8 Infused Water Recipes to Sip on This Summer

As we spend more time outside in the heat during the summer, it becomes more important than ever to stay fully hydrated. Whether you’re just out for a walk or you’re doing some high-intensity workouts, the more that you sweat, the more that you need to rehydrate! Keep in mind that you shouldn’t be waiting until you’re thirsty to drink water. Fitness experts say it’s optimal to prevent thirst by keeping up with your H20 intake. If you struggle to drink plain water, infused water recipes may be your solution.

On the Nutrisystem weight loss plan, we recommend drinking 64 ounces of water each day. Stay happy, healthy and hydrated with fresh and fruity infused water! Here are some infused water ideas to help make it even easier to keep drinking all day long:

1. Lemon Water

This is probably the most common infused water idea—and for good reason. This citrusy addition adds a bold burst of flavor to water. But there are some health benefits of lemon water, too. The Cleveland Clinic reports that lemon water can aid in digestion, supply some vitamin C and even give you a potassium boost, among other benefits.

Of course, you can add other fruits to your lemon water recipe to pump up the flavor even more. Add lemons and mint together for a refreshing combo. We also love lemons with cucumber for a super “fresh” taste.

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2. Other Citrus Combos

Who said lemons get to have all the fun? Other citrus fruits like limes and oranges can also be zesty additions to punch up the flavor of your H20. Lemons and limes together are super refreshing. We also love the delightful flavor of adding squeezed oranges—it’s like a light orange juice. Bonus: Researchers at Western University in Ontario have also recently discovered a molecule found in oranges could reduce obesity and prevent heart disease and diabetes!

3. Bursts of Berries

Another great fruit choice for infused water recipes are berries. Strawberries give water a hint of sweet while raspberries add some tart tanginess. Blueberries are lovely with mint—or maybe even some lemon. Since berries are known to be chock-full of antioxidant power, these additions have a health benefit, too.

4. Chia Water

Chia seeds are a superfood that are low in calories and a healthy source of fiber. They are also packed with antioxidants to support your immune system. They can make an easy addition to smoothies, as a topping or even mixed into puddings or jams. But one way you may not have thought to use chia seeds is in your water! Still, this may be the simplest way to introduce these powerful little seeds into your diet. Some people also like to add chia seeds to lemon water so there’s a bit more flavor.

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5. Herb Infusions

We’ve already mentioned that fresh mint leaves can make a refreshing addition to water. But you might also consider other herb infusions like ginger, basil, rosemary or peppermint. Each of these can add a new layer of flavor, particularly when paired with different fruits. We love lemon water with fresh basil. Strawberries and basil also go well together. Ginger and orange are also delicious!

6. Juicy Melon Additions

Melons are already known for being juicy and dripping with flavor—so they can really add some major flavor factor to water. Sliced up watermelon, cantaloupe or honey dew can make your water colorful and delicious. Many melons also pair well with herbs! Get creative and find a flavor combo that you like best. We definitely suggest trying watermelon with basil for a satisfying summertime sip.

7. Go Tropical

Maybe tropical water sounds like the perfectly quench-worthy drink on a hot summer day. Think pineapple, mango, kiwi or even coconut! These tropical fruit additions can really up the ante on an otherwise plain glass of water. A few sips and you’ll find yourself mentally transported to paradise with turquoise waters and white sand!

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8. Get Your Veggies

Fruits typically get the spotlight for infused water recipes. Besides cucumbers, most of the suggestions you’ll find online include fruits because of their sweetness factor. Still, you can think outside of the box and try some completely creative flavor combinations. Carrots and apples make a yummy water infusion drink. Celery can also work well, possibly paired with some cucumbers. Beets and lemons or beets and apples also makes a unique combination. Ultimately, it comes down to what you like! Anything that gets you to drink more water is a definite win.

At the end of the day, there are no set-in-stone rules for water infusion. Use your creativity and experiment—and you just may find the next “it” drink. Lemon water will always have its place, but with so many potential ideas, you could have a different flavor combo every day this summer!

The post 8 Infused Water Recipes to Sip on This Summer appeared first on The Leaf.

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First Year of Maintenance Accomplsihed

So today marks my first full year of maintenance at my new weight. So three years ago now I started on this journey to get to a healthy weight a goal I reached last year in late May, and now here I am on June 1st the next year and I managed to maintain my weight so far. So excited to hit this new milestone and hope this will be something I can keep up for the rest of my life.

In terms of tips for maintenance, the only one I can really offer is what I decided to do at the end of my weight loss journey. What I decided to do was for my last ~15 pounds of my journey (about three months) I put my diet into a level I thought would work for maintenance and focused on significantly increasing my exercise to lose the last weight. This allowed me to have time to learn what maintenance would look like for me scaling back my exercise was a much less risky goal to me than relaxing my diet after I finished losing the weight. Overall I found it to be a helpful thing and having now navigated my way through holidays and ups and downs I found that it worked well for me. I also like that if I do see things increasing a little bit on the weight side I can counteract it with a bit of an up to my exercise routine and/or adjusting my diet a little bit.

Anyway, not a ton to share here, though feel free to ask any questions. I know I was very worried about my maintenance as I approached the end of my goal, hopefully this is a new me I can keep going for years to come.

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Weight loss journey after 150 days

Hi all, after 5 months of my weight loss journey I have fresh insight of how my body is changing and how I perceive the world. I started my journey back on January 2nd of this year. I’m officially down 45 pounds. I weighed 208.8 now 163.4. I am over half way through my goal to weigh 130 pounds.

I’m 5’1, 26m I eat roughly 1100-1200 calories a day and have logged every good and bad day through out my journey. It’s been a wild ride and I no longer doubt my self with the process.

150 days completed using the loseit! App, the biggest take away for me was being ok with eating out here and there and enjoying myself. Jumping back on the wagon the very next day. The weight jumps are noticeable after letting myself go here and there. One bad day is a drop in the bucket to all the good ones. In my case I have over 20 bad days.

What has helped me was meal prepping my meals for the week, buying substitutions for things I crave, and no longer seeing hunger as a means to eat. Sometimes I’m just incredibly thirsty or bored. I do miss fast food some days but I think it’s more the thought of how it made me feel.

I actually had someone mention I looked thinner the other day. A coworker I work with every day. I am wearing clothing I’d never catch myself in before, and clothing fits so much better. I smile more and generally have a good mood most days, my snoring has gone down to the point it’s almost nonexistent.

Lastly I was able to run a mile no stopping for the first time in about 4 years! This is the first time I’ve lost weight and instead of hating myself I love myself through the ups and downs. I want to say thank you for all the inspiration and motivation here’s to the next 150 days!

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How often should I do body circumference measurements?

Starting my weight loss journey,and took waist circumference measurement (46 inch),neck circumference (13 inch) and hip circumference (40 inch), are these measurements a reliable way to track fat loss overtime?Because I input them into online calculators to calculate body fat mass and body fat percentage,how often should I take these measurements? Every month,every 2 months or more than 2 months?Also how long does it take for the measurements to drop significantly (particularly waist because I know neck is trivial and dismal and isn’t going to change expect a tiny minute amount)?Also are there any other measurements that I should be taking such as arm / thighs or are they unnecessary?Also are online body fat mass calculators that ask to input waist and neck circumference to calculate fat mass accurate?

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[vent] Fallen into a binging spiral for the past two weeks after steady 6 month weight loss

So after several YEARS of trying to beat my binge eating habits and trying to lose weight but utterly failing to do so, I was finally somehow able to adjust my eating habits/lifestyle and lose about 10-12 pounds during the past six months. i am only 5’2 and started at 120 pounds (I know this is a healthy weight , but very unflattering weight for my body type and frame) it was painstaking and horrible because my maintenance calorie intake was already low. i was only able to do this through stringent calorie tracking/walking 15k steps a day along with a solid motivator for me which was my vacation with friends during mid-May //as I’m sick and tired of feeling insecure due to my body and just wanted to feel confident during a dream vacation. Post vacation , I’ve fallen back into detrimental eating habits; as soon as I wake up in the morning, I’m grabbing at random food in the pantry whether it’s bags of cereal, leftover curry in the fridge, snack bars, bags of chips, even things I don’t even like- I’ll just impulsively eat it , keep eating until there isn’t any more, and then continue scavenging and indulging to the point that I am so uncomfortably full and nauseous (I don’t buy these things, but I currently live with family so it is inevitable for food to always be on hand)

The worst part is that I gain some semblance of understanding and guilt for eating so much but once the imminent nausea has cleared a bit, I’ll just keep repeat this process of a few hours later. It’s just been constant cycles of binging and regret. I really don’t know what happened to whatever self-control I worked so hard to attain and develop over the past year, but it’s hard not to feel absolutely crushed and discouraged by these recent eating habits I’ve brought back into my life. I find that once a binge has started, it seems to absolutely jumpstart my appetite into overdrive and I’ll have cravings the rest of the day. It’s disgusting and unhealthy, and I haven’t eaten proper vegetables/protein/nutrient dense meals for the past few weeks due to this constant stream of snacking and eating 800-1000 cal over maintenance everyday. It’s been two weeks and I can’t help but feel crushed and absolutely horrendous about myself- the new clothes I bought myself are too snug now and I can no longer see the progress that I made on my body.

I don’t know about ya’ll but on top of feeling embarrassed/horrible about the erasure of so much of my progress, my body image also severely impacts my sense of self worth and quality of life (it’s terrible and unhealthy and a horrible way of dictating your life, but it’s heavily ingrained).. I was fantasizing about spending the summer with friends, feeling confident, wearing cute things, and work on myself in other ways after finally being able to tackle my binge eating. Instead, I’m locking myself in, being less productive, and feeling helpless in my inability to control myself.

I guess this post is for the purpose of venting out my thoughts and feelings. I apologize for the negativity. If there is anyone who can relate to my situation or has experienced similar, it would be helpful to hear. I’m kind of lost and feeling like I’ve reached a point where I’ve lost faith in myself and don’t know how to proceed. I probably haven’t gained every pound back (I’m also too scared to weigh myself) and I can probably work to reverse this.. I think I’m at this precarious point where i need to make changes now, but I just don’t know how or what to do

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Loose Skin - am I doing it wrong?

Hi all! I'm a 29 year old female, 5'5", and I've been losing weight since October 2021. Since my starting weight of 315 lbs I have lost about 140 lbs and currently weigh around 175 lbs. I am still overweight and my ultimate goal is to get around 145ish, shooting for between 1 to 1.5lbs lost per week.

I'm already dealing with significant loose skin. The skin hanging from my inner bicep is wider than my bicep itself, and my inner thighs droop in a way that almost looks like they're rolling in on themselves. Don't even get me started on what my chest area is doing, haha.

The consensus about loose skin seems to be that it's mainly a result of losing weight very quickly, and that over time the loose skin firms back up. I know skin gets less elastic with age too.

I guess my questions are: 1. Am I losing weight too fast? Is 1.5lbs a week too much for my skin to keep up with?

1. For others who had problems with loose skin after weight loss, did it eventually improve over the years as your skin had time to adjust?

2. Am I old enough that my skin would be less elastic? Oh jeez... I'm only 29!

Thanks for reading, and thank you to anyone who shares their perspective!

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1 year later from obesity to a healthy weight

One year ago I made a post on here that I was going to make a change. I was 195ish lbs, 5’1 tall and miserable. I was depressed and so unhappy with my body.

I grew up with healthy & active parents. Played sports and did all the “right” things. But I loved food, always did & always will. I was always about ~5-10lbs overweight. As a teen/young adult I hung around 135lbs, a tad overweight for my height. I remember always dreaming of losing 10lbs but never could manage to drop even 5. I would basically starve myself then stop after a week and return to old habits. Those 10lbs I wanted to lose so desperately never came off. I was in a constant cycle of starving myself then binging between the ages of 19-22. Eventually down the road, I was diagnosed with PCOS and hypothyroidism, and despite being medicated, I figured the cards weren’t in my favor. I decided that I rather eat whatever I want, whenever I want, than be skinny. To me, the benefits of eating junk outweighed the benefits of being skinny. It felt freeing to be able to eat and to stop worrying. I threw away my scale, ate whatever I wanted, and it wasn’t long until I ballooned up to the obese category. At 25 years old. last year, I stepped onto the scale for the first time and almost cried when I realized I was so close to 200lbs.

But me thinking it wasn’t possible was a cop out. Truth be told, I just didn’t think I had it in me. I was never the kind of person that could stick with a routine. I wasn’t disciplined. I didn’t think I had it in me to lose weight long term and more importantly, to stop binging.

But last year, I hit my rock bottom. I felt hopeless. I sheltered myself away from friends & family in embarrassment. I was more depressed than ever, and I knew I had to do something. So I set a goal of 135lbs - the weight I hated as a teenager/ young adult, but because I maintained this weight so long, I figured it would be possible.

And I hit that goal plus some! Today I stand at 125-127lbs. In the healthy BMI range for the first time ever. My new goal is the 115-120 ish and plan to maintain that hopefully for as long as I can. These last 10 or so pounds are going to take time, and my focus now is more so on fitness goals / nutrition goals paired with a very small deficit.

It was quite the journey. I could go on & on about what I did but I think the most important thing is to do what’s right for you and that in order to be successful you need to want it and be willing to ditch the lifestyle that made you overweight to begin with. Weight loss is all about calories in & calories out, it’s simple in theory but extremely difficult to execute. There are so many different ways to do this - weight watchers, keto, fasting, OMAD, counting calories, exercising more, etc. for me personally, I found the best way was to count calories. So I bought a food scale and religiously counted every calorie that went into me. At the start, I completely disregarded the healthiness of the food. If it was hot Cheetos, ice cream, French fries, a burger - so be it. As long as I ate under my goal, I was happy.

Down the road of my journey, I realized I liked eating volume. Because of this, I started to eat a lot more vegetables and healthier food to the get the “most food” out of the least amount of calories. Now, I really see the importance of fueling your body with all the nutrients it needs, so I now also focus on making sure I get enough vegetables, fruits, protein, healthy fats, etc.

Once I got from obese to overweight, around the 150lb mark, I realized I had a lot more energy and started working out. For the first 40lbs, I didn’t exercise AT ALL besides the days I work in which I’m on my feet. At first, it was just walking for 20 minutes on an incline on a treadmill, it was all I felt like doing. Eventually i started jogging, and now most recently, I added in weight lifting. I now work out 5 days a week, but not to lose weight - more so for enjoyment. It became a real stress reliever and hobby. I LOVE running and just finished a 5k (3 miles) in 25 minutes!! A year ago i couldn’t even jog for 15 seconds. I love to focus on my fitness goals now more so than the scale.

I still count my calories every day, but like everyone preaches on here, counting calories gets so much easier with time. It really is tedious at first, I can’t stress that enough. But once I got in the groove I realize I really only eat the same ~25 ish things and have everything pretty much memorized at this point. Sometimes I don’t even have to log my stuff because I can keep track all in my head. In the past, I stayed away from counting calories because I was worried it would be triggering as someone who had bad eating habits as a teen. But every-time I would diet without counting, I would heavily restrict to very low calories which would lead to me stopping the diet all together less than a week later. With counting calories, I not only make sure I eat “enough” but I also make sure I don’t eat too much. At the start of weight loss, a big part of me just wanted to cut everything out. But this time around I ate until I reached my calorie goal every day. It really did help me and wasn’t as triggering as I thought it would be, and eating at a realistic goal isn’t as hard as I thought it would be.

I have taken a few maintenance breaks as well. It’s hard staying on a deficit for so long. I hung out at around 150lbs for 2 months just because I didn’t have it in me to cut with vacations. I had particular weeks where I gained because of events and life is to short to miss those, imo. but I don’t see that as “falling behind”. I just got right back on the wagon. It all balances out. Consistency is key, but what’s most important is patience. If you do the right thing more than >50% of the time then results will come.

Everyone asks about my “diet” and I always reiterate that I am not on a diet. This is a lifestyle change, a change i plan on doing forever. I will never go back to my old ways of eating, because I would simply go back to being obese.

Anyways, this is getting super long but I’m super proud of proud of myself and wanted to share. I can’t wait to continue my journey and I hope others who read this will be motivated to continue theirs. It’s different for everyone. It’s not a one size fits all. A big thank you to this community for helping me start and giving me the resources to begin such as the TDEE website, buying a food scale, etc.

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