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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 2 April 2007 11:27 pm |
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I have a horrible track record for drinking water, yet I know from writing my tutorial topic Drinking Water Is Important for Weight Loss how important it is for both weight loss and health.
This April I'm challenging myself to drink three 8-ounce glasses of water every day. That's not as much as I should be drinking, but it's a 300% improvement over what I'm drinking now! My typical day includes a glass of OJ in the morning, sipping Diet Pepsi most all day long, and only a little water with my vitamins.
I've tried to start drinking more water as many times as I've given up Diet Pepsi and I never keep it up long enough to form a habit. I believe that if I commit to keeping it up through April and posting my results here it will do the trick.
If you'd like to challenge yourself, let us know how much water you set as your goal and post as often as you like to report your progress. You do as you like, but instead of posting a new Reply each time, I'm just going to Edit this post. Here goes!
April 02 - 
April 03 -
April 04 -
April 05 -
April 06 -
April 07 -
April 08 -
April 09 -
April 10 -
April 11 -
April 12 -
April 13 -
April 14 -
April 15 -
April 16 -
April 17 -
April 18 -
April 19 -
April 20 -
April 21 -
April 22 -
April 23 -
April 24 -
April 25 -
April 26 -
April 27 -
April 28 -
April 29 -
April 30 -
Success!
I didn't think much of this project during its first few weeks. It was a bother and I didn't think it was accomplishing much, keeping tabs on the number of glasses of water I was drinking. I also thought that my baby-steps goal of only three glasses a day was too easy, so I increased it to five.
After a week or two I did notice that it was becoming pretty routine drinking the five glasses a day. But it wasn't till the final days that I realized that I had formed a habit of it, and that was the whole point! I was suddenly very pleased with the project and excited to continue it.
It's important to point out that I never would have continued past the first few days if I hadn't committed to post daily in this forum. If I didn't know that at least a few of you would be wondering what was up if I just quit as I have so many times before. It really did help!
As successful as it was, I also realized that my habit of drinking diet soda all day long was getting in the way. How could I ever have an appetite for water when I was always sipping on something else?
So I've decided that as I continue working on increasing my consumption of water, I need to work on decreasing my consumption of diet soda. Thus my new personal challenge for May was born, Peter's May 2007 Water and Diet Soda Challenge.
Thanks to the hundreds of people who read this post during the month of April. It made a difference for me.
Peter
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Scoobees
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 3 April 2007 01:49 am |
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Ooohh - a new challenge - cool! Count me in. I am pretty consistent with my water intake but it could be higher.
Normally I drink between 3 - 4 water bottles daily. They are 16.9 oz each. A year ago it was closer to ZERO.  I would like to up this to 4 - 5 bottles daily.
April 1 
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5 
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9
April 10
April 11
April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15
April 16
April 17 so far
Thanks Peter! Love the glass & water bottle emoticons!!!!
Last edited on 18 April 2007 04:42 am by Scoobees
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Hisgal
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 3 April 2007 04:36 am |
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Peter ............great idea! So many need to drink more water, and we all know how important it is to our health.
I'm not going to join in, simply because I normally drink 12-18, 8 oz. glasses a day. But, I've got a hint for those of you who have trouble getting it all in.......actually 2 hints.
1. Keep it available.........keep it on your desk, in your car or where ever you go. If you don't have water available, you won't be drinking it.
2. Consider taking a liquid Vitamin or supplements. I take Vibe (you can check it out at Eniva.com) and also a calcium/magnesium supplement. I just started an extra calcium one too. Although I eat some cottage cheese, that's about the only dairy product I have. Anyway, the Vibe I mix in 14 oz. of water each morning, the Cal-Mag in 14 oz. and the plain Calcium in 8-10 oz. So, before I ever leave the house in the morning, I've already had 36-38 oz. of water
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 3 April 2007 04:42 am |
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April 22nd~I really have no idea how much water I have drunk between then and now. I think I'll start keeping tally again in May...Peter, this will keep going through May, won't it?
Last edited on 29 April 2007 10:02 pm by clarinetgurl
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SmallerMe
Senior Member
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Posted: 3 April 2007 06:13 am |
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Oh I am so IN :o) I was just telling Val I need to be challenged to drink up! Ok let's see... I want to drink 64oz of water that is only an extra bottle beyond what I am doing now ... and so hard to do hee hee
Ok I'm in for 64 oz starting tomorrow! Now I gotta figure out a way to keep track :o)
~SmallerMe 
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SmallerMe
Senior Member
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Posted: 4 April 2007 12:34 am |
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All righty!!  32 oz gone at this minute...32 oz to go :o) I'll knock out 16oz at dinner it's the next 16oz that I just can't seem to get too.. 
~SmallerMe
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StuckSara
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 4 April 2007 02:44 am |
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I agree with Hisgal with everything she said. I'm not going to join either because I drink a ton of water a day... anywhere between 80-100 oz. But I had another hint to add:
Invest in a biiiig water bottle. I have 3 that are 34 oz. and one that is 40 oz. It makes it seem like you're drinking a lot less. Then carry it with you (full) everywhere you go. Also, leave the lid twisted off of it, that way it's easy just to pick it up even if you're driving... I like to keep a straw in mine.
If you get sick of the simple taste of water, you can always put in some crystal light, or what I've been drinking lately is calorie free ice tea powder.
Good luck on your goals everyone!
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Babyjune
New Member
| Joined: | 8 March 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 29 |
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Posted: 4 April 2007 04:40 am |
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Count me in! I know I don't drink enough water. Somedays I'll be lucky if I get in 8 oz. So starting tomorrow I'm in.
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SmallerMe
Senior Member
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Posted: 4 April 2007 05:20 am |
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I made it!! actually went over by 8oz .........
Total today!! 72 oz Wooo hoooo
~SmallerMe
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tidesong
Senior Member
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Posted: 5 April 2007 07:28 am |
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Ha! This is something I have to do. Will figure this out after lunch. Mostly actually I just want to make sure I drink when thirsty!!! I don't even accomplish that sometimes ...
my personal representations
(250ml = )
(500ml= )
5th April:
Last edited on 5 April 2007 01:35 pm by tidesong
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MAMA BEAR
Senior Member
| Joined: | 8 July 2005 |
| Location: | Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 71 |
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Posted: 5 April 2007 01:30 pm |
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- APRIL 1 ...  Happy Annivesary to me & eating out I had a lot !!
- APRIL 2 ... WHERE'S THE BATHROOM 
- APRIL 3 ... A little less then the day before but I am working on it !!
- APRIL 4 ... Not much but at least I got some in me !!
- APRIL 5 ... Something to start my morning off
So ... Peter my dear friend count me in too !!
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morbidlemon
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 5 April 2007 03:45 pm |
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This is fun :D
As part of me making a fresh start diet wise with strict calorie counting and giving up my biggest vice [Pepsi  ] I've been aiming for four UK pints each day [according to google a US pint is different, hmm you learn something new every day]. And I've been pretty much sticking to it :) Luckily to work it out in terms of what everyone else is measuring by apparently UK and US fluid ounces are pretty close so my four pints equates to...80 fl oz. :D
A much needed improvement on what I used to drink.
Keep it up everyone! :D
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MAMA BEAR
Senior Member
| Joined: | 8 July 2005 |
| Location: | Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 71 |
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Posted: 6 April 2007 12:46 am |
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- APRIL 5 ... Something to start my morning off { at 6 am }
... So my grand total as of 5:45 pm APRIL 5th comes out to be ...
... So, once again find me a bathroom please !!!!!
See you all tomorrow !!
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 8 April 2007 07:17 pm |
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I don't think I'm going to get into the habit of drinking water through the day naturally until I give up my Diet Pepsi habit. Perhaps I'll do that in May!
As long as I have a Pepsi on my desk, I just don't think about water. So I "make" myself drink it when I'm in the kitchen or bathroom a few times a day.
Well, at least I'm drinking water which is important.
Peter
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SmallerMe
Senior Member
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Posted: 9 April 2007 07:21 pm |
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Hi Peter, I did just that .. I went from reg soda to diet and then I said forget it and went stone water lol now I drink nothing but ... You can do it!! :o)
I have done very well over the holiday I purchased 1pint bottled waters and it was gone in one sitting wooo hooo... So far so good I have increased it nicely!
~SmallerMe
....today so far 12 oz
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 9 April 2007 08:15 pm |
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I'm building up my interesting in doing a Quit Soda Pop challenge in May. Maybe if I posted on-line I'd stick to it!
Meantime, this is going well. But I don't think I can drink as much water as I should till I give up the soda pop. That's why I set my goal low.
Peter
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 16 April 2007 12:15 am |
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"which has become Peter's private water challenge"
??
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 16 April 2007 12:32 am |
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| He's got a point though, apart from you no-one else has updated for a few days!
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 16 April 2007 12:56 am |
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Okay clarinetgurl... yours and mine! 
I'll change the name back!
Haha just kidding about this. Anyway, it's helping me form a habit.
Peter
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Scoobees
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 16 April 2007 03:13 am |
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| There...I finally updated. Been keeping track in my journal but not here. Oops.
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 16 April 2007 05:38 am |
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Sorry, I know I am not doing very well, but at least it forces me to realize I very little water I drink if I don't make myself...
I will try to do better!
clar
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 16 April 2007 06:33 am |
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clarinetgur,
I'm not making progress, though I'm reaching my easy goal of just three a day.
But you bring up a good point... "journaling" is a good way to learn more about ourselves even when we don't have the best news to report.
Peter
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MamaBear
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 16 April 2007 08:43 am |
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I manage to have about 3 bottles of water a day (about 6 8 oz glasses) most days. When it's hot, besides the water, I add sports drinks, to keep the electrolytes behaving. If I try to "save" my calories, I end up sick. For those who don't mind a *real* "off" taste to the water, you can buy water with electrolytes, but it tastes terrible.
As mentioned on another thread, I'm allergic to chlorine, so tap water is pretty much out for me. It makes it, in a way, easier...as someone else mentioned, if I put a water bottle beside where I'm working, it'll end up empty without me thinking about it much.
I gave up soda pop (again) about a month ago. There are other ways I'd like to have my limited number of calories in a day. I'm also supposed to avoid caffeine so my blood pressure stays in the normal range (ah, isn't it great to hit middle age?).
Mamabear
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Hisgal
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 18 April 2007 04:06 am |
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Hey Peter ,
The soda pop challenge is a great idea! However, it is a nasty habit and not so easy to give up. Everybody is drinking it!
If I remember correctly, Feb. 27, 2006, was my last can of soda Now the only thing I drink out of a can is Light Minutemaid Lemonade (5 cal), very occasionally. The only bad thing about that is, when we go out to eat, if the water doesn't taste good or I want something other than water for a change...........I order a  glass of wine
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SmallerMe
Senior Member
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Posted: 22 April 2007 02:24 am |
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Hi Peter I have been doing the same getting my normal 48oz BUT I have all my bottles in the freezer so I am prepared for this week..... I am doing to do better!!
If it is ice cold I will drink up, so I'm ready
~SmallerMe
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 22 April 2007 02:32 am |
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SmallerMe,
I think I need to give up my Diet Pepsi habit to succeed at drinking a healthy amount of water. While my goal was an easy three glasses, I've settled into a daily routine of five. But I just chug them at regular times while I sip my DP most all day long.
So... I think I'll keep up this water challenge till I'm ready to start my Stop Diet Pepsi challenge. It's getting old and might hurry me along!
What I'm thinking is that once I give up with the Pepsi it might come more natural to be sipping water throughout the day. If you can believe it, I even sip on a can of DP while I'm working out at the gym!
Peter
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SmallerMe
Senior Member
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Posted: 22 April 2007 02:43 pm |
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If you can believe it, I even sip on a can of DP while I'm working out at the gym!
Peter
Noooooooo, lol now Peter I think you are right, I am anemic and I drank reg cola like crazy just to give me that ump I mean like 5-6 cans a day. I quit the day I made up my mind to get healthy and have never looked back. If you begin to drink ONLY water you will crave ONLY water quick like. It is natural, so natural to our bodies...
Now folks talked about headaches and being grumpy without the caffiene I saw none of that, for me it was just a switch.. and I HATED water, never drank water EVER lol and look at me now.. So if I can do it I know anyone can
Your next campaign sounds great, I wish I could join up but I don't do diet soda either lol just WATER
Hey by the way I love your group/site! I am glad I came aboard
~SmallerMe
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 22 April 2007 10:51 pm |
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HEY! Chugged water is better than no waterm give yourself some credit.
Just like drinking half my 20 oz water at lunch is better than chucking it in exchange for a diet mountain dew...
clar
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SmallerMe
Senior Member
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Posted: 23 April 2007 06:11 am |
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I made my h20 challenge .....75 oz woooo hoooo.. Now I need to do it again tomorrow lol
~SmallerMe
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morbidlemon
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 23 April 2007 12:58 pm |
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I haven't really been updating in regards to this challenge, but it has kept me motivated. I made so many changes to my diet when I joined these forums, one of them is drinking water. I hardly ever drink anything else now! I gave up my Pepsi [shamefully, I wasn't even drinking diet pepsi before  ], fruit juice [the sweetness of it really put me off drinking water] and I rarely drink milk now as I was so used to nibbling chocolate at the same time.
Mmm, went a bit off topic there. But I think drinking water has been a huge factor in my early weight loss success, and most days I've been managing the 64oz. Hurray for water
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EJ33
New Member
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Posted: 27 April 2007 03:37 pm |
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Peter,
We are in the same age range and come from the Pepsi generation. As a teen and in my 20's I use to drink like 100 ounces of Pepsi a day.
Pepsi hasn't been my drink for many years but drinking 4-5 glasses of diet soda every day had been my normal routine. I've never been one to drink water or milk and could go weeks without having a glass of either. Most days I'd drink a couple of cups of coffee, a glass of orange juice, and the diet sodas.
About 5 months ago I decided I was going to try to drink a lot more water. I force myself to drink 5-6 glasses of spring water every day. I still haven't developed a taste for water but I don't mind drinking the water. About the only time I enjoy drinking water is when it is 90 degrees out and I have just finished cutting the grass.
I heard a doctor say the body can only process about one glass of water an hour so I only drink 8 ounces of water at a time rather than trying to double up.
Instead of drinking orange juice in the morning with my meds I drink water instead. I also find that I'm drinking only one glass of diet soda a day. It seems like I end up drinking the same quantity of fluids each day but it has shifted to mostly water.
For years I've read that people should be drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day and that quantity sure seems like a real challenge. In recent years, I've noticed doctors saying we need 8-10 glasses of liquids a day. So when you add in things like coffee, juices and all the water we get from fruits and vegetables it is quite easy to get the equivalent of 8-10 glasses of liquids a day.
I know some people find water a great drink and drinking 8-10 glasses is easier than easy but that's not me.
Peter, it will interesting to see how much success you have at drinking a lot more water as time goes on.
EJ33
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 27 April 2007 08:47 pm |
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Thanks for sharing. I'm still thinking about giving up the Diet Pepsi but I have to be ready. The difference this time is that I'm going to commit to posting about it here as I have the water... so I may just make it embarrassingly small baby steps... like reducing it to two a day for the first month.
I've quit more times than I can count, but there's been no one to account to when I went back to it. At least here I'll feel somewhat self-conscious as I'll commit to posting about it.
I have been horribly impressed by our forum members who continue to keep up their diaries even when they have gone off track. It has always been my nature to be all or nothing... if I were eating poorly I wouldn't go anywhere near a forum (or OA meeting in the past).
Oh, and about the 8-10 glasses of water a day. Usually you hear 8 8-ounce glasses and that came from some U.S. government study. I quoted that from some article and had it in my Tutorial topic on water.
Then a user wrote me and told me it was a myth. You can actually find it on the Urgan Legend websites!
We all need to drink what our bodies need, and we're all different. In fact our needs are different most every day.
Peter
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 27 April 2007 09:16 pm |
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I had to laugh when only minutes after posting my above comments I received some family pictures from Christmas. My son-in-law has teased that any picture of me could be an ad for Diet Pepsi!
Peter
Attached Image (viewed 59 times):
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 29 April 2007 10:00 pm |
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Hmm. You know what? You look like what I would have thought you would look like, I think.
If that's confusing enough.
clar
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 30 April 2007 10:35 pm |
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Success!
I didn't think much of this project during its first few weeks. It was a bother and I didn't think it was accomplishing much, keeping tabs on the number of glasses of water I was drinking. I also thought that my baby-steps goal of only three glasses a day was too easy, so I increased it to five.
After a week or two I did notice that it was becoming pretty routine drinking the five glasses a day. But it wasn't till the final days that I realized that I had formed a habit of it, and that was the whole point! I was suddenly very pleased with the project and excited to continue it.
It's important to point out that I never would have continued past the first few days if I hadn't committed to post daily in this forum. If I didn't know that at least a few of you would be wondering what was up if I just quit as I have so many times before. It really did help!
As successful as it was, I also realized that my habit of drinking diet soda all day long was getting in the way. How could I ever have an appetite for water when I was always sipping on something else?
So I've decided that as I continue working on increasing my consumption of water, I need to work on decreasing my consumption of diet soda. Thus my new personal challenge for May was born, Peter's May 2007 Water and Diet Soda Challenge.
Thanks to the hundreds of people who read this post during the month of April. It made a difference for me.
Peter
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