Drink more water :-)

mczwright
mczwright Posts: 62
edited November 8 in Food and Nutrition
I've always been the type of person that just never seems thirsty and I usually only get 5 -8 ounce glasses in a day, on a good day. I just feel sick if I drink when I'm not thirsty. How can I get all my water in? Do I just force myself or are there any tips out there? Help!

Replies

  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    I cannot drink water when I am not thirsty. I drink tea all day instead. Then it feels like food.
  • mczwright
    mczwright Posts: 62
    Does that still count as your water intake? I have tea (home-brewed) that is sweetened with zero calorie sweetener.
  • munkeyfunk
    munkeyfunk Posts: 141 Member
    Get a massive jug of water, fill it up and leave it on your table, and drink from it :) you'll find you'll drink a lot LOL
  • Ashamelee
    Ashamelee Posts: 3 Member
    You could try adding something to the water to make it a bit more interesting.. if you're lucky enough to live somewhere that has "Crystal lite" or something else like that, (I live in Australia and we don't have it) you could try that.... for me personally I love citrus, so I put lemon, lime or even a squeeze of orange juice (from a fresh orange) in my water just to make it a little more interesting, as i find it hard to just drink just water, and find that I really have to force it when I'm not thirsty..

    If you really aren't thirsty at all you could try eating foods that have a high water content.. cucumbers, melons, tomatos, celery or any leafy greens..
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
    Sparkling water with a dash of lemon juice is nice :)
  • laurabini
    laurabini Posts: 257 Member
    you just need to get used to it!
    Start drinking when you are neither hungry nor thirsty and you will feel the need of another glass :)
  • Zannukene
    Zannukene Posts: 10 Member
    Drinking a lot of water makes me feel sick aswell, I prefer green tea. It helps with digestion and is very good for you :)
  • mczwright
    mczwright Posts: 62
    Maybe I could add raspberries to it...those are my favorite!
  • mczwright
    mczwright Posts: 62
    Thank you so much for the tips everyone. I'll try each one to see if it works!!
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Does that still count as your water intake? I have tea (home-brewed) that is sweetened with zero calorie sweetener.

    Yes. It's liquid, it counts.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    I just gulp it down.
    We learned in the USMC long before Nike' came along.
    JUST DO IT!
  • DaniChan
    DaniChan Posts: 1
    Tea or coffee doiesn't count as your water intake because it actually dehydrates you due to the caffiene
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Tea or coffee doiesn't count as your water intake because it actually dehydrates you due to the caffiene

    That is total rubbish
  • mczwright
    mczwright Posts: 62
    Tea or coffee doiesn't count as your water intake because it actually dehydrates you due to the caffiene

    What if my tea is decaf?
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
    I wrote on another post :)


    As long as you are giving yourself at least 8 glasses a day... you are good. I drink out of a 20oz cup at work and usually go through at least 3 of them, which gives me 60oz.......plus at the gym I do at least 24oz and then maybe another 8oz when I get home. I don't set a certain goal for water. I struggle with drinking water when I am at home, I barely drink anything for some reason. At work I am on the phone all day so I tend to need more there.


    Totally Incorrect :-)

    You need to drink when you feel you need to, and no force yourself.
    Drinking more is as dangerous as drinking less. (Increase level of water, while decreasing sodium level via the diuresis)
    In fact for an exercise, you better should have small but numerous intakes, but that doesn't mean you need to drink more.

    There are imho two REAL indicators : the feeling of being thirsty (the most important one), and the urines color. (less pertinent)
    Drinking more is useless (appart preserving performance during an exercise). In 2002 and 2008 two big studies explained how useless it was to drink over your need, appart going to toilets more often.
    Moreover people tend to forget all the water they drink via the food they eat. That is why in fact we don't feel that much the thirsty feeling ;)

    Read that :
    http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302--8785-0,00.html
    http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/batman.html
    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/
    Edited by Razique on Mon 01/30/12 10:55 AM

    :)
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
    Tea or coffee doiesn't count as your water intake because it actually dehydrates you due to the caffiene

    Not sure this is entirely true

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5281046.stm

    Might be an old post but it makes sense...well to me anyways :-))
  • mczwright
    mczwright Posts: 62
    I wrote on another post :)


    As long as you are giving yourself at least 8 glasses a day... you are good. I drink out of a 20oz cup at work and usually go through at least 3 of them, which gives me 60oz.......plus at the gym I do at least 24oz and then maybe another 8oz when I get home. I don't set a certain goal for water. I struggle with drinking water when I am at home, I barely drink anything for some reason. At work I am on the phone all day so I tend to need more there.


    Totally Incorrect :-)

    You need to drink when you feel you need to, and no force yourself.
    Drinking more is as dangerous as drinking less. (Increase level of water, while decreasing sodium level via the diuresis)
    In fact for an exercise, you better should have small but numerous intakes, but that doesn't mean you need to drink more.

    There are imho two REAL indicators : the feeling of being thirsty (the most important one), and the urines color. (less pertinent)
    Drinking more is useless (appart preserving performance during an exercise). In 2002 and 2008 two big studies explained how useless it was to drink over your need, appart going to toilets more often.
    Moreover people tend to forget all the water they drink via the food they eat. That is why in fact we don't feel that much the thirsty feeling ;)

    Read that :
    http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302--8785-0,00.html
    http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/batman.html
    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/
    Edited by Razique on Mon 01/30/12 10:55 AM

    :)


    Hmm...
    Thanks so much!
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Tea or coffee doiesn't count as your water intake because it actually dehydrates you due to the caffiene

    What if my tea is decaf?

    It really doesn't matter. Tea does not dehydrate you, or millions of people in China and India would be desiccated corpses, as the is all they drink. The amount of caffeine in tea has no notable effect at all.
  • mczwright
    mczwright Posts: 62
    Tea or coffee doiesn't count as your water intake because it actually dehydrates you due to the caffiene

    What if my tea is decaf?

    It really doesn't matter. Tea does not dehydrate you, or millions of people in China and India would be desiccated corpses, as the is all they drink. The amount of caffeine in tea has no notable effect at all.

    Thank you for clarifying! :-)
  • jam3114
    jam3114 Posts: 250 Member
    I have the same problem but one of MFP friends gave me a tip & it helps.
    He was saying to try & incorporate it into your day so I try have a small glass in the morning, lunch, evening & bedtime
    So I get 4 glasses now where I used to get none and it doesn't feel like a chore
    Mind you I really don't know if I'll ever make it to 8 glasses a day :ohwell:
  • Bekzness
    Bekzness Posts: 122
    I drink decaff tea and coffee, about 5 cups a day.

    I don't count this in my water goals as I still try get at least 8 glasses of water a day on top of the hot drinks.

    Some days last week I only drank 5 glasses of water but had more decaff tea so I didn't beat myself up about it.

    I agree that I feel much better in my self when I drink more water (not loads, just my goal amount) compared to when I was only drinking hot decaff drinks.

    Like anything I think everyone is different, what I do notice is that my 'thirst' can sometimes give me the feeling of 'hunger'.. so I always try drinking a glass of water before snacking if I find I'm feeling peckish when I shouldn't be, If I'm still hungry after 30 minutes of drinking the water.. I grab some food :)

    Just be cautious if you are drinking decaff teas and coffees to log them properly to include milk and sugars if you take any... I certainly have more than the 10mls of milk that is set out on the default entry on MFP, so I end up drinking between 100-200 calories a day.
  • ackeebee
    ackeebee Posts: 1,042 Member
    i have this problem as well. i am living in the uk and when it is a hot day (which is very rare), if i am holidaying in a hot country or when i am in the gym, it is not a problem, however all other times i struggle.

    last time i was in canada i bought some crystal lite but as i am not really a cold drink sort of person, this did not work for me. i find it easier to drink tea all day though because most times i add milk and some form of sweetener, i don't count these as water. on average i would say i drink about 3-6 cups of water a day.
  • lruthruff
    lruthruff Posts: 18 Member
    I found that since I've removed everything else I have no choice but to drink water:drinker:
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    i find this hard too x
  • kipper2316
    kipper2316 Posts: 39
    sobe has water with no calories and its flavored. I hate water but love this stuff.
  • prettylittlechubby
    prettylittlechubby Posts: 125
    I drink ALOT of green tea so I count this as my water cos I also hate drinking cold water esp in this crappy weather x
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    I have a water bottle on my desk and try to take a deep swig from it each hour. I actually used to set my phone alarm for this!
  • Bigkatnix
    Bigkatnix Posts: 1
    You receive some of the recommend water intake from foods. If you can't stomach all of the water, eat a piece of fruit or some veggies. Most fruits and green vegetables are primarily made of water and can help you with the consumption of water. Also, remember each person is different and 8- 8 ounces is a recommendation not a steadfast rule. If you feel properly hydrated with 5- 8 ounces and are not having any problems, you are probably okay.
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