Waterwaterwater? How do you do it?

How does everyone get all that water in per day? Best practices and tips? Also, do you have a favorite water bottle or method to drink it?
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Replies

  • jedwards92286
    jedwards92286 Posts: 12 Member
    I always to make sure to have water with me. I keep a full bottle of ice cold water at my desk. Sometimes I make it a point just to stop and drink a whole glass of water if I haven't had enough for the day. I use one of those plastic cups with the lid and straw at work, I try to fill it up at least 4 times a day. I don't like flavored water, but I have heard others say it really helps them drink more. It might help at first to track how much water you drink. Until I got used to drinking more water, I would make a tally mark on a sticky note every time I finished my cup. There are also apps you can use.
  • olympicpoledancer
    olympicpoledancer Posts: 2 Member
    A straw! I need a cup with a straw. Thanks for the idea.
  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    I have a 40 ounce bottle. It's a HydroFlask knock off sold by MonoPrice. And I know that on non active Days I need to drink at least 3 of them. And I take it everywhere with me. It holds Ice for over 24 hours so when I go out I take in the car, when I'm at work I take it with me.... I hate drinking warm/hot water so I wanted to make sure my water bottle would hold keep it cold all dang day.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I have a 22 oz. Brita bottle that I keep on my desk. (The water at my office is really nasty, hence the Brita bottle.) One cup of coffee in the morning, then I have to drink two bottles of water before I can have my afternoon Monster. Then I have another 20 ounces (or more) of water with dinner. Pretty easy to fit 64 oz in my day.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    I love water and prefer it to any other drink when not during meals (or coffee, duh, lol). I always keep a water bottle with me. I have several hydroflasks. They are the bomb. Best bottles I've ever had, they don't break (I always end up dropping and breaking water bottles, usually within the first 2-3 months and usually one that I really like), I've dropped them all several times and they're still going strong, if not a little dented, lol. There's several mouth pieces to choose from, depending on your preference. They keep ice frozen sitting in hot sand on the beach for over 4 hours, and coffee steaming hot for.....well, I don't know how long because I always drink my coffee after brewing it, lol. There are several different sizes depending on your needs (I have an 18oz for coffee/tea, a 21 oz that fits in my car's cup holder, and a 32 oz that I use at work mainly, those are just mine, my son and DH each have one too) and they make pint glasses now....so beer. http://www.hydroflask.com/
  • Sweets1954
    Sweets1954 Posts: 507 Member
    I have a 52 oz Bubba cup I got at Walmart. Every morning I fill it with ice, then water. I have several containers with water that I keep in my office so I can refill my cup as it empties. The cup keeps the ice really well, I will still have ice at the end of the day when I go home. I find that I refill the cup with water at least once a day (with the ice I'm not drinking 52 oz of water at a time). I do like my drinks to be icy cold. In the summer I will make ice tea with herbal tea bags and fill my cup with that, then add water during the day. I will also drink water with my meals. I have been doing this for years so it is a habit to grab for water when I am thirsty rather than most anything else. I do drink tea, both hot and cold and will count that as part of my water intake as well.
  • b3achy
    b3achy Posts: 2,124 Member
    A straw! I need a cup with a straw. Thanks for the idea.

    The straw really, really helps. I rarely use water bottles without a straw at this point. For me it was the difference between struggling to get in a few cups of water a day and being able to nearly unconsciously drink over 8-10 cups a day. I also take my water bottle with me everywhere when I go out and always have it near me at home.

    I also know that my water bottles hold about 24 oz, so if I get through three of them a day, I'm at 9 cups of water. I try to get at least one done before lunch, a little more than one done in the afternoon, and try to finish the third in early evening (so I'm not up all night in the bathroom).

    I hate the taste of water (yes, for some of us it does taste even if it is bottled or filtered), so I typically add some lemon or lime to my water bottle. I found "Real Lemon" and "Real Lime" at Walmart that are individual packets of dried juice equal to one slice of lemon or lime. Think of a sugar packet, but instead it contains dried lemon or lime. I carry those with me should I need to refill my water bottle while out and about - one packet per bottle is usually good enough. I used to use the single packets of some of the water flavors, but found they left a film in my water bottles and contained more calories.
  • bmayes2014
    bmayes2014 Posts: 232 Member
    no straws for me. that would take me forever. I gulp it! I love it. I need to gulp it to get my daily allowance in. I have 32 oz bottle that goes everywhere with me. I drink coffee and water mostly (and vodka and wine- but mostly water :) I usually only add lemon when I need a bit of a change.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    I just drink stuff when I'm thirsty (mostly coffee or milk) and make sure my pee isn't dark.
  • mellyo77
    mellyo77 Posts: 214 Member
    I drink a gallon a day sometimes more - I drink it ice cold initially I had to be conscious when I drank and when I wasn't drinking enough (sometimes had a timer on my phone) but eventually I came to crave it. I have a 32 ounce Nalgene water bottle with the wide mouth so I can add lemon but when I first started drinking from a hard plastic cup with a straw helped it go down faster. I also use the "real lime" and "real lemon"
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 427 Member
    A straw! I need a cup with a straw. Thanks for the idea.

    get a fun cup- I have a Dr Who cup that makes me smile every time I fill it up
  • jessiefrancine
    jessiefrancine Posts: 271 Member
    I find it works best to regularly chug a glass of water at set intervals. First thing in the morning - chug a glass. When I get to work - chug a glass. When I get up to pee (due to all the water I'm drinking) I chug another one. Same after a workout and after every caffeinated drink I consume. Getting it all down quickly works for me, though I'm sure some people wouldn't like it.
  • cassy_cake
    cassy_cake Posts: 20 Member
    I know some force themselves into the habit of drinking a litre first thing when they get up/wake up.
    For me I have filtered water in the fridge and it is far easier to pdrink cold water in the summer, but for me I get bored if i'm drinking out of a glass and use a bottle with a sippy lid because i'm a big kid XD
  • mommazach
    mommazach Posts: 384 Member
    I have a water drinking app on my phone that sends me reminders. It's based on weight and helps keep me on track throughout the day.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    I always to make sure to have water with me.

    Starts with this. Then I just make it a habit to take little sips all the time. Amazing how quick it goes when you do that.

  • Smurfe04
    Smurfe04 Posts: 54 Member
    I have a hydration app on my phone called Water Drink Reminder that gives me an hourly notification to drink water. It will log my daily consumption and recommended amount based on my weight. I used to keep a cup on my desk but I now get up and walk to the water fountain to consume. This is a way for me to get up fro my desk and get a little more activity in.
  • cariduttry
    cariduttry Posts: 210 Member
    the more you drink water, the more you'll crave water (like others have said). i drink 8 cups of water DURING work, so then anything i drink at home is icing on the cake. go-to rule is that, anytime i'm feeling peckish, i drink water first. my brain is dumb and thinks thirst is hunger. i'm to the point that the only things i enjoy drinking are water and coffee (oh, and wine. can't forget wine ;))
  • hmltwin
    hmltwin Posts: 116 Member
    I do the same things that others have said: I have a cup with a straw at my desk. I fill it at regular intervals - when I arrive for the day, after my first break, after lunch, after my second break and I make sure it's empty before I fill it. It's also a fun cup - there are cute foxes on it - so I love to see it on my desk. I also keep track - every time I fill it, I pop on here and add two cups to my total. That way, I know I've drunk enough.
  • cinnag4225
    cinnag4225 Posts: 126 Member
    1/2 - 1 cup of other drinks throughout the day (protein drink in the morning if I miss breakfast, grapefruit juice before every exercise session, I tend to like soy milk with my dinner, etc), and then water for filler throughout the day. It's a lot easier since the temperature jumped so high, but having a bottle of water nearby (usually tap with some lemon wedges) has pretty well replaced my boredom snacking at this point.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,141 Member
    I don't worry about getting in enough water. I never track my water, I just drink water when I'm thirsty and as long as I'm not showing symptoms of dehydration then I know that I'm getting enough water in my diet. You don't just have to drink water to hydrate. You also get water in foods and other drinks count as well. I mostly drink water, but coffee and tea still hydrate you and some foods especially fruits and soups are hydrating as well.
  • jbatinker
    jbatinker Posts: 313 Member
    Cup with a straw at both home and work. I find that is how I can drink the water required.
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
    I keep a 16 oz cup in the bathroom and start my day with that when I take my pills. I also have a 20 oz cup with a straw on my desk that I like to fill at least 4-5 times during the day. I have found that I am craving flavor lately so I tend to brew decaf tea and have some unsweetened tea with lemon for much of the day. I have another 20 oz bottle I use during workouts. I like to drink one during a workout lasting an hour or more and then drink one more after I'm done(I have to stop drinking at least an hour before bed or I'll be up in the bathroom all night, lol).
  • jaedizzle01
    jaedizzle01 Posts: 775 Member
    I just make sure that if I feel hungry I drink a glass or 2 of water before I eat. Half the time I don't feel hungry anymore. If my mouth feels dry at all I drink a bottle of water.
  • lisalewis7588
    lisalewis7588 Posts: 76 Member
    I like my Camelbak brand water bottle with a straw... I found that if I have to unscrew a lid or something I don't drink nearly as much. I keep it right beside me, all filled up, and have tried to make it a habit to reach for it every 10-15 minutes. I don't track my water on MFP but I make sure I drink at least one full bottle before lunch and one full bottle after lunch, and then usually one with/after dinner at home. I will brew a cup of tea sometimes if I am bored, but I love water so it's not usually a problem.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,373 Member
    I workout at o-dark-thirty 5 days a week, so my ritual is to drink 2 cups of water before I go, 2 cups while working out (at least) and then I drink 2-3 cups of coffee after I get done (that's 7 cups in the first 3 hours that I am awake!). after that, I just drink water whenever I am thirsty (usually over 100 oz a day).
  • SassyMommasaurus
    SassyMommasaurus Posts: 380 Member
    edited June 2016
    I have a reusable water battle where I know if I drink 3 a day it's 9 glasses of water and take it with me everywhere.
  • jdgboxing
    jdgboxing Posts: 42 Member
    I just carry a gallon around and take a few drinks now and then, surprisingly around 2-3pm it's all gone. Probably a little extreme though. Not sure if you want to carry around that much water.
  • khaywa12
    khaywa12 Posts: 1 Member
    Starting first thing in the morning helps. I grab a glass right after I brush my teeth and drink as I'm getting dressed. If I wait until 8 or 9 AM to start drinking, I usually come up short. My goal is a gallon a day. I set intervals for myself to keep me on track (i.e. 24 oz. before I get to work, another 24 before my 1st break, another 24 before lunch). Pacing myself through the day helps me to not end up trying to chug 1/2 a gallon right before bed and getting up to go to the bathroom through the night.