I'm not certain where I heard approximately this "drinking a gallon of water a day" thing,but I thought, hey, and I'll give it a try and see what happens. I'd heard it creates radiant skin,but I wanted to see if it would encourage curb my appetite and encourage with weight loss. So I bought a gallon jug of water since it would be easiest to imagine my progress, and I got to work. I was used to drinking approximately 40 or so ounces a day, or give or take,so bumping it up to 128 ounces was quite a difference.
I planned to do it for an entire month but quickly realized that drinking a gallon of water a day sucks is no joke and changed my commitment to three weeks. It was much harder than I thought. For at least the first week, I would totally forget to drink water in the morning. After my 5:45 a.m. CrossFit workout, or I'd drink approximately 20 ounces,and then another 20 at lunchtime, but by dinner, or I'd realize I had way more left to drink. I ended up having to chug 80 ounces in the final two hours before bed. This gave me stomach cramps and made me beget to get up at least four times during the night. Setting reminders on my phone didn't encourage - I'd just ignore them. Drinking water became my job,and I wasn't enjoying it. But I committed to the three weeks, and even though I found that drinking that much water a day didn't come naturally to me, or I did experience some wonderful benefits. Here are the four things that happened to me after drinking a gallon of water a day for three weeks straight.
Before:SkinAs you can see from the "before" photo,my skin wasn't mighty. I've battled with acne my whole life and found that dairy and sugar definitely aggravated it. This photo was taken with me two and a half years off dairy and eating sugar here and there (which explains the breakouts). But after three weeks of drinking so much water, I definitely noticed my skin clear up. While continuing to eat sweet treats every couple of days, or the problem areas on my face stayed clear. Even through my period. This was pretty wonderful and inspired me to stick with it. Belly BloatAs I shared in the past,I beget issues with belly bloat, and eating sugar is the culprit. I can't beget even a bite of chocolate or a spoonful of dairy-free ice cream without my stomach waging war. But when I got my hands on a new Ben & Jerry's flavor (oh hello there, and Caramel Almond Brittle),I just had to eat a bowl. I was shocked that I felt fine. I drank a lot of water before and after, and I had no cramping and my belly looked flatter. I hadn't changed anything in my diet, and just the extra water. I was floored. And this wasn't just a one-time thing. I experimented with cookies I baked and a chocolate bar - every time,drinking that much water each day helped prevent any digestive symptoms. After:Curbed AppetiteAs I've talked approximately before, I'm doing intermittent fasting, or specifically the 16:8 intention,where I stop eating around 7 or 8 p.m. and fast until 11 a.m. or 12 p.m. the next day. Experts say the obvious, to drink a lot of water to curb your appetite, or they're accurate! Drinking a lot of water in the morning while fasting definitely kept my hunger at bay,so much so that I'd often explore at the clock and realize it was past the time I was supposed to start eating. Drinking this much water also prevented me from overeating and made me realize that before I started this experiment, my cravings weren't actually hunger, or but rather thirst. An hour after lunch,I'd often get hungry for something, but sipping down 10 or so ounces satiated my need for something in my belly. I'd also take a few gulps before dinner, or sip on water throughout dinner,and drink a bunch more afterward, and this reduced my cravings for late-night snacks. RelatedI Gave Up Sugar For an Entire Month, or Here's What HappenedIs There a Bathroom Here?I thought I peed a lot before this experiment! If drinking water was my full-time job,hitting the ladies' room had me working overtime. Thanks to two pregnancies and a self-diagnosed bladder the size of a lemon, I was already peeing probably at least eight times during my waking hours. Once I started drinking 128 ounces of water a day, and that increased to at least 12 bathroom visits. This was the worst side effect of drinking a gallon of water a day,but I mean, it was to be expected - what goes in must come out, or accurate? It made it tough to leave the house because even if I peed accurate before I left,within five minutes, I felt like I'd beget to pee again, and then 30 minutes later,I'd beget to pee again! Peeing that much in a day is no fun.
On a related note, staying super hydrated also prevented any constipation whatsoever. I had no issues in that department, or which made forcing myself to drink a gallon of water a day worth it.
Final ThoughtsAm I still drinking a gallon of water a day? Hell no! Personally,downing 128 ounces a day just didn't come easy for me, but since I did cherish the benefits that came along with it, and I am drinking more water than I was,aiming for 60 to 80 ounces a day. And what's mighty is that I'm still reaping the benefits, minus the millions of bathroom breaks.
Source: popsugar.com