Sunday, May 6, 2012

Water

The following are direct quotes from the book.

Krista Vernoff; Az Ferguson. The Game On! Diet: Kick Your Friend's Butt While Shrinking Your Own. HarperCollins.

Our body is about 60 percent water so it just makes sense that water would be good for us. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to our cells, and pretty much makes every function of our bodies run more smoothly. Meanwhile, lack of water leads to dehydration (and symptoms of even mild dehydration include fatigue, aches, pains, headaches, dry skin, dry mouth, and just generalized misery). And not to get all gross and bathroomy about it, but every day we lose water through breath, sweat, urine, and bowel movements. In addition, heat, humidity, altitude, illness, pregnancy, breast-feeding, and certain medications all contribute to dehydration and increase our need for water. Chances are your office is heated in the winter and the weather where you live is hot in the summer. Plus, you’re sweating at the gym and sweating more if you take a hot shower or bath at any point during the day. So you’re losing a lot of water. Most of us lose more than we put back in. So hydrating, a lot of hydrating, is a great thing for our health.
To Spruce Up Your Water… Squeeze in a splash of fresh lemon or lime juice. Add a few organic mint leaves and several slices of cucumber. Add the herbal tea of your choosing—my favorites are berry, citrus, or mint—and drink it hot or iced. If you are feeling anxious, try adding chamomile tea. It’s naturally sweet and has a calming effect. You can drink it hot or iced. Do not add sweeteners to your water! Sugar is too caloric and artificial sweeteners are freaking chemicals. You can’t put them in your body and call it water. Enjoy the herbal tea though. It’s deeeelicious.
When we don’t drink enough water our bodies go into crisis mode and retain excess water, keeping some in reserves just in case things go from bad to worse. As soon as we are drinking enough water, our brains signal our bodies that the dry spell is over and our bodies respond by emptying the stores (excreting the excess fluid). That’s why we all lose a bunch of weight in the first week of almost any diet or nutritional program. We gasp and say, “Wow, this diet is amazing! I lost five pounds overnight and my belly is flatter!” when all we’ve really done is fully hydrated ourselves. water can abate hunger pangs and give you a feeling of fullness. And a lack of water can make you feel hungry when you’re really just thirsty. So proper hydration is not only key to your health, it’s key to your healthy weight loss.
Q: Can I count my coffee/green tea/black tea/soda as water? A: No. We count only water and unsweetened herbal teas as water. Because several studies show that the caffeine, carbonation, sugars, and chemical sweeteners in other beverages can have detrimental effects. And this is our tricky little way of encouraging you to drink less of those other beverages. (Three liters of water doesn’t leave you thirsty for much else.) By the way, no soda is allowed while playing the game except on your day off and meal off! This includes diet soda!!
Play by the Rules Drink a minimum of 3 liters of water a day to earn 10 points a day. You get one day off from the water rule. Feel free to drink extra water, but you don’t get extra points. If you miss a liter, you can’t make it up the next day. Please buy a refillable water bottle—ideally, an aluminum or stainless steel one—and a water filter (so as not to destroy the planet). If you feel like you’re drowning in the first few days, stick with it; your body will adjust.

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