Oh water, Nauseating water!

[happymomto4]

Okay, I can't be the only one who can't stand the water part of this WOE! I am nauseas just thinking about having to drink those 5 water bottles in the fridge. And I'm only shooting for 50 oz! Unless I am eating or exercising, drinking the water makes me want to throw up. And then, after forcing myself to drink--when I'm not thirsty--I get indigestion! No joke. Indegestion now after three weeks on Atkins is much worse than it ever was when I was eating too much junk. Yes, I try to spread the drinking out through the day, but that just leaves me feeling sick most of the day.

The funny part is, that I used to drink 2 44oz Fountain drinks (Pepsi) a day. Now I can't get anywhere near that much liquid. I must be doing something wrong. Thoughts? Suggestions?

[Amylynn920]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

Crystal light gets me through the water. Maybe that can help you.

[Evansmom49]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

Crystal Light contains aspartame, not allowed on Atkins.

Have you tried fresh lemon or lime slices?

[Elizellen]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

I find that having water in a sports-top bottle with me at all times allows me to keep taking sips throughout the day without seeming too much.

I got into the habit of sipping each time the computer screen refreshes after posting and find the bottle seems to empty itself without me thinking about drinking

[msanjelpie]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

I also use Crystal Light to get my water down. Otherwise I wouldn't be drinking anything at all... I can't STAND water by itself. I know aspartame stalls 20% of people, but I figure getting water into my body is more important. My overall liquid intake has increased since I started on the CL and my lips aren't peeling from dehydration anymore.

[happymomto4]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

Thank you for the tips and support. I found a slew of other posts (still learning to navigate this site) from people struggling to swallow all that water as well, so I see that I am not alone. I like the suggestions about sipping all day long--especially while the computer screen is refreshing. I'll try it and see how it goes. Unfortunately, there aren't any sweeteners that agree with me and my tendency for migraines, so nothing artificial in the water for me. Thanks again.

[EverLosing]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

In the beginning, I felt the same way. I used the fact that I couldn't stand it as a challenge to make myself drink it. You said something that sounded familiar to me. You can't stand it EXCEPT when you're eating or exercising. What a wonderful excuse to make yourself exercise!! I started by walking and lifting weights. Then, I began using other pieces of exercise equipment. You cannot exert yourself without the need to water yourself. The absolute minimum amount of water to take in is 64 ounces. Most people agree around here you need 64 plus an extra 8 ounces for every 10 pounds you need to lose. That's a lot of water! Makes 64 ounces pale in comparison!

[sham]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

I used to also drink loads of diet pepsi but weeks ago i started drinking water because i was stalling and read on the posts that soda can cause that i then started drinking water with lemon barley water in in sugar free of course only added a bit for taste because it tasted nasty now i have started refrigerating mineral water bottles and i have to say cold water tastes nice and i can easily drink it plain.Since its summer nice weather that helps i regularly feel thirsty.HAPPY DRINKING!

[imagood1]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

January 4, 2009 I didn't drink any water....I started Atkins January 5, 2009 and decided since the book said a minimum of 64 ounces (more if you have a lot of weight to loose) I would get my 30oz hospital mug out of the cupboard and fill it up at least 3 times a day. I drink 5 of them (150oz) of water a day.

Do I "LIKE" water...yes I do. DID I "LIKE" water before - NO...I know this is good for my health. I don't use anything in the water because Dr Atkins didn't say Crystal Lite is what I'm recommending 64 ounces of a day -- he said water...PURE water. If you feel you have to add something other than ice....float a slice of lemon or lime in the water and drink it....personally I don't want to drink my carbs - I'd rather have an extra vegetable daily.

Think of it this way, if your life depended on drinking pure water daily wouldn't you do it? If you use to drink that much soda you can change you ways and drink that much water. You are only a few days into the plan - this is the time to change your old habits and start new habits...drink water not crystal lite or any other fake waters.

I sent you the types of water allowed when you started - just to jog your memory here they are again:

Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day, including:
Filtered water
Mineral water
Spring water
Tap water

After your 64 ounces you can have the following:
Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label)
Club soda
Cream, heavy or light (limit to two to three Tablespoons a day; note carb content)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea*
Diet soda made with sucralose (Splenda); be sure to count the carbs (may cause a stall in weight loss)
Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories" and should not contain aspartame)
Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added)
Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carbohydrate per ounce); limit to two to three Tablespoons

*Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar and should be avoided by those who suspect they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine.

Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not allowed. Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are an option, in moderation, in later phases

[chinadoll]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

Sipping small amounts at a time helps a lot. A slice of lemon in the water is a far better solution than Crystal Light. We are only allowed 3 sweeteners a day and no aspartame so you would still need to be drinking a substantial amount of plain water anyway.

You will find that your consumption will increase over time. I had a hard time at the beginning and now drink about 100 ounces a day and some days even more. Your body builds up to it. Rather than fill 5 bottles (they seem so daunting) just keep a sinle sport bottle and sip all the time. Make a mental note when you refill it as to how many times you have done so. I like a 24 ounce bottle and just shoot for 4-5 fills a day.

[jgurl1026]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

I try to average half my weight in ounces, which is what is recommended by the way..

so right now I weigh 226..that leaves me with 113 ounces of water to drink per day.

My routine consists of this...
i drink 7, 16.9 oz water bottles (that's the average size for a water bottle).. but it's spread out through the day.. before i leave the house in the morning during the week, i drink a bottle with a serving of Benefiber and a crystal light to-go packet with my vitamins (multi vitamin, potassium, magnesium, L-Glutamine, Fish Oil, and Calcium) and an Atkins Daybreak bar (the atkins daybreak bar is safe for induction.. i know it says 2 net carbs on the front of the box, but the FDA does not allow them to put other glycerins on the label that count as a different time of sugar alcohol / fiber)...

Then i have a bottle of plain water throughout my morning at work..

then another bottle with lunch that again has the crystal light and benefiber with my vitamins and lunch...

then i try to drink about 1-2 more bottles of plain water before I leave the office at 5pm...

that way when i get home I only have 1 more bottle of plain water to drink throughout the night till bedtime in addition to the last bottle of water i have with the crystal light, benefiber, and vitamins with my dinner.

so that in total leaves me between 6-7 16.9 oz bottled water consumption for the day.. and that includes the 64 oz of PURE WATER for the day

So that's my basic weekday routine that i stick by!! and the aspartyme has not stalled me yet.. i keep losing 3-4 lbs per week and have been doing it for about a month now religously. The key is to drink your water, take vitamins ( i recommend potassium as that is suppose to really help with water retention), watch your portions, log ALL of the food and carbs you eat, and stay active. When i say active, you don't have to go have a stenuous workout.. i walk my dog on average 4-5 days a week 2.5-3 miles at a time that takes us about an hour to walk..so we aren't walking at a fast pace. So the activety will bring back your thirst as well...

sorry i went a little off topic there....lol!!! i'm just so excited to see my results! i feel so much better, and more energy, and people are really starting to notice that i'm losing weight! wooohooo!! sacraficing the fact that you don't "like" water is worth the cost of being healthy and feeling great!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

[msanjelpie]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

Atkins Daybreak bars are not allowed on induction as they include ingredients that are not on the induction allowed foods list...

[Georgiana]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

jgurl, you are having 3 servings of Crystal Light and 1 Day Break, so that's 4 servings of sweetener per day (I assume one packet of Crystal Light is one serving, right?). The limit is 3.

In any case, we've seen many members who had problems losing (i.e. either losing slower or stalling) when having aspartame-sweetened drinks or Atkins bars/shakes. So no one should assume that just because someone can get away eating these foods, they are okay to have for everyone. There is a reason why Dr. Atkins wanted us to avoid aspartame and to focus on whole, minimally-processed foods, and I'd recommend following the rules in DANDR as that is what works best for most folks.

Back to water. It gets easier if you stick to it. Did you try drinking colder water? Or warmer? For me it's much easier to drink cold water. I just find the warm one yucky. I also prefer filtered water instead of tap water... [yes, I'm spoiled ]

I got into the habit of sipping each time the computer screen refreshes after posting and find the bottle seems to empty itself without me thinking about drinking

Hmm... this sounds familiar... Maybe we should make it a rule. Everybody has to drink min. 4 oz of water for every new reply they make and 8 oz of water for every new thread.

[Dorrie]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

I was drinking crystal light but I find it sooo strong so I water it right down...2 carbs all together for 4 -500 ml bottles. I mix them up in a big jug and sip away....to watch the carb intake I add even more water to my drink untill I can barely taste it. Right now it is just like "flavoured water". If I drink 64oz in 1 day it is 64oz more than what I ever drank before!!!!

[imagood1]

Re: Oh water, Nauseating water!

I was drinking crystal light but I find it sooo strong so I water it right down...2 carbs all together for 4 -500 ml bottles. I mix them up in a big jug and sip away....to watch the carb intake I add even more water to my drink untill I can barely taste it. Right now it is just like "flavoured water". If I drink 64oz in 1 day it is 64oz more than what I ever drank before!!!!

so if you can barely taste it why bother to add it? Pure water is still better for you than anything added -- if you need "flavored water" float lemon or lime slices in your big jug of water -- that way you aren't adding any unnatural ingredients to your body.