What I Learned From Drinking 1 Gallon of Water a Day for a Month

Last month I challenged myself to drink 1 gallon of water a day.

I had heard that drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day would all sorts of great things for me, so I thought I’d give it a go. After all, what did I have to lose besides maybe some free time and additional trips to the loo?  Based on my limited research, here’s what I expected to happen from this whole experiment:

1. Better skin – No. I saw no improvement.
2. Better sleep – Yes. Which actually, I was a little surprised at.
3. More energy – Maybe. I couldn’t tell. I mean, I’m a pretty high strung/active person to begin with and I really don’t think I got more projects done in February than in January. I did get a little more of a workout though becuase I found myself having to use the loo at least once an hour.
4. Less headaches – Yes.
5. Reduced sugar cravings – I wish. I think there are just some people who are hardwired to CRAVE sugar. I have been in love with candy, cookies and all things sweet since I was a kid. Some people like potato chips, or wine or soda. For me, I have two vices: tea and sweets. And you know what, I’m okay with that. I think I have incredible willpower… but sugar, sugar is my kryptonite.
6. Shinier hair – No.
7. Shrinkage of Muffy the muffin top – Debateable. Although I did lose 2 pounds last month, I think it was because there were two weeks in there that we didn’t go to a bakery. But maybe not. Maybe drinking all that water did help shrink Muffy. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe Muffy’s shrinkage might have also had to do with not drinking as much milk as I normally would have {I always put it in my tea}.

So, what did I learn from drinking a gallon of water a day for an entire month? Honestly? There was no epiphany. No “Oh my gosh, choking down a gallon of water a day is the best thing ever.” Nope. In fact, after about 4 days of drinking cold water {sometimes with lemon juice or strawberries floating around in it} I longed for my 15 cups decaf tea a day {with milk and sugar} and switched from cold water to drinking warm water with lemon in it.

Will I continue drinking so much water? Yes and no. While I probably won’t be tossing my tea collection in the garbage anytime soon, the last few days I have fallen into the habit of drinking 2 cups of tea {with milk and sugar} in the morning and one cup of tea in the afternoon and drinking either warm or flavored water throughout the rest of the day.

I think scaling back on my tea {and milk and sugar} addiction is a good thing. But you know what they say… everything in moderation.

~Mavis

P.S. – Are you getting enough fluids? How much water do YOU drink a day?