I wasn't sure if this was the right spot to post this. I'm still new and learning my way around the forums.
I'm having a really hard time drinking enough water. I always drink 1 cup of 100% unsweetened orange juice for breakfast and consume 2 cups of skim milk through the day (usually 1 cup on shredded wheat cereal and 1 cup with dinner). I also force myself to drink a .5L bottle of water (I have a filter and I just wash and refill bottles) starting 20 min before lunch and dinner. This helps me get the full feeling as well as keeping hydrated. But thats pretty much all I drink
It's not that I hate water, I know some people can't stand drinking plain water. I'm just not thirsty.
I guess now that I do the math, 1 cup is about .25L. So if I'm drinking 3 cups of liquid and my 2 .5L bottles, that's about 1.75L. That's close to how much I need, isn't it? Plus I eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit, so I get some moisture from that also.
How am I doing? Any tips to get more water down during the day? That sounds silly, I just have a hard time drinking so much. I feel like a big bloated blimp when I drink so much, lol.
Lately I have been reading that we really don't need 8 glasses of actual water a day. Of course I sure could drink more plain water as I drink too much soda. I am looking forward to suggestions are "how to" drink more water. But I think it is gonna be one of those habit things...
I feel your pain! Even as I grow accustomed to the taste of water, it's still hard for me to get the recommended amount. If I drank as much water as they suggested, my tummy would hurt something fierce and I'd be peeing so much I wouldn't have enough time to do much else.
That said, mirroring cathydoe's statement--it's probably not true that we need as much water as health experts have previously suggested. It's a little bit of a myth that isn't backed by any studies. So, I wouldn't worry about it too much. We're not supposed to really eat when we're not hungry--why would we be required to drink when we're not thirsty? Some (I don't know who) say that when you're thirsty you are already dehydrated. Well, yeah...But is that really a problem if you drink up and satisfy your system? The interview below if from CNN discussing the myth of the old 8 cups a day. There's also a wonderful articles on Snopes if you're interested!
I'll just chime in agreeing with the others. I've even read the original research that suggested that the "drink 8, 8 oz glasses of water" is a myth. Obviously it is important to remain hydrated -- especially when we get overheated. But there's no empirical evidence that we need to get so much of our fluid from liquids. There's a lot of water in our food, too!!
So if you aren't thirsty, I wouldn't worry about the water. But if you like drinking it and find it makes you full or feel better then go for it.
I have no trouble getting enough water in because I am thirsty all the time when I'm losing weight!
I always theorized that this is because lipolysis (the process for converting fat into energy in the body) uses up water and leaves me dehydrated. And so, I feel thirsty and have to drink tons of water, even though it makes me get up and pee every half hour.
Anyhow, I'd say that if you don't feel thirsty, you probably have enough water in your system to do whatever chemistry is necessary. If you're worried about it, though, maybe keep a bottle of water handy most of the time and see if you find yourself sipping from it now and again. For example, if you work at a desk, keep a fresh bottle of water on your desk.
Fluids can be obtained from different methods and we all have our own fluid intake requirements. If I'm eating lots of soup, fresh fruit and veggies, then I tend to drink less because my fluids are coming from my foods. I actually really like drinking water even when I'm not thirsty so I have actually been trying to cut back a bit.
Living in the high desert where a humid day is 10% humidity, I find I have to drink a lot of water to feel good. I can't say I love plain water but I do love how I feel when I get enough. For me, that's around 100oz a day, which sounds like a ridiculous amount but it works for me. It's even more in the summer when it's 110+ degrees and I'm sweating like crazy.
To cram that much water in and not spend all day in the bathroom, I have 24oz with my workout (before work), 12oz with apple cider vinegar and honey with breakfast (my mother's insistence that this natural remedy will cure most ills!), then I tote a 64oz bottle at work and drink that before I leave. I also usually have 2-3 mugs of either green tea or mint tea at work (no sweetener so it's essentially hot flavored water). I think that equates to even more than 100oz if you count the tea, but I can definitely tell if I don't get at least 60oz in, because I feel legthargic and bloated (ironically!).
But as the other posters have said - it's very individual and I think you find out what works for you and you go with it. If you're drinking enough to feel good, that's probably what you need!
From what I've heard, you have to go by the "pee test"--sorry is this is crude! But I think it's pretty useful. If your urine is a very, very pale yellow, I think that's a good sign. You don't want it completely clear, and you obviously don't want it too yellow!
Also, I try to keep in mind that if I feel the thirsty sensation, that means that I'm already dehydrated--so it's important to stay on top of it.
Getting enough water in
