drinking to much

hstallings13
hstallings13 Posts: 306
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
I am watching my calories and have found that almost half of them are from drinking things. I am the kind of person that always has a drink handy, sadly it's eating up so many of my calories. I'm already at 10 glasses of water for today and have still had coffee, coke, and milk and it's only 6pm and as I work night shift I have until midnight to go. I have tried all the drinks you can add to a bottle of water and don't enjoy them enough to actually drink them, but I'm quickly getting sick of water, not to mention drinking all this water is leaving me feeling bloated. Anyone have any suggestions? There is nothing wrong with my health, I'm just a thirsty person, but I feel like my constant need for fluids is going to hamper my progress.

Replies

  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    Drink low fat milk, diet coke, and sugarless coffee. But don't change them all at once, that will just make you cranky.
  • campb2ti
    campb2ti Posts: 104 Member
    bump
  • sjkcarter
    sjkcarter Posts: 417 Member
    Have you tried La Croix? I don't know where is all sold as far as your state. Its a carbonated water, and it has '0' everything, and there are different flavor.
  • anolan807
    anolan807 Posts: 273 Member
    I don't like any of the add ins for water, but I do like Great Value Grape Drink.. It taste great. Another option is go to Diet Coke of instead of regular.
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
    It's a choice. You can choose to waste calories on empty non-foods like sodas and sugary coffees, or you can choose to switch to calorie-free alternatives. They'll take a little while to get used to - I didn't love diet sodas when I first switched, but weight loss was more important to me than Coke, so I switched. Now I can't stand the taste of a full-sugar soda. Try different ones, maybe a different flavor from what you normally drink in the full-calorie version (my personal favorites are Fresca and diet root beer). Ditto with water additives - try different ones. Then, suck it up and realize most people are not born preferring diet drinks and healthy foods to junk foods and sugary drinks, but at some point, some people make the decision to get healthy and in shape, and adapt their habits, and the taste buds will eventually catch up. It's your choice whether to blow your calories on junk that feeds more cravings and provides no nutritional value, or choose foods that nourish your body and move you closer to your goals.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    The water is not what is making you feel bloated. I would take a guess that your carbs are well over 200 grams, that is the culprit. If you're tired of water then add Crystal light drink mix (other other drink mixes) to your water.
  • lulu1962
    lulu1962 Posts: 210
    Silk Vanilla Soy Milk - regular or lite (I add a little vanilla & put it in the freezer so there are "ice chunks"). I think it tastes great & 'cause it's kinda frozen it takes longer to drink.:drinker:
  • jarrettd
    jarrettd Posts: 872 Member
    Have you tried cold mint tea? Bruise fresh mint leaves and put them in a jug of cold water overnight. Needs no sweetener and is a wonderful cooling tea. Good for upset stomach, too.

    Excessive thirst is a primary diabetes marker. Don't take chances. If you haven't been checked lately, please make an appt.
  • billmac
    billmac Posts: 51 Member
    Research indicates Diet drinks can make you crave sugar and many people do in fact increase their sugar intake after diet drinks. My daughter who is a dietician could give you the physiological response mechanisms that produce this result. I understand the process but doubt i ought expound on it.
    I emphasise I'm not trying to aregue against the other good advice and help you are getting here. Do what works out of the good suggestions.
  • jenseye
    jenseye Posts: 166 Member
    I don't know if you have Turkey Hill brand drinks in your area, but they have a Diet Green Tea w/ Mango drink (usually where the OJ and other fruit juices are)...0 calories and 0 sugar and it tastes great!
  • I've found that iced tea is a great alternative to soda. I've stopped drinking soda for 5 months now and i feel great! I prefer Crystal Light Lemon iced tea. Tastes great, no sugar & is also great mixed with their lemonade! hope you try it out & if you like them, you could get them in bulk at BJ's or Costco.
  • curvygirl512
    curvygirl512 Posts: 423 Member
    I'd recommend brewed ice tea. Lemon and/or mint added is a lo cal taste treat. Or, just try water with a dribble of juice--I use lemon juice or cranberry. The cranberry I buy is Knudsen's Organic 100% Cranberry. If you have the guts to drink it straight, 8 oz is just 38 calories. So adding 1 oz to a glass of water is just 4 calories of flavor. I stay away from sugar or artificial sweeteners--they just make you want to consume more calories.
  • klyttle
    klyttle Posts: 9
    Try club soda and lime for a little 'fizzle' in your drinks without the calories. If you MUST have the sodas, etc., continue to drink them and alternate with 2 glasses of the club soda. You're not depriving yourself, you're changing behavior.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    It's a choice. You can choose to waste calories on empty non-foods like sodas and sugary coffees, or you can choose to switch to calorie-free alternatives. They'll take a little while to get used to - I didn't love diet sodas when I first switched, but weight loss was more important to me than Coke, so I switched. Now I can't stand the taste of a full-sugar soda. Try different ones, maybe a different flavor from what you normally drink in the full-calorie version (my personal favorites are Fresca and diet root beer). Ditto with water additives - try different ones. Then, suck it up and realize most people are not born preferring diet drinks and healthy foods to junk foods and sugary drinks, but at some point, some people make the decision to get healthy and in shape, and adapt their habits, and the taste buds will eventually catch up. It's your choice whether to blow your calories on junk that feeds more cravings and provides no nutritional value, or choose foods that nourish your body and move you closer to your goals.


    Agree with this. I drink water then next cold drink I'll add diet cordial to it. In the beginning, I didn't like the taste of diet stuff but you really do get used to it quickly. And I figure, if it's the choice of diet vs regular cordial and me having to go for a walk for 20mins or so just to get back to where I would be if I had the diet in the first place then there's really no choice for me. As well as that, my family has a history of diabetes (not from being overweight) so I figure I'd just get used to it before then :)
  • giammarcor
    giammarcor Posts: 217 Member
    I also am constantly drinking water. I find myself at 10-12 cups per day, not to mention two cups of coffee and a cup of herbal tea before bed. I like the flavored waters they sell at WalMart believe it or not. 0 calories, fat, sodium...there's nothing in these drinks but they are real tasty.
  • hstallings13
    hstallings13 Posts: 306
    thank you all for the suggestions. Diabetes isn't the cause, I did have the dr. check that just a few months ago, but I'm just thirsty all the time. My kids have the same trait as they all drink more than normal from what I can tell. I'll look into some of these ideas and appreciate it.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    thank you all for the suggestions. Diabetes isn't the cause, I did have the dr. check that just a few months ago, but I'm just thirsty all the time. My kids have the same trait as they all drink more than normal from what I can tell. I'll look into some of these ideas and appreciate it.

    One of the top reasons kids go through childhood diabetes is because of their high soda consumption and no exercise. It's easy - take it out of the house.
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    Iced tea with a sugar alternative like spelnda is all 0's across the board.
  • zoombie_bear
    zoombie_bear Posts: 963 Member
    well put!
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    You could invest in a Juicer.... A few apples and a lime/lemon or two, and you have fresh lemonaid (Ssooooooo tasty) add a little club soday and now its fizzy.

    you can juice all different fruit juices. This way you are getting your drinks from a natural source and not a chemically charged source aka diet drinks.

    But like someone else said, its up to you, Just like diets there are no miracle/secret beverages that are going to quench your thirst, compliment your diet, and not have chemical additives to them. Its your choice,.
  • saldridge
    saldridge Posts: 125 Member
    I have recently found a new love in Diet Tonic water. I love the bitter taste and it tastes less like diet to me because the bitter covers it up. It's also not so sweet, and if you squeeze half a lime into a big glass, you can almost pretend you have an "adult beverage" :-)

    I also like to mix juice with water. This still has calories but no artificial sweetener. For apple juice and (good) cranberry juice, I can get away with a 4:1 mix which brings the calories for a cut down to 30 calories. You can use plain water or if you use sparkling water or even better, sparkling lemon or lime water (like Le Croix) you are just a small step away from soda/pop but without the calories from regular or the artificial ingredients from diet.
  • LuluGirl140
    LuluGirl140 Posts: 364 Member
    I think everyone here has given you great advice. Personally, used to hate drinking plain water. However, once I made the decision to get healthy and lose weight, I began forcing myself to drink water. I even cut out my morning coffee. My daily goal is to drink at least 6 cups of water while at work. If I feel I need some caffeine, I have a cup of coffee in the mornings, or if I want some flavor I add some crystal light to my bottle of water. However, I have gotten so used to water that I now crave it. I have a bottle sitting here in my desk that I added Crystal Light to, and I haven't touched it in a few days (probably time to toss it). It's just too sweet for me now.

    If you're feeling bloated, then maybe you should look at what you ate for the day. I have felt like that a few times, however it was what I chose to eat for lunch that day, and not necessarily my water consumption.

    Good luck!
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