Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

Since I've been on bed rest, I've completely lost my thirst.

I think partly b/c I'm not able to move around much, partly b/c there's hardly any room in my stomach b/c of the twins, and also that I'm having difficulty breathing.

My feet/ankles are ridiculously swollen & I know how important drinking a lot of water is in order to prevent preterm labor.

But I feel like my body is just fighting me when I try to drink .... And I have no natural desire to drink.

Any ideas?

Words of encouragement/motivation?

TIA

Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

Hang in there-try getting one of those big water jugs and fill it up. Just keep drinking througout the day. You need the water; the babies need it. Maybe add some lemon to it?

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

How about spiking the water with lemon or fruit juice?

Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

I like to make peach iced tea (decaf) and put splenda in. Sometimes I water it down a little more than usual, but it still helps me drink a lot more than I would of just regular water.

If you're watching tv, play drinking games with yourself. Like every time you see a political commercial, take a "shot" of 2 oz of water. Or if you're watching a gameshow on tv, every time the audience claps or the host says something stupid.

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

I tend to drink more when I'm drinking through a straw. Just be careful of taking in too much air b/c you'll get burpy then.

I also like really cold ice water so try adding ice cubes?

Like the other posters said, sometimes it's easier to drink water when it has a little flavor. Try lemon, lime or orange slices for some added "excitement."

If you can tolerate it, seltzer might be a good way to mix it up as well. I know seltzer just makes me feel bloated.

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

when i was pregnant w DS - i needed flavor, so i always had lemon in my water.

this pregnancy - i need the water to be ICE cold - i put sooo many ice cubes in a water bottle.

I also have 3- 20oz water bottles i use throughout the day and clean at night - i am always refilling them, so i know im getting a lot..

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

I switch it up between room temperature water and refrigerated water. I prefer cold water, so when I am tired of the warm, I gulp up the cold.

Also a must for me was LEMONS & LIMES. For some meals, I would put lime wedges in my water, some others I would put lemon wedges and some I even did a mixture of both limes and lemons. It made a big difference for me. I would drink double the amount when I flavored it with the fruit.

Also, if you like cranberry juice or some other fruit juice, you can try blending a little of that with water.

Also, what about water based ices? Like Marino's ices? When I was in the hospital they pushed those ices to help aid in the liquid only diets.

ETA: Also agree with straw!

Message edited 8/16/2012 6:10:10 PM.

Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

I fill water bottles with lemon and lime, oranges or raspberries and the flavor helps.

Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

straw, lemon and lots of ice

Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

I add splashes of juice to seltzer and also drink 1-2 glasses of crystal light a day too. This definitely helps get the water down. I usually do these things in between water.

Also I know you're on bedrest but keep a bottle next to your bed and when you get up in the morning to pee, drink half of it which is 1 cup.

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

I agree, you just have to do it. Fill up a gallon with water and give yourself goals throughout the day so that you have it finished by the end of the day..
Lemon/limes also help!

Also, how did I not know you were on bed rest???

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

i def agree with the straw!

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

Take a bottle of water and put it in the freezer until it is slushy.. Then eat/suck on the ice.. I lived on frozen/slushy home made "drinks" for my entire pregnancy. I can't stand water... It helped a lot!!

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

I just started drinking Cucumber Water. Fill a pitcher or water bottle with water and put in a few slices of cucumber. I know it sounds silly but it's the first time I'm able to actually drink any think in quantity. It's very refreshing. Like others have said, I like everything EXTREMELY cold.

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

hang in there!! How about Fruit to eat watermelon has alot of water in it! Maybe try snacking on food that has a high water count.

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

I always add flavor as in a lemon or something. Also if im not thirsty i eat a pretzel or something salty to make me thirsty so i will drink the water.

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

Is it a lack of flavor thing or just physically being able to drink that much water?

For me I didnt care about whether or not it tasted like anything, I just couldnt drink a lot, I never have. Then my dr told me how important it is to be very hydrated. Now I keep water bottles with me at all times. I'll force myself to drink them no matter how much I dont want to. Eventually I got used to it and now its really all I drink and want to drink.

I hope everything is okay, why are you on bedrest?

Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

if its a flavor thing, i would add lemon, or a fruit you like to give it a zest. i can't tand the taste of water alone so i always add lemon to it

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

this is what helps me:
a straw
a insulated bottle so it stays really cold
putting cucumber in the water (I don't lemon and lime in my water!)

Re: Any tips on forcing myself to drink more water?

I know this sounds really, really silly- but I always have good luck gulping down water when its in a wine glass. For some reason, it goes down easier for me!