Lose 5lbs + in December 2019

I started reading the book, "Quench: Beat Fatigue, Drop Weight, and Heal Your Body Through the New Science of Optimum Hydration" by Dana Cohen & Gina Bria on 11/10/19 which sheds more light on the science of hydration. Link to book on Amazon

Nice review at this link.

I'm not a water drinker by nature. I'm a coffee fiend. Before discovering coffee, I was a soda fiend. As a southerner, sweet tea was integral to every summer.

There are a number of formulas for adequate water intake. Ounces by weight. 8 glasses a day. Some advise an extra 8 oz for every cup of coffee, tea, or soda consumed.Yeah. Not happening. Not when I typically consume 4-6 cups of coffee per day, often supplemented by sweet iced or hot tea.

The best I could get was a bottle of water through the day and taking a bottle to bed with me, because I would wake up thirsty at night. Then I could finish that bottle while brewing my morning go juice.

Ignoring all of the scientific and anthropological information presented in the book, the Quench Plan does not harp on quantity. Nor does it harp on giving up coffee or tea unless you wanted to pay for that with extra water. Soda? Sweet Tea? Well, you want to reduce your intake of processed sugars. No one can argue with that. But the plan does not "punish" you for it by demanding penance in the form of more water.

From the book, "And you’ve had it drummed into you that hydration requires eight glasses a day, or half your body weight in ounces. Indeed, the widely known eight-glasses-a-day recommendation has been traced to original government recommendations, which gave hydration guidelines based on total ounces.1 The surprise is that in those original guidelines, 45 percent of those ounces came from food. Over the years urban legend has morphed it into ounces from liquids only, and finally water only."

From the Thyme is Honey review, "Gel water is what forms around the chia seed when it comes in contact with liquid, but gel water is present in a lot of our food. This gel state of water is 10% more viscous than the liquid state. Not a major difference, but the way this water benefits our bodies is significant.

Gel water has two major benefits: it is more hydrating than plain water, and it conducts electricity more efficiently. The health benefits of being optimally hydrated are obvious: it prevents disease. Conducting electricity is also vital because it is how our brains send signals to every other part of our body. The more efficient this system is, the faster and clearer we are able to think and function."

So the goal is to add more gel water (plant based hydration) and healthy fats to our daily diet. The plan is simple in theory ...

It's not a plan on terms of a diet's quick start that most of us think about. It's simply a well thought out guide to implement all of the key points in the book into a full 5 days - without you having to think about or plan it. Lots of variety and room for accommodating personal preference - or trying something new. It's laid out in a familiar format to anyone who had ever followed a diet - shopping lists, recipes, daily menus, and quick reference. But it is not a diet, it is simply a way to increase efficient hydration and absorption. It will easily work into any diet you are following with minimal effort.

Have a glass of lemon water first thing in the morning. Simply squeeze a bit of fresh lemon in your water and add a pinch of sea salt. The salt enhances the flavor of the lemon and helps create the ideal electrolyte exchange to keep water balanced inside you. (Sea, Celtic, Himalayan, or Rock salt all provide more trace minerals to facilitate this than table salt.)

Add (or substitute) a smoothie to breakfast. Use water. You are adding fruits and vegetables that are a source of gel water. Throw some chia seeds in. In addition to their nutritional benefit, they increase moisture retention by twofold - without the bloat. If you are dieting, many of the smoothie recipes in the book are less than 100 calories.

Add a hydrating "Afternoon Delight" between lunch and dinner. Water, a pinch of sea salt, some chia seeds, and a couple of tablespoons of fruit juice.

Meals? There is no strict plan. Add hydrating foods to each meal. Lots of lists (and recipes) in the book. Fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouts, broths, soups. Cut back on processed sugars, grains, and sodium - all rob water from your body. Sound familiar? Healthy, whole foods.

There's much more to efficient hydration in the book than just discussion of diet. There's a lot of detail about other factors - movement and light. And there's a lot of discussion about how our bodies process and use hydration. There is a whole chapter on new research into the function of the fascia.

There are suggested micro-movements incorporated into each day's plan that will help you move all of this water to where your body needs it.

You don't have to follow any plan. You can just work elements from the book into your daily habitats. Anything is better than nothing.

I love having the lemon water first thing. Yes! Before coffee! I've got the morning smoothies figured out to add to a light breakfast or replace breakfast and maintain my calorie range. The "afternoon delight" is good. I'm not consistent with it but will continue to work it into my routine. I had all but given up juice and missed it. Even with adding more fruit into my day. The tiny amount of juice doesn't add much to sugar and calorie intake and makes the water more enjoyable - almost a treat.

I haven't changed my way of eating. Still fruit with breakfast, salad or handful of baby spinach thrown into whatever I'm having for lunch, and a healthy dinner. My water intake is up 8-16 oz a day and is more consistent.

I'm down 2.2 pounds for the 5 days. With no eating changes. That's (way) up from my average 0.5 per week.

The big change I see is the reduction of coffee. I had dropped from 4-6 cups to 2-3 when starting this weight loss journey again. Not to reduce caffeine, but because I use a sweetened creamer. The lemon water in the morning has me down to 1-2 cups, shaving more calories out of the day. And I'm not feeling the headaches or grumpiness that has been part and parcel of trying to cut back.

Now. The reason I did this is because of the claim to be a form of more efficient hydration resulting in better cognition, more energy, better skin, and less overall dryness. That's hard to gauge. I don't "feel" any different (other than not jonesing for my morning coffee).

Observationally, a dry scaly itchy patch on my shoulder is gone, the scaly elbows are healing, and my legs are not flaking as bad. The dark circles under my eyes are a bit lighter and less puffy. Correlation or causation? I have no clue. But increasing water intake, adding seeds, and ensuring I'm adding plant based nutrients & water to my way of eating certainly isn't hurting, and requires no additional planning or tracking than I'm already doing. No one can argue that it's not a healthy change, so why not? I think this is something I will keep doing 😊

Top 12 Hydrating Veggies (percent water):
1. Cucumbers 96.7%
2. Romaine lettuce 95.6%
3. Celery 95.4%
4. Radishes 95.3%
5. Zucchini 95%
6. Tomatoes 94.5%
7. Peppers 93.9%
8. Cauliflower 92.1%
9. Spinach 91.4%
10. Broccoli 90.7%
11. Carrots 90%
12. Sprouts 86.5%

Top 12 Hydrating Fruits (percent water):
1. Starfruit 91.4%
2. Watermelon 91.4%
3. Strawberries 91%
4. Grapefruit 90.5%
5. Cantaloupe 90.2%
6. Pineapple 87%
7. Raspberries 87%
8. Blueberries 85%