Weight Loss, Water, Practicing Discretion and Thanksgiving

My strategy for this upcoming (rapidly approaching) Thanksgiving holiday is pretty straight-forward.  I'm going to practice discretion and take it a day at a time.  How will I do this?

I will be sure I balance out my food intake as best I can.  I have to plan if I decide to indulge in something (giving up something else, for the extra calorie food item I may want instead).  

I am committing to NOT snacking - at least on non-vegetable items. 

I'm going to enjoy everything I want at our traditional holiday feast, but I'm going to practice discretion too.  No second helpings, except for vegetables. 

I'm going to watch portion control. 

I'm going to stay hydrated. 

And I'm going to go for a walk after the big meal. 

I'm going to avoid the typical holiday weight gain and still enjoy all my favorites!  This is my plan for Thanksgiving, my goal, and the steps I plan to take to make this happen.

It will be important for me to maintain my motivation.  In years past, this is the time I would most often quit dieting, with disasterous results.  Taking a diet "break" for Thanksgiving Thursday often led to extending the "break" through New Year's Eve.  So, I am taking actions now to maintain my motivation.  I am putting my goals in writing (above).  I may even put them on some post-it notes for my bathroom mirror, as a reminder over the holiday.  I have specific steps to take to meet the goals.

Now, I need to figure out how I would handle the "what ifs" - should I deviate from this.  Setbacks happen to everyone as they try to change behavior and long-established habits.  That is just part of the natural process.  If I don't have the "in case of emergency" plan - I'm more apt to wing it after a not-so-great decision, and I'd rather have a plan to implement in those instances.  Winging it only ever leads to weight gain for me, and that is NOT happening this year.  This year, I'm planning for success.

According to the SDDDY Challenge (Blog: Almost Gastric Bypass), which begins today, I am to drink a minimum of 121 oz. of fluid - given my current weight - by the time I go to bed tonight.  And then I need to repeat that, each day.  So, is it any wonder that today's motivational word is hydration? 

Water, we've all heard, helps in the weight loss process. 

I found an article online by Maia Appleby, entitled "Drinking Water and Weight Loss," that explains exactly how and why water actually (really) aids in the weight loss process.  I appreciated the explanation of why we run to the bathroom so much, the first few days of drinking all we should.  (And not to worry, as we KEEP UP the water intake to properly hydrate ourselves, our need to run so often to the bathroom will go away.  This is known as the "breakthrough point.")  Does it seem like the water is running right through me?  Yes, but actually it is flushing out a lot more than I apparently realize.  It is all good news!

WebMd.com has an article on the latest findings linking weight loss to water consumption.  It looks like drinking 16 oz. of water before meals can greatly affect weight loss efforts.  So, maybe I should pay a little attention to the timing of when I drink some of my water too, to better help my efforts.

SDDDY1 Update:

Calories today:  1572

Beverages today:  143 oz.  (about 18 glasses, spread throughout the day)

Day 112 and feeling well-watered!

Drinking Enough Water?

To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals. -- Benjamin Franklin

I have NOT been particularly good about drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day. But, I think that is going to change now.

Doing my usual reading, I ran across a few tidbits of information that were news to me.

I knew, of course, water is a good and necessary requirement for our bodies, but I didn't know (that is, until today) that when we are dehydrated, the kidneys turn to the liver for help. And THAT means the liver isn't paying as much attention to its fat-burning job.

I guess that is just another reason to keep up with my daily water requirements!

Pardon me, while I take a sip ...

I also read that any drop in the body's water content (or put another way, any slight increase in dehydration) results in all sorts of bodily/system adjustments. A drop in water content decreases the blood volume and saliva production. This, in turn, apparently sets off a change in chemical and hormonal processes that creates that sense of thirst humans experience.

And, I didn't know (until reading it today) that the reason our urine sometimes looks darker when we are dehydrated is because the kidneys conserve water when they sense dehydration. They conserve water by returning more of it to the bloodstream, and that results in more concentrated urine. Now I know.

Taking another sip ...

Fascinating thing, the human body.

Another water fact that was news to me ... thirst naturally lessens with age! So, as I get older, I need to make a point to drink water periodically, even if I don't feel thirsty. As the body ages, it naturally dries out a little bit. As an example, I read a newborn is 75%-80% water, but people over 70 are generally closer to 50%.

Who knew?

Refilling my glass ...

Then there were these little facts I ran across, just for fun:

The typical (or was it "average"?) adult body contains 45 liters of water, 30 of which circulate within the cells, 3 circulate in blood plasma (working to carry nutrients, etc.) and the remaining 12 make up interstitial fluid. (That surrounds cells, comprises various bodily secretions, etc.) Water, as it turns out, is vital to virtually every bodily system.

Taking a long, refreshing, drink ...

Most people require 6-8 glasses of water a day, to remain properly hydrated, but needs will vary (depending up exercise, heat, etc. and so forth). THIS I knew.

Taking another sip ...

And what water gives, caffiene can take away (think diet colas, coffee, etc.) so I guess I need to use that sparingly. (I admit to TWO glasses of diet cola last night with my dinner. Umpf.)

Savoring a nice long drink ...

And a sip ...

And another sip ...

So, if not already obvious, today (after reading all this stuff about water), I decided to ramp up my water intake - aiming for 8 glasses today.

I'm starting a water log.

Day 58 and rehydrating ...