how to drink more water?

joconnor09
joconnor09 Posts: 124
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
I've noticed since i started tracking my food that I just don't seem to be getting enough water. Strangely enough, a few weeks ago, before I joined MFP, it was like I couldn't STOP drinking water (to the point where I thought I was developing diabetes)!!! I know I should be getting at least 8 glasses, but I usually make it to 3-5. I used to drink water so often, and I'm not sure what's going on. Now it's like I consciously have to make sure I'm getting at least some every day.

Does anyone have ideas for how to drink more water throughout the day? My problem seems to be that I'm just not noticeably thirsty that often (which is kind of weird for me). I tried carrying a water bottle around with me, but I always forgot about it, left it in the car, etc. I really need to drink more, and I really want to drink more. It's so good for me and I really want to drink more water, but I always forget to!

Replies

  • metzlerjn
    metzlerjn Posts: 57 Member
    I have a camelback waterbottle with a filter in it so I take it absolutely everywhere with me and I don't have to worry about filling it up with gross water (I'm picky about my water). I also use water as an activity kind of, like when I'm in class or bored at work I'll just occupy myself with drinking water. It's almost like a game I set goals like, "I'll drink one of these bottles before this class is over" etc. Or my favorite is if I"m just relaxing in front of the tv I'll sip on my bottle. Really I have never drank so much water before this bottle, it's amazing! Good luck.
  • sweet110
    sweet110 Posts: 332 Member
    Chugging it by routine. Really. I'm like you, I just don't get thirsty. I think I was a camel in a past life. The only thing that works for me is routine:

    I get up in the morning and down a pint glass. Which is 2 cups.
    Before lunch, I down a pint glass. Another 2 cups.
    Before dinner, I down a pint glass. 2 more cups.

    I then have 6 cups already planned into my day. I then sort of assume that I'll get one or two more without the routine chug.

    It seems silly, but when you don't get thirsty, there just isn't any other way to manage it. I'd carry a water bottle around too...but without actually being *thirsty*, I'd never remember to drink it. I would find myself at the end of a day sometimes having only had TWO cups of water. And I'm not a juice or soda drinker, so I wasn't getting liquids from anywhere else either. I just don't get thirsty.
  • Redapplecandie
    Redapplecandie Posts: 171 Member
    I'm very structured during the week.
    I get up at 530 daily. Have one cup of water to "wake up" my mouth.
    Go to work.
    Between 630-8am I have 32oz of water.
    Eat breakfast
    Between 9-11am, another 20 oz of water.
    Lunch
    Between 12-3, another 20oz.
    So before I even leave work for the day, I am already over the 8 glass minimum.
    Once I go home, I'm terrible. Maybe another 20oz after that. More if we go out to eat somewhere.

    To make my water palatable, I flavor it with MIO. It is honestly the best and only flavoring I will use now. It's liquid mixing into a liquid, not a powder mixing into a liquid, which means there are NO clumps or nastyness.

    And I drink a lot of decaf tea on some days, instead of the water at work.

    If you have a desk job like me, you need to have a watercooler thing in your office. Seriously, its the best thing that has ever happened to me at work ever.

    Good luck!!
  • munchkinhugs
    munchkinhugs Posts: 278 Member
    I think I was a camel in a past life.

    Apparently rats can survive without water for longer than camels -maybe you were a rat (no offence intended)?


    Not sure if this will work for you but if you're struggling to drink -get a bottle and aim to finish some fraction of it (say 250mL) every 1-2 hours.
  • jsenecal12
    jsenecal12 Posts: 42
    I make sure I drink a glass of water with everything I eat- which is easy because I eat approximately 6 times a day. It's my rule - if I'm going to eat, then I will also have a glass of water.
  • fitby38
    fitby38 Posts: 307 Member
    i get extra water in by drinking a lot of brewed tea (not the store bought stuff with added sugars)
  • Sienzel
    Sienzel Posts: 2
    I was having the same problem so I found a "drinking buddy" at work. We make sure we remind each other and try to fill our water bottles about the same time so that we can keep track. Even if I don't get any water at night, we usually get 5 or 6 glasses a day helping each other out. It has really worked for me:)
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I started drinking a lot more when I got my Contigo water bottle. Leak proof, spill proof, dishwasher safe, one hand operation to press the button to take a drink & it fits in the cupholders in the cars. Holds 24oz and I take with me wherever I go. I find I drink a lot when I'm driving around town running errands or taking the kid to and from school. They come in lots of different colors, so for our family of three we bought six cups, two for each of us, each with our two colors. So much better than random plastic water bottles (always half full and now no one knows whose is whose!) or so many drinking glasses to wash. Easy to keep track of how much I've had during the day - every time I empty it, I log three glasses. Works for me! :smile:
  • karisma81
    karisma81 Posts: 71 Member
    I have a reminder on my phone that buzzes every 1.5 hours during the working day. It's a little annoying but I figured once I get into the habit I won't need the buzzer.

    I have an app to log my water called Waterlogged (on the iPhone)
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
    I think I was a camel in a past life.

    Apparently rats can survive without water for longer than camels -maybe you were a rat (no offence intended)?


    Not sure if this will work for you but if you're struggling to drink -get a bottle and aim to finish some fraction of it (say 250mL) every 1-2 hours.

    rats are great animals, nobody should be offended by being called a rat.
  • sarge634
    sarge634 Posts: 42
    i used to hate drinking water but over the past 5 years i drink atleast 5 bottles a day
  • Switty_Kitty
    Switty_Kitty Posts: 532 Member
    I started drinking a lot more when I got my Contigo water bottle. Leak proof, spill proof, dishwasher safe, one hand operation to press the button to take a drink & it fits in the cupholders in the cars. Holds 24oz and I take with me wherever I go. I find I drink a lot when I'm driving around town running errands or taking the kid to and from school. They come in lots of different colors, so for our family of three we bought six cups, two for each of us, each with our two colors. So much better than random plastic water bottles (always half full and now no one knows whose is whose!) or so many drinking glasses to wash. Easy to keep track of how much I've had during the day - every time I empty it, I log three glasses. Works for me! :smile:

    I have those bottles too. Costco had them on 3/$15! Love that they're marked so you know what you're drinking :)
  • Hernandeak11
    Hernandeak11 Posts: 351 Member
    I tend to drink wayy more out of a bottle than out of a glass. I don't know why that makes a difference lol
  • emilystamp
    emilystamp Posts: 11
    There are times where I won't be thirsty at all, I will forget, and come noon I will feel pretty terrible. I just force myself to drink 8oz at a time, thirsty or not... I'll just chug it down regardless of really wanting to. I typically try to do this every 1-2hrs. When working out I drink around 20-40 oz (1-2 Aquafina bottles). Making sure to drink at least 64oz a day makes a huge difference in my energy and mood.
  • buckystars
    buckystars Posts: 129 Member
    I carry a 24 oz. water bottle everywhere with me. I know I need to drink at least 4 full bottles daily so I try to space them throughout the day. I know I'll drink at least one full bottle if I do cardio and then I'll fill it up again before I hit the sauna. My rule is to not leave the sauna without finishing the full bottle. That way I force myself to stay in the sauna longer and I get a full bottle in.
  • jenj1313
    jenj1313 Posts: 898 Member
    I make myself drink a glass when I brush my teeth in the morning. Then I drink 1 glass right before I go to the restroom for the remainder of the day. Somehow, I forget about drinking as soon as I go, but I can remember right before. Then it's a self propagating thing... water in, water out. Water begets more water. You get the idea. If I haven't had at least 12 glasses by the end of the day, I try to drink at least a liter with/after dinner. That tends to cut down on my after dinner sweet tooth.

    Good luck!
  • crymzen
    crymzen Posts: 24 Member
    i get extra water in by drinking a lot of brewed tea (not the store bought stuff with added sugars)

    I do this too. Most teas are low calorie or even considered no calories. I also add sliced lemon, lime or orange to my water for extra flavor.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    The 8 cups recommended is only 8 - 8 ounce cups of liquid, not 8 'glasses' of water since most glasses are 16 ounces or more. I hate drinking water too so I bought an 8 ounce plastic cup (it is actually very small!) and I drink one cup with each meal and each snack with a total of 5-8 cups. I also count the water I put in my oatmeal which is another 8 ounces and any jello, soup, etc. that I have throughout the day. I drink diet koolaid, flavored waters, crystal light, etc. and they are all available in cheaper, generic forms. Some say you can count coffee or other caffeinated drinks but I don't. And I have found that I feel better and my skin isn't as dry if I drink plenty.
    Good luck to you.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    I use the brita filtered bottle.

    4 bottles a day is 8 cups.

    toss a tea bag in it and its a treat!
  • ericalynn104
    ericalynn104 Posts: 382 Member
    My nalgene bottle is an extra limb! And I drink through a straw.. I don't know why exactly but it helps me drink more.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    I have a reminder on my phone that buzzes every 1.5 hours during the working day. It's a little annoying but I figured once I get into the habit I won't need the buzzer.

    I have an app to log my water called Waterlogged (on the iPhone)

    I was just going to suggest something like this! I was thinking 6oz (which is really just a couple of big swallows) every hour from say 9am to 9 pm
  • jillybean0123
    jillybean0123 Posts: 238 Member
    Try drinking through a straw when you do drink water. Sounds dumb but it will cause you to drink more without realizing it. I'm not quite sure why that is but it does really work. I use a camelbak bottle that has a built in bite valve and straw. It's leakproof and I find that when I use it, I do drink about double what I do on days I use my other bottle without a straw.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    I love tea and get in plenty of water that way! There are a lot of different flavors so look around and you'll probably find something you like :)
  • calgarychick2012
    calgarychick2012 Posts: 65 Member
    i use a 36 oz bottle 2 minimum when i dont have it i usually dont drink enough
  • jenj1313
    jenj1313 Posts: 898 Member
    Oh... I noticed being less thirsty the first few weeks after I changed my diet too. I chalked it up to eating more fruits and veggies (high water content) and less processed food (lots of salt).

    I also have a water filter thing at work that filters + makes cold or hot water. I like tea and count it as water if it's decaf, but I absolutely cannot make myself stand in front of the microwave to heat up water. I always end up wandering off to do something and someone brings my cup to me (full of cold water) 2 hours later. And... the water at work tastes nasty, so the filter is a good thing.

    I carry a Nalgene with a "Humangear" lid that makes it easier to drink out of. The bottle is BPA free and glows in the dark. Not that I'm usually drinking water in the dark, but I could if I wanted to!
  • MeMountainMom
    MeMountainMom Posts: 88 Member
    yep I know this is silly but it works for me. Each morning, I fill two 32 ounce cups and put them where I know I will see them or near me. Then try to drink them both before dinner. Kind of like a race to see which cup I can empty first. I choose different colors each morning. Today the green cup won. Tomorrow who knows it may be the pink cup that I empty first.

    Also, I do watch the clock. If I haven't emptied one by 11am I finish the smaller one before or with lunch. This cuts back on my lunch calories and allows me to eat more for dinner.

    OR You could try 4-16 ounce cups empty before every 3 hours is up...9am,noon, 3pm, 6pm. I'd set alarm on phone to remind me.

    HTH!

    Good Luck!
  • HendersonDavid
    HendersonDavid Posts: 25
    I've noticed since i started tracking my food that I just don't seem to be getting enough water. Strangely enough, a few weeks ago, before I joined MFP, it was like I couldn't STOP drinking water (to the point where I thought I was developing diabetes)!!!

    I don't know if your serious about what you said here but here's some information before people start to think you can get diabetes from drinking water.

    Anatomy 101

    Water has no effect on your beta cells in your pancreas in releasing or inhibiting insulin.

    Water has an osmosis effect for BP and ionic effects on acidic pH. Water also has an effect on your kidneys (Glomerular filtration rate) and filtration of toxins.

    So you can not develop diabetes from over drinking water. You can however end up pissing out excess fluids your body maybe be holding on to for homeostasis reasons (aka water weight), a saying "more water in, means more water out".

    Back to original question, to increase water intake indirectly by foods, add very hot spices to your meats, or Red Hot Sauce I put that *kitten* on everything.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    I've noticed since i started tracking my food that I just don't seem to be getting enough water. Strangely enough, a few weeks ago, before I joined MFP, it was like I couldn't STOP drinking water (to the point where I thought I was developing diabetes)!!!

    I don't know if your serious about what you said here but here's some information before people start to think you can get diabetes from drinking water.

    Anatomy 101

    Water has no effect on your beta cells in your pancreas in releasing or inhibiting insulin.

    Water has an osmosis effect for BP and ionic effects on acidic pH. Water also has an effect on your kidneys (Glomerular filtration rate) and filtration of toxins.

    So you can not develop diabetes from over drinking water. You can however end up pissing out excess fluids your body maybe be holding on to for homeostasis reasons (aka water weight), a saying "more water in, means more water out".

    Back to original question, to increase water intake indirectly by foods, add very hot spices to your meats, or Red Hot Sauce I put that *kitten* on everything.

    I don't think OP was trying to imply you could get diabetes from drinking a lot of water. I understood that comment to mean (semi-joking) that they were so thirsty they thought it might be a symptom of diabetes.
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