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I drank (almost) nothing but water for the entire month of January!
I embarked upon an epic journey to spend a month drinking nothing but water. More than anything, I just wanted to see how incredible my body would feel by removing chocolate milk and soda from my dietary equation. I was also hoping for an awesome side effect like super strength or the ability to fly.
It turns out I didn’t get either of those abilities, but I did get four other superpowers from drinking only water!
Superpowers
- Shapeshifting – My shape changed noticeably in the last month. I didn’t weigh myself at the beginning of the month because weight loss wasn’t a goal, but I will say that I feel like I look a little better when I look in the mirror. I bet I lost at least 2-3 pounds.
- Supernatural Healing – Of all the benefits, this is my favorite. It’s been almost a year since I could run pain-free on the treadmill because of a bad knee. I only ran three times near the end of this month, but each time was pain free. I had no idea drinking water could help joint pain but I’m not the only one.
- X-Ray Vision – During the entire month of January, I had could see very clearly right through my urine. I was seeing straight through it as if there was no color at all.
- Budget Inflation – I could basically print money with this challenge. In 2010 my average monthly expense eating out was $182. This month it was $150. I ate out for 26 meals this month, and didn’t pay for a single drink on any of them. There’s my $32 right there.
- Jedi Mind Control – It used to be hard to resist soda; now I don’t even crave it. I was thinking today about having a soda with lunch, and I wouldn’t have wanted one even if I wasn’t doing the Challenge.
Sacrifices
- Sore Throat – I thought drinking only water would make my throat feel great, but I probably had a scratchy throat more in the last month than I had in six months of 2010. Maybe the water had nothing to do with it and it’s just the colder weather, but I wasn’t “sick” all month. I just had a little sore throat more than a few times.
- Sour Milk – Without drinking any chocolate milk, there was no way I could get through a gallon of milk on cereal alone. I dumped at least half a gallon down the drain more than once this month.
Moving Forward
I don’t want to give up my superpowers, but I also don’t want to give up tasty drinks forever either. I’ve decided on the following compromise: I will drink only water for six days a week, and drink anything I want on the seventh. During those six days, I get to cheat once (which will probably be used for a Jamba Juice).
This way I hopefully keep all the superpowers and get a little extra flavor in my life once or twice a week.
Next Challenge
I really enjoyed this monthly challenge, so I’m going to try to do a different challenge every month. February is going to be the “Brighter Smile Challenge”. There are two things about my smile that I need to change, and what better way to make a change than challenge myself!?
I’ve bought Crest Whitestrips two or three times, but have never committed to doing all the strips on consecutive days. I will do a full treatment of Crest Whitestrips this month. To make it more challenging, I’ll also challenge myself to floss every day (which I do just about never as of today). Let’s see if I can have a movie-star smile come March! Hopefully I will save money by decreasing future dentist bills, and will retroactively save money by not wasting the whitestrips I’ve already paid for.
This post was featured in the Festival of Frugality.
Don’t forget to enter my $25 Amazon Giveaway before Feb 6th, 2011!
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT atย Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer ofย Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When heโs not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
Instead of using whitestrips, try gargling with peroxide twice a day. It does wonders for teeth, and I would guess it’s a bit cheaper.
Congrats on completing the water challenge! I think I’ll go get some myself. ๐
I’ve done that before. It seemed to work a bit but I hated the taste. It’s like chalk. I already bought the whitestrips, so we’ll see how they do. Next step will be peroxide again.
…nice work. I drink a ton of crap myself. I don’t think I could quit cold turkey but I definitely need to cut back. I do tend to stick to water at restaurants as soda is so expensive there. i can put the savings to desert/coffee/cocktail after the meal.
It wasn’t easy at first, but at the end of the month it just felt normal. I’ve had some soda and chocolate milk today and my stomach feels heavy.
OK. I’m with you on this challenge! I happen to have bought Crest White Strips as well. 28 days to whiter teeth. Here we go!
Alright, you better keep me honest. I’ve never been good at staying on track for this before!
I stick my crest strips in my pocket on my way out the door and just do it at the office. That way I have all day to remember to do the whitening! So far, so good!
Great job on the Water Only Challenge! I had a total of 5 sodas all month…and I’m right there with you when I say I don’t even crave them anymore. At this point, I’m in such a habit of drinking water, I’m pretty sure that I have permanently reduced my non-water intake. I’m modifying my behavior to be more of a “soda intake reducing” behavior. Milk on Cereal is good, and good for you…so I’m re-introducing that. When I was a kid, soda was something that was a special treat on Friday night. I’m trying to use that as a model.
thanks for the push to do this challenge…I think it was key (as was improving my eating and exercising) to losing 10.4 pounds in the month of January! I’ve got 25.6 more to go to reach my goal.
Congratulations on 10.4 pounds! That’s an incredible amount to lose in a month, and I’m sure you’ll keep it off if you keep up your healthy habits!
Hey awesome work! I definitely struggle with the soda thing myself, but I’ve always drank a ridiculous amount of water, so my urine is usually clear like that. I definitely tend to drop a few pounds when I cut out soda, it’s so easy to drink an extra 200-500 calories in one meal thanks to that delicious cold drink ๐
Yeah, one 12 oz can of Dr. Pepper is 150 calories. I can have at least 2 of those in one sitting. That’s 600 calories if I have 2 at lunch and 2 at dinner.
u sould be flossing everyday, the tooth dies about the gumline you just can’t see it so thats a good goal to have and keep. also get a water pick, i spend 20 minutes a night working on my teeth. feels great.
The first time I flossed this month, I was bleeding all over because my gums weren’t used to it. Now it’s much better, even after just a few days.
Nice work on the January Challenge. I would not be able to give up all other drinks besides water. I just love my morning tea too much. And I love to have a good glass of wine or a beer once every few weeks or so.
The 16th of February is my one year of soda free existence though. Just prior to quitting cold turkey, I would often drink close to 80 ounces of soda in a day. I occasionally enjoy a glass of sparkling water now, but I don’t miss soda that much. Occasionally, it is actually harder and more expensive to drink water over soda. Irks me to no end. The only other con to stopping soda, I have nightmares where people force me to drink a cola. I wake up literally crying.
I don’t drink tea, coffee, or alcohol, so it was admittedly easier for me than it might be for other people. Congrats on giving up soda though; that would be my hardest one to give up completely!
Good job on the challenge. I drink a lot of green tea so I think that’ ok. I didn’t have any soda in January, yay! I had a few beer though.
I’m proud of you for just being able to stomach green tea. That stuff tastes horrible!
You are crazy. Green tea is delicious and good for you!
That is what I call self discipline, great job! I drink a lot of water at work but at home I tend to not drink as much water. Especially when I am enjoying a cold beer a few nights a week ๐
My wife used the Crest Whitestrips before our wedding and they didn’t really work. Her teeth looked a little bit “whiter” but not much to keep using. Let’s see how they work for you.
I’m hoping they work. If not, I’ll just move onto gargling peroxide again and just deal with the chalky taste.
You should be proud of the progress you made doing this challenge. Water is so good for us and yet so many people don’t drink it. Congrats on forming a new health habit. Best of luck in your brighter smile adventure.
re: Flossing Your teeth!!!
Many years ago (probably 22 to be exact), my father and I were talking about his last dental procedure. The pulled another tooth. He didn’t want to do the root canal thing. Or the Cap thing. Or any of the other “things.” Poor guy right?
Well, I remember him telling me straight away … Remember this son. If you do not floss your teeth, plan on losing them all. If I had flossed my teeth at least once a day from when I was your age (20-something at that time) I’d still have excellent teeth.”
I took that to heart, and religiously floss at least (yes, at least) after every single meal, snack, and more likely because I NOW can not stand anything between my teeth & gums.
I say with Great honor that if he never taught me anything at all, something about that particular conversation made a complete and total imprint on my life habits and dental hygiene. I’m a fanatical flosser and have ALL my teeth to prove it. Age will take it’s toll anyway, and for some genetics will play a factor, but if you HATE going to the dentist, you better start flossing. In fact, people who do not floss probably have bad breathe. Don’t fool yourself and think just because “you brushed and mouthwashed” after your meal that there’s not something else working overtime against you in your mouth.
Gargling peroxide, or baking soda are nice for what’s immediately there, or even bleeding gums, etc… BUT …
No floss? No Teeth! The more you floss, the more teeth you’ll save in the long run. And, as they say, if you have a healthy mouth, you’ll probably be less prone to disease and other sickness’ too.
I buy Glide in bulk off eBay. Certain flosses work better in certain mouths (depends on spacing and comfort for most). I have floss in my wife’s car, my car, saddlebags of motorcycle, at work, next to my PC, living room, and even hiden away in the kitchen. yes … fanatical. I can’t remember the last cavity I had it’s been decades. I’ve had 2 crowns put in within the last year, but my teeth are [older than most]. ๐ Othwise, they always comment about how good my teeth/gums look … and hey, I have a family history of bad teeth, right? Mom/Pop NEVER Flossed.
Not drinking sodas is one I have trouble with .. but your post hit home for me (too). More water, less (anything with somekind of acid in the ingredients and carbonated).
Nice post. Thanks!
I like the idea of a crest whitestrips challenge. I usually only end up using them for about 5 consecutive days before I see results and then I stop. I’ve had the same 28-day box for about a year lol!