Hydration/Water - ideas please :)

FitterStrongerHappier
FitterStrongerHappier Posts: 65 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

I am pretty convinced I'm not getting enough water in every day. Probably about 1/3 of what I should get at the minimum. Don't get me wrong - the only thing I DRINK is water (with the exception of the occasional glass of hot chai tea).

That said, the 2 -3 glasses I get a day (closer to 2) - might get me about 40 oz - if I am lucky -

I just downed a full glass of water, and that's good, but am FREEZING. It's particularly cold, and the water just dropped my core temp and I'm FREEZING. I could EASILY drink another glass - kind of thirsty - but hesitating as it is so cold. I have heard that water is best and tea's coffee, other drinks are as good for you, and I'm ok with that, but that leaves me with heating water in the microwave and drinking hot water. That feels strange to me. LOL

Any thoughts?

TIA! :)

Replies

  • _Resolve_
    _Resolve_ Posts: 735 Member
    I drink on average 96 oz of water a day.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    Drink Water.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Maybe try to not down a full glass of water at a time. I find I drink more when I just always have ice water sitting next to me and I sip as my day goes on and refill it when its empty. I just kinda go through it at a steady pace without thinking. I don't think I could ever just down a glass of water like that though unless I'm really thirsty.
  • PamGeirng
    PamGeirng Posts: 165 Member
    I don't know how much you weigh but you need at least 1/2 of your body weight in oz. I drink 96 oz a day to stay well hydrated even though I only need 70. My friend keeps here pitcher of water on the counter all day and drinks it at room temperature. She has a Brita Filter Pitcher. I have the same pitcher and keep mine in the fridge. I get really cold too sometimes. I plug in a heating pad and it helps to warm me up. I have found that if I really want to something I will and if I don't I will make an excuse. Before I started my life style journey I would go days without water because I hated it and would drink all kinds of other crud. Now I pretty much just drink water and my natural thirst for it has returned,. I bought a 24 oz tumbler from Starbucks and I drink 4 a day. I also put in some lemon or a pack of stevia to get it down.
  • dietstokes
    dietstokes Posts: 216 Member
    Let your water sit out so that it is room temperature if it's making you feel so cold.
  • bekahlou75
    bekahlou75 Posts: 304 Member
    Where do you get your water? I can't drink super cold water. I like tap water and not water from the fridge for that reason. At work I get the water from the water fountain and fill a 32 oz. cup. Drink it with a straw and it sucks down pretty quickly. I can get at least 4 or 5 of those down in a day that way.
  • nccarolb
    nccarolb Posts: 858 Member
    I have no problem getting my water in--I drink ice water all day. However, I've heard that some people like to drink their water hot with a lemon slice. If it is the taste (could you chug a glass of soda or tea?), maybe dropping a few pieces of fresh fruit (lemon, strawberries, peeled grapes, even cucumbers) could help you get your total in. Most of what I read says that decaf tea or coffee counts toward your fluid intake, as well.
  • PB91765
    PB91765 Posts: 98 Member
    Hi! This is the guideline I follow:

    How much water should we drink each day?

    Divide your body wieght by 2. That's how many ounces of water you should drink, daily.

    For example, if you weigh 150 lbs., you should drink 75 ounces of water --- which is approximately 9 1/2 (8 oz) glasses of water a day.

    Correct timing to take water, will maximize its effectiveness to human body.

    Two glasses of water - After waking up - Helps activate internal organs
    2

    One glass of water - 30 minutes before each meal and snack - Helps digestion
    5

    One glass of water - Before taking a bath - Helps lower blood pressure
    1

    One glass of water - Before sleep - To avoid stroke or heart attack
    1

    Half glass of water - Whenever I want it
    1/2

    TOTAL glasses of water
    9 1/2

    NOTE: Drink water that is room temp or hot water with a sprig of fresh mint or squeeze of lemon or sliced cucmbers or sliced strawberries in it. HAPPY DRINKING!
  • FrankieBenjamin
    FrankieBenjamin Posts: 61 Member
    I try and hit 8 glasses (around 250ml) per day. I keep it on my desk at work and nightstand and sip when I see it. I have had problems with the muslces in my shoulders for around 1 year now and also struggle with heartburn a lot and when I upped my water intake from around 500ml a day to 2000ml a day the shoulder pains went away and the heartburn has massively decreased - I was dehydrated. My body feels better, I think clearer, and I digest better. win win. You need water.

    Sounds like you are struggling with the temperature of it though - boil it, drink herb / fruit teas, add a slice of lemon, one thing I love is hot water with lemon and ginger in it - warms you through whenits cold and I believe the lemon and ginger are good for cleansing / detoxing. All ideas very low or no cals.

    Hope you manage to befreind water soon :0)
  • nico1les2001
    nico1les2001 Posts: 13
    Sometimes hot water with lemon helps with the chill, or simply having it at room temp. Regular water can be boring after a while, so I switch it up by drinking sparkling water like H2OH.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    Hello!

    I am pretty convinced I'm not getting enough water in every day. Probably about 1/3 of what I should get at the minimum. Don't get me wrong - the only thing I DRINK is water (with the exception of the occasional glass of hot chai tea).

    That said, the 2 -3 glasses I get a day (closer to 2) - might get me about 40 oz - if I am lucky -

    I just downed a full glass of water, and that's good, but am FREEZING. It's particularly cold, and the water just dropped my core temp and I'm FREEZING. I could EASILY drink another glass - kind of thirsty - but hesitating as it is so cold. I have heard that water is best and tea's coffee, other drinks are as good for you, and I'm ok with that, but that leaves me with heating water in the microwave and drinking hot water. That feels strange to me. LOL

    Any thoughts?

    TIA! :)

    add a bit of lemon to the hot water and maybe 1 piece of candied ginger or a half teaspoon of honey
  • Tiernan1212
    Tiernan1212 Posts: 797 Member
    I drink between 14 and 18 cups a day. I tried just sipping on it throughout the day and it didn't work for me, I just never drank enough. So I'm one of the ones that will drink an entire bottle in about 5 mins lol. I have a hard time drinking really cold water unless it's summertime and hot out, so I don't refrigerate my water. When at work (where we have bottled water readily available) I just grab 6 or 8 bottles and let them sit on my desk so they're room temp. When I'm home I drink flavored water (generic crystal lite) which is easier for me to drink cold for some reason, plus the kids drink more water too.

    I have also heard to aim for half your body weight in terms of ounces of water. Not sure how accurate that is, but it gives me a good number to shoot for everyday, and works for me.
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
    I typically drink about 100 ounce of water a day. If you are having trouble with getting the recommended amount in each day. Get a large water bottle that has the ounces listed on the side. And tell yourself that you have to drink 8 ounces of water every hour. I have a britta reusable water bottle that has ounces listed on the side and I do this sometimes if I have a lot going on. Also, drinking water at room temperature may help with you feeling cold. Actually your body burns more calories if you drink cold water.
  • chaoticdreams
    chaoticdreams Posts: 447 Member
    Maybe try to not down a full glass of water at a time. I find I drink more when I just always have ice water sitting next to me and I sip as my day goes on and refill it when its empty. I just kinda go through it at a steady pace without thinking. I don't think I could ever just down a glass of water like that though unless I'm really thirsty.

    This^

    I keep a 16 oz cup on my desk and just kinda absentmindedly sip on it all day. I fill it up at the water cooler when it's empty.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I know exactly what you mean - my water intake starts to drop this time of year too due to the cooler temps. Even drinking room temp water can be chilling. Nothing wrong with drinking hot tea IMHO. I don't find coffee to be hydrating at all so I just have my morning cup(s) and drink water and tea the rest of the day.

    Play around with your microwave to see how long it would take just to get the water warm instead of hot - maybe 10-20 seconds?

    Also, if you get chilled, try to get up and move around a bit, I find that really helps.
  • sneckerdoodle
    sneckerdoodle Posts: 69 Member
    crystal light or great value drink mixes, some come with energy in them. just add them to 16 oz of water and your good to go. I can't do straight water all day long. but with 1 or 2 of these throughout the day I average 96 oz a day. good luck!
  • FitterStrongerHappier
    FitterStrongerHappier Posts: 65 Member

    Sounds like you are struggling with the temperature of it though - boil it, drink herb / fruit teas, add a slice of lemon, one thing I love is hot water with lemon and ginger in it - warms you through whenits cold and I believe the lemon and ginger are good for cleansing / detoxing. All ideas very low or no cals.

    Hope you manage to befreind water soon :0)

    THIS! - Best answer! I know I have to increase my water, and I don't have any problems drinking it - as a rule. My biggest downfall is that I just forget. That's truly all it is. I don't avoid it, hate it, not like the taste of it, etc. I made a conscious decision to work on that today, and was planning on having a large glass a few times at least today. I didn't really guzzle it, But did drink it within a few minutes. I'm trying to 'type' and my fingers are frozen so it's hard. My biggest question was how to drink it in without getting cold - aside from drinking HOT PLAIN water - which just sounds odd to me. Cold plain - I could drink all day every day - except that it really brought my core temp down. I had heard that Decaf tea and coffee really weren't as good as water, and neither is pop - and to be honest - I HATE diet pop, and pretty much don't care for the regular stuff anyhow. Water is my ONLY drink of choice, I just have to work on getting more in. Boiling with a slice of lemon - or maybe just trying to do my decaf chai might work ( I just thought it wasn't as beneficial to hydrate if there was stuff in it). I COULD drink just hot water, but , it just sounds so odd. LOL :)

    Thanks for the replies!!! I also read somewhere that you should get 1 oz of water in for every lb of body weight (HOLY BATHROOM TRIPS BATMAN!) if that is the case, I'm in deep do-do that's 224 ounces of water - to my typical 30-40 which I know I have to improve on - no doubt! but 224????? that's 28 CUPS... That can't be right.


    AGAIN - just pointing out that flavor is not the real issue here, as I hate diet drinks as a rule, and really only ever drink water anyhow. The only exceptions are occasional cups of hot tea(probably more now that it's COLD out!) or VERY rarely, milk.

    I don't have an issue WANTING to drink - I just have an issue with being cold :) Thanks again
  • xWendyJonesx
    xWendyJonesx Posts: 266 Member
    I can drink plenty of water in the summer when it's hot, I like to drink either sparkling flavoured water, or I put fresh fruit into my water.
    Now it's getting colder I'm really getting into drinking herbal fruit teas, I still allow myself a couple of regular mugs of tea a day just to get me going.
  • Unknown
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  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member

    I don't have an issue WANTING to drink - I just have an issue with being cold :) Thanks again

    i drink lukewarm water all the time. i'm not a fan of extremely cold drinks (i'm that woman who drinks hot coffee even if it's 110 outside). there's no rule that says you must drink cold water as long as you're drinking water temperature doesn't matter.
  • FitterStrongerHappier
    FitterStrongerHappier Posts: 65 Member
    quit whinning put your big girl panties on and drink the water

    hmm.. really? Whining?? I had a legitimate question and asked for some suggestions - and received some valid replies. If you were trying to do something healthy, and it made you feel sick, and you STILL wanted to do it, so asked for help on suggestions - since WHEN does that qualify as WHINING.

    Get off your high horse.

    I have a job where I have to type and it's hard to do with extremely cold fingers - I only asked for suggestions on how to alleviate that. Whining? I think not.

    Thanks.
  • FitterStrongerHappier
    FitterStrongerHappier Posts: 65 Member
    Thanks to everyone with the helpful replies. The most beneficial ones I think were the hot water with lemon - hadn't thought of that one.

    I do drink it from the tap - just cold from the tap. I think part of my problem is losing weight generally can make you feel cold more easily too. I just wanted to find a way to alleviate that. And working, it's hard to get up and move around much.

    I will do some more research on if tea is (decaf that is) ok to help with hydration - I was actually reading a Blog By Dr. Eades who said that regular water is the best and coffee and teas aren't really hydrating. Though he didn't qualify if it was Decaf or not.

    Anyhow - Thank you so much again for your help! Many of you had some great ideas and I appreciate it! :)
  • vrandal
    vrandal Posts: 22 Member
    quit whinning put your big girl panties on and drink the water
    WOW! Just Mean!
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    Wait for it to warm up? Also, I like to drink from a straw.

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