Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Water Each Day Keeps The Doctor Away: Post #1

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.


On March 2nd 2010 I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.

It's a day I'll never forget as it changed my life forever. And amazingly, not in the tragic way I originally thought when the doctor said those three little words, "You are diabetic."

I used to be the most unhealthy eater. I thought nothing of eating half a bag of sour cream and cheddar chips followed by Starburts at 10am.

Needless to say my ways changed dramatic immediately. I no longer eat sugar of any kind. Gone are the days of ice cream (unless it's sugar free ice cream) no cake, no brownies and I even had to say goodbye to my favorite, Peeps.

In addition, as much as I can I stay away from white bread, white pasta, white rice and really anything white; I do.

I also drink lots of water.

Ironically, one of the symptoms of diabetes is excessive thirst. When my blood sugar was super high (unbeknown to me) I was always thirsty. I just played it off with, "Hey, I'm a thirsty person." Glug glug glug.

Now that my blood sugar is low and my diabetes are very much in control, I not only feel a million times better, I'm not constantly looking for my water glass.

However, water and other low calorie drinks are vital to my new healthy lifestyle.

I find the list of things I CAN'T drink are growing.
I no longer can have any sort of juice (way too high in sugar), don't even think about regular soda (it's like dumping truckloads of sugar down your throat) and I can't even really drink caffeinated drinks. For some reason diet cola makes feel super hungry, which isn't part of the "losing weight" agenda.

So I was thrilled to not only find Crystal Light with it's tiny 15 calories per serving but I love these little to go containers.



I throw a pack in my lunch for a treat during that long afternoon stretch. At night after dinner with tons of ice is my pink lemonade dessert.
In addition they help to remind me to get my water in. I see those packs in my purse or lunch bag and know I have to drink my water.

I also make sure I have a cute 16 oz BIG cup (hey it has to be cute, otherwise why drink out of it) at both home and work everywhere I go. That way it also serves as a reminder to DRINK DRINK DRINK!

Not only does it taste awesome it's just one more way to get my daily water in without having it always be just boring water.



BlogHer is giving away a $100 Visa gift card on my blog after my four weeks of reviewing Crystal Light. In order to win the cash just leave a comment and tell me how you get your water in?


Be sure to visit the other participating bloggers’ reviews on the BlogHer.com special offers page (you have 6 other chances to win $100 as well as a $1,000 sweepstakes on the round-up page!).
You can find more information on the official site, and here’s a link to the official rules

15 comments:

  1. I'm not a fan of plain old water so I, like you, jazz it up with stuff. I used to be a HUGE fan of Crystal Light - mostly the iced tea and lemonade flavors. However, after about 6 months the citric acid in it began to aggravate my acid reflux and now I get terrible heartburn when I use it. So, instead I drink various teas - green and herbal if I don't want caffeine, black if I do.

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  2. I like to get my water in by drinking Crystal Light Iced Tea or flavored waters.

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

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  3. I sit at a computer all day at work, so I set a reminder on my email that pops in the morning that reminds me to go down and fill up my water bottle and then every 20 minutes that reminds me to, "Take a Drink!"
    I don't always actually do it, but because of it, I definitely have been drinking more water.

    Crushed ice also helps me drink more water. I know it sounds silly, but it feels like a "treat."

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  4. Like you, I'm using Crystal Light (and other flavored packets, I'll admit) as my secret to keep drinking.

    Although I don't have the Type 2 diagnosis, due to PCOS, other health issues and a father with adult-onset diabetes, I know I'm at a higher risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.

    I don't have to avoid all sugar, but I'm trying to make as many sugar-free choices as possible. And I find staying hydrated helps me have less cravings and to feel fuller. The drink packets - they make my water a treat.

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  5. I try to stay hydrated by always having a pitcher of lemonade, tea, or Crystal Light in the refrigerator. That way, I can grab that instead of a cola when I'm thirsty. I love Crystal Light, my favorite flavors are lemonade, pink lemonade, fruit punch, and cherry pomegranate!

    ja9elizabeth @ yahoo dot com

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  6. I have a stainless steel water bottle and I try to drink 3 bottles full a day. I prefer plain water, but my kids and husband love to add the crystal light packets to their water bottles.

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

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  7. To help me remember to drink enough water, I use two different water bottles - one at the office and one at home. This way I know that I just need to drink each bottle and I'm good!

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  8. I know you're going to laugh, but the good old post-it notes works great for me. They remind me of everything I need to remember, especially taking my vitamins, making homemade vegetable juice and drinking plenty of water.

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  9. LOL at the "cute cup"! Under the same theory, I splurged on a fancy stainless steel decorated water bottle. I like to have it with me because it's cute and I think ice water tastes so much better out of stainless steel.

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  10. Well, I'm never far from the tap when I'm at home and when I go out I ALWAYS carry bottled water with me. I have always preferred plain old water to quench my thirst!

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  11. I get my water in by filling up a bottle each day before work. it holds 1 liter of water so I know at the very least I am getting a liter and some extra- I freeze it to make it better! :)

    dreamzz12{at]aol{dot}com

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  12. I fill a jug up with all the water I need to drink for the day and make sure I finish it every day.

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  13. I carry a bottle of water with me everywhere.

    kristisdeals1 at yahoo dot com

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  14. I keep plenty of water in the fridge.


    charisscharity at yahoo dot com

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