I Need More Water … Do You?
I’m sitting here staring at this gallon jug of water, wondering if I can make it go away. I suppose I could pour it down the sink, or use it to water the plants, but that’s not really going to get me to my goal. Like Dumbledore in his ill-fated quest for the horcrux, I must drink it. And drink it all. Unlike Dumbledore, however, I do not have excruciating pain and death to look forward to. The water will not poison me. It just looks like so very much, though.
My first goal in my new twelve-month journey to my ideal weight (and, of course, better health) is to establish a habit of drinking a gallon of water daily. I suppose that sounds like a lot. And, in a way, it is. But it’s a number based on the best, most recent science. And I know it is the first step to better health — and to weight loss.
While the recommendation for healthy people is a minimum of sixty-four ounces (half a gallon) daily, I really do need double that amount. For several reasons.
First, I am more than one hundred pounds overweight. Instead of the 115 I ought to weigh, I weigh 225. For someone who is merely five feet tall, this amount of excess weight is not only dangerous, it’s ludicrous-looking. While I don’t have quite the proportions of a beach ball, I’m certainly not comfortable with my shape. And it’s tough to find clothes that fit.
Research has shown that people who are dehydrated will not lose weight. They will retain every drop of water that their bodies can possibly conserve. A gallon of water weighs eight pounds. And while it might seem counter-productive to add eight pounds of water to my body every day, the fact is that once I am reliably getting adequate water, I will probably drop ten or twenty pounds of retained water.
Second, recent studies show that sixty-four ounces is truly a minimum — it’s the least amount necessary to sustain body functions. But various qualifiers should be considered. For overweight people, the recommendation is to add to the sixty-four ounces an additional eight ounces for each 25 pounds of excess weight. Or half your body weight in ounces (so if you weight 200 pounds, you should drink 100 oz.). Also, if you drink any caffeinated beverage, you should match it ounce-for-ounce with plain water. One cup of coffee in the morning? Then add another glass of water, because coffee is a diuretic — it leaches water from your body, so your body retains more water in self-defense.
Third, I have extremely dry skin that tends to eczema at the least provocation. Too stressed … too sweaty … too hot … too cold … too much makeup … too much fragrance … too much tomatoes … whatever. I break out. The only thing that seems to keep it under control is adequate hydration. Which means at least a half-gallon of water daily.
By whatever method you choose, I should be drinking 96 to 108 ounces of water, plus an additional 8 ounces if I have my cup of hot tea or hot coffee in the morning. A gallon of water is 128 ounces. So I should be drinking at least three-quarters of this jug of water every day. And I don’t. Surprisingly, as water is my drink of choice. I haven’t drunk soft drinks since 1990. I have one or two cups of hot coffee or tea some mornings, but not every morning. I’m just as likely to drink a glass of ice-water with my eggs in the morning as to drink anything else. I drive waiters crazy because I drink two to four glasses of water with every meal. And yet, the last time I paid attention, I was getting only 50 to 60 ounces of water a day. Not enough by any standards.
So my first goal is to give myself a gallon-a-day habit. And from the looks of this jug, it’s not going to be as easy as it sounds.