Drinking Nothing but Water Ruined My Life

When you read articles about the benefits of drinking water, none of them tell you that it will ruin the life that you know. So I took the water challenge and decided I would be drinking nothing but water from this point forward.

Let me back up and explain.

About 6-ish months ago I decided to make myself like drinking water. I hated the taste of water but I “knew” that it was good for me and that I probably should be drinking it. You read any health article and most if not all of them say to “drink more water”. The problem was that it was boring and just not tasty to me. I knew that if I really wanted to become a water drinker that I could “learn” to like drinking water just like I “learned” to like the taste of coffee back in college.

When I started this quest, I had no idea the impact it would have on my life.

I started the water challenge quite simply. One day after a bit of research, I decided to quit drinking all other beverages except water. Cold turkey.

Yep, you read that right.

No other beverages.

Just water.

Period.

Drinking just water sucked in the beginning. Going from drinking a gallon of sweet tea in a day to adjusting to the taste of water was tough. I yearned to drink something sweet. But I resisted the temptation because I wanted this. I wanted to be a water drinker and actually like it. I know that 99.9% of any challenge is mental so, I knew I had to push myself mentally through this challenge and it wasn’t going to be easy.

How Did I start Drinking More Water?

First, I had to figure out what would make me want to drink my water more. What would motivate me to keep filling up my cup with water. The first thing I did was to use my favorite cup. At the time, my favorite cup was a simple RTIC 20 oz. Stainless Steel Cup. This kept my water cold all day and I liked that. I found that if I made my water ice cold, like fill my entire glass with ice before adding actual water, made drinking water more tolerable in the beginning.

After about a week, I added a stainless steel straw into the mix because drinking out of a straw just makes everything taste better. I would definitely recommend the stainless steel straws with silicone rubber tips on the end to protect your teeth.

Getting through the first few days was the toughest. But I was dedicated to sticking with it.

As soon as my cup was empty, I would go fill it back up with ice and water. I never let my cup be empty and I always had it with me.

If I left the house, I took it with me.

When I went upstairs, I took it with me.

When I went to bed, I took it with me.

If I ate at a restaurant, I took it with me because sweet tea in restaurants taste like sugar water to me now.

Plain Water is the Best for Dehydration

My whole life it seems I’ve been dehydrated. Even though I gave up drinking soda and coffee several years ago, that still doesn’t mean I was doing any better in my choices since I never would drink water by itself. Instead of soda and coffee loaded with caffeine, I would drink sweet tea and fruit juice. It wasn’t until I challenged myself to drink water that I discovered that you can actually feel what it feels like to be properly hydrated.

No one tells you that drinking water will take work. Making yourself drink water takes a lot of will power. Fighting dehydration is a battle you must conquer every single day. I know when I haven’t been drinking enough water throughout the day because by the time dinner rolls around I have a very mild headache brewing. If I don’t take the time to drink a couple of cups of water right away then my mild headache can turn into a full blown migraine real quick. It’s as if my body says to me, “drink the water now, or suffer the consequences later”.

Go big or refill your cup a million times.

After several weeks of strictly only drinking water and no other type of beverages, I decided to purchase a bigger water bottle. I wanted to add the larger water bottle to my routine for several reasons. The main reason was because I was tired of having to stop what I was doing to go upstairs every few hours to refill my cup. The other reason is so that I can keep better track of how many ounces I am drinking throughout the day. I opted for a 64 oz water bottle because that it is how much water I am currently trying to drink every single day. 64 oz is half a gallon and perfect for me at this moment in my life. However, as I journey through life and grow more accustomed to drinking water on a daily basis that need may increase to a gallon, in which case I will only need to drink 2 64 oz water bottles to equal the equivalent of 1 gallon or 128 oz.

You WILL see changes in your body, especially if you are dehydrated, it just might take longer than you anticipate. For me, I didn’t begin to notice any significant changes until well into my second month of drinking water consistently. If you make it to 30 days, that is fantastic but don’t stop there. You have to keep going. This challenge is a lifestyle change not a quick fix solution.

I have been trying to hydrate my body for 30+ years with sugary junk. I know that a couple of months of drinking nothing but water isn’t going to be enough to give my body what it needs to thrive. I’m on the water challenge for life. There is a reason why water is the perfect beverage. Water gives every single cell in your body exactly what it needs to perform at its best.

Tips on How to Learn to like the Taste of Water (Challenge):

• Get a water bottle you like (that makes you happy every time you see it) and dedicate it to only drinking water out of.
• The bigger the bottle the better. I like to use a 64oz Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle like this one. It saves you from having to refill all the time. But, if you like the feeling of refilling your bottle constantly because it helps you keep track of how much you have drank then use a smaller bottle.
• Get a reusable straw if that’s your thing, it makes drinking water more fun.
• Add Ice if you like it really cold or drink it room temperature if that is more your thing.
• Stick with it till you like it. It might take 30 days or it could take 60, maybe even 90 days. Don’t give up. Keep. drinking. the water.

Water Challenge Results

Noticeable changes I’ve seen in my body after 3-ish months of drinking nothing but water.

• Frequent bathroom visits (yes, both 1 & 2 surprisingly)
• Smoother Skin
• Glowing, Brighter Looking Skin
• Energy no more fatigue (it is weird to not be tired all the time)
• Focus- no more trouble concentrating
• Bloating and Swelling reduced
• Under-eye circles will get noticeably lighter when properly hydrated
• Food tastes SO MUCH better
• Sugary Drinks are too sweet to drink now
• Migraines from dehydration are less frequent
• This may sound weird, but I can feel it in my veins.
• I started craving water instead of other beverages

Final Thoughts: Is it Worth it?

Drinking water has the ability to ruin your life as you know it right now. If you are not willing to change your routine or what you are used to, I would not recommend drinking nothing but water. The change you will more than likely see in your health will be positive. You will come across some uncomfortable situation like when you try to drink sweet tea from your favorite restaurant and be completely shocked by how sickening sweet it is. You will be amazed at how flavorful food tastes without the need for extra seasoning.

Without a doubt, drinking water is beyond worth it. I wish I had challenged myself to drink water sooner. For me, the difference I feel in my overall health, especially with migraines, has been life changing. I know it seems so simple and that this isn’t some revolutionary health tip because you’ve more than likely read about it everywhere. But if you don’t typically drink water in your day, or maybe you grew up not drinking water like me I want to encourage you to start. No matter how you choose to start, drinking any amount of water throughout your day is going to be beneficial.