Water is life.

Earth is 70-80% water.

Fruits and vegetables are 70-80% water (some are even more)

Our bodies are (ideally) 70-80% water.

This should tell us something.

So as of today, I have three consecutive days under my belt of eating completely raw.  I have noticed a difference.  Extremely subtle, and not yet visible.  I move differently.  And today I’ve added what I think will be a crucial part of the regimen:  drinking more water.

My specific goal is to drink a gallon of water daily.  I have often heard things like “drink a gallon a day for better health,” and some experts have suggested that half your weight in ounces is a great intake goal.  Right now, I’m just aiming for a gallon.  That in itself would be a tremendous amount more than I normally take in.  I have a 20 oz glass bottle that I carry to work every day.  I would drink half upon rising, then fill it back up and drink the full 20 at work (mostly).  I have the type of job where I often can’t jump up and go to the bathroom if I need to, and that’s always been a worry that I’ve had.  (There were times when I would actually carry some of my water home, and wouldn’t drink any more that day.)  So with this commitment, I will have to time my jars some kind of way so that needing to go is less of a problem.

I guess I’ve always been so focused on the food I forgot about the importance of the water. I have read that some health experts believe it may not be necessary to drink as much water if you are consuming a water-rich diet of fresh fruits and vegetables.  I agree with that to an extent, but in my particular case, for the way I want to eat and the body type I am working towards, I don’t see myself eating large amounts of food, just small amounts of the right kind.

So I realized that I have some 32oz mason jars that I use for smoothies and juicing, and I decided that I would experiment (since it’s Saturday and I can go to the bathroom when I want) and see if I could drink four in a day.  This is day one of my water experiment, and this is what’s happened so far:

I drank the first full quart early in the morning and didn’t feel full.  My body just wanted it.  Later on I ate some raisins and started doing things around the house, and started to feel a dip in my energy, and my heartbeat was noticeable (something I’ve been experiencing for a while, on and off).  So instead of looking for something to eat, I filled up my jar and drank quart #2.  I just downed it.  Again, no full feeling.  Now I’m starting to think, “What’s this?”  Now, I usually don’t feel ‘thirsty,’ and I’m starting to wonder if I’m actually severely dehydrated.  I’m thinking about my dry skin and my red eyes and circulation issues and, most importantly, my heart.  Have all these things been suffering because of my lack of water?  As I write this post, I’m now finishing my third quart.  It’s only 2:00 in the afternoon, and it wasn’t until this jar that I felt the need to go to the bathroom!  Amazing.

In some of my previous attempts at weight loss, I was reluctant to drink a lot of water because of the idea of retaining it.   Andrew Cantley posted a very informative video to YouTube sharing the results he experienced after drinking a gallon of water a day for a year.  In the video he mentioned that, although someone may retain water initially, once the body knows that it will receive water in sufficient amounts, it will release it.

Ultimately,  If my increased water intake affects my weigh-in goal this week, so be it.  Water is life.  Water is a critical component of health.  Water = vibrance!