Topic: Water Consumption
I'm surprised (and happy) to announce I've lost another .8 lbs this week, bringing my total to 2.6 lbs. lost in 3 weeks. What really surprises me is that I'm losing weight despite the fact that I'm drinking more water than before.
I'm not a water drinker. I could go a whole day drinking maybe one or two glasses of water. It's not because I feared retaining water. I don't retain water, ever. Even during my pregnancies I never had an issue with water retention; I didn't swell up like some women, nor was I put on any diet for swelling. I don't drink water for the entire opposite reason: I run to the bathroom within 30 - 45 minutes after drinking a glass of water. When I worked it got annoying to get up every hour to go to the bathroom. I'm at home now, but if I have to run an errand or two I don't want to think about having to make restroom stops. Plus I just wasn't used to drinking so much water - the recommended amount is at least 8 cups per day. So I continued the way I'd always done. Morning coffee, check. Lemonade at lunchtime and dinner, check. If I got thirsty during the day I'd have water or lemonade, but I certainly wasn't drinking the amount recommended.
My Fitness Pal has me log in my water consumption. Ugh! was my first reaction, but my goal is to get healthy and I know I need to drink more water, so I made the effort. The first day I drank 6 glasses of water, and that was a struggle. The second day I made it to 7. By the third day I was craving water during the day. I couldn't believe it. Yes, I was making more bathroom trips than usual, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I did notice one thing: there were times when I thought I was hungry, but I'd drink my water and feel fine. Then I read that we tend to confuse hunger and thirst, many times eating when in fact all we are is thirsty. I could see that in myself. How many times had I looked for a snack only to get thirstier than I was before. Drinking additional water stopped that unnecessary food craving and made me focus on eating healthier things, since I wasn't munching on salty foods like chips and crackers either.
I appreciate water now. I like the taste more, and I like that my thirst goes away without an aftertaste. I feel better because my body is getting cleansed, something it obviously needed. So I think now, I'll go get me a tall glass of ice cold, crystal clear water. Mmm, refreshing.
Finally April~
2 weeks ago
2 comments:
Drinking water is the HARDEST thing for me to do healthwise. I have never liked water. Even when I was sooo physically active in sports all through highschool, I would drink Gatorade. I am such a taste person. I can't for the life of me, drink tap water. Buying bottled water, was sometimes not in my budget even when I was trying to consume more.
Fortunately, when we bought this house, we bought a brand new fridge that has the filtered water in the door, and I could have all the good tasting water I wanted. I quit drinking any soda or coffee for 3 months and only drank water or unsweetened decaf tea. I was doing so good! And then the trip to Texas. We drank soda to help stay awake on the drive, and my mom had loads of it in the house, as well as coffee and...well...you know where that led. So, now, 8 months later, I am determined to go back to water and tea and leave the coffee and soda alone. (Except on my Monday's, where coffee is my special treat!)
I know water does tremendous and amazing things for the body, so I need to get it in there so it can!
Congrats on your weight loss for the week!
Glad to hear you're drinking more water! Yep, it's easy to confuse hunger for thirst especially if you're a stress or emotional eater.
BTW, unless there's a medical issue, you only retain water when you aren't taking in enough ... the body will retain the little bit it gets, causing bloating and swelling.
I recently read how some learning disabilities (like dyslexia) can be affected with improper nutrition. Maybe telling E that he may find it easier to read and write if he ate better will encourage him to at least try.
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