Think you're hungry? Grab some water.

My body will get what it needs, or it will keep trying and keep trying.  I have come to realize that at least some of my weight has gone on in my bodies daily quest for the hydration, minerals, or vitamins that my body needs.  Not most, not even a lot.  Just some of it.

It has taken me months to get into this habit.  When I think I am hungry, I will go and grab a 16oz glass of water and drink it down.  I have a plastic measuring cup that measures out 20 oz, so I just fill that every morning.  So, I guess I drink 20 oz.  But, I digress...back to topic!  I have never been in the habit of drinking plain water.  On the plus side is the fact that I am also not in the habit of drinking soda.  I do not like the way that it fizzes in my mouth.  It is an uncomfortable feeling to me.  So, that has been a plus in my life.  I do not have the soda cravings that I have heard other people complaining about when they start Paleo - bonus.  I also am not a big consumer of liquids, and historically have never been.

I think that a small (very small) amount of my weight issues can be traced to the fact that I have never given my body enough water, and so my body has figured out to give me the "I'm hungry" signal in order to get food from which it can draw water.  Of course, a food that it is easy for your body to draw water from is carbohydrates.  I am coming to realize that my body, rather then being a crazed entity that loves to store fat, is a wondrously efficient machine that has had to constantly create "work arounds" for my nutritional idiocy.

I started by filling up a 2 liter pitcher with water, and making sure that I drank it all. That guaranteed the "8 cup minimum" - using quotes because of the many theories out there about how much, or how little, water any one person must ingest for healthful benefits- and, for me, that helped to decrease my urge to snack, nibble, eat, or graze my way through my day.

Now, when I get an urge to snack, I will go and get a big glass of water, drink it, and then wait 10 minutes.  If I am still hungry, I will get a snack.  I am surprised by how often the urge to graze goes away simply with water.

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