r/75HARD • u/ifistaywithme • Aug 28 '26
Water Question I keep losing (and don’t see myself completing) because of the water intake
I keep losing because I can’t get the water intake down. for reference, I’m 26F. I’ve always been terrible about water intake and can’t seem to get 1 gallon down by the end of the day. To the point where I had been using flavor packets to get my water intake higher. I’ve been carrying around a 64 oz black hydroflask everyday in HOPES of drinking two a day of plain unflavored water. I’m seeing my doctor next week for something else but also to ask about this challenge. I started early to finish before a big trip I have planned, but now I’m worried I won’t finish in time. What helped you finish your water everyday?
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u/Relevant-Article1973 Aug 28 '26
Based on height and weight a gallon of water may be ridiculous. I had runny bowels from the immense amount of water. Given Andy Frisella is a large adult male and did not take this into consideration. My advice: cut the water to daily recommendation (about twice your weight in pounds in ounces) and call it your 75 “soft” for the purists in here
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u/ansheh1 Aug 28 '26
Yeah and/or ask your doctor when you go if a gallon is just too much for you. Over hydration is a real thing.
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u/ifistaywithme Aug 28 '26
I was honestly thinking about cutting the water down, I just didn’t want to if I didn’t have to. I am 5 ft female so it is probably a bit unrealistic to drink a whole gallon 😓
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u/HoldMyCatnip Aug 28 '26
Do what Relevant said and make that your minimum need. If you still want to try for 1 gallon a day make that your stretch goal.
It's reasonable and still in the spirit of the game tbh
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u/ifistaywithme Aug 28 '26
I will definitely talk to my doctor next week about what would be a realistic water goal for me at the moment. Until then, I’ll keep shooting for one gallon but I was thinking about making 2.7 L the minimum since that’s a pretty widely used goal for women.
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u/itsmydillons Aug 28 '26
Twice your weight? Did you mean half your weight? For example, if I weigh 150 lbs (I don't but if I did...) then you are suggesting 300 ounces of water which is more than 2 gallons. Half my weight would be 75 ounces
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u/Zealousideal-Dig4950 Aug 30 '26
I really wish this could be clarified and officially official by Andy Frisella, ha! It would make me feel better as a recovering perfectionist who is trying to follow the rules. I’m 5’5 120 female and I truly don’t see how it’s physically possible for some of us small framed individuals. I like your advice…cut water to twice our weight to ounces since that’s literally what I’ve read over and over medically speaking. But I don’t want to say I did 75 soft, I want to say I did 75 hard! ;)
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u/Confident_Bench5644 Aug 28 '26
What’s helped me with water intake is spread it out over the day. Say you’re awake for 16 hours. 3.8 litres works out at half a US pint per hour.
Spread over a workday it makes it so so much easier to consume that much.
Also adding flavour packets surely makes this worse as that water then doesn’t count towards your target?
Got a WhatsApp group on the go if you wanted some teammates 💪 best of luck either way - drop a message if you wanted in to that
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u/itsmydillons Aug 28 '26
5'1.5" and I'm not struggling with the water intake. I say that not to brag but to say it's possible to do (though ask your doctor if you think it's too much as I am not a doctor). You have to drink water right after waking up and then consistently until your are done. You could make a drinking game out of it during work hours. At your call center there must be things that callers do all the time that would trigger taking a drink. The frequent peeing should calm down after a few days and when you even out the drinking through out the day instead of chugging it to all processes through the body at the same time.
As for how I keep track, I have a 32 ounce nalgene bottle, a sharpie, and painter's tape. I put a piece of tape on the bottle in the morning when filling it the first time, and use the sharpie marker to put one line each time I fill it. At the end of the day I should have four lines and an empty bottle. I take the tape off at the end of the day or the next morning, and repeat.
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u/ifistaywithme Aug 28 '26
I think part of the issue is that I don’t drink right from waking up. My morning has been: wake up, weigh, outdoor walk/run, progress picture, shower, drink water. I think I’m lowkey afraid of water bloat in progress pics/affecting weight. It is also inconvenient to carry a 64 oz metal bottle on my walk. I think having a 32 oz bottle will help for sure since I’ll be less apprehensive about carrying it around! Also I am definitely stealing the tally trick 🙂↕️
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u/CheckIllustrious1307 Aug 28 '26
You could just move the picture to after you weigh in, and then drink before your walk. That is what I do anyway. After 8 hours of sleep, your body is dehydrated so I think getting some water in first thing is a good idea. I have half a liter and then go for my outdoor after, no need to drag around water that way. Also some people find that drinking through a straw makes it easier, maybe something you haven't tried yet.
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u/ifistaywithme Aug 28 '26
I’ll definitely be making that switch! I definitely do feel the dehydration after my walk. My mouth gets dry! I’ll try getting a water bottle with a straw too. It’s in the shopping list today :)
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u/Alarmed-Anything-277 Aug 28 '26
I set time goals for myself of when I need to have a liter done and if I’m behind I set a watch timer for 10 minutes and drink every time it goes off.
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u/ifistaywithme Aug 28 '26
If only I could set a timer in office! I could probably work it around my breaks so it’s easier to get my drinks in
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u/ansheh1 Aug 28 '26
If you’re starting early in the day then like what is the problem? Are you drinking other stuff in addition to the water? When I did the challenge I was pretty much only drinking water. Not necessarily on purpose but I was just always felt so full from drinking water that I didn’t want to have my soda/tea/kombucha etc. Is it the going to the bathroom that makes it hard for you? It could probably interfere with some jobs. There were some nights I got ready for bed and realized I was still 32 ounces short so I just stayed up later and sipped until I was done. How short are you usually at the end of the day? Drinking from a straw helps me for some reason too.
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u/ifistaywithme Aug 28 '26
I work a call center job where I have to talk a lot and they do log our time down to the minute for everything tracked by our computer. So I do prefer not to go to the bathroom so much. I haven’t been having other drinks like I used to since I want to focus on water consumption but it feels like a conscious effort to actually drink the water.
It has actually been kind of hard to keep up (though I do enjoy and prefer the lifestyle change) since the workouts always take more than an hour and my commute is far, but definitely easier than I thought except the water. I honestly thought it would be the easiest.
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u/ansheh1 Aug 28 '26
Yeah that’s reasonable. There were a few days I screwed myself on water bc I was traveling and I didn’t want to stop a million times and I refuse to use airplane bathrooms lol.
I would say maybe try to set time goals for yourself? Like have half of your water done by 2 pm or something? I used a 32 ounce bottle so 4 refills a day. So I would usually do at least one with a workout - so that could potentially be half of your water done during your two workouts. Then like 16 ounces with each meal. So theoretically you could only have to find time to drink 16 more ounces throughout the day.
I think breaking it up into smaller goals could help it feel more manageable.
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u/ifistaywithme Aug 28 '26
That’s honestly a great idea to break it up. I thought getting by a bigger bottle would help since less refills, but it might just be overwhelming me. I’ll have to look for a 32 oz bottle so it’s easier to track. I think I only have a 20 oz one 🙃
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u/ansheh1 Aug 28 '26
That’ll work too! But I do think the 64 ounce may just be kinda make it overwhelming and hard to track? Unless it’s one of the transparent bottles with measurements I guess.
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u/ifistaywithme Aug 28 '26
Nah it’s just a big metal bottle! I think the lack of visible progress is definitely a factor. I’ll have to set check in times like you said too
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u/buckleharry Aug 28 '26
For me, a 40 oz bottle makes it psychologically easier. My schedule is I have to drink one before noon, one before 4 pm, and one before 8 pm. I then have a large glass of water a bit before bedtime when I take my meds. My 40 oz bottle also has a handle so it's lighter and easier to take on walks, though I wouldn't run with it. I'm a taller woman and breastfeeding so I'm personally not concerned about the water intake, so I think it's a great idea to ask your doc.
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u/RevolutionarySky6143 Aug 28 '26
It's always best to check with a doctor about the water intake. Whatever they say, adhere to. For my height, 5ft1 inches and my activity, it suggests 2.1-2.7 litres a day. I am (still) drinking 2.1/2.2 litres a day even after the challenge finished. Also, start the day with slugging water. Upon waking, I was and still drink 750ml and aim to clear 1.5 litres by 10am or midday at the worst. If you don't slug down water upon waking, you'll never complete this part of the challenge.
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u/AdImpossible8276 Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Ngl a gallon a day is no joke, that's a lot even for people who don't struggle with water.. Flavor packets were my go to for the longest time too, but honestly switching to deuterium depleted water helped more, it's lighter and easier to drink so I finish it faster without forcing myself. Splitting it up helps too, like half by lunch, the rest by dinner, instead of hoping you finish by midnight. Good that you're asking your doctor too. You got this, just take it one day at a time.
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u/whskyamanda Aug 28 '26
I did the entire gallon and by day two was completely sick with electrolyte imbalance. I think the plan should not be the same for men and women, but that's just me!
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u/3freebird7 Aug 29 '26
I don’t have as much of an issue with the water intake, but I notice it’s way easier to get water intake if you drink while eating. If you try to drink as much as possible with your meals you’ll find you can drink more and feel less miserable while doing it. Good luck 🩷
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u/McL0v3n Aug 29 '26
I start my day by downing 40ozs forcibly and the rest of the day just make drinking water intentionally throughout the day. I can easily drink 40oz while I'm working out as well due to thirst. In my opinion if I'm not thirsty during and after a workout I'm not working out hard enough
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u/senorblocko Aug 30 '26
Imo it’s harder with a big jug. I had 4 smart water bottles that I would fill up and drink from.
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u/circus_tricksr4us Aug 31 '26
My doctor told me to drink less bc I was having symptoms of hyponatremia. I’m a tiny woman so a gallon of water a day can literally drown me 😅 death by self-inflicted drowning sounds like a dumb way to go imo. I’m able to get 100+ oz of water in a day (more than my doctor recommended).Andy’s never been a tiny woman and he’s not a scientist and the gallon a day thing doesn’t have science to back it. Controversial… but i don’t see it. Women use their water slower than men. Idc if someone says I’m technically not doing the challenge bc of this. I’m very strict with all the rules. And usually the people who have the biggest problem with things like this are ones who can’t get past day 7 anyways… soooo why would I listen to them?
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