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Why You Need More Water

Water is vital to life. Ask any weight loss/fitness enthusiast, and they’ll probably tell you that you aren’t drinking enough water.

Dehydration can happen on a daily basis. It can cause headaches, fatigue, and even dry skin.

Everyone agrees you need more water, but not everyone agrees on how much. If you take a few minutes to google how much you need, you’ll find a different answer on every page.

Some sources say you need half your body weight in ounces (that’s a lot at 300lbs). Others say it should be 8 cups (8oz each) of water.

Generally, it is agreed that women need 8-11.5 cups daily, and men need 8-13 cups.

If you sit back and add up how much you drink daily, it’s probably considerably less than that. Sugary drinks don’t really count towards your liquid intake, but some people will include teas and coffees that aren’t sweetened.

So, you need more water daily, how do you get there?

Before my weight loss journey, I barely drank water. In fact, I barely drank any liquids. I often had headaches with “no cause”, but looking back over the day I hadn’t had anything to drink except to take my meds. Obviously not good.

It was hard for me to adapt to drinking more, so here’s 5 tips that worked for me.

1) Pick A Water You Like

Confession time, I’m a water snob. I’m one of those people that will swear different brands of water taste different.

The fact is that they really do. Depending on the alkaline and pH it can have naturally different taste, but not everyone can differentiate between them.

*Here’s a chart of different pH values in water. Find a brand you like and start there.*

There are certain brands of water that I flat out refuse to drink. I’ve often said, “I’d have to be dehydrated in the desert to consider drinking Aquafina.” Yes, I’m dramatic.

The biggest key for me was to find a water I enjoy drinking. I also have found that I prefer it to be room temperature. So, play around with that and see what you personally like.

If you despise the taste of your water, you won’t drink it. Period.

Try a variety of different brands. By googling my favorite brand (Evian), I was able to find brands with a similar pH. I’ve found that I prefer a pH of high 6-mid 7.

This led me to check out other brands with similar pH values. And voila, I found a water I enjoy.

2) Get A Bottle You Like

Again, this seems like an easy answer, but it made a big difference to me. Find a bottle you like, and you’ll drink more water!

*Water bottles come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.*

I’ve bought a ton of different sizes and styles (I definitely have a weakness for bottles and coffee cups…) until I found what I like.

Currently I’m using the water bottle that came with my 2B Mindset by Beachbody (I’m not affiliated with BB). I like it because it holds 24 oz and has a straw top.

I’ve tried big jugs that hold a ton of water, but I found they were too big for me to carry around daily. Having my bottle close at hand is definitely a good way to remember to drink.

Treat yourself and buy a bottle or two. You don’t need an expensive one, just get one with the features you want.

As I said, I enjoy a bottle with a straw top and convenient size. I’ve found that a clear bottle helps me monitor how much I’m drinking. The Contigo bottles are really nice, plus they’re dishwasher safe!

If you like cold water, you might want to get an insulate bottle like this one.

Bottles also come in a range of cool patterns and colors! There’s a ton of options out there.

The big takeaway should be to pick a bottle you’ll use. You’ll be carrying it around a lot, so make sure you’ll enjoy having it.

3) Set Reminders Throughout The Day

I don’t know about you, but my days get busy. And when I get busy, I forget to drink water.

You can’t chug all your water right before bed (I mean I guess you could…), so if you want to get your ounces in, you’ll need to spread your intake throughout the day.

The easiest way for me to do that is through reminders. There’s a couple of ways you can go about setting reminders.

*Marked bottles are great for setting your goals throughout the day.*

First, you can set a series of timers on your phone. This can be annoying for the initial setup, but is still effective.

Second (and my favorite), you can get an app to help remind you. There are a ton of choices out there, and most of them are free. A lot of water apps will help you track your ounces too, which is important to know if you’re meeting your goals.

Whichever method you do, you need to be consistent. If that alarm/notification goes off, grab your bottle and drink a bit.

You don’t have to sit there and chug it, but drinking a little at a time all throughout the day will help you reach your goal.

A lot of people say to start your morning with a full glass of water, but I just can’t do it. I get nauseous and it’s very hard for me to finish it. Set your reminders for times when you know you’ll want to drink.

Before meals is a great time to drink a bit extra. It’ll help fill your stomach so you feel more full after eating.

4) Start Small

The biggest mistake I’ve made when wanting to up my water intake is always trying to go for the full amount right off the bat. This is problematic for a few reasons.

You’ll be in the bathroom all day long. If your bladder isn’t accustomed to all the water you’re taking in, it just won’t work. You’ve got to build up slowly.

You’ll be miserable and dread drinking more. There’s an adjustment period to letting go of sugary drinks and teas, and mainly drinking water instead.

You’ll feel like it’s a chore, and quit before you hit your stride. Most habits have to be repeated for a few weeks to get them ingrained. Getting overwhelmed at the start is a sure fire way to get discouraged and give up.

5) Add Some Flavor

Finally, add some flavor! As I said before, it can be hard switching from sugary drinks and teas to plain water. So the key is to make it not plain.

This will probably require some trial and error to find what you like, but there’s a multitude of options out there.

Some of my favorites are:

Lemon
Lime
Cucumber
Berries
Sugar Free Flavor Packs (Crystal Light, Mio)
Mint
Basil
Ginger

And there’s a ton more than that! Most fruits are great for flavor, and you can even mix and match some on the list. Ginger and lemon would be a good option, and mint and cucumber could be very refreshing.

Some water bottles have infuser baskets built in to them, but you can also add fruit to pretty much any bottle.

If you’re planning on adding flavors into your water, I would think about making sure your bottle is dishwasher safe.

Hope This Helps

I really hope these tips will help you drink water. Water is very important for overall well-being, fitness, and nutrition. Your body needs it, plain and simple.

Let me know in the comments what has helped you to drink more water!

Trigger warning: mentions of miscarriage, depression, binge eating, and of course weight loss.

Who Am I?

My name is Tessa, I’m 29 years old, I live in Arkansas with my husband and two children. There are a lot of words that describe me (mother, wife, daughter, kind, creative, unique), but today I want to focus on the big one:

STUBBORN

During my weight loss journey people have praised me for my dedication and determination.

I always laugh and say, “Really it’s just stubbornness.”

And it’s true! When I was little everyone knew I’d argue anyone on anything, and one time I sat in a hot car until I nearly passed out because my mom wouldn’t take us for ice cream (how my parents survived raising me I’ll never know). As an adult I have learned how to channel that stubbornness to get what I want, and namely to achieve my goals.

My History With Weight

Growing up I was always stick skinny, but right around 5^th grade I started gaining weight. Everyone said I’d go through puberty, grow tall, and the weight would stretch out. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

When I was 18 I started a diet that basically operated like Keto, but you reached ketosis through medications (not a great idea). It was through a doctor, but right after stopping I gained the weight back.

In Love and Gaining Weight

I yoyoed for a few years, then I met my husband. They say you gain “love pounds” when you start a new relationship, and that was definitely true for us. He (being a guy) was able to drop that weight pretty quick, I on the other hand didn’t.

We got married on 11/12/13, and I said I was going to lose weight for the wedding (I didn’t), then lose weight to prepare for getting pregnant (again no weight lost).

Wedded Bliss… For A While

In the summer of 2014, we found out I was pregnant. We were both over the moon excited. Unfortunately, it ended in a missed miscarriage at 11 weeks. That loss led me into a deep depression. I was already suffering from Bipolar disorder before getting pregnant, and losing our baby just snapped something in me.

After the miscarriage I gained weight like crazy due to comfort eating. During this time I would even binge until I was so full, I would throw up. It was definitely a bad time in my life.

This Weight Has Gotta Give

Things changed in March of 2015. I was 304.6lbs, and I was exhausted. It was the heaviest weight in my life (at that point). I decided I was going to change this. Over the next year and a half, I lost 80lbs largely through Weight Watchers and playing tennis.

I was happy and full of energy. I felt great, I was meeting my goals, everything was perfect. We were still missing one thing though…

Baby On Board

In March of 2017 I fell pregnant with my son, who was born in December of 2017. During my pregnancy I gained 90lbs. Yup. Right back to where I started and then some.

My weight at the end of my son’s pregnancy.

After my son’s pregnancy I had a really hard time postpartum. Due to my Bipolar disorder, I got hit pretty hard with postpartum depression. It even got bad enough that I ended up in an inpatient behavioral health hospital. With their help and the tools I learned, I was able to pull myself together and I gained a new view on life.

Over 2018 I managed to not lose any of the weight I had gained in my pregnancy. Luckily though, I didn’t gain any extra either.

Another On The Way

My weight at the end of my daughter’s pregnancy.

In 2019 I got pregnant with my daughter, who was born January of 2020. I only gained 15lbs throughout the pregnancy, and 6 weeks postpartum it was already gone.

Here We Are

In February of 2020 I decided I was done being this heavy again. My weight was at 309.3lbs. I lost the weight once; I knew with enough perseverance I could do it again.

And as of August 2020, I have lost 60lbs. That’s 60lbs in 6 months! I’m not at my goal yet, but I know I’ll stick it out and get there soon. I don’t have a definite goal weight, but I’m wanting to lose about 40-60 more pounds. I’ll know when I get there. No one knows your number on the scale besides you and your doctor, so it doesn’t matter to me where I land.

So How Did I Do It?

Sorry to break it to you, but there’s no magic pill. No crazy secret. No quick fix. Can you guess how I did it?

STUBBORNNESS

No matter what method you settle on to lose weight or get fit, the most important part of all of it is determination. You have to make up your mind that you’re done with the way you’re living, and that you’ll do your best to change it.

If that’s the only thing you take away from my posts, then I’ll be happy having imparted that wisdom.

How Can You?

There are a bajillion and one methods for getting fit. Everyone will tell you that their method is the best, but really there’s no “one size fits all” routine.

What works for Jill might not work for Kathy.

So, what worked for me might not work for you. Lucky for you, I’ve tried a wide range of options during my weight loss journeys that I can give advice on, so I know at least one of them will help you out. The main methods I’ve had success with are:

Calorie Counting
Intermittent Fasting
Exercise
Healthy Sleep
Water, Water, Water
Keeping myself centered

I’ll have posts on all of these topics in the future, as well as posts about recipes, meal planning, and general well-being. Your mental well-being is just as important as the physical side of things.

You Can Do This

Even though there isn’t a quick fix or easy route, I believe that you too can get to where you want to be. Whether that’s weight loss, getting fitter, or just achieving a better mental space. You have that same stubbornness within you, I know it. You’ve just got to harness it into dedication and perseverance. You’ve got this, and I’ll be here all along the way. I believe that you can achieve any goals you want to achieve.

I do need to say that I’m not a professional in any of these areas. Always consult with you doctor before beginning any type of diet or exercise program. I’m just sharing what I’ve found works for me.

5 Tips To Help You Drink More Water