Day 161: H20 Is All The Rage
I looked down into my garbage can at work today and noticed a mountain of water bottles. Just out of curiosity I rummaged back through the rubbish vagrant style to count how many bottles of water I had consumed during the day. 9! That’s right; I drank 9 – 16.9 ounce bottles of water between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm. Begins furiously punching numbers into calculator. According to my calculations I consumed 152.1 ounces of water during my time at work! That doesn’t include my pre and post work water intake.
I shouldn’t have been totally surprised. I always drink a lot of water. The worn carpet between my office chair and the men’s room is a pretty good indicator that my fluid intake is above average. Back in my soda drinking days I seriously considered taking Diet Pepsi intravenously. I had to substitute the soda with something and water was what I chose. Off the top of my head I can think of three ways that water has really helped me out.
I Don’t Get Hungry
I honestly don’t get hungry. I do eat six small meals per day which helps to eliminate hunger, but I know there are days when I don’t drink enough water and I notice hunger more. On days when I drink sufficient water I don’t get hunger pangs at all.
I Don’t Get Tired
I remember after-lunch crashes happening all the time before I was drinking water every day. I would hit the McDonalds drive through and order the extra value meal, super-sized, and maybe a double cheeseburger on the side. Then I’d go back to my desk, work for about thirty minutes, and start to nod off. I honestly remember a day when I was woken up by my forehead slamming against my keyboard. It was a literal wake-up call. Now I work right through the afternoon and I’m as productive as I am in the morning. It’s great!
My Skin Doesn’t Dry Out
This is something that moisturizing lotion companies definitely don’t want us to know about. Drinking water will help relieve dry skin. I’ve always had issues with dry skin. Utah winters are particularly rough on me. In the past I’ve always had issues with dry skin around my face and eyes. I’ve spent a fortune on creams and moisturizers in the past and usually without much relief. Here I am toward the end of December and I haven’t used any creams, ointments, or other magic potions to keep my skin healthy. I’m pretty sure that Dove will be recruiting me as a skin model any time now.
Over the past 161 days I’ve seriously found the benefits of water in my life. It’s my new favorite beverage! I may not be drinking it 150 ounces at a time but I will be enjoying it often. Drink up and discover the goodness of good old H20 for yourself!
13 Responses to “Day 161: H20 Is All The Rage”
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| Current Weight: | 261.0 lbs |
| Goal Weight: | 225.0 lbs |
| Calories Eaten: | 0 |
| Calories Burned: | 0 |
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Isn’t it funny how when we just start putting pieces in place we naturally do healthier things? I noticed the same thing. When I am eating right and working out I prefer water and I drink tons of it. Our bodies are pretty cool!
If dove calls you first I am gonna be so jealous!
It is sooo true. While I was down and out with my surgery I decided to eat at Wendy’s (Bacon Cheeseburger I think). That was a mistake. I was miserable for the next 5 hours. My body hadn’t take in anything like that for 6 months prior and I ended up paying the price! When eating right and exercising feels so good, why do we let ourselves slip? We must be human!
I’m with ya on the water, although I’m an H2O snob – I can’t drink it out of the tap. It’s always bottled, sometimes I’ll put a squirt of lemon juice in, as well.
And soda addiction… I just blogged this morning about my fight with Coke. 29 days later and I still crave it!
The main reason I like it either out of my fridge or from a bottle is because it’s always cold. I can’t drink even slightly warm water. It has to be super cold.
I can’t remember at exactly what point I lost the craving for Diet Pepsi, but it was probably over a month. Now that I’m finally past that point, I’m so glad I quit. Thanks for the comment!
I’m right with you on the miracle of drinking more water. (I’m also right in the bathroom every 3 minutes, but it’s worth it.)
And the water bottle trick really works! Since filling my fridge with water bottles, I drink 10 times more water (and 10 times less coffee) than I used to. Plus, you can refill the same bottle all day, making a tick mark every time you refill it (not as fun as rummaging through trash to count ounces, but it might be cheaper?)
So here’s a question: “specialty” water (vitamin water, sports drinks) – are they wonderful, or a waste of $1.50?
Thanks for the comment Chelsea. Standard Vitamin Water has almost as much sugar as Coke does (32.5g in 1 bottle). Vitamin Water 10 has less sugar (about 9g per bottle), but if it’s consumed in excess it can leave that sweet taste in your mouth and leave you craving salty or sweet foods. Also, taking in sugar requires that you consume more water to dilute it thus kind of defeating the purpose. Drinks like gatorade or powerade can be a good source of electrolytes, but again, they should not be a substitute for water. In short, Drinks like Gatorade G2 or Vitamin Water 10 are fine to drink every once in a while but are definitely not a substitute for drinking water. Oh, and if you haven’t tried it before, SmartWater is great. It has an extremely clean taste. Hope this helps.
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Now just remember to recycle all those bottles!
Ha ha ha!
Good for you and drinking all that water! It’s SOOO good for you! I know how good it is for me, but I still find myself forgetting to actually drink enough. I find it helps to have a reusable bottle… it’s easier for me to keep track of how much water I’ve had.
Keep up the good work, and thanks for the great advice!
The bottles get recycled
I actually do have a refillable bottle that I normally use but I left it at home that particular day. Water is awesome!
Yes, I totally agree with all your points! I essentially gave up all drinks except water & tea (I mentioned this in my post yesterday!) during Lent. I always drank diet sodas, non-fat latte’s, etc., before, all low-cal of course, but now I almost ALWAYS only have water. Not only is it a miracle worker, its essentially FREE. (I’m totally against buying bottled as well, I gave that up as well, and I’m fortunate enough to live where tap water tastes great!).
Yes, I totally agree with all your points! I essentially gave up all drinks except water & tea (I mentioned this in my post yesterday!) during Lent. I always drank diet sodas, non-fat latte’s, etc., before, all low-cal of course, but now I almost ALWAYS only have water. Not only is it a miracle worker, its essentially FREE. (I’m totally against buying bottled as well, I gave that up as well, and I’m fortunate enough to live where tap water tastes great!).
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