Water help!

MajorRyan
MajorRyan Posts: 18
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
wondering if anyone's got any advice about increasing water intake. Dr says I need to drink more, but I don't drink really that much and try to force it down makes me sick. Usually I'll have 5 -6 cups off coffee a day, on a thirsty day. I made some cordial up and tried that, but just couldn't keep it down with my bad reflux. I'm eating fruit now so am getting liquid from that and coffee, but I keep getting kidney infections from them not getting flushed out. my god this is hard.....

Replies

  • kaitlynnesmommy
    kaitlynnesmommy Posts: 166 Member
    I started using the flavor mix ins and doing that. I also force myself to take 3 gulps each time I hang the phone up (I am a receptionist). Good luck
  • Nancy_hc
    Nancy_hc Posts: 123 Member
    water flavor packets have helped me drink lots of water too! crystal light is a good choice, i love the white grape flavor! :P Careful with them thoug bc they do have calories. Try also putting slices of lemon in your water, or PURE (not sweetened) cranberry juice. That works for me too.
  • scottbe07
    scottbe07 Posts: 16 Member
    I use Crystal Light, and love love love it! I also but the Smart Water bottles with the reclosable lid and refill them at least twice, maybe three times a day. It's tough, but the Crystal Light really does help it to go down easier.
  • mrzpeep1
    mrzpeep1 Posts: 64 Member
    I drink more when its really really cold. and through straw
  • krystico
    krystico Posts: 104
    Crystal Light! I used to get infections, too (not enough water). Someone suggested taking cranberry pills... It seemed to help. Good luck!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,449 Member
    Keep a glass of water or a water bottle with you at all times.

    You will lose weight faster if you are drinking enough. Often you will eat, when really it is thirst, not hunger.

    Try it for two weeks. Some things you just have to do, whether you like it or not.
  • TamLind83
    TamLind83 Posts: 66 Member
    That's a lot of coffee. If anything maybe try to cut back on the coffee since it's a diuretic (makes your body expel water). At least if you cool down on the coffee you won't be losing as much water. I have seen several places that you should drink an extra cup of water (on top of the daily recommendation of about 8 cups) for each cup of coffee that you have.

    I have found that if I put a tea bag in a cup of cool water and let it sit about 15 minutes that I am able to drink a lot more tea since it makes it have some flavor. If you don't like room temp water then throw in some ice cubes once the tea bag has soaked in the water for a while.

    If you really have to use a flavoring mixes with artificial sweeteners be careful to watch your intake since people who consume artificial sweeteners on a regular basis tend to lose their sensitivity to sweetness and end up craving more sugar and eating more in general.

    I hope this helps.
  • DiamondRubyMom
    DiamondRubyMom Posts: 147 Member
    I have the same problem. I find having a glass of water in front of me helps. Then I will absentmindedly drink it. I figure if I can eat too many chips while not paying attention, maybe I can drink enough water by not paying attention.
  • PennyNickel14
    PennyNickel14 Posts: 749 Member
    I also use the Flavor mix ins.

    Also just do a cup on the hour. 8am a cup, 9am a cup etc. Until you get to your dr rec amount. Cause choking it down all at once is not fun !!
  • MajorRyan
    MajorRyan Posts: 18
    Thanks guys....I'll keep a water bottle with me and put a smidgen of flavor in it. I had no Idea coffee expelled water.
  • Regavar
    Regavar Posts: 2
    Infections = cranberry juice but I hate the taste, but I love cranrasberry or cran blackberry. One day and it is just about gone!! For me it is ice water. Love it cold cold cold :)
  • joysgetaway
    joysgetaway Posts: 4
    Try eating more fruits and mixing cranberry juice with the water. It tastes better and can help with the infections also Maybe munching on ice will be more satisfying. Whatever you choose to do, just know water is a necessity to life! Good luck:smile:
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Coffee (caffeine specifically) dehydrates you, so you can't count it as part of your water intake. In fact, my doctor says you need to increase your water consumption by the same amount as your coffee intake to keep from getting dehydrated.

    Have you tried herbal tea (with no caffeine)?
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
    Coffee (caffeine specifically) dehydrates you, so you can't count it as part of your water intake. In fact, my doctor says you need to increase your water consumption by the same amount as your coffee intake to keep from getting dehydrated.

    Have you tried herbal tea (with no caffeine)?

    Again inaccurate fear mongering, coffee does not dehydrate you. Period.

    The whole "caffeine dehydrated you" talk stems misinterpretation of studies that have found caffeine has a diuretic effect on the body (I.e., it makes you pee more). However when one actually takes the time to read those studies you find that their conclusion is that caffeine has a diuretic effect when it is administered in doses that significantly exceed that body's current level of caffeine intake. Additionally they found that in a short time of continued exposure to those increased doses the body develops a tolerance and the diuretic effects are no longer observed.

    Please read the actual peer-reviewed reports from these studies so you can understand the facts before you give more people wrong information.
  • Ruby11222
    Ruby11222 Posts: 114
    I can't use artificial sweeteners so I used to put in a bit of apple juice, maybe one part juice and 4 parts water, so it is quite diluted. Now I can drink water on it's own.

    You should probably try some real cranberry juice (work it into the days calories) and strong cranberry supplements from the pharmacy. I would also wean off the coffee if you can.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Coffee (caffeine specifically) dehydrates you, so you can't count it as part of your water intake. In fact, my doctor says you need to increase your water consumption by the same amount as your coffee intake to keep from getting dehydrated.

    Sorry to say, but you should really question your doctor if he told you that. He needs to get up to date on research. Recent studies have proven that although caffeine is a mild diuretic, as is water btw, the fluid you gain from the coffee far outweighs the diuretic effect. Also, you more coffee you drink, the better your body gets at extracting the fluid, to the point where it's practically the same as water.

    Remember, its not neat water you have to get, its just water, in ANY form. Tea/coffee/soda/juice/fruit/veg. They all provide water. The diuretic effect myth is perpetuated by the bottled water companies. There are thousands of people who never, EVER drink neat water, and are they dead? No. They are just fine, as they get their water from other sources.

    The Straight Talk
    In his review, “Caffeine, Body Fluid-Electrolyte Balance, and Exercise Performance,” Lawrence E. Armstrong, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Connecticut disproves the notion that caffeinated beverages rob us of our precious fluids. By reviewing the scientific research on the subject, he concludes that although caffeine, like water, is a mild diuresis (it increases excretion of urine), moderate caffeine consumption does not produce a “fluid-electrolyte imbalance” that can affect health or exercise performance. Furthermore, we retain roughly the same amount of fluid after drinking a caffeinated beverage as we do after drinking water.

    Even more encouraging for habitual coffee consumers is the finding that those with caffeine tolerance have reduced likelihood that a fluid electrolyte imbalance will occur. The more regular your caffeine habit, the more fluid your body is conditioned to retain.

    Other findings support his conclusions. A small study done at the University of Nebraska tested the body weight, urine output, and blood of eighteen subjects after they consumed caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages. They determined that there was “no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males.” The Institute of Medicine expert panel on water and electrolyte intake asserts that the diuretic effects of caffeine are transient, and that coffee, tea, and colas can contribute to total water intake.



    Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what#ixzz1ahO1ShJ2

    EDIT: Didn't see Inter's post. Just confirmed the same thing as he did :)
  • FATISLANDLADY
    FATISLANDLADY Posts: 20
    Instead of tea or coffee I find just boiled water flavoured with a shake of either cinnamon or ginger, and then with cold semi-skimmed milk in it is a nice hot drink without the diuretic effect. Also my mum has to be forced to drink water but it helps her if she uses a straw in a little bottle and just keeps sipping as often as possible- don't get that cold bloated feeling that way. happy hydrating!!
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Instead of tea or coffee I find just boiled water flavoured with a shake of either cinnamon or ginger, and then with cold semi-skimmed milk in it is a nice hot drink without the diuretic effect. Also my mum has to be forced to drink water but it helps her if she uses a straw in a little bottle and just keeps sipping as often as possible- don't get that cold bloated feeling that way. happy hydrating!!

    You bumped this from 2 days ago just to repeat that myth about the diuretic effect? Didn't you read the thread?
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