water consumption
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jennyi27
Posts: 114 Member
Something I have always struggled with is water consumption. My mom and I even have this ongoing joke about my liquid intake. She would buy me Diet Coke for when I would come to visit, I would never finish the cans, and she would end up throwing stuff away. Even the baby cans! The same thing happens when she gives me a glass of OJ in the morning (tumbler size, not tall glass size). I don't know what it is - I'm just not that thirsty!
Right now I am trying to quit soda, so I am actively trying to boost my water consumption at the same time. I am hoping this will help boost weight loss and subside my sweet tooth. The problem is, drinking water is just difficult for me. I have to really force myself to constantly drink it, and sometimes when I force myself to do it, I gag. I actually gag on water. I am not swimming or anything - just drinking. I see other people drink water all day long quite comfortably, sans gagging. What is going on here?
To give you an idea of how much I consume a day -
1 cup of coffee in the morning with breakfast (today it was a grande nonfat PSL from Starbucks, hello fall!)
1/2 of a regular sized can of Diet Coke with lunch (the rest gets thrown out)
12 oz of milk, soda, or sparkling water with dinner (50% of the time it is less than that)
...and maybe up to 8 oz extra liquid if I exercise/need to take medication/etc
I know that this is not enough in general, but it is even worse considering my size (I need to lose a lot of weight). Is anybody else like this? If you had this problem of really not drinking enough water, how did you get past that? I'd prefer to not have to literally choke down water everyday if I don't have to.
Right now I am trying to quit soda, so I am actively trying to boost my water consumption at the same time. I am hoping this will help boost weight loss and subside my sweet tooth. The problem is, drinking water is just difficult for me. I have to really force myself to constantly drink it, and sometimes when I force myself to do it, I gag. I actually gag on water. I am not swimming or anything - just drinking. I see other people drink water all day long quite comfortably, sans gagging. What is going on here?
To give you an idea of how much I consume a day -
1 cup of coffee in the morning with breakfast (today it was a grande nonfat PSL from Starbucks, hello fall!)
1/2 of a regular sized can of Diet Coke with lunch (the rest gets thrown out)
12 oz of milk, soda, or sparkling water with dinner (50% of the time it is less than that)
...and maybe up to 8 oz extra liquid if I exercise/need to take medication/etc
I know that this is not enough in general, but it is even worse considering my size (I need to lose a lot of weight). Is anybody else like this? If you had this problem of really not drinking enough water, how did you get past that? I'd prefer to not have to literally choke down water everyday if I don't have to.
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Replies
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I have no idea what you're eating, but for many of us a good portion of our hydration comes from the foods that we eat. If you don't feel thirsty and you don't have an underlying medical condition, I would question that you need to force yourself to drink anything.1
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You don't have to drink plain water if there are other beverages that you like better. Pretty much every liquid counts for hydration (except alcohol).
Don't get too hung up on having to drink a specific amount of water. If your urine is pale yellow, then you are hydrated enough. If it's darker, you may have to get more liquids in some form.0 -
What color is your pee? Do you eat foods with lots of liquid in them like fruits and soup? You don't only get hydration from drinking water. I wouldn't try to force yourself to drink it if you have light yellow urine and don't feel thirsty. Fruits like melon have lots of water. I would try to eat more of those things too. There is no reason to force yourself to drink a certain amount of water every day. If your urine is dark though then you are dehydrated and need to drink more.0
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I had a hard time drinking water also. The two biggest things that helped me drink more water were:
1. Use a straw. Sounds silly, but you typically can drink more water through a straw than sipping from a glass. I find even when I get water bottles, I will drink more if I have a bottle with a straw than if I have to drink out of the rim.
2. Since I hate the TASTE of water...that's right, I'm one of those that can taste water (and even bottled waters have different tastes)...I would put stuff in my water...I started with things like crystal light packets as they were low calorie, and have worked myself to using lemon and lime wedges. Really you can use any type of fresh fruit to infuse in your water to cut the taste (just be mindful of the calories), but I love the taste of lemons and limes.
I agree with the pee analysis...if your pee is nearly clear, you are okay...if it's yellow, you probably could use a bit more hydration; if it's dark yellow, you aren't getting near enough and probably need to figure out how to get a lot more water into your system (though if you take supplements it could change the color too).
I will say that while you might be able to get the minimum survival amounts of water from food, you really should try to figure out how to best boost your water intake as it helps so many processes in your body operate more optimally. You could increase some water based foods to help balance things out, but especially if they are fruits (which are my favorite), they will come at a caloric cost too. Figuring out how to get more water/liquid is often the lowest calorie option.0 -
Bump. I will never understand how someone can gag on water. My husband hates it also and I wish I could get him to like it.
*His pee has been light brown many times. Sometimes he forgets to flush. Now that I think about it, no one in his family drinks water. Could it be something people grow up with?
*The water bottle idea with a straw is really worth trying! I also have lemon juice we can try.0 -
Sorry if this is TMI, but my pee is usually medium yellow. I feel like it should probably be lighter. As far as my diet, it's not super full of watery foods. Today, I had a Fage Greek yogurt flip, stuffed cabbage rolls, 1/2 c blueberries, 1 c of watermelon.
@TheWJordinWJordin - you may be right that it is a family thing. I grew up on juice of all varieties and milk, until I eventually got more and more into soda. My mom drinks only milk and juice (OJ and lemonade usually). My dad only drinks coffee and soda.
They say you shouldn't drink your calories and that giving up diet soda usually helps with weight loss, and I'm willing to try it. My daughter wants me to also quit soda, and I would do anything for her. I think that water is the best option given the position that I'm in.
Plus, one of the medications I am on affects my satiety. I could eat and eat and never feel "full". I am hoping that by increasing my water intake, I won't feel as hungry all the time. Many articles I have read have said that by increasing water consumption, you can better control your food intake. Of course, maybe now instead of feeling hungry I'll feel bloated!0 -
Sorry if this is TMI, but my pee is usually medium yellow. I feel like it should probably be lighter. As far as my diet, it's not super full of watery foods. Today, I had a Fage Greek yogurt flip, stuffed cabbage rolls, 1/2 c blueberries, 1 c of watermelon.
@TheWJordinWJordin - you may be right that it is a family thing. I grew up on juice of all varieties and milk, until I eventually got more and more into soda. My mom drinks only milk and juice (OJ and lemonade usually). My dad only drinks coffee and soda.
They say you shouldn't drink your calories and that giving up diet soda usually helps with weight loss, and I'm willing to try it. My daughter wants me to also quit soda, and I would do anything for her. I think that water is the best option given the position that I'm in.
Plus, one of the medications I am on affects my satiety. I could eat and eat and never feel "full". I am hoping that by increasing my water intake, I won't feel as hungry all the time. Many articles I have read have said that by increasing water consumption, you can better control your food intake. Of course, maybe now instead of feeling hungry I'll feel bloated!
Diet soda has no calories, so giving it up does not help with weight loss. "They" are incorrect.0 -
SuzySunshine99 wrote: »Sorry if this is TMI, but my pee is usually medium yellow. I feel like it should probably be lighter. As far as my diet, it's not super full of watery foods. Today, I had a Fage Greek yogurt flip, stuffed cabbage rolls, 1/2 c blueberries, 1 c of watermelon.
@TheWJordinWJordin - you may be right that it is a family thing. I grew up on juice of all varieties and milk, until I eventually got more and more into soda. My mom drinks only milk and juice (OJ and lemonade usually). My dad only drinks coffee and soda.
They say you shouldn't drink your calories and that giving up diet soda usually helps with weight loss, and I'm willing to try it. My daughter wants me to also quit soda, and I would do anything for her. I think that water is the best option given the position that I'm in.
Plus, one of the medications I am on affects my satiety. I could eat and eat and never feel "full". I am hoping that by increasing my water intake, I won't feel as hungry all the time. Many articles I have read have said that by increasing water consumption, you can better control your food intake. Of course, maybe now instead of feeling hungry I'll feel bloated!
Diet soda has no calories, so giving it up does not help with weight loss. "They" are incorrect.
Yes, I know this. Haha. I think it usually helps in terms of helping to reduce cravings for sweets, thereby lowering your caloric intake. So indirectly I've heard it helps with weight loss.1 -
SuzySunshine99 wrote: »Sorry if this is TMI, but my pee is usually medium yellow. I feel like it should probably be lighter. As far as my diet, it's not super full of watery foods. Today, I had a Fage Greek yogurt flip, stuffed cabbage rolls, 1/2 c blueberries, 1 c of watermelon.
@TheWJordinWJordin - you may be right that it is a family thing. I grew up on juice of all varieties and milk, until I eventually got more and more into soda. My mom drinks only milk and juice (OJ and lemonade usually). My dad only drinks coffee and soda.
They say you shouldn't drink your calories and that giving up diet soda usually helps with weight loss, and I'm willing to try it. My daughter wants me to also quit soda, and I would do anything for her. I think that water is the best option given the position that I'm in.
Plus, one of the medications I am on affects my satiety. I could eat and eat and never feel "full". I am hoping that by increasing my water intake, I won't feel as hungry all the time. Many articles I have read have said that by increasing water consumption, you can better control your food intake. Of course, maybe now instead of feeling hungry I'll feel bloated!
Diet soda has no calories, so giving it up does not help with weight loss. "They" are incorrect.
Yes, I know this. Haha. I think it usually helps in terms of helping to reduce cravings for sweets, thereby lowering your caloric intake. So indirectly I've heard it helps with weight loss.
It depends if that is indeed a trigger for you. I have heard that artificial sweeteners make some people crave sugar, but I haven't found that to be the case with me. It's definitely not universal, though.0 -
SuzySunshine99 wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »Sorry if this is TMI, but my pee is usually medium yellow. I feel like it should probably be lighter. As far as my diet, it's not super full of watery foods. Today, I had a Fage Greek yogurt flip, stuffed cabbage rolls, 1/2 c blueberries, 1 c of watermelon.
@TheWJordinWJordin - you may be right that it is a family thing. I grew up on juice of all varieties and milk, until I eventually got more and more into soda. My mom drinks only milk and juice (OJ and lemonade usually). My dad only drinks coffee and soda.
They say you shouldn't drink your calories and that giving up diet soda usually helps with weight loss, and I'm willing to try it. My daughter wants me to also quit soda, and I would do anything for her. I think that water is the best option given the position that I'm in.
Plus, one of the medications I am on affects my satiety. I could eat and eat and never feel "full". I am hoping that by increasing my water intake, I won't feel as hungry all the time. Many articles I have read have said that by increasing water consumption, you can better control your food intake. Of course, maybe now instead of feeling hungry I'll feel bloated!
Diet soda has no calories, so giving it up does not help with weight loss. "They" are incorrect.
Yes, I know this. Haha. I think it usually helps in terms of helping to reduce cravings for sweets, thereby lowering your caloric intake. So indirectly I've heard it helps with weight loss.
It depends if that is indeed a trigger for you. I have heard that artificial sweeteners make some people crave sugar, but I haven't found that to be the case with me. It's definitely not universal, though.
I would live off of sweets if it were socially acceptable. The older I have gotten and reflected on my relationship with sweets, the more convinced I am that sugar addiction is a real thing. Pie, cake, ice cream - you name it, I love it all! I have never tried to give up soda before. I'm hoping it will help to curb cravings so I no longer feel the need to spaz out and gorge myself on donuts. At the very least, it won't hurt me! And, a reduction in the acid from diet sodas should help out my chompers.2 -
You are really well informed! I believe you will accomplish this goal! I'm not sure about the gagging on water, but it sounds like you can trust your aversions. Personally I drink it like crazy, but only with ice. ??0
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