Drinking water...

LindaLou0802
LindaLou0802 Posts: 22 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, I am not a water drinker...never have been, unless I am really hot or working out. I just don't like water that much, and unfortunately I am addicted to Diet Coke! It is my caffeine in the mornings, instead of coffee. I really need to drink A LOT more water, not only because I think it will help with my weight loss, but also because it is just good for you. So I am looking for ideas as to how I can possibly drink 8 glasses a day??
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Replies

  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
    add some lemon to it
    keep a bottle with you to sip on
    I sometimes have to make it a game (lol) and sent goals, even if it's "i'm going to take 5 sips from my water in the next half hour"
    I struggle too but it's getting better.
    A lot of people use crystal light flavour stuff but I don't like it.
  • dorianeadams
    dorianeadams Posts: 1
    I have the same struggle, but I've found a few things help me. First, carrying a 750ml water bottle around with me and sticking it on my desk when I get to work means I often just reach for it whereas normally I'd go get a cup of tea if I was bored/thirsty. Also keeping herbal teas at my desk means I will drink those when I want a hot drink rather than coffee.

    Or, if you really don't like the taste of water, not-too-strong squash is always a good option, or caffeine-free iced teas, etc.
  • Agefyter
    Agefyter Posts: 105 Member
    I drink 20 oz while at the gym in the morning and I have a 20 oz tumbler at my desk always full of decaf Bigelow tea. When I get home from work instead of pouring a glorious glass of chardonnay to sip on while I cook, I pour 3 oz wine in a glass and fill with club soda. How about a flavored club soda instead of the cola?
  • sarahc0714
    sarahc0714 Posts: 49
    I am not a big water drinker either but I really just had to force myself. It really helps to have a larger water bottle with some sort of straw. The bigger the straw the more I water I tend to drink :) Weird, I know. Lemon really does help. The other think that helped me is to not have it super cold, that way I can just guzzle it down. I am not much of a sipper if you can tell :) Good luck!
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
    Keep a water bottle with you at all times... I keep mine next to my monitor at work so i am constantly sipping all day
  • Agefyter
    Agefyter Posts: 105 Member
    I have the same struggle, but I've found a few things help me. First, carrying a 750ml water bottle around with me and sticking it on my desk when I get to work means I often just reach for it whereas normally I'd go get a cup of tea if I was bored/thirsty. Also keeping herbal teas at my desk means I will drink those when I want a hot drink rather than coffee.

    Or, if you really don't like the taste of water, not-too-strong squash is always a good option, or caffeine-free iced teas, etc.

    "not-too-strong squash" ?
  • Katetmay
    Katetmay Posts: 54 Member
    Decaf tea is a good choice, I also enjoy perriere with lemon(hate the one without citrus).

    You will find if you start drinking water on a regular basis you may begin to crave it more when you are thirsty. This sounds crazy I know but about 2 months ago I could not bring myself to drink one cup, now when I am thirsty I run immediately for water without even thinking about it. I did not think I would ever see the day that I enjoyed it but that day has come.
  • ShamaraIjames
    ShamaraIjames Posts: 1 Member
    I found that Propel helped me with my journey into water drinking. It flavors the water without changing the color so you get the impression that your drinking purely water. You may even be able to transition to straight water. Hope this helps, congratulations on your weight loss, I can see it already and you look great!!!
  • Rachelito
    Rachelito Posts: 119 Member
    At first I just had to force myself. I bought a water bottle because I found I just dont like drinking it out of a glass. I was addicted to Dr.Pepper and Pepsi, now I skip those and drink around 150oz a day of water and dont mind at all!
  • 20lbsorless
    20lbsorless Posts: 27
    i think the keeping a bottle of water close to use and sipping throughout the day you will find you will reach your 8 glasses. most days i can drink 8 glasses or pure water and 4 cups of tea. tuesday i barely drink 4 glasses as i'm not allowed to drink while i have clients.
  • naiomi85
    naiomi85 Posts: 29 Member
    Try to make foods that you prepare using water. For ex: every morning i eat a bowl of oatmeal and add 1 cup of water to it. Try to drink hot teas through out the day. You can always buy the flavored water or add in flavors to your water.
  • LPCoder
    LPCoder Posts: 404 Member
    I fill a water bottle with water and ice, squeeze a lemon wedge and add a few drops of lemon stevia...voila, lemon shake up.

    I also put a few strawberries in a blender with water and ice and chocolate raspberry flavored stevia. Blend for a nice smoothie.

    If you do sparkling water, 3 drops of grape stevia, 3 drops of vanilla stevia it will taste like diet dr. Pepper.


    Hope that gives you a few ideas
  • HotCuppaJo
    HotCuppaJo Posts: 476 Member
    I have to admit, I was JUST like you... As a teacher, I have a fridge in my room and I would have about 5-6 cans of Diet Pepsi...all before NOON!! It was nuts. I decided when I started my weightloss journey in January that I would just have ONE for breakfast and ONE for lunch, and try to force myself to drink water. (HATE water... It has to be filtered and FREEZING for me to drink it, and I do NOT like putting lemons in it, sadly. :( ) Anyway, once I started drinking the ice water, I found myself wanting the pop less and less. It was CRAZY! I wasn't even planning on completely cutting it out, but before I knew it I hadn't had a pop for one week....two weeks...three weeks and now I think it's been over a month since my last one! My body stopped craving it, after I started forcing the water...and now I crave the water! Not sure if it will work the same for you....
  • tlinval
    tlinval Posts: 175 Member
    I keep a water bottle or two in the car. I drink 20 oz of water easily in the car during my 3 mile commute! I find drinking water in the car is the easiest thing! A bottle on the way to work, a bottle back, 40 oz done without even thinking about it. NICE!! :smile: Water at work is a must for me, too. I set a "goal" of oz of water per day.
  • Dawn1950
    Dawn1950 Posts: 4
    I like you am not a big fan of water but have been getting in 64 oz. a day for about a month now. I find if I drink from a 20oz bottle and fill that three times a day there is 60 oz. I keep it by me and everytime I see it I take some. It is 2:20pm and I have about 1/2 a cup left. I finish off the last 1/2 cup with my pills at bedtime. I know when this is gone I can than reward myself by having something to drink that I like. i.e. Crystal Light, or diet juice. I cut my coffee back to 1 cup a day and than start on the water. Just be sure you are neer a bathroom. You can put a squirt of lemon or lime in it also to help the flavor. Hope it helps.
  • icandothis318
    icandothis318 Posts: 40 Member
    I can relate to you excecpt it is not that I don't like water it is just that I don't drink that much of anything in a day. If someone was to say you can drink all the juice/soda that you want I still would only drink about 2-3 cups a day, if that. I have to do something to make me want to drink more.
  • LindaLou0802
    LindaLou0802 Posts: 22 Member
    Wow, thanks for the helpful ideas, everyone! I guess I am going to have to keep a bottled water with me in the car and on my desk at work, so I can sip on it during the day. Sadly, I do not like the lemon in my water for some reason, but I haven't tried other flavored waters. I really prefer ice water over warmer water, so maybe I will keep ice in my little fridge at work too.

    I strive to be like my 3 year old...water is her preferred beverage, not juice...and she will drink it at any temperature, anywhere. :)

    Yes, I am hoping once I start forcing myself to drink more of it, I will learn to crave it instead of Diet Coke.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    Here's what I do......I carry a 1G jug around with me......I fill it up in the morning and can't drink anything else until it's gone. You could do the same with 64oz.....In theory I could have sweet tea/soda once the gallon is gone but by that point it's usually late in the day and I dont want to waste the calories so I end up just drinking more water/chewing ice. Good luck to you...It is tough to cut out
  • jodienc1
    jodienc1 Posts: 13
    I used to be a soda drinker myself until a car accident took away my ability to "feel" carbonation... Yes I cannot taste any fizzy drinks... beer, champagne, seltzer, soda - so it was was a transition.. but for almost a year it's been nothing but water and I can't say that I miss the soda at all. I miss the beer.

    I noticed a huge difference in my skin in a matter of a week. Just bite the bullet and start drinking it....
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    I add fresh lemon to every glass. Almost like lemonade.
  • Kassieisproud
    Kassieisproud Posts: 149
    i hate drinking water to and love diet soda! So i just chug down a glass before every meal and after my workouts no sipping i just get it into my system and im done with it
  • DAWNSTEP
    DAWNSTEP Posts: 47 Member
    Peppermint essential oils are great in water! Also cucumber slices.!!
  • DAWNSTEP
    DAWNSTEP Posts: 47 Member
    I used to be a soda drinker myself until a car accident took away my ability to "feel" carbonation... Yes I cannot taste any fizzy drinks... beer, champagne, seltzer, soda - so it was was a transition.. but for almost a year it's been nothing but water and I can't say that I miss the soda at all. I miss the beer.

    I noticed a huge difference in my skin in a matter of a week. Just bite the bullet and start drinking it....

    I gave up the pop, not so much the beer yet. I allow for it in my calories though. Besides the few a week it's strictly water.
  • wells0707
    wells0707 Posts: 251 Member
    I keep a full glass of water on my desk at all times and every time I get up for the fax machine or to check my inbox...etc I finish whatever water is left and refill my glass. Then I do it all over again. Good luck!
  • capricorn0120
    capricorn0120 Posts: 109 Member
    I can't drink plain water either unless I'm working out. I add Crystal Light to my water. They come in different flavors which is great.
  • YasminDoyle
    YasminDoyle Posts: 2
    Keep a 1litre bottle with you throughout your day and try and get through it by the end of the day or if you can refill and get through 2 which is equivalent to your daily recommended amount. That's what i do at school and you will honestly see an automatic improvement in your skin hair nails and everything and it keeps you fuller for longer it is so good for you and though at first you may have to run to the toilet a fair few times your body will get used to the sudden extra intake of water and realise that you're hydrating it and will then adapt to it so your bladder will also improve, hope this helps good luck!
  • kaytiecakes
    kaytiecakes Posts: 79 Member
    I SECOND THE STRAW IDEA. I'm a full-time student and I spend a lot of time at my computer. Huge cup of water and I'll drink barely any of it. Add a straw and it's gone in half an hour without thinking twice about it.

    I have a huge diet-coke-shaped hole in my heart since taking charge of my eating habits. Since I firmly believe that I should be able to treat myself to it so as to keep myself from breaking all this hard work I've done to get to where I am, I have limited myself to only drinking it when there's vodka in it, usually only on the weekends.

    During the week, I drink 24 ounces of coffee twice a week during my morning classes (I use stevia instead of aspartame sweetener), and then I drink nothing but water, sometimes I add flavor packets to jazz it up a bit but that's maybe once or twice a week. Not only has the introduction of large amounts of water made my skin happier, I'm also spending less money!
  • heavensshadow
    heavensshadow Posts: 264 Member
    Fortunately, I'm a big fan of water, and I reach for and order it often.
    However, fiance is a little less inclined, so I keep a pitcher of calorie-free flavored water and bottles of diet flavored green tea in the fridge for him....that way we are both less inclined to drink soda (although I seemed to have curbed that habit years ago).

    Find yourself a good powdered drink mix that flavors your water for you...then it's more like juice or koolaid. :drinker:

    Good luck!
  • monicaroozo
    monicaroozo Posts: 200
    I am not a big water drinker either but I really just had to force myself. It really helps to have a larger water bottle with some sort of straw. The bigger the straw the more I water I tend to drink :) Weird, I know. Lemon really does help. The other think that helped me is to not have it super cold, that way I can just guzzle it down. I am not much of a sipper if you can tell :) Good luck!

    This has also been working for me. I carried around nalgene bottles... and i lost them... or left them somewhere... or found them too cumbersome to use so I didn't.

    Now I have SEVERAL of those large plastic re-useable cups with tops and straws and I just keep filling it with cold water, no ice.

    I went from drinking my normal 2 cups a day to 8+ immediately.

    I also split the day up with flavored club sodas/sparkling water.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    So, I am not a water drinker...never have been, unless I am really hot or working out. I just don't like water that much, and unfortunately I am addicted to Diet Coke! It is my caffeine in the mornings, instead of coffee. I really need to drink A LOT more water, not only because I think it will help with my weight loss, but also because it is just good for you. So I am looking for ideas as to how I can possibly drink 8 glasses a day??
    Drink what you like. There is no health benefit to drinking plain water in comparison to anything else. It won't hydrate you any better, or help you lose weight any faster.

    The "water is healthier for you" propaganda has actually been spread by the bottled water industry as a marketing campaign to increase profits, it has no medical basis, at all.

    In fact the actual quote from the doctor who first brought up the "8 glasses a day" rule used the word "fluid" and not the word water, because he included juice, soda, coffee, milk, and beer in those 8 glasses.

    (The book was called "Nutrition For Good Health," it was published in 1974. The doctor was nutritionist Dr. Fredrick Stare.)

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