Drinking Nothing but Water for a Full Year

[WyoKid]

That’s crazy that you had significant nose bleeds from drinking soda? Had this always happened or all of a sudden it started at a certain age began happening? Did you ever figure out why this happened? Have you ever heard of this happening to others?

That makes sense with the chicken. Recently, I was on a trip in a different country and the guide said we were going to be having chicken for lunch. He followed it up by saying something similar to “It’s not like the chicken you have in the states. These are real chickens, naturally grown on local farms. They aren’t the big, commercially raised chickens, so don’t be surprised when you see they are smaller.” The chicken was certainly smaller and ever since he said that I’ve been comparing in my head the size of the chicken breasts I buy at the store to the chickens I had abroad. I probably need to educate myself on commercial chicken, because I eat a lot of it.

While I don't necessarily subscribe to the theory that correlation always means causation, with Soda there was definitely something going on. I don't remember at what age I began drinking Soda. It was the 70s so it was advertised and sold everywhere At around 10 or 11, I started getting nose bleeds. Parents took me to a Dr. they said it was because of dry air.

I was only drinking Sodas once or twice a week since my parents restricted us to the weekends for having one. I began noticing that after drinking half a can of Coca-Cola, my nose would start bleeding nonstop out of both nostrils. I then got chicken pox and didn't drink any Soda for two weeks - no nose bleeds.

Once I was out of quarantine, I drank some Coca-Cola and my nose started to bleed. I thought it was something in Coca-Cola, so I started to experiment with drinking something else, like Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Orange Crush, and Dr. Pepper. However, I still got nose bleeds but some Sodas seemed to be definitely worse. It was then that I decided I needed to completely stop drinking Sodas.

The tipping point was that every time I was at a friend's house, at a picnic, on a school field trip or school dance and drank Soda, I was rushing to the bathroom to stuff tissue in my nostrils and having to hide in the bathroom for 20 minutes until the bleeding stopped. That was not how I wanted to spend my teenage years....

 

[dtrkyman]

That is some solid discipline! I do not drink booze or coffee and basically rarely any caffeine, if I drink a dozen sodas a year I would be surprised.

Tea(all caffeine free), water and some of the new hydration powders now, an occasional gatorade.

 

[digdeep]

Well done. I primarily drink water, never soda or crap sugar drinks, but I don't know if I could give up my coffee

 

[Ecampbell25]

Atta boy great work.

 

[ALrob838]

Very impressive! Just curious though, did you supplement with any electrolytes?

 

[cbat]

My younger brother who is 56 has lived his whole life this way. Nothing but water. No caffeine . He might drink a beer once in a while but nothing regularly. I have never figured out how he does it.
Its not a concise plan with him either. Just what he does.

 

[Lobo525]

Anybody just drink water, nothing else? In 2023 I successfully finished a challenge I gave myself to see if I could go a whole year drinking nothing but water.

I’ve never been a big soda drinker so that wasn’t difficult. A couple of years before, I made a conscious effort to drank less alcohol, and would go months at a time without an adult beverage. Before the pandemic I wanted to reduce my sugar intake so I didn’t put sugar in my coffee. 6 months later I stopped putting creamer in my coffee and would drink it black. During the pandemic I wasn’t going into the office and without my usual routine, I realized I wouldn’t always drink coffee in the morning.

A few months before I started on this H2O challenge I was doing the 75 Hard challenge and while I didn’t complete it fully, some of things stuck with me, particularly drinking a gallon of water each day.

While I wasn’t successful at 75 Hard, a little bit later, I realized since I was drinking so much water I could probably drink water exclusively. I decided to challenge myself and see if I could go a full year just drinking water.

I can honestly say that during the time I was drinking water exclusively, I was the healthiest I’ve been my entire life. Without booze, I woke up with a clear mind each morning and didn’t have an excuse to stay in bed and exercised almost every morning.

I also had much better sleep. By waking up earlier to exercise each morning I’d be worn out in the evenings and would want to go to bed as soon as possible. Without caffeine falling asleep wasn’t a struggle. I also wouldn’t be staying up having drinks with my buddies, throwing off my sleep cycle.

Sometimes my buddies or my wife would get annoyed that I wasn’t having a drink with them. I didn’t always crave an adult beverage but there were plenty of times where it was pretty difficult to resist. However, I wanted to see it through and prove to myself that I had the discipline to complete the goal that I gave myself.

When it was cold out, it could definitely be challenging to not indulge in some coffee, warm tea, or hot chocolate.

I think having a secondary goal really helped. While I didn’t drink a gallon of water every single day of the year, I probably drank a gallon 5 days out of every week. When your goal is to drink that much water, you don’t often have the capacity to intake any other liquids.

Anyone have any personal challenges that plan to take on in 2024? If so, what are they?

I'm currently doing 75 hard myself, I started on the new year so I'm just a little over halfway there. out of all parts of the challenge drinking the gallon of h20 has been the most challenging thing for me. I typically only drink water to begin with but came to notice I wasn't dri king enough. I do supplement with LMNT electrolytes due to doing a carnivore diet.

I couldn't tell you exactly what part of the 75 Hard is making the biggest impact. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly is making the biggest difference or if it all plays a part in the overall program. But I'm down over 20 lbs , I use to struggle staying asleep ( sleep apnea), I was always tired when i woke up to to the lack of good sleep. And now I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. And I was in really good shape when I was younger due to playing several sports and was always active outdoors.

I had already quit drinking alcohol before I started the challenge that was a big improvement in itself. I was already working out about an hour to hour and. A half everyday. I was already on a diet I was doing an animal based diet before starting. I also read every night before bed. So I was already doing most the things that the challenge consists of to begin with. What really changed for me was splitting my 1 workout into to and making to get outside for 1. And drinking the gallon of water. Everything else was just my regular routine. But it for some reason has had a drastic effect on my body when doing these small tweaks to my daily routine.

After listening to Dr. Huberman speak on the benefits of hydrogenated water( I know isn't water hydrogen?) I bought a machine to hydrogenate my water and have noticed I stay and feel more hydrated without using the electrolytes as often and although i can't say that is the reason I'm losing weight or feeling better specifically I do think it's been a big factor, seeing as everything else has been a constant in my life already.

"It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable" - Socrates

 

[Loper]

I'm currently doing 75 hard myself, I started on the new year so I'm just a little over halfway there. out of all parts of the challenge drinking the gallon of h20 has been the most challenging thing for me. I typically only drink water to begin with but came to notice I wasn't dri king enough. I do supplement with LMNT electrolytes due to doing a carnivore diet.

I couldn't tell you exactly what part of the 75 Hard is making the biggest impact. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly is making the biggest difference or if it all plays a part in the overall program. But I'm down over 20 lbs , I use to struggle staying asleep ( sleep apnea), I was always tired when i woke up to to the lack of good sleep. And now I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. And I was in really good shape when I was younger due to playing several sports and was always active outdoors.

I had already quit drinking alcohol before I started the challenge that was a big improvement in itself. I was already working out about an hour to hour and. A half everyday. I was already on a diet I was doing an animal based diet before starting. I also read every night before bed. So I was already doing most the things that the challenge consists of to begin with. What really changed for me was splitting my 1 workout into to and making to get outside for 1. And drinking the gallon of water. Everything else was just my regular routine. But it for some reason has had a drastic effect on my body when doing these small tweaks to my daily routine.

After listening to Dr. Huberman speak on the benefits of hydrogenated water( I know isn't water hydrogen?) I bought a machine to hydrogenate my water and have noticed I stay and feel more hydrated without using the electrolytes as often and although i can't say that is the reason I'm losing weight or feeling better specifically I do think it's been a big factor, seeing as everything else has been a constant in my life already.

"It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable" - Socrates

That’s great that you are half way through 75 Hard. I really like that program. For me the biggest challenge was doing two workouts a day. I got about half way through the program and then had a long travel day from one part of the continent to the other and that’s how i want able to finish the program. Keep at it as it sounds like you are already feeling the benefits and I’m sure you’ll continue to do so as you doing the last half of it.

I’ll have to do some research on hydrogenated water. I’ve never heard of that before. I’m guessing Huberman has a. podcast episode on it which I’ll have to check out. Sounds interesting.

 

[DunnCoHunter]

Anybody just drink water, nothing else? In 2023 I successfully finished a challenge I gave myself to see if I could go a whole year drinking nothing but water.

I’ve never been a big soda drinker so that wasn’t difficult. A couple of years before, I made a conscious effort to drank less alcohol, and would go months at a time without an adult beverage. Before the pandemic I wanted to reduce my sugar intake so I didn’t put sugar in my coffee. 6 months later I stopped putting creamer in my coffee and would drink it black. During the pandemic I wasn’t going into the office and without my usual routine, I realized I wouldn’t always drink coffee in the morning.

A few months before I started on this H2O challenge I was doing the 75 Hard challenge and while I didn’t complete it fully, some of things stuck with me, particularly drinking a gallon of water each day.

While I wasn’t successful at 75 Hard, a little bit later, I realized since I was drinking so much water I could probably drink water exclusively. I decided to challenge myself and see if I could go a full year just drinking water.

I can honestly say that during the time I was drinking water exclusively, I was the healthiest I’ve been my entire life. Without booze, I woke up with a clear mind each morning and didn’t have an excuse to stay in bed and exercised almost every morning.

I also had much better sleep. By waking up earlier to exercise each morning I’d be worn out in the evenings and would want to go to bed as soon as possible. Without caffeine falling asleep wasn’t a struggle. I also wouldn’t be staying up having drinks with my buddies, throwing off my sleep cycle.

Sometimes my buddies or my wife would get annoyed that I wasn’t having a drink with them. I didn’t always crave an adult beverage but there were plenty of times where it was pretty difficult to resist. However, I wanted to see it through and prove to myself that I had the discipline to complete the goal that I gave myself.

When it was cold out, it could definitely be challenging to not indulge in some coffee, warm tea, or hot chocolate.

I think having a secondary goal really helped. While I didn’t drink a gallon of water every single day of the year, I probably drank a gallon 5 days out of every week. When your goal is to drink that much water, you don’t often have the capacity to intake any other liquids.

Anyone have any personal challenges that plan to take on in 2024? If so, what are they?

In Wisconsin, we consider Busch Light as water. Does that count?

Honestly good on you for completing that challenge. I try to do a lot of small things to discipline myself. And they become habits so that I don’t even think about them anymore. Such as not going on my phone while my kids are awake, not snacking between meals, praying and reading the Bible every day

 

[Loper]

In Wisconsin, we consider Busch Light as water. Does that count?

Honestly good on you for completing that challenge. I try to do a lot of small things to discipline myself. And they become habits so that I don’t even think about them anymore. Such as not going on my phone while my kids are awake, not snacking between meals, praying and reading the Bible every day

Haha.

I like the idea of not getting on my phone while my kids are awake. That is something I definitely need to be more disciplined about (as I’m in my phone checking Rokslide in the middle of the day). My kids are borderline addicted to electronics and I’m trying to get them not to be, but I probably need to practice what I preach.

 

[LongOdds]

Very impressive, but I could never. Give me coffee, or give me death!

 

[Trailerhunter]

I've experienced benefits from just starting every morning with 12 to 16 oz of water before anyhing else. Its hard to describe, but I seem to find myself in better moods and much less gut issues/ gas

 

[HaydenB]

Cool story. Very encouraging

 

[jmibarra]

Very impressive! This would be a tough one but very inspiring

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Considering this for 2025 to try it…

I drink coffee and hoke brewed black tea all day. Caffeine doesn’t really seem to affect me at all anymore. I can drink two cups of coffee before bed and fall asleep within 5 minutes. I think I’m just drinking it out of habit and liking the taste of both.

Only a social drinker and really only drink beer when I do, so not missing much there.

Anyone made it the full year? Regrets? Any negatives?

 

[Jake Larsen]

Considering this for 2025 to try it…

I drink coffee and hoke brewed black tea all day. Caffeine doesn’t really seem to affect me at all anymore. I can drink two cups of coffee before bed and fall asleep within 5 minutes. I think I’m just drinking it out of habit and liking the taste of both.

Only a social drinker and really only drink beer when I do, so not missing much there.

Anyone made it the full year? Regrets? Any negatives?

Highly recommend a caffeine detox. You may be able to fall asleep with it in your system, but it still negatively affects deep REM cycles. Your sleep quality is suffering, even if you’re not noticing it.


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[jrh357]

I drink 99% water for the last 10 years, every once in awhile I’ll get the urge for a soda and one sip and I’m good for a couple years

 

[TactaCamWard]

I’m having a hard time with laying off the caffeine. If I go a few days with no caffeine then I take on some major headaches. Are there any suggestions on how to avoid this? I want to completely kick caffeine. Most people say ween off instead of quitting cold turkey but is there anything I can do to help with this process? Like more hydration or just embrace the suck?

 

[missjordan]

I’ve never drank caffeine in my adulthood. Seems like the older i get the worse it makes me feel. Caffeine never has sat well. Even had to wind down soda and bottled tea as well the last couple years.

Always been light on the alcohol too. Might have one drink a year. Can’t even tell you the last time I’ve had an alcoholic beverage.

I do love herbal tea though especially hibiscus. That’s about as exciting as i like it to be beyond water. Or spice is up with electrolytes.


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[Speaks]

Agree that weather you can fall asleep or not caffein impacts sleep architecture and quality. I generally drink 2 cups of coffee per day and never after 10:00 am. A solid 10-12 hours before bed time negates most though not all of the impacts.

I have gone extended periods of time (like a few years) with almost zero caffein and while its better than drinking a lot of caffein I did add my 2 cups of morning coffee back in and any ill effects are very small.

Outside of that I am pretty close to only water. I almost never drink soda (and just generally avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners). I have not had alcohol in a couple years, its not an "I will never drink" thing but I decided not to drink for a year and after that just have not felt like it. I dont particularly like tea.

Most mornings I have an LMNT or Liquid IV with Creatine mixed in and then other than the two cups of coffee I just drink water all day (generally 100-140 oz). It would not be a big hardship to give up coffee, I would hate to drink the creatine plain but guess I could. I do think that while I could certainly get by without a daily electrolyte drink there are situations where its very useful especially long hikes in the mountains, 20+ mile bike rides or 5+ mile runs in the summer etc.