Dehydration can sabotage your weight loss journey by giving you food cravings when you are just thirsty. Here are 7 tips to drink more water.
Before I dive into the tips, I want you to know that drinking water was not easy for me.
100 pounds ago, I dreamed of water fountains dispensing Kool-Aid and Mountain Dew as my beverage to accompany every snack and meal. I don’t ever remember drinking plain water unless it was forced upon me as the only option.
Today, I sip from my water bottle constantly. I genuinely prefer plain water to any other beverage 90% of the time. I lost my taste for soda (somehow the feeling of carbonation just doesn’t feel good in my mouth anymore) and most juices and sports drinks are too sweet for me to drink undiluted.
From Mountain Dew to Water
But I didn’t get here overnight. I lost 100 pounds by making one small change at a time and that’s how I got myself to drink more water, too.
- I started off by switching from Mountain Dew to Sprite (it was somehow the “healthier” version in my mind) and Kool-Aid to Crystal Light drink mixes.
- Eventually, I started diluting my Sprite with lemonade, then light lemonade, until I was drinking straight light lemonade without any soda at all.
- I transitioned from Crystal Light to Mio (berry pomegranate was my go-to!). I stayed stuck in that place for years.
- Then I did the Whole 30 and broke my Mio addiction for good. That was years ago and I have no temptation to go back.
Drinking more water is such an important part of losing weight and building a lifelong healthy lifestyle. Here are 7 ways you can drink more water.
Tips For Drinking More Water To Lose Weight
1. Carry A Water Bottle
This is my favorite water bottle to use because it doesn’t leak, it has a loop on the handle for me to carry it easily and clip it to my purse, and because it just has a button to press I can drink one-handed (super handy while I’m driving).
Find a water bottle you absolutely love (you may have to try a few first before you find “the one”) and get in the habit of carrying it around with you everywhere.
When water is right next to you and readily accessible, you are much more likely to reach for it more often.
This has been my #1 key to success with water. You will rarely see me without my water bottle!
2. Add Fruit
When you’re used to drinking sodas, juices, and sports drinks, water can taste rather…well, tasteless.
To add more flavor without adding sugar or artificial flavorings, add some fruit into the mix.
Slice up some oranges or lemons. Keep seasonal berries on-hand. Here are 4 flavor combos you can use to jazz up your water. Add them to your water for a more flavorful, refreshing beverage.
3. Track it
There is a good chance you don’t even know how much water you are drinking right now.
Some water bottles (like these or these) come with hourly markings on them to help you keep track of your water throughout the day, so you know exactly how much water you should have been drinking before 10am, noon, etc.
They also have all kinds of water tracking apps out there for your smartphone that will help you track how much (or little!) you are drinking.
Maybe you keep a bullet journal. Adding a water tracker to your daily journal is a great visual way to pay attention to your water intake! It can be as simple as adding little water droplets next to the day that you color in each time you drink a cup of water.
4. Use water as your appetizer…for everything
Before you drink juice, soda, coffee, or anything else, drink a cup of water.
Before you reach for a snack? Drink a cup of water.
As you sit down to lunch and dinner? Start your meal with water.
It will not only help you feel more full and prevent you from overeating, it will keep you hydrated.
5. Set a timer on your phone
It’s easy to get caught up in work, taking care of kids, and other activities throughout the day so you just simply forget about drinking water along the way.
Setting timers or reminders on your phone can be a great reminder to reach for your water bottle consistently throughout the day.
6. Dilute other drinks
If you are struggling with not getting enough flavor from water alone, even when you add fruit, you can start small by diluting your other drinks.
When you pour yourself a cup of juice, start by filling 1/4 of your glass with water first. Over time, add more and more water.
7. Eat fruits and vegetables
We get most of the water our body needs from the foods we eat.
Chips and other sodium-packed junk foods aren’t very helpful when it comes to hydrating, but fruits and vegetables sure are!
Try to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
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