So, this is the last and final post of blogging into the New Year! Can’t believe tomorrow is New Year’s Eve!!! Tomorrow is my day to get my goals/resolutions down on paper, and start 2016 off on the right foot!
So, I’ve told you about how I changed my eating habits and my exercise habits to help me lose 90+ pounds, and become a better version of myself. There is one other aspect of my life I had to drastically changed in order to lose the weight and successfully keep the weight off. Believe it or not, it is drinking WATER and LOTS OF IT!
When I first started this journey, 3 years ago, I absolutely HATED water… I hated the thought of it and just couldn’t stand drinking it. I was ADDICTED to SODA and the flavor not realizing (or actually ignoring) that it was just adding to my already building weight problem. Soda is filled with SUGAR and EMPTY CALORIES… I don’t think this is news to anyone, BUT do you realize when you drink sodas you are not properly hydrating yourself and can actually end up dehydrated?! Crazy right?! When I finally decided to ditch soda and try to drink more water, I did it gradually just like all the other aspects of my journey.
I started with flavored waters, anything that gave it some other taste than that bland water taste. I used Propel flavor packets or Crystal Light packets in my water bottle to give the water some other taste. This worked well for me… I was tricking my brain into thinking I was drinking something other than water. Now, these flavor packets come with calories too and if you aren’t careful they will add up quickly. On the plus side, I was drinking more water than soda, but I was still racking up unnecessary calories adding in the flavor. So, I decided that I just needed to quit being so ridiculous with my hatred for water and just drink it.
I had read an article on Pinterest, that if you have a favorite cup or
water bottle, you might “trick” yourself into drinking more water. So, I went out and found my favorite water bottle and I continue to use it today! You see, I have a small obsession with Tervis cups…
If you don’t have one you should invest in them :-)… I went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond and stood in front of the Tervis water bottles for some time, trying to find the one I liked the most. After picking up bottle after bottle, I finally found the one and purchased it! To this day, I carry it around with me EVERYWHERE! I have actually had to buy a 2nd bottle (pictured to the left) so I had a backup! I have found that after all this time of hating water, I really enjoy water, and it is the one drink that I actually want. I don’t crave sodas, I crave WATER!
Do you know how much water a day you should be drinking? The basic rule is 8 cups (8 0z) per day, but that is just the minimum. To calculate your water needs for the day, you should take your body weight and divide by 2, then you would divide by 8 t0 equal the number of CUPS of water you should have each day. You basically should be drinking HALF of your body weight in OUNCES of water each day! That is A LOT of WATER…. Guess what?!?! It also means you are going to go the bathroom A LOT more too! Not to worry, once your body gets accustomed to you drinking this amount of water, that small bathroom problem will subside.
Our bodies are made mostly of water and we need that water to perform vital functions within. If you deprive yo
ur body of that water, then you are going to slow down the vital processes of the body. By drinking water, you are giving your body more reserve to work with and allowing for your systems to work more efficiently. You wouldn’t think about running your car without the proper fluids within, why would you treat your body any differently?!
You might be thinking to yourself, how does water help with weight loss? There are a few different things water does to help with weight loss! If you drink water before a meal, it helps you to feel fuller and you won’t eat as much or overeat. We at times mix up the signals of hunger and thirst. They are very similar… If you ever get a “hungry” feeling and it isn’t a meal time, try drinking of glass of water and see if it doesn’t help. Water also helps you to not have that bloat feeling… which I know we all hate! The water you drink throughout the day helps your body systems to work more efficiently, which means you’ll be using that water to flush out toxins and unnecessary nutrients, and not retaining them in your system. Drinking mor
e water allows your body to rid itself of excess water, also known as “water weight.” If your body feels that you aren’t giving it the nutrients it needs, like water, it holds on to it because it needs it, and it’s in survival mode. You at times are your own worse enemy! I recently had a discussion with a challenger who was very upset that her hard work wasn’t paying off with any weight loss. The VERY first question I asked her is, are you drinking your water daily? Her response was, No. I told her to be more aware of her water intake for a few days and make sure she was getting in her daily requirement. She did that and after a week of getting in all of her cups of water a day, she FINALLY saw a weight change! 🙂
Water is very important for our bodies and it is vital if you are trying to lose weight and be a healthier version of yourself. Sodas and sugary drinks are expensive, and water is fairly inexpensive comparatively (Free in most instances)! If you struggle with drinking water, start small and add on. Find a favorite cup or water bottle and try and take it with you where you go. If you are a big soda or sugary drink person, try and drink a glass of water after drinking a soda to break it up. Soon you’ll find that you’ll be drinking more water and less of the other. The more water you drink, the better your bodies will feel. Water is important to us as humans. It is necessary, so DRINK UP! 
Build A Better You! 