Water is a vital part of losing weight. Our bodies are up to 60% water AND water is an integral part of fat loss. So to keep your body functioning at it’s best and ready to lose fat, you have to drink water. Period.
How much water do you have to drink to lose weight?
There are different recommendations out there for how much water is optimal for weight loss. I recommend 64 ounces of water as a minimum threshold. Optimally, I strive for half my body weight in water each day. So at my highest weight of 250 pounds, I aimed to drink 125 ounces of water each day.
Three unhelpful thoughts about water:
I hate the taste of water.
Yes, you may not prefer the taste (or lack thereof) of water to other beverages. But dwelling and continuously telling yourself that you hate water isn’t the way to start drinking more of it. In fact, that will make you avoid it more and loathe it when you do finally drink some.
Instead, consider what else you might be willing to think about water.
- I’m learning to like water.
- I’m willing to find more opportunities to drink water.
- I can do hard things (this one is for those of you really committed to hating it).
You can also create rules for yourself that encourage more water drinking into your already established routines. If you drink a cup of coffee each morning, then create the rule for yourself that as the coffee is brewing you drink an entire glass of water. Your soda at meal time can also be preceded by a glass of water. It especially helps if the task you combine with your water drinking with is enjoyable so it acts as a reward for drinking your water.
I don’t want to (or can’t) pee all the time.
What goes in, must come out. I get it. Increasing your water intake means increasing your trips to the bathroom as well. Some people have rigid work schedules that don’t allow the luxury of frequent bathroom breaks, if any at all. Hello teachers!
Instead of dwelling on the problem of not being able to go to the bathroom all the time, think of a strategic solution that allows you to get the water in as well as fit with your schedule. That might mean chugging 24 ounces of water as soon as you get up so you can use the restroom right before work. Then lay off the water until about an hour before your scheduled break and chug another 24 ounces then. Finally chug another 24 ounces prior to getting off your shift or right after you get off work and BOOM that’s 72 ounces completed.
I am awesome at drinking water.
How is this a troubling thought about water? Seems like you are doing just fine with water if this is your thought. But are you sure?
What gets measured, gets managed. When we think we are awesome at drinking water, we don’t bother to measure it. We take it for granted that we drink more than enough and we never really know exactly how much we are drinking. This can lead us into a false sense of complacency as well as spinning our wheels when weight loss stalls. Because water plays such a vital role in weight loss, it is extremely important not to assume you are getting enough water. You can still think you are awesome at drinking water but always measure it to verify.
So there you have it. Three unhelpful thoughts about water and how to combat them.
Your Coach,
Andrea