Water Week

by Elizabeth on July 17, 2011 · 19 comments

in Adventures, life

I drink a LOT of Diet Coke.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has been around me for more than 5 minutes, but for those of you who only know me through this blog, it is a simple fact.

In college, I went through a 12-pack a week, easy.  And I’m not one of those people who opens a can, drinks a little, and leaves it sitting around either.  If I open a can, a bottle, or pour myself a glass, I’m going to finish it.

These days, I’m averaging between 2 and 3 cokes a day.  Thanks to a refrigerator full of drinks at work and my extra-large cup of crushed ice (yum!), it’s very easy for me to even go beyond my usual 2 and have 3, even 4 if I’m not careful.  And that’s sometimes in addition to a cup of coffee in the mornings.

So it’s safe to assume that I don’t drink a lot of water.

Sure I have a glass every night with dinner (about 12 ounces) and, if I remember, I fill up my water bottle to take to work.  But really, especially lately, I drink very little water.  And I think it shows.

I’ve gained some weight, my face is constantly broken out, I have major caffeine headaches several times a week, and I’m not sleeping very well.  Is this all due to not drinking enough water?  I don’t know, but I’ve read enough studies and magazine articles that say not drinking enough water can cause weight gain, breakouts, and drinking too much caffeine is known to increase with your sleep habits.

So, I’m declaring this week to be water week.

Goal: Limit myself to one, non-water beverage a day.  That means one cup of coffee OR one Diet Coke OR one glass of wine, etc.  Everything else that I drink must be water.  Starting today (Sunday, July 17) and ending Saturday (July 23).  Let’s see if I can get myself drinking more water and less caffeine-laced high-fructuse corn syrup (as delicious as it is).

Anyone else want to join in?

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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Cate July 17, 2011 at 5:14 pm

I’m not going to join in because Gatorade and herbal tea are saving my life right now, but if I weren’t pregnant, I’d definitely be with you! I really feel healthier when I drink more water…much more energetic and less broken out. I’m not much for diet Coke, but I love a cup of sweet milky tea, and often have to reign myself in. Good luck!

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2 Elizabeth July 17, 2011 at 6:52 pm

That’s what I’m hoping for – to feel a little healthier. I’ve been feeling gross for a few weeks now so I’m hoping this will help!

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3 Allison L. July 17, 2011 at 5:17 pm

Good for you! I wish you luck!!
I cut caffeinated sodas from my diet almost 10 years ago! I drink water most of the time. I usually have a cup of coffee a day. Rarely, I’ll need an afternoon boost, so I will drink half a can of coke. My future husband takes care of the rest of the can, no problem. 😉 I don’t even like the taste of sodas anymore. I’d much rather have water.
I know a lot of people say that they hate the taste, but I once thought that way & now I can’t imagine going back to just soda.
I should also note that I lost 20lbs in the year that followed me giving up sodas. I was a major Mountain Dew fiend back then.

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4 Elizabeth July 17, 2011 at 6:54 pm

Drinking soda is so ingrained in my life, I don’t think I could ever give it up. I’ve tried for Lent, many times, and failed every time. My whole family, most of friends, and all of my co-workers are avid soda drinkers so it’s hard to cut it out when I’m surrounded by it.

But I’m hoping to limit my consumption of everything but water and try to pick up the water-drinking habit again!

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5 Amy July 17, 2011 at 6:56 pm

I will be cutting all non water beverages except milk after having Harrison because I have a problem with soda too. And since it’s horrible for your kidneys and body (btw dark colas are the worst kidney wise!) I really need to quit. Good luck with your water week…habits like this are super hard to break!

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6 Elizabeth July 17, 2011 at 8:35 pm

I had no clue dark colas were bad for your kidneys! Thanks for the info. Still not planning to cut it out completely, but lessening my intake is better than nothing!

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7 Christine July 17, 2011 at 8:25 pm

I’ve decided to join you! I took a very short run tonight and it was PAINFUL! The only culprit can be dehydration!

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8 Elizabeth July 17, 2011 at 8:36 pm

Well, it was your idea first. 🙂 But glad to see you are going to join me. Expect a text when I really need a diet coke in the morning.

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9 Ashley July 17, 2011 at 9:04 pm

When I cut back on Diet Coke in anticipation of quitting smoking with the nicotine patches (the combo can be a little unpleasant) I kept a bag of Dove dark chocolates in my desk drawer. If i felt a caffeine headache coming on those would usually stave it off.

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10 Elizabeth July 18, 2011 at 8:48 am

That is a great idea! There’s usually chocolate across the hall; I get a couple of pieces to keep on hand.

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11 Amber July 18, 2011 at 7:18 am

You know I’ve always been a HUGE water drinker, and while that is still the case, I have been drinking more Diet Coke lately… like 1 or 2 (or 3 on a bad week) cans a week. I want one really bad right now, but I only have 25 cents with me :/

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12 Elizabeth July 18, 2011 at 8:49 am

I like how you consider 2 or 3 a bad week. 3 would be a bad day for me. A bad week might look something like 20. 🙂

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13 Melanie July 18, 2011 at 9:45 am

I don’t always drink as much water as I should either, but those caffeine withdrawal headaches are the worst! I’ve tried ice tea as a substitute for soda, which seems to work pretty well most of the time.

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14 Elizabeth July 18, 2011 at 6:00 pm

My problem with iced tea is that I only like sweet tea and tea sweetened with Splenda or something else just doesn’t cut it. I hate to add in all those calories, although I do love a big glass of sweet tea every now and then!

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15 Elisa July 18, 2011 at 4:20 pm

I drink a bottle of Coke Zero once a week. I bring a thermos of water from home and keep it at my work desk. Throughout the day I’m refilling it.
Having chocolate on hand–I’m with you on that! 🙂

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16 Kelly July 19, 2011 at 10:27 am

I hear you – I love SODA!

Currently I can’t really afford it — so I have been forced to cut back. It is a special treat.

I keep a bottle of water at work (32 oz Nalgene) and try to drink at least one or two of those at work.

My other hydration choice is Crystal Light. My normal flavor is the Peach Iced Tea – but this summer they have three special flavors! Mojito, Margarita, & Appletini. I have tried them all and Mojito is my favorite. Minty-Lime goodness!

Good Luck with the Water Logging!

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17 Elizabeth July 20, 2011 at 8:48 am

I have some wild strawberry mix-ins from WalMart, but that Peach Tea and the Mojito sound really good! I may have to make a trip to the store on my way to pick some up.

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18 Meyser July 19, 2011 at 1:46 pm

Maybe a bit too late to join in, I never ever drink soda’s (just don’t like them), but I drink not enough in general. If I drink, it’s mostly fruit juice, and not the healthy kind. Your post inspires me to commit to one glass of water for each glass of juice. Watching forward to read your experiences at the end of the week!

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19 Elizabeth July 20, 2011 at 8:48 am

Glad I inspired you and good luck with drinking more water!

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