Water

[Mal Lady]

I am having a hard time drinking water. I love Diet Rite and a few other no carb sodas too much. I am trying to get back on water spiked with lemon juice but, even that is hard to stick with without a little stomach upset. Did anyone else have this problem? How did you deal with it?

Mal Lady:confused:

[Jeanne Marie]

I get a lot of my fluids by drinking green tea, which I really like. I don't think it dehydrates you as much as coffee either.

[Mal Lady]

I get a lot of my fluids by drinking green tea, which I really like. I don't think it dehydrates you as much as coffee either.

Thank-you Jeanne Marie for the response.

I wish I liked tea but, I don't. I never acquired a taste for it. That makes it really hard. I don't drink much coffee either - maybe a cup or two a week. I really don't like hot beverages all that well. Even hot chocolate is not that exciting to me when I'm not on the pp. I had a cup of chia tea once, I don't know if that is low carb, but, it wasn't too bad. Must have had lots of sugar - and carbs, :lol: !

I have lots of meds to take in the morning and my stomach (and brain) doesn't like hot fluids or water with them. So, my day starts off with diet pop.

I don'know any other alternatives that fit my taste. Other suggestions are welcome. Thanks for any help!

Mal Lady

[Tresses]

My experience, FWIW, is that once I got over the hurdle of drinking water, my body wanted the water. But I had to make a conscious effort to drink it. I can go all day without drinking water - not a good thing. Some people are sippers, and can fill a water bottle and sip at it all day. I can't. The only way I can get down the water I need is to make myself drink 12 oz. before each meal. It was very hard at first. I even gagged a little. :o But even after just a few days, my body started wanting the water. Now I can get that 12 oz down easily, and I get thirsty enough throughout the day to drink what my body needs. Maybe start with a smaller amount of water, but make yourself drink it? It's always easier to do before you eat, rather than after.

Diet pop may be calorieless but it isn't good for your body. Like most changes we need to make for the sake of our health, this one takes effort.

[maxlharris]

The first three to ten days without flavored beverages are the hardest. After you get over the hump, it's pretty easy and cola tastes weird.

[Ammy]

I have to pull a NIKE here...
Just do it.

Drink it cause you need to drink it. Put a reminder on your computer and "snooze" for 10 min...that will remind you every 10 min to take a drink...pretty soon it will just be a habit.

Just do it.

[Mal Lady]

Thanks everyone,

I thought maybe I was just a popaholic, but, others might have had the same problem ! I will try to discipline myself and get that glass of water out there in front of me and sip as often as I can. Usually by the time I go to bed I really gulp down a glass or two of cold water because I feel dehydrated, lips parched, etc. So, you know that I need the water. It's all about discipline ! I feel like just getting back to pp is enough discipline without adding more stress! But, the last time we pp, my dh did it and he still doesn't drink pop and has no desire to drink it. If he can do it so can I because if it wasn't for my discipline on pp he'd never lose the weight.

Well, wish me luck, I'll need it on this one!

Mal Lady:eek:

[Omlette]

Water will give me indegestion, but at the same time I love water. i especially like it if it is really cold. I get the majority of water with my meals and when I take my meds. I pobably drink 12 or so oz while I get ready in the mornings and the same at bed time.

You could put a little if 100% juice in with it. ex. 4 oz of 100% straight up hard cranberry juice into 26 oz of water with a little stevia. Only 4 carbs for 32 oz of water. The one that I use is http://www.knudsenjuices.com/products/detail.aspx?groupID=65&categoryID=275&flavorID=144&productID=214

plus, think of the benefits to your kidneys.

[maxlharris]

I think I might've been a little short above. So, having time right now, I thought I'd share a bit more.

My name is Max and I am a popaholic. I was addicted to the sugar. I was addicted to the caffeine. I would never have survived business school without coke. And we're talking large quantities. And not always diet, at that. In fact, frequently not. I had, when I was drinking vending machine cokes, a $6/day habit. And those were 20 ounce to the dollar, so nearly a GALLON of coke, (original, vanilla, cherry, or black cherry vanilla). Later in, I discovered free refills all day long on the large fountain coke. I cannot estimate my use at that time, but my habit got cut to a $1.50 a day. I'm not even factoring in what I was drinking at home, which was not up to school, but very close.

What did this level of use do to me? I had to get up and do laps of the business school every hour, or I couldn't concentrate. I ate large amounts of sugary/starchy foods to keep my blood sugar at a level where I could function and keep from crashing. But, I made it through B-school.

I was later diagnosed with ADD. The prescription is low grade stimulants. It turns out, I was self medicating with caffeinated beverages. This is not uncommon. It's not even close to uncommon. The big problem that came from this was the sugar highs and lows. Oh, and the weight gain. If you poll the usership on here, there are more than a few people who never drank water and who had big "coke" habits. My good friend Missy had a sweet tea habit that makes my "coke" habit look pretty small. If you think there isn't a correlation with high use of sugared beverages and obesity, you probably work for coke or pepsi.

Now, I do not drink sugar coke, ever. Your palate gets sensitive to it, and I can tell, with a sip, when a server has made a mistake. This is good. They are quick to fix it. I struggle, periodically, with going back to heavy diet coke use. Hell, this weekend, I think I killed a 12 pack of cans. As I think back, that's not super heavy use, but it's pretty bad if you think the stuff isn't particularly good for you.

Why might you think that the diet stuff isn't particularly good for you? Forget about aspartame (I don't have a problem with it). Forget Splenda (I think it tastes like chlorine). Forget everything you have heard about toxic diet beverages. This I know and can prove. When I drink a lot of diet soda, I tend to eat a lot less disciplined. By a lot, I'm talking more than 40 ounces in a day. When I drink my 2L of water before allowing myself coke, I am a rockstar. When I drink coke with breakfast, the positives of breakfast on dietary control, are shot for the rest of the day.

Ultimately, it's about discipline. It's about making decisions for yourself, rather than letting a consumer product drive them for you.

FWIW: I am a coke loyalist. I do not care for Pepsi (except for Diet Pepsi Max which is not as sweet as Pepsi and packs enough low grade stims that I can skip my ADD med). Back in 2000, I quit coke for two weeks. The two weeks stretched into three months. Coke, my life long brand preference, tasted terrible when I had my first diet coke after those three months. It stretched to another couple of months, and then social situations got me back to drinking it and I really wish I had dumped it for water instead of diet lemonade back then.

You're not alone in being a popaholic. There are a lot of us on here.

[Mal Lady]

Max,

Thanks for letting me in on your journey! I know that full sugar pop is really a problem, luckily I don't like the sweetness of it. My downfall was always D. Pepsi. When I went on pp I switched to Diet Rite or Hawaiian punch or Squirt or Diet Lemonade - I would use them sparingly and work them into my snacks because they have 2 carbs per can. I'm on my way to drinking water all day - but, I still need that one can in the morning!:D I made it through yesterday. I'll just take one day at a time and hopefully work through this. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain that I'm not the only one that has gone through this. It's nice to know I have a friend on line like you to help me through the tough spots!:);):cool::exclamation:

Mal Lady

[LisaS]

if you are cutting back - do you really need a whole can? Can you buy a liter or small bottle and just have a few sips?

[Mal Lady]

Lisa,

Diet Rite in flavors around here don't come in bottles only cans. Thanks for the suggestion. That would be a great idea!

Mal Lady

[Miss Mousie]

You are definitely not the only one with pop addiction. I got addicted to soda when I was a kid, by the time I was in Jr. High I was drinking several a day. At that time I drank diet mostly and it was the cheap stuff because since my mom was buying it she bought what we could afford. As I got into High School I was drinking Tab cola like it was going out of style and I would buy Big Gulps at 7-11 and suck those down. At some point I switched to Pepsi. Lunch would consist of a bag of Doritos, a snickers candy bar and a pepsi and believe it or not I was thin at that time eating that crap. I think by the time I was in my late twenties or early thirties I was drinking close to a 6 pack a day. I had to start my morning with a soda as my morning "coffee" and I just kept drinking them all day. The caffeine didn't keep me awake but I've always suffered from headaches since High School and I never knew why. I just took Tylenol and lived with it.

So several years ago I got sick with a really bad flu and I was drinking more water and orange juice because that's what you drink when you are sick. I guess I was sick for about a week and went all week without a soda. When I got well I noticed that the craving for it was gone. I also noticed that my headaches went away. I guess it was the caffeine that was doing it. So I made a point to stay away from caffeinated beverages. I did get back into drinking non caffeinated beverages for awhile but when I started PPLP back in 2004 I stopped they were just too sweet. Now I crave water. I'm so glad that I was able to kick the caffeine/soda habit. I feel like an alcoholic in that if I take one drink I'll fall off the wagon. But sometimes the smell of the carmely goodness and the fizz just makes me want to take a sip......but I can't......I just can't.

Yep, there are lots of us out there:rolleyes:.

[Karole]

I really limited my soda intake when I realized it make me ravenous (sp?)afterwards (and that was the diet type. ) Now, I have it very, very rarely.

This summer they reported that the sodium benzoate in all sodas can cause Parkinsons disease (which my mother died of in 1999) She was a heavy pop drinker for as long as I can remember. That study may or may not be accurate, who knows, but I'm thinking I don't want to take the chance.

I read long, long ago that the fizzy stuff in soda depletes the calcium from our bones, but of course I ignored that for several years. I now have to take meds for bone density issues, so I probably did that to myself by consumming all that pop. If the studies are to be believed.

I have a good friend who absolutely did not drink water for years. Very minimal. She said it made her too cold and now she is under doctors orders to drink a lot of water as her kidneys are damaged to some degree. ( I don't know how much. ) She still was saying she just can't remember to drink and I told her to set a timer and take a drink every 15 min. or so. And to treat it like medicine, as that is what it actually is in her case.

We all have to do our own "life experiment " and learn from those experiences, and each reaction to a given food or drink is individual, but imho, soda has not much to offer and could be detrimental to good health. We are all here working too hard to achieve that, and have to decide for ourselves the best way to go about it.

Good luck with it, Mal, I know it isn't easy.

[Mal Lady]

WOW Carole!

I had heard about the bone density problem - I had a test about a year ago and I was fine. But, I didn't know about the kidneys! That is scary. OK, that is pretty convincing. I will definitely be ditching this stuff. I will need to rethink how I will take those meds in the morning, 'cause right now that's the only can of pop I drink. This is a tough one. I just can't use water for those. One taste of their bitterness and I vomit. Sometimes that even happens with the pop if I don't get them just right on my tongue.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a fruit flavored drink - probably not a lemon flavor - to bitter.

Mal Lady

[Omlette]

What about a carbonated flavored water? Those are 0 carb. It would let you get the meds down. Then switch to non-carbonated.

[Mal Lady]

Omlette,

I think that is a grand idea! I'm going to the store today and get some. It will help me wean off of pop. I've never tried those water and have been thinking about trying some for a long time!

Thanks!

Mal lady

[Karole]

Forgive me, I don't want to disappoint you but I have checked several of the flavored carbonated waters and all the ones I checked had sodium benzoate in them. I think it is a preservative. Also the carbonation is the ingredient that leaches calcium from bones. ( If I am wrong on this someone please correct me.)

Could you perhaps try some of those individual sugar free koolaid packs? They have several flavors and you can mix up about 17 oz. of water with a package . They would hopefully cover the taste of your meds. And you would be 17 oz. down the road to your water total.

Whatever you try, good luck and God bless.

[Gaelen]

Mal Lady, I have to take meds a.m. and p.m. Hate taking pills, always have. And some of my newer meds (the Xeloda, for instance) can't be taken with dairy.

I like the suggestion of the Kool-aid (or Crystal Light) drink packs in water if you can't drink water straight...but when I have pills I can't take with dairy (i.e., my protein shake) I indulge myself in 4-6 oz. of low sodium or no salt added V8 or tomato juice. About six carbs, and worth every tasty bit. ;-)

[Mal Lady]

You are definitely not the only one with pop addiction. I got addicted to soda when I was a kid, by the time I was in Jr. High I was drinking several a day. At that time I drank diet mostly and it was the cheap stuff because since my mom was buying it she bought what we could afford. As I got into High School I was drinking Tab cola like it was going out of style and I would buy Big Gulps at 7-11 and suck those down. At some point I switched to Pepsi. Lunch would consist of a bag of Doritos, a snickers candy bar and a pepsi and believe it or not I was thin at that time eating that crap. I think by the time I was in my late twenties or early thirties I was drinking close to a 6 pack a day. I had to start my morning with a soda as my morning "coffee" and I just kept drinking them all day.

Now I crave water. I'm so glad that I was able to kick the caffeine/soda habit. I feel like an alcoholic in that if I take one drink I'll fall off the wagon. But sometimes the smell of the carmely goodness and the fizz just makes me want to take a sip......but I can't......I just can't.

Yep, there are lots of us out there:rolleyes:.

Yeah, I drank pop ever since about 16 years old.

I got off pop almost completing when I di pp three years ago. About a year ago I got off the caffeinated pop. Now, DH on me about so much pop. I need to get off it, I just hate doing it!

I went and bought some carbonated fruit flavored water and it's yummy. So, I guess the next step will be to get off the carbonation and then I'll be better off. Just drink it with meds in the morning and water the rest of the day. :D:(:exclamation:

Mal Lady

[Mal Lady]

I like the suggestion of the Kool-aid (or Crystal Light) drink packs in water if you can't drink water straight...but when I have pills I can't take with dairy (i.e., my protein shake) I indulge myself in 4-6 oz. of low sodium or no salt added V8 or tomato juice. About six carbs, and worth every tasty bit. ;-)[/quote]

I can handle the Kool-aid and Crystal Light, there is no way I could drink V8 or Tomato juice. I don't have the stomach for that anytime

Mal Lady

[gitfiddle]

I love the low-sodium v-8 and I keep some in the office refrigerator. When salads aren't available, it's my vegetable with some meat and cheese for lunch. I buy the little cans to keep me from drinking too much, because I would!

In the summer, I make fruity herb tea and let it cool in the A/C. Then I drop in some ice and enjoy.

[Mal Lady]

In the summer, I make fruity herb tea and let it cool in the A/C. Then I drop in some ice and enjoy.[/quote]

Carol

I never was brought up around tea only coffee. I don't really drink much coffee either. V8 juice, i tried once and hated it. In the morning my stomach is so queasy, I can barely get eggs and bacon to look good. I have been this way all my life. These meds I'm on make it even worse. The Potassium tablets are like horse pills and very susceptible to powdering before going down which I have known to upchuck on numerous occasions. Prednisone is just plain bitter. If you let it sit on your tongue at all, you have this bitter taste in your mouth all day long.

I bought some fruit flavored sparkling water and worked really well. I will be trying the Koolaid, even DH suggested that last night.

I'll get through this. I thank everyone for their great suggestions. I appreciate each and everyone of you! You are what makes this site so wonderful! :):D:cool:;)

Mal Lady

[Mitra]

Mal Lady, I've found some potassium in capsules, which are much easier to swallow than the other sort. They're by Viridian - I don't know if they sell in USA, but they may not be the only ones to do the potassium in that form.

[Mal Lady]

Thanks for the tip. I can't buy just any potassium, these are prescribed by my physician. I am so depleted and have to monitor my levels that I need quite a bit. I think it has something to do with my thyroid medicine. I'm not making enough, I believe it's called hypothyroidism. Amyway, these meds are to be taken for life and the potassium needs to be of a consistant formula so I don't dip too low. The quanity is 20 MEQ twice a day so that is 40 MEQ which I heard is different than mg. I never exactly asked what the difference is in the formula.

I appreciate your thinking of it anyway!

[Gaelen]

Thanks for the tip. I can't buy just any potassium, these are prescribed by my physician. I am so depleted and have to monitor my levels that I need quite a bit. ... Amyway, these meds are to be taken for life and the potassium needs to be of a consistant formula so I don't dip too low. The quanity is 20 MEQ twice a day so that is 40 MEQ which I heard is different than mg. I never exactly asked what the difference is in the formula.

Yeah...I had to take those type of potassium pills for awhile, too, although eventually I got my own levels back to normal. I feel your pain, Mal Lady...I hate pills to begin with, and prescription doses of potassium are typically enormous.

I ground mine up and put it into juice...maybe you could dissolve them in the Koolaid?

[Mal Lady]

Gaelen,

That's a good idea. I haven't had too much problem lately, but, if I do get to that point, I will need to do that. :)

Thank-you!

[morg2625]

Hawaiian Punch Lite!!! 10 calories/ 2grams carbs /8 glass If you can stand the extra carbs it works out fine. What I do is flavor water with it (diluted about 90% ) that gives you the taste and you wont have to worry about the carbs messing you up.

[maxlharris]

I am addicted to coke flavored beverages. I just want to get that straight at the start. I am pretty sure they are not the best thing for me, even in diet format, even in splenda flavored format, even if they used stevia. Even if they weren't sweetened at all. Just want to have that straight at the outset.

I have found, through experimentation, that water actually tastes pretty good (if it can be said to taste like anything at all). It takes a while to adapt to enjoying water in it's own right. About a week, maybe two. But it has a clarity and sweetness and refreshingness all it's own.

Rather than find a work around with SF lemonade, crystal light or some other overly sweet concoction, why not take 14 days to see if you can kick the habit and drink water.

Just a thought.

[Cinnamon Blue]

After kicking the diet soda a few years back, I only drink water apart from the occasional Chinese or herbal tea. I'm quite used to it although I have the expense of the bottled stuff as fluoride is added to the tap water here.

Found this on an old Atkin's forum. Keep forgetting to try though...


Place one strawberry in a 32 oz water container (remember to count your carbohydrates) then place it in the fridge for approximately 30 min. Then, the water tastes sooo good and you get to eat the strawberry afterwards!

[Mal Lady]

C.B.

That sounds great! Even though I've pretty muched kicked the habit of cola. (I tried some last night when we went out for dinner). It didn't taste that great and I now know that water is OK!!!!! I will try the strawberry for a yummy treat!

Thanks for the tip!

Mal Lady