Water, water, water...ugh! I hate water!!!

[GaSnowLady]

Hi everyone, I'm a semi-newbie. I've been told by countless people and doctors to drink a lot of water. I have tried everything. Fruit in my water, sparkling water, flavored water, ice water, if there's a water out there, I've had it. Still, I just can't drink more than maybe one glass/serving. I get bored. Water is boring. My boss drinks it like it's nothing at all. I wish I could. Granted, I drink some water when I go out to eat but drinking it throughout the day, just can't do it. I feel bloated and I have to run to the bathroom every 10 minutes. Has anyone had this experience? I'm now trying homemade ice tea (no sugar) and ice coffee (no sugar, only skim milk), an occasional lemonade and naturally my nightly glass of wine! Any thoughts would be helpful..

[SunsetRunner]

personally drink a glass of water when lips start feeling a bit dry or when going to the bathroom and the colour is darkish yellow, knowing needing to drink a glas more..

of course when being outside & it's warm, it's required to drink more when outside for a longer time.

[SouthernSparkle]

I am also not a fan of water. I have been addicted to Mello Yello for years. I finally decided I was going to take my diet serious and I knew that I was going to have to cut out this sweet pleasure and drink water. I tried adding the powders, the liquids etc... but they were all too sweet. I purchased a 32 oz. Fruit Infuser water bottle and decided to give it a try. I added fresh lemons and frozen unsweetened strawberries inside the infuser and chilled the water over night. I actually like it! I have now purchased 2 more of these bottles and I keep a variety of infused fruity flavors in the fridge. I am actually drinking 96+ oz of water a day and I am down to only 12 oz of Mello Yello a day. I purchased a few bags of unsweetened frozen fruit from Walmart & keep these on hand (use as needed and don't worry about them spoiling). Lemons, mint, cucumbers etc... fresh. Give this a try-it gives water a touch of sweet without an artificial taste & you can flavor anyway you wish. 

[FisiaH]

If you dehydrate yourself that'll make you appreciate water, NOT that I'm suggesting it but it worked for me lol. I can't remember exactly how it came to be but it was a warm day and I'd been working in the sun at least half the day, hadn't eaten much either but I felt ok. Shortly after taking a break and going in, I felt nauseous and like I would pass out, went to the hospital and I was just dehydrated, they had me on fluids for a few hours and I was good as new and the vomiting stopped. If that experience doesn't teach anyone to drink more water I'm not sure what will but obviously living through it is a better lesson than just being told about it lol. It was hard to drink more water at first though, I was a 6-10 pepsi/day drinker and like you I found water far too bland to be enjoyed at all. Now I'll drink just about any water if I'm parched and I'm always moving so I'm usually thirsty, but what I started that helped and I generally stick to is; the water must be ice cold, so much so it almost hurts to drink it and stay active, if your sweating and loosing moisture your body will want it back and if you accustom yourself to drinking water that's what your body will ask for. I'll still chug a pepsi on a hot day, but if I've been walking or working and my mouth feels like a desert, the first thing I go for is my 2L jug of water that I bring with me everywhere, if you make water more accessible than what you'd rather be drinking you'll probably start to consume more off of that principal alone. Finally, clean water, you don't want to taste chemicals or soil, or plastic, or metal for that matter either so try to use a clean water source, filtered if necessary, the cleaner and colder the water the crisper the "taste" and feel of the drink. The best tasting water tastes like nothing in my opinion lol and as for a good container; BPA free plastic is fine but I suggest surgical stainless steel vacuum containers as they're more durable and will keep drinks chilled for incredible amounts of time. Another tip, your water jug is your water jug, don't put soup or coffee or juice or anything but water in it and it'll always taste fine, you want a thermos for food and hot beverages get a separate one! lol. Even stainless steel will pick up taste and colour over time, it's stainless not stain-proof lol.

Hope this helps, sorry for the long winded response.

~FisiaH~

[WendyB]

I like @SouthernSparkle Idea. Might have to look into this for weekends to have something different

I love water so I dont have a problem.

I use to drink Diet coke all day long. Now its just water. You do get use to it and dont have to go every 10 minutes.

[loveabull]

I like Crystal Light and Mios for flavoring water. The bad thing is citric acid. If citric acid is the first ingredient in something including flavored seltzer it's terrible on tooth enamel. Yup, it bores right through your teeth eventually. Something I discovered is Thai Tea mix. It's loose tea and you can brew it in a coffee machine. I have a large drink bottle. I fill it more than halfway with tea, maybe six packets of Equal and a splash of skim milk. Add ice and shake...totally refreshing, mostly water but a great taste.

[x_Toots_x]

Drinking water when you haven't had much before is the same as exercising when you've spent years on the couch. You have to make it a habit and it can help to do it gradually.

I would suggest that for the next week or so you continue to drink whatever you've always had - just have one glass of water first. So if you have a coffee every morning continue to drink that but as you make it, chug down 250 of the clear stuff first. This will slowly get your body used to the concept. As time goes by increase your water as you decrease your other liquids. 1 1/2 cups of water followed by a 1/2 cup of lemonade for example. 

If you have water throughout the entire day it can be a lot easier to achieve. Even a lover of water will balk a little at having to drink 2L in one go.

[GaSnowLady]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I came up with an idea from all your tips. I think I will break out that fruit infusion bottle I stored away, put the fruit in it, plus add a packet of the crystal light. Then, after a spell, cut back on the crystal light, little by little until it's just water. I've already tried just the fruit but it just didn't do it for me.

[DanielleinDC]

That sounds like a great idea to add frozen fruit to a fruit infuser. It'll give it flavor and have a cooling effect. I may have to get an infuser bottle and try that.

[WendyB]

I bought an Infuser bottle and used it this weekend. I drank more water because of it. I really like it.

[libwitch]

Honestly, I didn't like water at one point either, but then I was on a medication that made me dehydrated all the time and I started drinking it; and then I found myself -- even after I went off the medication - really noticing such a difference NOT drinking it that I had to continue.   Its not exciting.  But its necessary; and now that I drink it daily I also can't drink most sweetened drinks.

I started keeping some naglene bottles in the freezer about half full so I can just grab one and go after filling the rest of it up tap water.  It helps me keep on track and I have found that I wil drink it if it is cold. 

[pika]

Like you, I had a hard time drinking plain water.  But I found that if the water is super cold (glass half full with ice) and I squeeze half a  lime into my water, it helps. 

[WorshipHK]

I'm with you on this one. I HATE HATE HATE water. It's so boring and annoying and I hate going to the bathroom all the time.

I find that I end up going to the bathroom way more when I have a lot of salty foods so maybe try to lower your salt intake a little bit and see if that helps? 
I'm not sure why you're drinking tea though if you don't like going to the bathroom so much when drinking water. Tea is a diuretic and will make you go to the bathroom more.

I also get my water intake from seltzer water. Kroger has a good brand and so does LaCroix. They're weird at first but now I get upset when I run out hahaha. Also makes you feel like you're drinking sodas so you don't crave sodas.

What helps me a bit though is making a small daily goal to meet and increasing it slowly ever week or every other week.  If you go from 0 to 100 on drinking water, of course you're gonna go to the bahtroom a lot. Your body doesn't know what to do with it. So maybe start with 24 ounces a day for a week or so and when you're consistently meeting that, bump is up 12 or 24 ounces until you get to whatever your goal is.

[HRStudent]

I'm one of the lucky ones that actually likes water!  It wasn't always so - and I had the same bloating issues then frequent bathroom runs.  Luckily, I found that the more water I drank, the less water I retained - so the bloating went away!  I also am better able to determine how much I can drink before a bathroom run is necessary.  However I look at it as a win-win - the more I drink the more I have to go to the bathroom, the more reasons I have to get up and walk througout the day!

Best of luck to you GaSnowLady!

[libwitch]

And I have found the more water I drink, the less I go to the bathroom  -- I am certainly not going like I used to. I think once your body gets used to being hydrated, it sort of balances out a bit?

[dlegs]

I like my water to be chilled or with ice.  Otherwise I can't drink it.  Once your body gets accustomed to the water intake you are taking in daily, then your body will adjust and you won't be running to the bathroom as often.  Drinking water not only flushes out your system, keeps body/skin hydrated, and helps curb your food intake.  The majority of us overeat cause we think we are hungry when it is really just your body needing water.  Maybe set mini goals for yourself until you get to where you are drinking 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water.

[iMike]

As others have suggested, pitchers with infusers are great.  Maybe the best thing to do is start small and work your way up.  Drink a glass of ice cold water first thing in the morning, even before your morning coffee.  Have a glass before lunch, and then a glass before dinner.  Three glasses of pure water should certainly be more manageable than trying to consume the recommended amount throughout the day.  Let your body get used to that for a while and then try adding in another somewhere in your day.  Work your way up gradually.

Another suggestion I've seen people do ... if you work in an office and you're sedentery, set an hourly alarm on your smart phone or watch to take a drink of water.  It doesn't have to a big giant gulp, and certainly don't try to consume as much as you can each time the alarm goes off ... just a regular, normal-sized drink, set the bottle down and leave it alone until the next hour

[Jessica.V]

Hi GaSnowLady, I used to be the same way but what has really been motivating me to drink more water has been logging it on the fitbit. I also suggest adding mint to the water another thing that has helped me curve my sugar craving has been Organic Apple Vinegar. Just try telling yourself that water is helping to cleanse your body positive affirmations are always great. 

[NeoFryBoy]

Tip 1: Drink your water cold.  Temperature changes your tongue's ability to percieve taste.  I can (and do) drink warm water all day long, but, when you start out, room temperature water is really tough to drink in large quantites.

Tip 2: Filter your water.  This goes in tandem with Tip 1.  Some municipalities just have gross tasting water.

Tip 3: Pace yourself.  Don't try drinking multiple cups at once (bloated feeling).  Drink 2-4oz every hour.  Get a 1L Nalgene and task yourself with drinking 1L of water throughout the entire day.  If you have any left over by the next morning then you have to finish that bit right when you wakeup and refill the bottle for the new day.

Tip 4: Change the way you think about water.  Either water is good or the soft drinks/fruit juices/alcohols are bad.(Don't go extreme though.)

I LOOOOOOOVE WATER!  Water is life!  Water is in all of your cells.  Water helps your body digest food and dispose of waste.  Water allows your body to conduct electricity (with the help of Salt, Potassium, and Magnesium).  Water surrounds your muscles when they break down and helps soothe them.  Water helps your body pass nutrients around, so it can heal those muscles and anything else that's damaged.  Without water you'd be a solid mass that couldn't move its muscles or send signals around the brain and through the limbs.  WATER IS AMAZING!

But water is also ~88% of your glass of wine and ~95% of your beer, ~98% of your coffee and tea.  So, at least you're getting some water. The whole point of drinking just water is to make sure you're not taking in all those man-made chemicals, or too much sugar or alcohol (read: empty carbs) and that you're not addicted or habitualized to purchased drinks.  When you only drink soft drinks and the like, you're drinking it, because you want something sweet on your lips, and you can't tell if you're thirsty, hungry, or just plain bored. (I'm currently drinking a 2 Qt bottle of green tea I made yesterday.  No sugar added, but it seems to satisfy the sugar craving I'm having.)   But when you only drink water, you have a much better sense of when you're thirsty and when you're just looking for anything to consume.  Your body starts to re-gain control over itself and separate those feelings.

Summary of below writing:  You're changing the way your brain and tongue percieve beverages.  You're redefining the noun "drink" for yourself.  Just like changing anything in life, you have to take it slowly and set goals or you'll give up.

9 years ago I decided to quit drinking pop.  I was addicted for years, and by the age of 22 I decided I didn't want to spend any more money on the stuff, and I hated the idea that recycling all those cans was what made me a thoughtful person.  Not supporting the creation of those cans would actually make me a thoughtful person.  Plus, think about all the perservatives and caramel colouring that I'm forcing my liver to deal with...  Blech!

So, I decided that; everytime I craved a beverage that wasn't water, I would first drink 8oz of ice cold water.  If I still wanted the pop, then I'd have it.  This cut my need for pop by a quarter (I usually took the sanctioned cheat route, and sometimes I just didn't have access to water).  But then something happened.  After a couple weeks I wasn't as interested in givinig into the cheat I had allowed myself.  I would find the willpower to drink a second and even third cup of water instead of just the one.  And when I did that, I felt a little bloated and was disgusted by the idea of drinking a pop after.  It was the idea that pop also made me feel bloated, so how could I possibly drink pop in that state?  Besides, it wasn't the water's fault that I was bloated.  It was the pop's fault.  If I didn't have that craving for sweet drinks I wouldn't be chugging this water right now.  So, I started to really dislike pop.  I started to associate the soft drinks with negative feelings.  

Well, now what do I drink?  Pop's out.  I'm not a fan of beer.  Fruit juice is good, but it feels like I'm drowning myself in liquid sugar when I drink that stuff, and it doesn't quench my thirst.  Thirst?  This was a new feeling for me.  For the first time in a long time I was able to feel my thirst before my mouth dried out.  So, I invested in a Nalgene and carried it with me everywhere.  I got the wide mouth, so I could add ice or brew tea in it if I wanted to, and I haven't looked back.

Water is boring, and peeing every hour is a little... annoying?  (Maybe more of a hassle for women than men.)  But, whatever your reason is for making this choice, you've made a good one.  And you shouldn't let any feeling that you can't really justify to yourself control your decisions.  You don't have to prove yourself to us.  We're happy to cheer you on.  But don't give in to giving up!  (And don't tell water that it's boring.  It has feelings too... )

[nkotblove]

I try 2 drink more water in the water botter....

I love my #cokecola more water