Okay, okay, so I ended up making it a series! You guys encouraged it!
I'll be honest, I'm not a good water drinker. I never have been but I hope to be. I lost weight over 10 years ago and I was horrible at drinking water. I mean I was lucky to get 16 oz per day in. I really don't know what my issue with drinking it is. I don't need to flavor it because I hate flavored water. I don't drink anything other than decaf tea so it's not like I have a soda habit, diet or otherwise, to kick. But I really do want to get consistent about drinking at least 64 ounces of pure water per day.
I'm sure we all know the usual benefits of drinking water but let's highlight them as a reminder, shall we?
We often mistake thirst for hunger. Yeah, I thought it was a load too but more often than not a couple of chugs of my water bottle when my stomach is starting to growl an hour or two after a meal has stifled the beast.
Drinking water reduces water retention. I know it sounds weird or even contradictory in logic but it's true. So if you've got that time o' the month bloat or you're feeling bloated for other reasons, drink up buttercup!
Flushes out post workout toxins. Burning calories creates toxins in your body and drinking water helps send those bad boys on their way.
Water helps fiber do it's job. You could be getting plenty of fiber in but if you're not drinking enough water to help it scoot along, you're constipated and what fun is that?
Dehydration = bad. When you're dehydrated the fat burning process slows down. It also reduced blood volume which reduces oxygen to your muscles and makes you tired.
Happy muscles and joints. Hydrated muscles and joints are more lubricated and therefore less sore after you work them.
Aids in weight loss. A recent study showed middle aged and older dieters who drank 16 oz of water 20 minutes before each meal lost 44% more weight than those who didn't and a year later had kept it off where the other participants gained 2 lbs. We started incorporating this one yesterday and I'm really hoping it gives us a little boost. Of course I know I need to maintain this habit in order for it to work so that will be the real test.
So those should be enough reasons to hop on the water wagon as far as I'm concerned!
What about you? Does your water intake need a boost? How much do you drink per day?
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Great article! I definitely attribute water intake to losing weight as much as eating right and working out. They all go hand in hand and I feel so much better when I get my water in versus those rare days where I don't.
ReplyDeleteYou drink water like a fiend! If I drank as much water as you do, I'd need a catheter! HA!
DeleteI've been struggling lately with water too. I don't know why, I like water and I feel better when I drink it. When I skimp I get all headache-y too. My goal is a minimum of 64 ounces per day, but try for 96 most days.
ReplyDeleteOh man, I don't know if I could do 96, I struggle just to get 64 including decaf tea some days but good on ya! Isn't it weird how even when we know we won't feel good if we don't do something, we still don't always make sure we do it? :)
DeleteGetting enough water is a challenge only on those days I stay at home (like today.) Thanks for the reminder, I need to go now and fill some water bottles!
ReplyDeleteCheers! *water bottle up*
DeleteI'm pretty sure you know this because you are a pro at this weight loss gig, but just in case you didn't, you drink more water if you drink it through a straw. I dismissed that right away when someone told me that but when I tried it, it was true. I'll drink 28 oz in one go with a straw and then wonder what happened to my water. Go get one of those pretty Tervis tumblers, one that makes you happy, and only allow yourself to drink water out of it. It really does help.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of that! I might give it a try if I continue to struggle. I think my only concern with that would be getting those vertical wrinkle lines from drinking from a straw. Man, that sounded vain! LOL
DeleteYou are talking to the girl who defines herself by the size of her hair. I get it. Vanity drives me which is exactly why I want to lose weight. Sigh.
DeleteI love my water...i try to drink as much as I can but TMI here but I dont like going to the restroom too much at work...and thats what I end up doing as I keep drinking my water...hehehe
ReplyDeleteI wish I loved it as much as you do! I do the same especially in the middle of the night, I need to drink most of it during the day so I'm not awakened out of a sound sleep. (But better to be awakened than not!)
DeleteI agree on the straw thing..I have a bottle with a sip top and before I realize I am drinking more than ever...
DeleteI'm digging these topics. Some days I'm really good with my water and some days I'm not. I try to get at least 8 cups a day but again, sometimes its easy and others not. I think its a matter of having the water available. Something to keep working at. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm the same. Some days I rock that water and other is like, ugh.
DeleteI used to drink lots of water before. But since I had an emergency hernia surgery and I was denied ANY liquid for 2 days afterward. (Only 30cc of ice chips every 3 hours with an NG tube to pull all liquid out.) I have been craving NOTHING but ICE water. And I have no idea how much I drink, I just know that I have a constant glass handy and I'm always filling it.
ReplyDeleteI think as long as you're filling it, that's a good thing! :)
DeleteMy water intake could probably use a boost, but I have always taken issue with the idea that a person needs that much water if they are hydrating with other liquids. If you have determined that it helps you, I'm all for it, but other recent studies have backed me up. I drink water when my mouth is dry, not an uncommon thing in the climate where I live. The rest of the time I drink tea, milk or juice and water when I think of it. I usually chug a full 8-oz glass at a time, and probably drink a quart or so of water a day, in addition to probably two cups of milk and at least three, usually four, of tea. Juice is an extra, as is any other liquid. A doctor once told me that if the urine is very pale or clear, you are sufficiently hydrated.
ReplyDeleteDecaf tea is my drink of choice with lunch and dinner and I count it toward my intake. I know a lot of people don't agree with that but I know me and I can't drink all water all the time, I need variety.
DeleteI drink about 96 oz a day. I've always been a big water drinker because I don't like milk or juice and very rarely drink soda. What has helped me to keep track though was to buy several of those clear plastic insulated cups with lids and straws in a pretty pattern (like these http://www.shopko.com/search?q=to+go+cups&commit=&ppp=120 even though they say 22 oz, they are really 24) (I don't use the lid/straw except at night on my bedside table for fear of wrinkles like you mentioned!! LOL) I bought mine in a 24 oz size and I fill it constantly. I also fill it and put the lid on and sip throughout the night if I need to and if I don't, I have room temp water to rehydrate myself first thing in the morning. Before I eat breakfast, I make sure to drink my first 24 oz. On days that I skip it, I totally feel like shit. I have a bladder the size of a walnut, I swear, so it's a good thing I work from home. :D ~Krista
ReplyDeleteI always chug water before meals. A full glass. It REALLY helps me eat less. And I also keep a big pitcher of water on the counter. Because I'm a freak and I like warm-ish water. This is huge for me because I never drank water until my 20s--only pop & sugary juices. I always thought I didn't like water. Now when I'm thirsty, it doesn't even cross my mind to drink anything else.
ReplyDeleteI drink about 80-100 ozs a day. I know when I am slacking because the next day I am usually a mess meaning I feel more thirsty. I use a big Camelbak bottle I got at Target in the sporting good section.
ReplyDeleteI've never been much of a drinker....of anything at all. The only time I can drink a larger amount is when I'm eating and get thirsty. Weird, when you know I weighed 328 lbs. Maybe I couldn't drink, but I sure could EAT! I did lose about 20 lbs. simply by giving up sugared soda the first five months of my quest to get healthy. But when I gave up the high fat food, and started eating better, and doing some walking, that's when the pounds came off faster. But I never did drink much, and still don't.
ReplyDeleteI used to be awesome at drinking my water daily. Seven to eight bottles was the norm and it truly did help fill me up. After life went in the pooper last year, I lost my focus and water has been a struggle for me, too. And, like you, I don't really drink anything else other than an occasional pop. I don't like coffee or tea, so it's just water. Today is a perfect example. I had the same 16 oz bottle of water at work the whole day and didn't drink anything more until I got home, to a grand total of 2 bottles for the whole day. Not good. And I KNOW better because I've had kidney stones twice in my life that were directly related to lack of fluids! So I really need to get back to the practice of 1-2 cups an hour when I'm at work (also helps me to get up from my desk). As odd as it sounds, when I'm on target with my water, staying on track with eating seems easier to. I guess it's the theory of one good habit encourages another.
ReplyDeleteI totally drink water all the time! I have one of the straw sippy cup thingys that I easily fill up and drink a minimum of 6 times a day! I constantly drink it...and I constantly have to pee too which definitely sucks sometimes, but you gotta do what you gotta do! I'm with you about not liking flavored waters though. I'm definitely not a huge fan. Blech.
ReplyDeleteWater is hard, especially in the winter when you probably need it even more with the cold and heaters. But on a good day I get in 8-10 cups, my weight will equal out I'll feel fab and then I'll be bad for a day or two and go up about five pounds, get mad and drink like crazy again. Vicious cycle. But the 16 oz before meals with a bonus 44% now that give me a boost to stay on track.
ReplyDelete