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Old 12-29-2006, 08:44 AM   #1  
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Default Need advice on water intake

I would love to increase my water intake....mind you any intake is better than what I used to do....which is avoid water altogether!

I find it so hard to get in all the water that I should be drinking. How do you all do it. I thought about adding some Crystal Light to make it easier to drink, and I will probably start doing that a little until I can get my intake up. I guess I just dont like plain water.....any advice to help me drink more???
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Old 12-29-2006, 09:11 AM   #2  
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I think drinking water is something that grows on you. I never used to drink water, then I started buying gallon jugs of water but I lived in a 2nd floor apartment so I wasn't always eager to buy gallons of water. I started drinking tap water (ok yeah it wasn't the greatest) then I decided to go with a Pur water filter. I would drink other things to but I just started with the goal of drinking more water. Well as the years have gone by, I mainly drink water now or unsweetened tea. It has been a slow progression but I think water just takes getting used to.
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Old 12-29-2006, 09:11 AM   #3  
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have you tried any of the flavored waters? my grocery store (harris teeter) has a store brand that is really good and not as expensive as some of the brand names. Doesn't replace water completely, but does make a nice change in the afternoons.
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Old 12-29-2006, 09:31 AM   #4  
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It helps me if the water is cool--not really icy cold, but not room temperature either. It also helps to squeeze a wedge of lemon or lime into the water and drop it in--gives it some flavor.

I have a plan of 8 oz. every hour while I'm up. 8 oz. is not a big glass, just a medium one. That way I usually get enough during the day, even if a miss a couple of hours.

Jay

P.S. I try to drink a glass all at once instead of sipping at it. I don't like to drink water, so it helps to get it "over with."
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Old 12-29-2006, 09:55 AM   #5  
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Water is over-rated. Drink tea, coffee, Crystal Lite, or diet sodas if you prefer. Diet juices can be nice too. Just be careful to watch that you don't start drinking alot of calories with your fluids. You get a significant amount of water from the food you eat as well. You don't have force down extra fluids in order to lose weight. Drink when you are actually thristy, and you'll be fine. (I will point out that once I started losing weight, I started being more thirsty than usual. Expecially when I started exercising regularily. Don't let yourself become dehydrated!)

Really, with all the stresses that comes about from running a calorie deficit, you don't need to stress yourself over something like water intake.
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Old 12-29-2006, 10:08 AM   #6  
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Ack! Water is not over-rated! coffee and tea and even diet sodas will actually cause you more dehydration. These are nice things to have once in a while to break up the 'monotony' of water all the time, but water is REALLY important!

Your body needs the water in order to break down the fat cells. Your body needs water in order to function at a higher rate (which is what you're asking of it when you eat healthy, and excercise a bit).

Even if you weren't trying to lose weight, your body needs LOTS of water. My 14 year old brother complained constantly about his bad skin. I sat him down and told him i didn't expect him to change his eating habits, but i could guaruntee him that if he started drinking more water, (and i gave him a goal of how much he should try for in a day) that within 2 weeks he would notice a huge improvement. And i was right. As long as he keeps up his water intake, his skin blemishes have dramatically decreased, and even the few he does get now (the hormones are gonna get him no matter what at this point!) are not nearly as horrible red and nasty as the ones he used to get all over his face, neck, and back. He also found that he trimmed up quite a bit even in those first 2 weeks with an increased water intake.

Water is very important, and i'm glad your looking for ways to increase your intake. It might take you a while, but i really believe you'll get to liking it. The way it makes you feel, and the way it helps with weight loss.

I have a Brita Filter pitcher in my fridge, and keep it full all the time. At work i have a 1 litre bottle next to me, and usually go through about 3-4 of them a day. Once you get the hang of taking a drink every little while, it's second nature.

Try drinking at least a cup/ 8 ounces half an hour before each meal. Also try drinking a cup with each snack ( i know when i started doing this my intake of water skyrocketed. Sure i was just having grapes for a snack, but that water really went down nicely with them!)

And yes, adding a little crystal light (or the other no-name sugar free brands) are helpful. Try to use the ones made with splenda, or anything other than nutrisweet though! Also, do your best not to make flavoured waters and drinks your only source of 'water' either. But they are a nice change to plain water all the time, that's for sure. (I personally love the raspberry Ice flavour!)

If you wanted to lose weight, and not drastically change your diet, or lifestyle, drinking lots of water every day would actually give you results. Don't let anyone fool you. Water is very important!
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Old 12-29-2006, 12:25 PM   #7  
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Water is important. Drinking exess water is not. http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp
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Old 12-29-2006, 12:41 PM   #8  
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Default Remember Fruits & Veggies too!

If you are eating a lot of raw fruits and veggies, that is an excellent way to get water without the glass! As a processed food culture, we have eliminated the natural waters in our diets (i.e. from fruits & veggies) so we now have this 8 glasses a day rule so our bodies continue to function properly.

If you are doing a lot of fresh fruits & veggies, don't beat yourself up about the water intake as much. But if you rely on lots of processed low calorie foods...better get in your water!

Something that helps me when drinking water is to remember that fat needs a "vehicle" out of your body...the water helps move it on out (sweat, and um, well use your imagination).

Keep drinking and move that fat along!
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Old 12-29-2006, 12:57 PM   #9  
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If nothing else water will fill you therefore making you less hungry. When I feel hungry or when I just want to eat something I have a glass of water first. If that doesn't take away the urge to eat, and most times it does, at least I've gotten another 10 ozs down me. I know for me personally and I'm sure everyone is different, the weeks where I drink a real lot, I lose more weight. I don't know if this is due to the water itself or the fullness factor so therefore I eat less or just plain old coincidence, but that's what I find.

What about carbonated waters and seltzer? Maybe give them a shot.

Just curious how much are you currently drinking?
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Old 12-29-2006, 01:14 PM   #10  
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I find i drink a ton of warter If it's chilled and I drink it through a straw. When I was working I used an old sipper cup that I got from a fast food resaturant. I'd fill it up with cold water and before i knew it 32 ounces would be gone. Having this on my desk made my drink water without even thinking aobut it. When It got warm i'd just go back to the water cooler and fill it up with cold water.
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Old 12-29-2006, 01:22 PM   #11  
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Staying hydrated IS important, no doubt. I am not anti-water and am not trying to discourage anyone from drinking water. We need to keep hydrated.

But do you know where the notion that we NEED at least 8 8oz glasses of water a day comes from?

No one does. There is no evidence that we need that much fluid IN WATER every day. Most of us get plenty through the food we eat and the other beverages we drink. Recent evidence also suggests that the notion that caffeinated beverages cause net water loss is also a myth.

Here's a link to a summary of an article from the American Journal of Physiology
http://dms.dartmouth.edu/news/2002_h...02_water.shtml

Here's the first paragraph of the summary: "It has become accepted wisdom: "Drink at least eight glasses of water a day!" Not necessarily, says DMS physician Heinz Valtin, MD. The universal advice that has made guzzling water a national pastime is more urban myth than medical dogma and appears to lack scientific proof, he found."

At the end of the summary is the link to the actual research article as it appeared in the journal.

For people who really like to drink water, that's great! Drink up!

But for those of us who don't like it, rest assured, you are probably getting enough water in other ways.
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Old 12-29-2006, 01:51 PM   #12  
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I'm split on the whole water thing- I think it is overrated. I doubt everybody is as chronically dehydrated as some people would make you out to believe. If my body "needed" the 8 glasses of water a day everybody was telling me I did, I'd most likely be dead by now!!

But, on the other hand, I do blieve that water has some terrific health benefits, as you can ask anybody who drinks a lot. Plus, it fills you up for zero calories. When I was a well-behaved teenager (well, on the water front anyway), I had much better skin then the majority of my peers and felt a lot less tired a lot of the time too. So, whilst your body doesn't need all that water, you'd probably be doing yourself a favour if you drank a little bit more.

Like some people have already suggested, adding a slice of lemon or lime makes water taste much better- it weird how much of a difference it can make. Also, make a habit of always having a glass beside you, as you'll be more likely to sip from this when you're thristy than going to find something else. Another great idea is to try and have a glass of water before you go to bed and when you wake up.

If water just isn't for you, herbal teas and juice watered down with sparkling water tend to be the next best thing for hydrating you without filling you up with useless chemicals and empty calories. But I DEFINITLY wouldn't reach for tea, coffee, cola or anything caffefinated if you are thirsty. If you are thirsty, you need hydration and caffefine will dehydrate you. Sure, drink them if you want them, but they're not useful for combatting thirst.
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Old 12-29-2006, 03:00 PM   #13  
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I definitely reach for water when I get headaches. I have found that 90% of the time water will cure my headaches just as well as pain killers. Same with fatigue

I dont usually have a tough time getting my water except when I get busy. I fill 2 1-liter bottles every night and put them in the fridge. I dont drink anything else until they are gone and I make sure I reach for them first before I eat.

Frankly though I think on most days 8 glasses of water (64 oz) would seem like dehydration. I drink at least 6-8 pint glasses most days.
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Old 12-29-2006, 03:06 PM   #14  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tealeaf View Post
Water is important. Drinking exess water is not. http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp
This link is talking about how much water is necessary to keep a body healthy. they're saying, taking the water from the *healthy* food you eat, you need 6 glasses a day to remain healthy. It is not talking about actively losing weight, or if you are excercising, or exerting yourself more than you usually would. In any of these cases, you will need MORE WATER for your body to perform it's job properly, without dehydrating, and storing water for fear of regular dehydration.
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Old 12-29-2006, 03:41 PM   #15  
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This whole water debate is as old as the hills and a comman feature on this board.

Water is important. It keeps your body moving, it hydrates you (and does good things to your skin!), helps reduce bloating and flushes excess toxins out of your system. How much you drink is up to you. I don't agree or disagree with the 8 glasses a day thing, I actually feel better/less bloated the more water I drink and aim for 2 liters a day, I can sometimes manage 3 but any more than that and you might aswell just move my desk into the bathroom . Like I said though, there is no written in stone rule about how much you should drink, it's up to the individual. If you are exercising regularly though you do need to think about replacing lost fluids.

I must, however, disagree with the notion of replacing water with tea/coffee/fizzy drinks. Coffee and tea will dehydrate you more than hydrate you. Like Saoiree (god woman it took me a full minute to spell your name out )said, every now and again is good.

As for how to drink water, I agree with nelee that it is very much a time will tell thing. I used to hate drinking water. I started off buying those ProPel drinks and crystal light but ProPel was getting expensive (I drink a lot!) and crystal light inconvinient. I then moved onto squeezing lime or lemon juice into my water and now I can drink water plain. Infact, after working out I look forward to my water.
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