Weight Loss Tips: How to Drink More Water
How much is enough?
A good place to start is by figuring out just how much water you should be drinking each day in order to boost your weight loss. A good rule of thumb is to divide your current weight in half and then drink that many ounces of water per day. For example, let’s say your current weight is 180 pounds. 180 divided by 2 is 90. Therefore you would want to try and reach a goal of 90 ounces of water each day. Don’t worry if your number is high and seems unattainable! By following these simple steps you’ll soon find you are drinking all the water you need and your weight loss efforts will be that much easier.
Keep it close
If you buy bottled water by the case, pop one in the fridge every time you take one out so that you always have a chilled water bottle at the ready. Keep a bottle or glass of water at your desk while you work. If you have a water cooler in your office, try keeping a small Styrofoam cup on your desk and refill every time you drink the contents. You will be surprised how that little bit adds up to help the weight come off! Bring a big bottle or travel mug full of ice water with you in the car, and sip away at every stoplight. The point is, if you always have a bottle, mug, or glass of water to drink nearby you’ll begin to reach for it without even realizing it.
Suck it up
How many times have you mindlessly sipped a drink through a straw, not realizing you were finished until you heard that obnoxious slurping sound? Keep a package of drinking straws at the ready, or get hold of a fun mug with a straw built into the lid. You will be amazed at how easy it is to get those water ounces in once you’re sipping away.
Make it fun
As with all your weight loss efforts, the more drinking your water feels like work, the less likely you are to do it, so do whatever you can to make it more fun! Pick up a travel mug with a bright design or humorous phrase. Start a friendly competition with fellow weight watchers: challenge a coworker to see who can drink the most water throughout the day; make a house rule that whenever a certain word is used, everyone has to drink up; race a friend to the bottom of a (water) bottle!
Good taste
Although certainly nothing tastes as good as a crisp, cold glass of ice water on a steamy day, sometimes you are simply in the mood for something different. Add flavor without adding inches to your waistline by flavoring the water. Try low or no calorie additives such as slices of fresh citrus fruit, sugar free drink mixes (many come in single serving sizes), or a small amount of fruit juice.
Set small goals
Just like with your other weight loss efforts, the task of drinking more water will be less daunting if you set small, easy-to-reach goals. See if you can drink 20 ounces during your morning commute. Set out to drink a certain amount of water by lunchtime.
Keep Track
If you are guessing at how much water you’re drinking each day you may be underestimating and hindering your own weight loss! Don’t let that happen. Find an easy way to record how much you drink each day. Get a large mug that holds 30-40 ounces and fill it two or three times a day, depending on your daily goal. If you refill the same water bottle several times throughout the day, wrap an appropriate number of rubber bands around the bottle and each time you empty it remove a band. Who knows, you may be drinking more water than you imagined!
Watch for results
Once you have begun to incorporate some of these ideas you will find that it is easier than you thought to drink enough water. Get ready to watch those extra pounds melt away like ice cubes on a summer day!
