I don't drink enough water? Huh?

[Lauriebell82]

I just read an article that said that you should be drinking at least 8 ounces per day. I understand that and I do.

 

HOWEVER, it is when I am working out. I drink pretty much a whole liter in the 90 minutes that I work out daily. But I don't drink it for the rest of the day. For some reason I can only drink it during a workout, it tastes gross to me the rest of the time. I know there are flavored waters out there but I think those still count as diet drinks right?

 

I will admit I drink diet drinks, not in excess, but I will drink diet ice tea and a diet coke here and there. Oh and a cup of coffee in the morning.

 

Could this be why I'm not losing weight? Any suggestions?

[Star Gazer]

Absolutely. If I start drinking water a lot, I start peeing a lot, and the scale goes down quickly. Like 3 pounds within 2 days.

 

You know how if you don't eat enough, your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to fat? Well, when you don't drink enough, your body goes into dehydration mode and holds on to a ton a water. Once you start drinking it, your body goes, "Oh, she's giving me water I can use, I guess I can start getting rid of all this water I've been holding on to, because I can be sure that I'll be getting more water from her later."

[hotgurl]

if water tastes gross you could always try to put a lemon. lime or orange slice in it.

 

or try herbal unsweetned ice tea you can make it yourself at home.

 

I drink about 60 ounces of water a day sometimes more.

[Lauriebell82]

if water tastes gross you could always try to put a lemon. lime or orange slice in it.

 

or try herbal unsweetned ice tea you can make it yourself at home.

 

I drink about 60 ounces of water a day sometimes more.

 

Woah, 60 ounces holy crap!!!!

 

I thought about a lime or orange to put it in, I think I will try that. Whenever I go to a restaurant and the drinks are expensive I always ask for a lemon for my water. It doesn't taste quite as bad..of course Diet Coke tastes better!

 

I actually don't even like ice tea (regular) I will only drink the peach flavored tea (diet). I like flavor what can I say?

[Lauriebell82]

Oh, I used to buy bottled water and stick little mini packets of coolaide drink mix (sugar free) in my water. It said it only had 10 mg of sodium and nothing else. I'm sure that's not the same as plain water though unfortunately...

[blind_otter]

I drink 40-80 oz of water a day. I've read that people who drink diet beverages actually gain more weight:

 

You can PM me for a link to an article. It's from WebMD and I don't think I can post it because of the ads on the page. But you can also google this yourself.

 

From the article: For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person's risk of obesity went up 41%.

 

You have to retrain your taste buds. It just takes self discipline, like anything else.

 

I kept my baby weight on until I stopped eating anything with high fructose corn syrup in it. Then the weight just melted off and I didn't have to do anything extra at all.

[laRubiaBonita]

are you sure you read just 8 ounces? that is like life minimum or something...

 

lately i have been super awesome with my intake... like 100 ounces a day (3 quarts).

 

i buy a big ole 1.59 qt. bottle of water and i refill at least 2 times during work and then at home.

 

but yes- i think we have told you about the weight loss thing before.... if in doubt- drink more water!

 

for the taste... try different brands of water and tap water and see if you like any of them better or less... i am not a fan of those powders- to me they are nasty, so i cannot tell you anything good about them.

[jthorne]

I had a thread on this last week.

Some even say that you should drink one ounce of water for every pound that you weigh. So if you weigh 100 pounds, you should drink 100 ounces of water.

 

I do think drinking water has a lot to do with losing weight. I know I always stall when I don't drink enough water.

[blind_otter]

For me I pretty much can't drink anything besides water if I want to make sure to drink enough water. But I do finish my son's juice boxes on occassion.

[Lauriebell82]

I had a thread on this last week.

Some even say that you should drink one ounce of water for every pound that you weigh. So if you weigh 100 pounds, you should drink 100 ounces of water.

 

I do think drinking water has a lot to do with losing weight. I know I always stall when I don't drink enough water.

 

Oh whoops, I didn't see that. I hope I don't get flagged. Sorry Tony!!

 

Yeah, maybe that is the reason I am not dropping anymore weight. I mean I kind of think I could, I'm not as thin as I could be, I have some access fat in certain areas.

 

I'm going to go buy some bottled water at the grocery store. What does everyone suggest? Dasani? I know that's a little more expensive though..

 

I'm going to buy some fruit to flavor it.

[blind_otter]

I don't buy bottled water because it is terrible for the environment. I use a kleen kanteen and a water filter.

[tman666]

60 oz. of water per day is not that much. If you can't stomach it, unsweetened green tea can be a decent substitute. Diet sodas/sports drinks/and coffee have a negative effect if you're trying to lose weight. At least you're not hitting the full-sugar sodas though...

 

The more water you drink, the less your body is going to retain water. If you drink less, your body will try and hold onto it more, giving you a more bloated feeling and look.

 

Try drinking an ounce per pound of bodyweight per day, meaning if you weigh 130 lbs, drink 130 ounces of water. This is not that difficult to do, especially if you space it out over the course of the day. Obviously, if you try and chug it, you'll feel crappy.

 

And how are you working out for 90 minutes? Unless you're a superhuman (which you very well may be, I don't know you personally:)), my guess is that you're not doing whatever it is you're doing with enough intensity. Unless you're training to become a marathon runner and have a real excuse to pace yourself, you need to be giving most of your workouts considerable effort. You need to give your body enough of a stimulus to want to change. Using an elliptical machine for 90 minutes at a moderate pace is not going to illicit much weight loss unless you're starting from a point of monumental obesity. Of course, everyone is different. Some people swear by steady state cardio, while others get better results with high intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT can be performed very easily and quickly. I would be willing to bet that if you dropped your 90 minute workout in favor of doing 8 to 10 40-yard sprints 3 times a week with 2 weight training sessions on your non-sprint days, you'd find that you not only spend less time in the gym, but that you're body will respond well. HIIT (such as sprints, hill sprints, sled pulls, car pushes, complexes, blah blah blah) is very versatile and allows you to spend less time exercising. You just have to keep the intensity high.

 

Also, read this,

 

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/why-cardio-alone-doesnt-cut-fat/

[Lauriebell82]

60 oz. of water per day is not that much. If you can't stomach it, unsweetened green tea can be a decent substitute. Diet sodas/sports drinks/and coffee have a negative effect if you're trying to lose weight. At least you're not hitting the full-sugar sodas though...

 

The more water you drink, the less your body is going to retain water. If you drink less, your body will try and hold onto it more, giving you a more bloated feeling and look.

 

Try drinking an ounce per pound of bodyweight per day, meaning if you weigh 130 lbs, drink 130 ounces of water. This is not that difficult to do, especially if you space it out over the course of the day. Obviously, if you try and chug it, you'll feel crappy.

 

And how are you working out for 90 minutes? Unless you're a superhuman (which you very well may be, I don't know you personally:)), my guess is that you're not doing whatever it is you're doing with enough intensity. Unless you're training to become a marathon runner and have a real excuse to pace yourself, you need to be giving most of your workouts considerable effort. You need to give your body enough of a stimulus to want to change. Using an elliptical machine for 90 minutes at a moderate pace is not going to illicit much weight loss unless you're starting from a point of monumental obesity. Of course, everyone is different. Some people swear by steady state cardio, while others get better results with high intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT can be performed very easily and quickly. I would be willing to bet that if you dropped your 90 minute workout in favor of doing 8 to 10 40-yard sprints 3 times a week with 2 weight training sessions on your non-sprint days, you'd find that you not only spend less time in the gym, but that you're body will respond well. HIIT (such as sprints, hill sprints, sled pulls, car pushes, complexes, blah blah blah) is very versatile and allows you to spend less time exercising. You just have to keep the intensity high.

 

Also, read this,

 

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/why-cardio-alone-doesnt-cut-fat/

 

I don't do 90 minutes everyday, and it's not all cardio. I run about 3-3.5 miles 5 times per week.(takes about 35 minutes) I do add some intervals in there, then vary the incline or speed up and down. I can't do HIIT everyday so I try to vary it and do something different on the treadmill. I never run at the same pace the whole time.

 

Then on some days (2-3) I will do about 10 minutes on the elyptical after the treadmill just to mix it up. Then I rest for about 10 minutes, drink some more water and stretch. Then I will go lift alternating between uppers and lowers about every other day. I usually take 2 days off per week to rest..if I do more my body just goes into sheer exaustion and I can't sustain my workouts.

 

I don't really bust my butt at the gym everyday, I mean I work hard and all. But I can't usually kill myself every single day or else I am too sore to work out the next day or just don't have the energy.

[laRubiaBonita]

Oh whoops, I didn't see that. I hope I don't get flagged. Sorry Tony!!

 

Yeah, maybe that is the reason I am not dropping anymore weight. I mean I kind of think I could, I'm not as thin as I could be, I have some access fat in certain areas.

 

I'm going to go buy some bottled water at the grocery store. What does everyone suggest? Dasani? I know that's a little more expensive though..

 

I'm going to buy some fruit to flavor it.

 

I like SmartWater... i usually get the Trader Joes version that is cheaper. i do not like dansani- i think it tastes salty.

[tman666]

I don't do 90 minutes everyday, and it's not all cardio. I run about 3-3.5 miles 5 times per week.(takes about 35 minutes) I do add some intervals in there, then vary the incline or speed up and down. I can't do HIIT everyday so I try to vary it and do something different on the treadmill. I never run at the same pace the whole time.

 

Then on some days (2-3) I will do about 10 minutes on the elyptical after the treadmill just to mix it up. Then I rest for about 10 minutes, drink some more water and stretch. Then I will go lift alternating between uppers and lowers about every other day. I usually take 2 days off per week to rest..if I do more my body just goes into sheer exaustion and I can't sustain my workouts.

 

I don't really bust my butt at the gym everyday, I mean I work hard and all. But I can't usually kill myself every single day or else I am too sore to work out the next day or just don't have the energy.

 

Yeah, fatigue management is very important, and you know how your body responds better than anyone else.

 

Have you tried doing your cardio after you lift? A lot of people do this because your glycogen stores will be depleted after lifting weights, so the cardio should theoretically be burning calories directly from your stored energy sources (i.e. fat stores and your muscles). The trick is figuring out what nutrients to take in (and when) to spare the muscle you have. There are a lot of different schools of thought on how to do this, but the bottom line is that each person responds differently and needs some level of trial and error to figure out what best works for them.

 

I maintain that if you ditched the slow, long distance running 5 times a week and did 2, maybe 3 days where you sprint all out 8-10 times for 40 yards (should not take more than 20 minutes), that you would not only feel better (it might be harsh for a week or two, but you'd get used to it), but you would be less fatigued. Heck, you might even up your VO2 max in the process and be able to run faster miles.

 

Also, what does your weight training look like? I know that you said that you use an upper/lower body split, but what kind of exercises, sets/reps, and rest periods are you using? Explosive compound movements (like a squat, deadlift, or clean) will burn an exponentially higher amount of calories than single joint movements such as bicep curls, leg extensions, and the nearly-100%-worthless-but-for-some-reason-you-still-see-a-ton-of-people-doing-them-triceps kick-back.

 

Please understand that I'm not at all trying to bash you or your program. If you're happy with how things are going for you now, then that's the most important thing. My suggestions come from my personal experiences, successes, and failures, but I am by no means some sort of expert.

[jthorne]

I like SmartWater... i usually get the Trader Joes version that is cheaper. i do not like dansani- i think it tastes salty.

Someone posted that Dasani actually contains quite a bit of sodium.

I use a water filter myself.

[laRubiaBonita]

Someone posted that Dasani actually contains quite a bit of sodium.

I use a water filter myself.

 

we have a filter at home- but at work i have access to a water cooler- es muey bueno!

[TaraMaiden]

I drink about one-and-a-half litres of water per day.

 

Since I first married in 1982 when I weighed 94lbs, until today, I have only increased by 20lbs. Genetics and bearing children are a factor. But in 28 years, that's not bad.....I'm convinced drinking water to such an amount has certainly helped.

[sb129]

LB- the reason you aren't losing any weight is because you are so close to the ideal weight for your height.

 

You don't NEED to lose weight.

 

You are starting to get worryingly obsessed with numbers on your scales and its a little scary.

 

I am slowly losing weight from when I had wonderbaby- but I only weigh myself once a week to make sure things are heading in the right direction.

Its how my clothes fit and how I generally FEEL that is important to me.

 

I weigh quite a bit more than you do (I am also taller) and I think I actually look pretty darned good right now considering.

 

You need to stop worrying about numbers and think about how you actually look.

 

NOBODY pays as much attention to you and those last couple of pounds anywhere NEAR as much as you will.

[sb129]

PS I recently read some articles about how it is possible to drink too much water, but I think they were talking litres and litres.

[laRubiaBonita]

LB- the reason you aren't losing any weight is because you are so close to the ideal weight for your height.

 

You don't NEED to lose weight.

 

You are starting to get worryingly obsessed with numbers on your scales and its a little scary.

 

i have thought this too... and i worry about the slippery slope that you might be teetering on- because this obsession grabs and holds one psyche with a death grip!!

 

 

BUT i also know you are geeting geared up for the Wedding of the Century, which is part of the focus too.

 

*not a sermon, just a thought, cause we care!

[blind_otter]

PS I recently read some articles about how it is possible to drink too much water, but I think they were talking litres and litres.

 

I've done that before, when I was doing ecstasy. It only happens if you drink so much that you pee out all your electrolytes, but good lord you KNOW when you have water intoxication or whatever because you will projectile vomit like there is no tomorrow.

[TaraMaiden]

some woman died after drinking too much water after a challenge on a radio competition.

 

2 litres of water a day is fine, but you have to be active.

[Star Gazer]

some woman died after drinking too much water after a challenge on a radio competition.

 

And I know the attorney that won that case.

[Lauriebell82]

LB- the reason you aren't losing any weight is because you are so close to the ideal weight for your height.

 

You don't NEED to lose weight.

 

That's true, but I want to lose weight.

 

It's not just the numbers on the scale I really don't look THAT much thinner. I more or less just toned up I didn't really get THINNER. I know I sound obsessed, ugh.