Alternatives to water?`

Come up with a "water schedule" that works for you.

Trick your brain...Instead of having 8 glasses, get a large mug...say 32oz, so you'll only have to drink 2...Or you can find on that holds 64 oz; sip on it all day.

Definitely get a filter for your tap, whether it fits directly on your faucet or it is a pitcher. You can buy water bottles, etc that have built in filters, as well.

It is really hard to transition to drinking that much water. But once you get used to it, your body will crave it, and nothing will quench your thirst the same way. :bigsmile:

We all have struggles, or we wouldn't be here. No one's struggle is less important or more significant than another's struggle.

Cheers!

I either slice up fruit, lemons, or cucumbers and let them cold steep, or I put in a tea bag and let that cold steep. I used to do mio, but cant anymore. Try flavor enhancers if that doesnt work for you.

I know I'm very metal sensitive and can taste all the nasty metals in water.

Hi everyone!
I am new here and excited to start this journey.
One of my problems is that I HATE water. Crazy, right? I try to force some down, but it is painful. I've been drinking the Sparkling Ice drinks, which advertise themselves as "naturally flavored sparkling mountain spring water". Is this a good alternative? Anyone have any other suggestions? Propel?
Thanks in advance!

Try MiO

Okay, serious answer. Try drinking tea. I have tea time twice a day and that just adds to my water intake. It also provides a much needed crack... I mean caffeine boost.

DO NOT do this, if you're going to use tea as an alternative make it herbal as the caffeine will dehyrdate you which is the opposite of what you want drinking water.

Recent research shows that caffeine is only dehydrating in very large doses. Tea does have large quantities of caffeine.

Then the entire country of Japan and much of the rest of Asia must be very dehydrated . . .

Caffeinated drinks don't dehydrate people. They're diuretics. They just send you to the bathroom more often.

... for something to dehydrate you the water has to go somewhere. And your statement boils down to "Tea doesn't make you have less water in your body it makes you expel more water."

Here's some ideas:

1. Use the Mio, but slowly start to use less and less of it.
2. I love the ideas of adding lemons or lime to your water
3. Drink it cold. The colder the water, the less weird stuff I taste in it.
4. Get an awesome water bottle with a straw. For some reason, I drink 2-3 quarts a day out of my Camelbak bottle, but only a cup or two when I use a real glass. There's something about spilling it into my face that I just don't like very much.
5. Drink tea

I don't really go for the idea that sparkling beverages are better than Diet Coke. The carbonation and acidity are still there, and so are the artificial flavorings. I'm not saying that it's terrible, but it's not as good as straight water. It's certainly better than nothing, but regular water is much better for your liver and kidneys. However, drinking carbonated beverages is better than staying dry, and we all have to start somewhere, right?

It is not a requirement that you drink 8 glasses of water a day. Staying hydrated is important and you should drink something when you are exercising. Unless your urine is a darker color or you are experiencing symptoms of dehydration, you don't have to drink an abundance of water. Most of your water consumption comes from food. If you have some medical reason then by all means drink away.

^^This. Stay hydrated, and don't worry about drinking water specifically. If you're worried about empty calories from drinking, do as others have said and drink some tea (iced or hot), or infuse fruit and/or vegetables into your water, or sugar-free flavorings.

Research has shown that people need, on average, 2 liters of water a day, but that it comes from several sources including "solid" food. Of course, exercise and more activity increase that need.

Someone already posted the Mayo Clinic link that explains it better than I can...