In the olden days, I used to drink diet soda like it was going out of style. That was my main beverage, with water just a supplement. If I had my favorite sparkling water in the house, however, I’d easily quaff a 750 ml bottle of it a day, so when I started the BSD I stocked up on the good stuff figuring I could at least get a good way to the 2-3 liters a day goal with the fizzy water.

It didn’t really work. I drank the one bottle and aimed for four additional 12 oz glasses of tap water a day, but rarely achieved the goal. Then something I read on this very forum gave me a moment of clarity. I can’t remember who wrote it and the search terms are too general to return any usable results, but the person advised a freshman BSDer to “drink water like it’s your new job.” Reading that made me realize that my approach was way too leisurely. I sort of sipped throughout that day. That pace was never going to work.

So I implemented a new regime. Now, the first I do after wakeup and weigh is drink a full 12 oz of water in one fell swoop. I mean chug it down in four or five gulps. Then I immediately refill the glass and use the second 12 oz to wash down my supplements and allergy pills. There’s usually very little in the glass when I’m done with that, so I just down it too. Only then do I get to enjoy my favorite fizzy. When it’s finished, I down another 12 oz of tap water, and go on like that, alternating flat and sparkling or some other tasty beverage like herbal tea or apple cider vinegar water, until bedtime. Now my minimum water intake is 2.8 liters a day and usually goes well into the 3 liters bracket.

I see new BSDers struggle with it all the time because they’re “not water drinkers.” A lot of us were in the same boat. I think it would be cool to share how we got over that thorny problem. Do you have any tips for getting all your daily water down the hatch?

This is very helpful as I struggle to get into ‘water mode.’ I’m drinking far too much coffee with milk, diet drinks, mainly Pepsi Max and, the occasional glass or two of red wine. Its a trap I’ve fallen into whilst justifying to myself that all those drinks are OK. I like the idea of a more stricter / regimented process. Thanks.

What helps me during the day at work is to set the timer on my phone every 30 minutes – I sit at a desk most of the day so when the timer goes off I get up and walk to the kitchen, refill my water glass, then walk back to my desk. I then drink the glass of water between that and the next 30 minute alarm (or finish the glaas and then walk). Of course sometimes I’m in meetings so this doesn’t work, but I carry a bottle of water around with me and sip that. Other things to try are to put a slice of lemon/lime/orange in the water to give it some flavour.

Davidh, I didn’t go cold turkey cutting diet soda. I cut back drastically, from multiple cans a day to a single 8 oz glass bottle (it has to be glass) of Coke Zero a day, to a few a week, to one every two weeks, etc. If you convert the Pepsi Max from your main source of hydration to a treat, that’s a pretty fast route to water mode.

Also, perhaps flavored waters might help you detox. I’ve been exploring this area lately and found it quite satisfying. LaCroix and Dasani, among others, make sparkling waters that come in a million fruit flavors, no sugar, no sweetener. Just some remarkably accurate flavorings added to fizzy water. The LaCroix coconut is almost eerily like the real thing. It genuinely tastes like you’re eating coconut. If it weren’t delicious it would be disturbing.

I got some Dasani pineapple so I’m going to mix it with the coconut to make virgin pina coladas. And it’s all just sparkling water! Let it never be said we BSDers don’t know how to party.

SueBlue, I bow to your timed discipline! That system has the added advantage of ensuring you stand up every 30 minutes, which we’re supposed to do and I never remember to do. Thanks!

Thanks Esnecca, to be honest I’m not that disciplined – I try to be, and most days it works. But there are days I forget to put the timer on, or don’t finish the glass etc!
Another tip – Today I made some iced tea with a fruit tea – was delicious and made a change from plain water.

Hi all – whilst I’m not going to lay claim to being the originator of the comment, I have suggested that people should drink water ‘like it’s their second job’ and Esnecca you are right, with some people you just have to look at it as something that’s GOT to be done – no bones about it.

Before BSD I was a terrible water drinker – barely managing 500ml a DAY! And I just hate water – hate hate hate it! So I started by telling myself that if I didn’t drink enough I just wouldn’t lose weight, or it would stall and I would feel disappointed – basically I made it my saviour. I’m like you, I chug – there are different schools of thought on that one – it didn’t do me any harm. So 600ml first thing, then another as soon as I get to work at 8 (ish) or during the gym (8-9). Then another at 10. By then I’m up to 1800ml and figure that ‘just one more’ will see me right. But, of course, my body’s got used to the water and now I need to drink more otherwise I feel thirsty (and of course we all know that actually we feel hungry but it’s usually thirst) so I usually top the day at over 3 litres (at least 500ml in the afternoon and another with dinner). I also found the only herbal tea that I’ve ever liked the taste of – peppermint and licorice so a couple of mugs of that and I’m done.

One thing I would say is that I still really hate plain water and I have always used a very low carb lime squash in alternate glasses (as a reward). It’s done me no harm although I wouldn’t advocate it at the beginning of the plan as it does have artificial sweeteners etc but whatever gets that literage up!

I’m on maintenance now and am loving the new me 🙂

Esnecca: I’ll try it! Good advice. Thanks

I put bottles of tap water in the fridge at home so they are cold…really cold. I like that better. Slices of lemon or lime also. Bottles of fizzy water are now a treat! At work I fill up a jug from the water cooler so it’s just there in front of me…I need reminding. Right, I’ve reminded myself. Time for another drink of water…

I really don’t like plain water. For some reason it makes me cough when I drink it. I add two slices of cucumber to it and I am fine! Plus the added bonus of having a cucumber snack at the end of the glass!