I could use some advice.

There's a new water treatment facility at work. The military requires that the water "be safe to drink," so that's really as much as anyone strives for, apparently. It tastes and smells like a swimming pool, and leaves a terrible aftertaste (not unlike a swimming pool). I hate it.

I already carry a bag with my purse, shoes, and a notebook, plus my lunchbox (I carry my work shoes and wear tennis shoes because even in the closer places, it still requires walking through construction and on uneven pavement)on the walk in every day. I'm not sure I can add a gallon of water to my "lug it in" list. (We've been told, numerous times, to NOT bring big jugs of water and put them in the fridge, because they take up too much room. We also can't leave liquids uncapped/open anywhere in the building...I had wondered if leaving water out overnight would get rid of the chlorine.)

The only options I'm able to think of are: 1.) Suck it up and drink. It won't kill me. or 2.) Those per-bottle serving things of Crystal Light. Several co-workers use them, but I don't really want to put any more artificial sweetener in my system than I already am.

Is the artificial sweetener an okay trade-off if it gets me to drink more water (I finish one 25-oz bottle at work now, where I was managing three 20-oz before)? Should I fill bottles at home and lug them in every day?

D,
Sounds like you came up with some great ideas. I am not a water drinker. But, I find that the more I exercise the more I want water. Every day I have one or two bottles of water that I add Emergen-C to. Emergen-C is a powder made up of 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C, B complex vitamins, and some others in each packet. They have about 5 or 6 different flavors. I like the lemon/lime. And for those of you who rely on caffeine to get you going-Emergen-C gives you that energy kick without that jittery, sleeplessness feeling. Knock wood, I am the only one in my house who uses this stuff daily and while dd and my boyfriend had nasty colds last week I did not. Not sure if it was the Emergen-C but it could be. And, it gets me to drink more water and avoid sodas and other beverages with heavy calories.

Jill

I wanted to thank you ALL for the great ideas.

Peg, the mini-filter is WONDERFUL. I'm the envy of the office. I lock it up when I leave

I tried Chai tea, too, and kinda liked it okay! (Granted, it was from Starbucks, and probably a zillion fat & calories, but it was just the one). I bought some Celestial Seasonings chai and brought it in to work. I also brought in some milk and put it in the community fridge with my name clearly written on it.

Next day, the milk was all gone, except a tiny bit at the bottom. Sigh. So I brought one in the next week, with my name and "If you drink this, you're making a girl cry." on a label on the front. Apparently, people here like to make girls cry, because it got used, too.

BUT! I have found a solution. Soy (or other non-traditional) milk. Currently, Silk "Pumpkin Spice" sits alone in the fridge. No one else will touch the stuff. Wooo! And I like it in the tea (I've also liked the low-fat vanilla soymilk, rice milk, and almond milk), and don't find sweetener necessary.

We also found the small packets of Crystal Light, and I have one of those a day, along with a clean, Peg-filter-filtered bottle or two, and a mug of Chai tea. Yay!

(The fridges were scoured clean a couple of weeks ago--with about two weeks' notice. They've been clean ever since! People lost their lunchboxes, lunches, sodas, salad dressings...EVERYTHING got thrown away. It's heaven!)

quote:

Originally posted by D in St Pete:
This is where I get irritating and say I don't really like hot drinks and everyone rolls their eyes, right?

PS... I have lived in some places with some GROSS water. Chlorine/swimming pool water is a HUGE improvement over sulphur and rotten egg smelling water/tea.

So I be rolling my eyes, just a little bit... but I feel for you... a little.

I do believe your system is healthier when you drink enough what to replace what you lose on a daily basis. That said, all of the container ideas are good ones, if you are willing to try them. If asked, I'd say, look the water here tastes like a swimming pool, minimal standards of water treatment are not enough for my system. I am drinking this water. If you need a doc's cert then get it, and go for healthy.

Ding, ding, ding...I actually laid my hands on the travel tumbler Brita if you are interested. I wouldn't mind shipping it down to you. It's been on a shelf for several years and it needs to find a good home. PM me if you'd like it.

Peg

Thank you all

I wish I could buy a filter to put on the sink, but the only sink (aside from the bathrooms) is in the break room, which is shared by...well, about 100 people. 100 people who are not shy about sampling anything that isn't locked, labeled, or hidden. They owe me a small container of pesto!!!

Taking in a pitcher, though, and filtering my own water at my desk seems a pretty good deal, and I'll look for the Celestial Seasonings water flavorings. (My boss, who makes coffee, isn't a fan of the new water, either, so she might be willing to go halfsies with me on a pitcher.)

And it didn't cross my mind that there would be bottles WITH filters...I did a search and found several companies that sell 16 and 20 oz bottles with filters for under $15!

(Dawn, I might have been exaggerating...I've carried in bottles before, when the water was turned off, and they're just so dang HEAVY! Maybe if I carried them and did bicep/tricep exercises instead of lugging them in the bag...I wonder if the potential benefits would outweigh the strange reputation I'd get...)

I'm pretty sure that Brita used to make an individual cup w/filter and I bet that would work nicely but I don't see it on their website. I could almost swear I have one rattling around my house. If I come across it, I will let you know...

This water bottle has a built in filtration system that might work for you. I have one of these but haven't used it for a while. I couldn't discern any major difference in taste but our water isn't that bad. It is from Nikken which is direct sales so you'll need to hook up with a consultant if you want to try it. Many of their consultants will loan products for a test drive although I don't know about something that you suck on.
http://www.nikken.com/product.cfm?ThemeID=4&GetProductG...logy&GetProductID=21

What if you diluted the bad water with good water you brought in so you wouldn't have to carry so much in? Does that improve the taste enough? Or only brought in 1/2 of what you wanted to consume and choke down the other 1/2? Not great compromises but you'll probably like it better than my next suggestion...hehe

How about a lovely CamelBak in a nice neutral color to wear each and every day?

Peg

ETA: I know our fridges at work are very full but not generally the door shelves and I'm pretty sure there is a Brita designed for the door. Do you think you could get away with that? My other suggestion has a PITA factor to it but what if there was a shared Brita in the fridge? There is the issue of the costs of the filters, someone taking care of them, etc. though so I don't know if you are willing to deal with that and then of course, the flaky people who would drink the last of it and not refill it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: p7eggyc,

Can you bring a smaller amount of water to work? Why do you need to bring a whole gallon? I bring two bottles of water to work a day. We don't have any water in our office.
It is enough to get me through the work day.

Also, if you don't want to buy bottled water, you could get a nalgene bottle with a lid, and bring water from home.

Dawn

Celestial Seasonings is making some little packets to add to water. They are under the name of Zingers to go. They are all natural and sweetened with stevia. I just tried the peach and green tea flavor. It's very light, but good. Not as sweet or tangy as the crystal light packets, but no artificial sweetener.

I solved the very same problem at work by bringing in a Disposible Brita Filter and installing it on the closest sink. They're good for about a year, then you just remove it, throw the whole thing away, and install a new one.

Count me in the tea drinking group. I have a 36 oz. that I use daily for iced tea. It gets me through the entire day. I drink most of my water at home. (And I hate hot drinks, so you're not alone. )

Otherwise, I'm not much help other than suggesting that you keep a bottle of lemon juice or some other flavoring at work.

quote:

Originally posted by D in St Pete:
This is where I get irritating and say I don't really like hot drinks and everyone rolls their eyes, right?

We are all allowed to not like stuff.

Usually, I *like* water. And...maybe I'm making it up...I swear that I sleep cooler at night when I've had a good amount of water (it's so dang hot & humid here for so much of year). I'm not a fan of caffiene after lunch.

I'll look at some teas. I don't much care for the Lipton-type stuff, but maybe there are some herbal ones that would taste okay cooled off?

This is where I get irritating and say I don't really like hot drinks and everyone rolls their eyes, right?

Get the Brita water filter pitcher. Leave it on your desk. Fill it up in the morning and the water should taste much better.

You know that Tampa water is ranked among the worst in the country! Pepsi has a double reverse osmosis here for Aquafina. The water goes through the reverse osmosis twice before it is bottled.

I think the pitcher is your best bet thought. This way you don't have to carry water bottles around.

quote:

Originally posted by GoingSkiing:
I am not a purist. I don't think that a person needs to drink water in order to lose weight. A person needs to drink enough to be healthy and not be dehydrated obviously... but I am not in the camp of "you can only lose weight if you drink all of your water". Studies also confirm that. Drinking water will not make a person less hungry.

I drink most of my "water" with a tea bag dangling in it. No artificial sweeteners (or sugar, either). They are light to carry.

A good percentage of the world drinks their "water" after it is boiled with tea in it.

I am with Denise on this one. I've increased my water intake significantly-mostly when I was on WW because they insisted more water=more weight loss. I've gone through periods where i have consumed a lot of water-more so during the summer heat, and periods where I drink much, much less-like the winter. I've never noticed much difference w/or w/out water. I do think we get more water than we realize. And maybe not in it's purest form, but like Denise said-in her tea. Coffee-made w/water, tea-made with water, iced tea-water, many juices-water, water in food, etc. I know in WW they always said that any caffeinated products did not count, even if made with water. I don't know-you are consuming liquids either way. And while water may hydrate you and make you feel fuller, so do many other beverages. I no longer feel the need to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day.

Jill

Diana - You could always bring one of those pitchers with the built in filters and leave it at work. They also have water bottles with filters as well if you couldn't do a large pitcher.

I am not a purist. I don't think that a person needs to drink water in order to lose weight. A person needs to drink enough to be healthy and not be dehydrated obviously... but I am not in the camp of "you can only lose weight if you drink all of your water". Studies also confirm that. Drinking water will not make a person less hungry.

I drink most of my "water" with a tea bag dangling in it. No artificial sweeteners (or sugar, either). They are light to carry.

A good percentage of the world drinks their "water" after it is boiled with tea in it.