water and frustrated!!!

Birdy
Birdy Posts: 29 Member
edited September 18 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

I have two questions. The first is about water. I don't like to drink water, but see that it must play a role in weight loss, otherwise you guys wouldn't talk about it so much. Why is it important to drink plain water (instead of tea, coffee, diet soda, etc.). Also, does it matter if I drink it all at once or does it have to be spread out through the day? I can down 16 oz of water quickly to get it over with, but wonder if this does me any good.

Second, I still keep making the same errors that prevent me from losing weight (i.e., skip my workouts, eat too much on the weekends, indulge in high calorie foods, etc.) I do this even though my main goal is to lose 15lbs and get into shape. What is this about? Sooo frustrating. What habit breaking tools do you all use?

Any thoughts would be helpful.

Replies

  • Birdy
    Birdy Posts: 29 Member
    Hi all,

    I have two questions. The first is about water. I don't like to drink water, but see that it must play a role in weight loss, otherwise you guys wouldn't talk about it so much. Why is it important to drink plain water (instead of tea, coffee, diet soda, etc.). Also, does it matter if I drink it all at once or does it have to be spread out through the day? I can down 16 oz of water quickly to get it over with, but wonder if this does me any good.

    Second, I still keep making the same errors that prevent me from losing weight (i.e., skip my workouts, eat too much on the weekends, indulge in high calorie foods, etc.) I do this even though my main goal is to lose 15lbs and get into shape. What is this about? Sooo frustrating. What habit breaking tools do you all use?

    Any thoughts would be helpful.
  • icupfunny2000
    icupfunny2000 Posts: 470 Member
    Water can break one of your habbits..... eating too much, i know it is just what you DONT want to hear but if you drink lots of water before and durring a meal you feel fuller....oh and i dont work out on the weekends either but i make sure i do it every day durring the week. Its too hard to work out with kids in my house, for some reason they all line up on the couch and watch me run on the treadmill.... its weird... maybe they never seen my booty bounce so much:laugh:
  • auntkaren
    auntkaren Posts: 1,490 Member
    I am another that can't stand the taste of water. I don't know if it's wrong to do, but I drink mine in the form of green tea. :smile:
  • icupfunny2000
    icupfunny2000 Posts: 470 Member
    I am another that can't stand the taste of water. I don't know if it's wrong to do, but I drink mine in the form of green tea. :smile:


    green tea is good as long as your not adding sugar or anything to it.
  • Helawat
    Helawat Posts: 605 Member
    First off, tea is good for you. I encourage everyone to drink green tea. You can read more threads about it by searching the database. Water isn't the only thing you can drink. In 2002 researchers published new fluid guidelines that questioned the standard of 8 ounces of water per day. According to WebMD:

    "For normal, healthy adults, Valtin recommended simply drinking when thirsty. And he reported that even caffeinated drinks can count toward satisfying our fluid requirements.

    In February 2004, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued new recommendations that agree with Valtin's findings. The new guidelines remove the eight-glasses-a-day recommendation, and say healthy adults may use thirst to determine their fluid needs. Exceptions to this rule include anyone with a medical condition requiring fluid control; athletes; and people taking part in prolonged physical activities or whose living conditions are extreme."

    You do need to spread out your water intake for the day and I wouldn't recommend anyone to drink a butt load of water in one sitting due to the risk of water intoxication which happens when, "...the water content of the blood increases, the salt content is diluted. Consequently the amount of salt available to body tissues decreases, which can lead to problems with brain, heart and muscle function" (Weightlossresources.co.uk). This is relatively rare but you're not immune from it.

    If you drink 16oz of water at 12:00pm and you're thirsty at 3pm, you're going to reach for something you probably shouldn't be drinking because your line of thinking will be "I already had my water for the day, now I can relax and have a soda." If you're overeating like you say you are then you're probably not using water for appetite suppression.

    Drinking water during the day helps curb overeating, "...the standard weight-loss plan dictates encouraging people to drink more water stems from the belief that the liquid fills the gut to make people feel fuller" (WebMD, 2004). This will help with your eating too much on the weekends and splurging.

    You can get your daily water requirements from sources other than pure water - your cup of tea counts! Water is the main ingredient of all drinks – carbonated drinks and still drinks, fruit juices and fruit and vegetables all have a high water content.

    There are things you can do to make water tastier. You can purchase flavored water (just look at the label to see if it's beneficial for your diet), add lemon, and Special K sells protein water mix in flavors such as pink lemonade and ice tea.


    Now, my habit breaking tools are simple:

    I don't buy bad food when I'm shopping and I stopped going out to eat unless they have a detailed nutritional menu online. If I don't have the foods in front of me then I can't eat them! II know myself and I cannot buy myself treats, or rewards for the future, or any type of food of that quality because I know I won't eat it like a treat. I'll devour it like a lion eats a weak gazelle.

    Everything goes back to you. You need to know yourself and recognize your food habits whether it's emotional overeating, food addiction, or hapless munching in front of the television. Before you can search for habit breaking tools, you need to more throughly identify your bad food habits.

    Good Luck!


    References::

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040105/drinking-water-may-speed-weight-loss

    http://www.webmd.com/content/article/131/117956.htm

    http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/healthy_eating/too_much_water.htm
  • flcaoh
    flcaoh Posts: 444
    I like water, but my boyfriend HATES it. He adds the flavored powders to his water as well as drinks vitamin water. There are TONS of different types of flavors out there, so there's bound to be something you might like. Personally I don't think the artificial sweetners are all that good for you. Although, you have to be careful with some of the vitamin water because some brands have some significant calories (relative to regular H2O). And it can get expensive if you're buying lots of bottled vitamin water. We try to buy it in bulk at places like Sams Club and Costco to reduce the cost.

    Like everyone else, tea is good. And once again, there are tons of different flavors out there.

    If I don't exercise (and even sometimes when I do) I eat over my alloted calorie maximum. So I try and use exercise as an incentive to eat more. I LOVE to eat LOL. I sometimes like to exercise. Exercising in order to eat more takes care of both needs LOL.

    I've been overweight for a long time, so I have gotten used to my appearance with the extra weight. But as much as I would like to see myself 50 pound lighter, sometimes, since I have gotten used to it, it's not motivation enough for me. So, when I lose motivation, I try to remember how good this is for my health and my heart. I'm from the south, where creamy, deep fried foods are a norm, as are second and third helpings to keep grandma from getting her feelings hurt. Yet, sadly, heart attacks and strokes are common in my family. So, eating healthy has been a tough habit for me to form. I still have a strong love-hate relationship with cheese LOL.

    I have read in many places that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Just keep it up. When I get really discouraged I just think about the millions of people that have been able to do it and I think, if they can do it... so can I.
  • Pom_love_2
    Pom_love_2 Posts: 96
    Found this online, decided to look because everyone at work says I drink too much water :noway: ....I thought it was very informative because it includes waters benefits in body functions,and how environment and exercising affects what you should drink. (And contrary to them, I am supposed to drink more than 1 liter/day...:tongue: )

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

    The water bottle thing is another issue, been hearing about that at work too, here's a site about it....

    http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/101/plastic

    I believe these are 2 pretty reputable websites
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