February Water Challenge | I DID IT!

Well guys, I did it! I went the entire month of February, drinking absolutely nothing but water. I did share a little bit about doing this on my Snapchat, but I didn't get a chance to share with you guys here on TJE that I was going to do this. Some of my friends and family knew I was going to do it, but honestly, a lot of people didn't think I would make it the entire month. They thought I would make it maybe a week and then give in, but guess what? I DID IT! :) I feel extra proud of myself because to be honest, I've never been a huge fan of water. I know that sounds silly, but it's true! I've never drank as much water as I should drink, but as an adult I realize the importance of it. Old habits just die hard! I LOVE me some Sprite! I used to drink like 3-4 Sprites a day, which is TERRIBLE I know... but I was addicted! Honestly, I used to say give me ANYTHING but water and I'd be good.
When I decided that I was going to do this, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I had read articles and had conversations with people about the benefits of drinking a lot of water (clearer skin, healthier digestion, weight loss, etc.), and I thought to myself hmm.. I could use a healthy lifestyle change. See, after turning 25, it's like my body started hating me. Literally a few days after my birthday, I started noticing that I couldn't eat like a could just a few weeks before. My stomach would get really upset after eating fatty foods. At first, I didn't realize it was the way I was eating that was causing this (naive, I know), but once I realized it, I started TRYING to eat better and it helped a little. I knew that this point in my life that I really needed to buckle down and stop acting like I'm 16. So, I decided to recruit my husband and my mom, and push myself to drink only water for a month.
Here's what my rules were:
  • I was to drink 71 ounces of water per day. (I weighed 142 lbs. when I began and 71 ounces is half of that body weight.)
  • I originally told myself that after I completed the 71 ounces, I could drink whatever I wanted in that day. (This never happened. It took too long to drink all that water.)
  • Eating habits can stay the same. (Rome wasn't built in a day guys!)
 So my journey began February 1st and the first week was rough. I remember being at work and I had to use the bathroom... A LOT. I was literally going every 5 minutes! My drive to and from work is about 40 minutes right now and I would use the bathroom right before I left and by the time I got home, I'd be running to go again! It was crazy and I was beginning to feel a little annoyed by it, plus I was really craving a Sprite. I almost cheated, but I didn't! Oh, and my pee was so clear that it didn't look like I used the bathroom at all. I didn't think that was possible!

As the weeks went on, drinking the water each day became much easier and I actually found myself looking forward to drinking it. I finally understood what people mean when they say nothing quenches your thirst like water. I used to think they were crazy because my Sprites and I were doing just fine, but I get it now. Another thing I noticed was that I started craving healthier snacks. Don't get me wrong, I ate some Hot Cheetos in February.. a couple of times, as well as candy, cookies, and other horrible snacks, BUT I do recall some days really craving fresh fruits. I wanted apples and pineapples and having those things kept me from eating as much of the bad things.

As I previously mentioned above, my body forced me to make better food decisions long before I started this challenge and I will continue to do so. I ate a lot of grilled chicken, broccoli, turkey sandwiches, green beans, etc. Those were my go-to foods and I occasionally had Buffalo Wild Wings and I had pizza one night with my girl friends. I think cleaning my system out with water helped me to learn my body and what upsets my stomach and what doesn't. I now know when I can indulge and when I can't. OH... you know another big thing I noticed? My skin got so smooth that I was able to know EXACTLY what foods or products broke me out. It was like as soon as I would use something or eat something that my skin didn't like, BOOM, a bump! Removing a lot of bad things helped me to be more in tune with my skin and I am so happy about that. It's hard to figure it out when you are throwing a lot of bad in your body at once.

I am so happy that I was able to accomplish this goal. It has motivated me to continuously challenge myself. My skin is glowing, I have more energy, I no longer have my Sprite cravings, and to top it off, I lost six pounds y'all! I honestly couldn't believe it because I did not work out nor did I change my snack habits much and yet I still lost weight. It has me thinking about what would happen if I DID workout or change my snacking. I do want to be all around healthier and I encourage you all to take steps toward a healthier lifestyle, even if it is just little baby steps like me!

So now what will I do? Well, I plan to do a different, shorter challenge this month as well and I will let you guys know how that one goes. I am also planning to keep my cute pink water bottle with me at all times and drink as much as I can, just without the pressure this time. I want to incorporate fruits (lemon, limes, oranges, etc.) into my water this month and see if that makes a difference as well. Oh, and yesterday I did drink a Sprite and let me just tell y'all... it did NOT thrill me one bit. It took me hours to finish it and I honestly felt I needed a tall glass of water afterwards. Craziness right?! Who would have ever thought I'd turn down Sprite? Not me!

Have you guys ever done a water challenge? Are you planning on doing one? What have you done to live a healthier lifestyle? Tell me about it in the comments below!

Thank you so much for reading! xo

1 comment

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