of (or change) the 8 cups of water a day. It has been proven to be wrong again and again. BTW, drinking any liquid, even those drinks with caffeine, still count. Caffeine is only a slight diuretic. You still have a total gain.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I get my water from plain water, milk, almond milk, hazelnut milk, tea (ie black tea with milk in it), fruit/herbal teas, black coffee, smoothies, soup and of course various other food items. I don't drink soda, but if I did, my body would use the water in that too. You don't have to get "8 cups a day". Some people need more, some need less.

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