Monkey Shines

Start date: 05/12/10   248 pounds          

Today: 05/20/10  235 pounds       

Attitude:  Full.

If I could change one thing about my past, it would be my attitude toward water.

Donna:Water - Before

I could never stand to drink much plain water unless it was hot as hell outside and I was burning up.  Every so often, I would make a deal with myself to drink more water.

I bought a Brita.

I bought bottled water.

I bought flexi-straws.

It was no use. I would pour a glass of water and then it would sit there.

On this new diet, I must drink 120 ounces of water a day.  That is two ounces for every pound that I weigh. Only 32 ounces of this total can be flavored – like Crystal Light or decaffeinated coffee, tea or soda.

My water bottles holds 16 ounces. That means I have to drink.. um.. 16 guzinta 120 … carry the one…. open Excel… 7.5 bottles of water a day.

When I first started the program, I thought it was going to take all day and into the night to drink all that water. Now that I have been doing this a week, I polish off the first two bottles before I take a shower. I am usually finished with my water intake by about 4PM. I am now exceeding the recommended intake.

The difference is this: I am not hungry.

Donna:Water - After

The other difference is this: Suddenly, I recognize the difference between hunger and thirst. Oh! Laugh all you want, you skinny people. This is a huge thing (no pun intended) for fat people. For years, I have shoved food in my mouth to satisfy thirst.  Now, I am thirsty and I drink.   ::slapping my forehead:::  As my Grampa used to say, “Too soon old, too late smart”.

It took a couple of days for my body to get used to the extra liquids so that I am not constantly beating a path to the restroom.  There are other side effects as well – my skin is less dry, I don’t feel so sluggish and some scars have started disappearing faster.

So there you have it. 9 days into it. 13 pounds gone. Feeling great!