Upping the Agua

Teale is trying hard to get the water intake she needs. We all know how important it is to drink plenty of fluids while on this journey.

Why?

1. to remain properly hydrated, so we don't confuse thirst with hunger.
2. to give our tummies that sense of fullness when we're eating less than we were used to or still want to
3. to keep you from becoming constipated (which shows on the scale and is just plain painful)
4. to minimize bloat from sodium intake from convenience foods like frozen dinners and canned soups

There are, I'm sure, other reasons, but these are the ones that come to mind for me.

I never was a water drinker. I've ALWAYS had trouble getting in more than a cup or a couple a day. Those "drink 8 glasses a day" rules used to just frustrate me.

This time, it's been easy. I just made a system of it: I can't eat until I have 3 to 4 glasses of water.

That's it. That's the only change I made. Told myself: I will drink water BEFORE I eat. That way, I can journal my water easily when I journal my food. Right there, how many cups.

I find that it takes about 3.5 cups for me to start feeling the tummy distention thing. One to 3 cups alone doesn't do it. Only after 3 cups does my apparently enormous stomach pouch get the "stretchy" sense that something is in there.

If I drink 3 cups before each of my three meals, that's NINE CUPS OF WATER at least for the day. If I drink a couple more with snacks, I make it past ten cups. So, this ONE strategy--link drinking water to "before meals"-- has simplified intake for me. Rather than chugging all day long (which annoys me, though it works for some), I just guzzle it fast while I'm heating or preparing meals, so that it's done and out of the way before I sit down to the yummies. (I'm not much for drinking a lot WHILE I eat, so this fits with my modus operandi.)

What's your tip for getting in adequate or substantial amounts of water?

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