I feel discouraged...

Here is something that I read from another person's post... I think it might help!!!


Water is a Secret Ingredient
Water: The Wild Card of Weight Loss
-- By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer

Is water important? Well let’s see, other than making up 50%-60% of our bodies, regulating body temperature, helping our breathing, transporting nutrients, carrying away waste and helping our muscles function, water is pretty much useless. Oh, and you need water or, after three days without it, you’ll die.

So in other words, water is pretty darn essential. It can even be an extremely important (and often unappreciated) weight loss factor.

Somehow, though, water is one of the most neglected parts of our diet. Some of us possibly go an entire day at times without one glass! Every part of your body is dependent on and comprised of water, and the most important parts need even more. Your brain is made up of 75% water, your blood 82% and your lungs nearly 90%.

Besides being a vital component of your body, water also helps to reduce weight. The more hydrated you are, the quicker your metabolism works. When you are dehydrated – even before you start becoming thirsty – your liver has to help the kidneys function and can’t metabolize fat as quickly. Your metabolism slows down, causing some unwanted fat to remain.

If your body is used to not getting water, it actually stores more in ankles, hips and thighs. In other words, it doesn’t trust you to keep bringing water, so it keeps what it can get, like a thirsty cactus. Once it realizes the water will keep coming, your body will get rid of the stores and you’ll lose weight!


Plus, if you’re suffering from cravings or having trouble controlling hunger, drinking water is a quick, healthy way to feel full. Drink a glass when you normally snack, and have one before your meal and right before going out.

Staying hydrated is not restricted to drinking water; milk, juice and other liquids – even some fruits and vegetables – are good sources of water. But avoid caffeinated beverages (coffee, soda), as they actually cause you to lose fluids and become dehydrated.

The recommended daily amount of water is eight cups a day, but don’t feel bad if you have neglected your water intake. Even if you constantly drink coffee or soda, you can make some simple changes to increase the water in your diet. Here are just a few ways to get more water every day:

Find the water bottles with pop tops. They’re easier to carry around and use than twist off caps.
Keep a water bottle in the car.
Take a water break instead of a smoke break at work.
Set a rule with your water glass: once it’s empty, it gets filled back up right away.
Drink orange juice or eat fruit in the morning.
Get two water bottles, one for work and one for home. Fill up one every day when you leave to go home, and fill up the other before you go to bed each night.
Order water at restaurants instead of soda. Even if you have something else to drink, have water too.
Weekends are the toughest, so be aware of your water and fluid intake throughout Saturday and Sunday. Keep more than one water bottle in the fridge so you always have a cold one.
Follow the example of a SparkPeople member: this woman put a water glass on her windowsill with 8 pennies on one side. Each time she filled up her glass and drank it, she moved a penny to the other side, until all the pennies were moved. Great reminder system!

I've read that you take your weight and divide it by two. That is the amount, in ounces, that you should aim for in a day... Sounds insane, but I swear, it helps.

OMG...that means that I would need to drink 17 glasses of water a day!!!! WOW!!!! I guess it makes sense because if you do the math, it's about 8 glasses for a person of a healthy weight.

I'm feeling discouraged today, too. The first week I started I lost five pounds and was pretty excited. The second week I only lost a pound. I have stayed within my calories and exercise each day. I guess the water might be a factor. I hate drinking water in the winter. I don't mind the the summer, but when it is cold outside the water makes me gag. Sounds like I have issues. My weigh in day is tomorrow....

I'm feeling discouraged today, too. The first week I started I lost five pounds and was pretty excited. The second week I only lost a pound. I have stayed within my calories and exercise each day. I guess the water might be a factor. I hate drinking water in the winter. I don't mind the the summer, but when it is cold outside the water makes me gag. Sounds like I have issues. My weigh in day is tomorrow....

a lb a week is what your should be aiming for. It's not going to come off overnight. Slow and steady! :drinker:

Do not feel discouraged!!! I noticed all those who replied to the original post were people who have joined in Jan 2009. I have been here since april 2008 & have lost 20lbs. Just this morning I took a look at the progress chart with my weight, it's been down it's been up but the LONG TERM trend is down. Keep focused on your goals, count your calories, do your excercise and drink your water!!!

Congratulations on your succeses so far and good luck in the future!!! :flowerforyou:

So, As those on here who know me know, I HATE the scale. Hate every thing about it, hate what it does to people, hate how we (myself included) pay it so much attention, and hate that it dictates our moods. That being said, the scale is a fact of life for some, so here's my little piece of advice. forget the scale, concentrate on your nutrition, caloric intake, exercise, and how your body feels. If you want a measurement, take tape measure readings every couple of weeks.

Look at it like this, most scales (yes, even doctor's office scales unless they have been balanced professionally in the last week) can be off by as much as 3 lbs, some even more. Scales are an inprecise, mass produced product used for precise measurement, add to that the fact that in any given 24 hour period a person's weight can fluctuate up to 5 POUNDS, and it makes weighing in every week usless.
There is 1 exception to this statement. If you take a large sample and plot them, then the scale becomes much more accurate. By that I mean, take 8 or 10 measurements (or more, more is better) and plot them and look at the trend, THAT is an accurate measurement to tell if the weight loss is working. Ironically, this site does that for you, just go to the reports section, if you have faithfully put in your weight, then you will have a great graph tool to look at.

So, As those on here who know me know, I HATE the scale. Hate every thing about it, hate what it does to people, hate how we (myself included) pay it so much attention, and hate that it dictates our moods. That being said, the scale is a fact of life for some, so here's my little piece of advice. forget the scale, concentrate on your nutrition, caloric intake, exercise, and how your body feels. If you want a measurement, take tape measure readings every couple of weeks.

Look at it like this, most scales (yes, even doctor's office scales unless they have been balanced professionally in the last week) can be off by as much as 3 lbs, some even more. Scales are an inprecise, mass produced product used for precise measurement, add to that the fact that in any given 24 hour period a person's weight can fluctuate up to 5 POUNDS, and it makes weighing in every week usless.
There is 1 exception to this statement. If you take a large sample and plot them, then the scale becomes much more accurate. By that I mean, take 8 or 10 measurements (or more, more is better) and plot them and look at the trend, THAT is an accurate measurement to tell if the weight loss is working. Ironically, this site does that for you, just go to the reports section, if you have faithfully put in your weight, then you will have a great graph tool to look at.

Nice to have you back, Banks :flowerforyou: