water intake

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Becky03026847
Becky03026847 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm having difficulty drinking just plain water. I can manage 5 glasses but I can't seem to reach 8 glasses. I have tried the flavorings. I don't drink soda and I usually drink tea or Kool aid when I'm home. Any suggestions on how I can actually get 8 glasses of water consumed in a day? Thanks.

Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    You probably don't need eight glasses. If you are dead set on doing so and don't like it plain or with flavorings, why not drink more tea and Kool-Aid?
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    If your pee is pale then you are adeqautely hydrated.

    If it's darker in colour then try get more fluids in, but it doesn't matter if that water comes in the form of tea, soda, Kool Aid or plain old water. (Just remember to keep an eye on the calories).
  • kat_princess12
    kat_princess12 Posts: 109 Member
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    I drink sparkling water sometimes - any flavor but with no sweeteners or sodium - and that helped break my soda habit. Remember that things like tea, fruit juice, and even fresh fruit count toward your water intake. I also have a tumbler on my desk at work that holds 2 cups of water. I make it a point to go through half of it (1 cup) every hour. In an 8-hour workday, that easily gets me to 8 cups of water.

    I find it's harder to manage my water intake on the weekends when I'm not sitting around with a glass of water at hand, but I don't generally start feeling dehydrated unless I go below 5-6 cups.
  • kittywrangler
    kittywrangler Posts: 81 Member
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    I also find what I'm drinking out of makes a huge difference. I picked up a camelbak "eddy" bottle with a bite tip straw, its 750mls and since I've got it, I fill it up at least three times a day. I drink more when I suck it out of a straw and it doesn't matter if it's flavored or not, it just happens lol. Sometimes I'll add frozen strawberries or frozen blueberries (any fruit really) which act like flavour ice cubes.

  • noclady1995
    noclady1995 Posts: 452 Member
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    Have you tried drinking water at specific times of the day? For example, 8 oz w/ breakfast, 8 oz. on the way to work, 8 oz mid-morning, 8 oz. with lunch, 8 oz, mid-afternoon, 8 oz. on the way home from work, 8 oz at dinner and 8 oz in the evening. Maybe set an alarm on your phone. Or fill a container equivalent to 64 oz. and make sure you finish it before the end of the day. Just pour what you want to drink in a glass and add whatever flavoring you use and keep doing that throughout the day?
  • kittywrangler
    kittywrangler Posts: 81 Member
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    Also, why Kool Aid? Doesn't that have a cup of sugar added in?
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    I never drink plain water. Why should I? I am plenty hydrated by coffee, tea, lemonade, occasional soda and most of food has quite a bit of water in it.
  • kittywrangler
    kittywrangler Posts: 81 Member
    edited July 2015
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    SherryTeach wrote: »
    I never drink plain water. Why should I? I am plenty hydrated by coffee, tea, lemonade, occasional soda and most of food has quite a bit of water in it.

    If thats what works.. the reasons I DO drink plain water are: soda, kool aid and lemonade all have added sugar, coffee I can't drink enough to keep hydrated because of how its diurectic effect works on me, also after 3 cups I can't sleep or focus because of the caffeine. Tea takes too long to make when I'm busy at work, although I do drink herbal in the evenings.

    Edit: Coffee also stains my teeth and I don't like coffee breath on my patients. lol
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    I don't drink coffee past mid-morning, but tea doesn't bother me any time. I have no objection to artificial sweetners. And I eat a lot of fruit and veg, which are very high in water. The diuretic effect of coffee has been grossly exaggerated. But yes, we each have to find our own way. My point is that a person can be in excellent health and plenty hydrated without drinking plain water.
  • qb63
    qb63 Posts: 88 Member
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    32dgensgutye.jpg

    This.
  • kittywrangler
    kittywrangler Posts: 81 Member
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    I agree...though the diurectic effect of coffee for me isn't grossly exaggreated. I know because I'm the one peeing. =)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Just drink when you're thirsty. Don't worry about the number. That "eight 8oz glasses a day" isn't really a rule. It's just a guide.

    Unless you have some medical or psychological condition affecting your sense of thirst, you can trust it to keep you hydrated. :)
  • cousindon
    cousindon Posts: 5 Member
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    I put lime juice in mine. Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice seems to be the best for this. Pricier, but you get more flavour for your buck.
  • kittywrangler
    kittywrangler Posts: 81 Member
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    qb63 wrote: »
    32dgensgutye.jpg

    This.

    Oh those!!! I was thinking the packages you mixed up as kids. I haven't seen those in Kool Aid form before.
  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
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    I work a desk job, so I just bring a gallon of water to work with me and drink on it all day. Way better than zee vending machines.
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
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    I have a big insulated 32 oz cup that i got from my employer upon being hired that I keep at my desk. I usually drink at least 2 of those a day while at work. Usually drink a glass or 2 of water before work, and then after work I will have a diet coke with dinner, and then water the rest of the night.

    Basically, I drink mostly water. Haha. But, as others have said, if you are adequately hydrated on the water you are drinking, no reason to force more water down your throat!
  • jchite84
    jchite84 Posts: 467 Member
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    Also, keep in mind that 64 oz of fluid includes water that naturally occurs in fruits and veggies. Just do the pee test. Your aim is straw colored to clear pee, if it's dark then drink more. Don't try and over think it, it won't be a big deal unless you are an endurance athlete.

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