Friday, November 20, 2009

The Water Fiasco



Ok, here´s the scoop. I drank a little over 3 liters of water last Wednesday with some liquid green tea herbal mixture and then one of the liters with some cranberry juice. I started getting a headache late that night. Then by the time I woke up Thursday morning I had a full blown major headache with weak nausious feelings.


I didn´t really think anything of it as I sometimes have headaches. I started to work through it. Get up, try to get breakfast for the kids, start to get school ready, but there was that nausia coming up from somewhere. Then there was this uncontrolable need to curl back up in bed. (I don´t normally go back to bed when I am up during the day)

What could it be???

Now to back up some...

You may be aware that I have started a fitness challenge. It´s been going on now for almost 4 weeks. Last week I decided I was going to try something new. I have been on a fitness journey for 11 months now doing a very healthy balanced diet, but felt the need to push myself to another level. (so I thought) 

I started myself on Jillian Michael´s Peak diet from her book Making the Cut.  This is only a seven day diet basically consisting of a lot of protien and veggies, but the part in question for me was the 100 ounces of water she recomends you consume throughout the day. That´s almost a gallon of water, people!




You guessed it. I tried it. I haven´t tried any special diet in these whole 11 months. I have just cut out refined sugars (white) and refined white flour as much as I could. Eating as naturally as possible, but I did it. I tried this very extream diet.

Jillian does this diet to peak for her photo shoots. Now, before you judge me, that´s not at all why I was trying this. I don´t have to show up infront of anyone. I stay at home all day. (LOL) No, I was doing it for the pure fact of cleaning myself out and just seeing if I could do it. I was curious.

It totally backfired.

I may have gotten a virus. I may have just been worn out. But I think it was all that water and many have told me the sudden decrease in calories all at once.

Here were my symptoms again. Headache, dizziness, nausia, and weakness.  NO Fever. I actually at one point on Thursday was white as a ghost.


I did the only thing I could do;  A google search.

Have you ever done a google search on a symptom you have? Did you come away thinking you were going to die? Well, that´s what happened.

I typed in drinking too much water and this is what came up.

Water Intoxication Symptoms in Adults




The very first symptom of water intoxication is nausea. You feel to puke, because your stomach is not able to hold the excessive quantity of water.


The next symptom of water intoxication in adults is having slurred speech. You feel like speaking with a thick tongue.


You will feel weak and tired.


Other prominent symptoms of water intoxication include headache and bloating. Excessive water, disturbs the digestive tract and leads to bloating.


You may start hallucinating. This is mainly because excessive water in the body, affects brain cells as well. Brain cells tend to swell. Affected brain, further leads to disorientation and confusion.


Muscle cramps


Seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, swelling of the brain and even death may occur in extreme cases.
I thought I was going to die. Well, ok, not quite that dramatic, but I was really fighting being coherent and keeping on through the day. I actually ended up sleeping 4 hours extra that day. (for those that know me, I don´t sleep that much. I sleep my normal 6-8 and that´s that.)

It took me all the next day to get rid of the headache. I still drank my 2 liters, but I added more calories to what I had intended on eating as well as carbohydrates that were not on Jillian Michael´s peak diet.

I must say this much to Jillian Michael´s defense, her Making the Cut diet, which I followed to the best of my ability here in Spain for 30 days, really is a great well-rounded, healthy, balanced diet. It was hard to find some of the foods here in Spain, so I had to adapt it, but it was really good.

By Saturday morning I was almost back to normal. I was able to do a 40 minute workout later that day and not feel like I was going to fall over or that my head was going to explode.

What would you have thought was the problem????

 

9 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, that sounds like it was so extreme. I did also hear that too much water is not good.

    I'm glad you are feeling much better now, Dani!

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  2. OK... I laughed out loud on this. Not because of what you went through (because you and I have already spoken about this) but because at least once a day I look at my husband and say, "I feel like I'm going to puke! What's my problem I didn't eat all that much, but I drank a lot of water!" Well, duh... when I'm literally chugging 1 liter at a time! NO wonder I feel that way, I'm about to push myself into water intoxication!

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  3. I think the only way you can drink that much water is if you are doing a lot of cardio or working out in the heat so that you are, in fact, replenishing fluids lost to sweat. I am so sorry you did this to yourself. That is super scary.

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  4. I do feel sorry for you,
    here in the states a women died a few years ago from to much water at one time,very sad.

    becareful girlfriend,
    Becka,,

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  5. It's so frustrating when we don't know WHY we are feeling the way we are. Plus, not knowing if it's a virus or whatever. I have heard of people getting very sick from too much water. There even was a women in the states who died during a water drinking competition. I think her body drowned or something! Balance....it's key!

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  6. Whoa---died from too much water...well, I will be careful now for sure! I am reading your other comments. I would have done what you did...do a google search---I would probably hope maybe God had done something miraculous and I was pregnant-haha---I think that was my thought for about two months for awhile--I was nauseous--but maybe it was water---bad St. Pete water, --yes, I was still having a cycle---but my brain was on PREGO---nope, not pregnant and I am finito --having had 4 c-sec.--unless God does something huge.
    I am so glad you are not experiencing any of this anymore. We'll all watch out more!!

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  7. Wow, that's crazy! I never would have guessed! i am trying to lose weight - I should have joined your challenge! - and I know I do not drink enough water. sometimes I will get to the afternoon and realize I haven't drank anything since I exercised in the morning! But I never would have guessed water intoxication!

    Sorry I haven't stopped by and commented before. I have finally subscribed to your blog and will definitely be reading all your entries. I'm a bit lazy about commenting, though, sorry! I look forward to getting to know you better! Que Dios te bendiga!

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  8. I'm just glad you're ok. I remember hearing on the News just a few weeks ago a woman doing a water contest of some sort to win something for her child and she became sick and died. She was water intoxicated.

    I pray your family is well. Glad I was able to visit today.

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  9. hello... hapi blogging... have a nice day! just visiting here....

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Love to hear encouraging comments that uplift Christ and boost our daily walk with Him! Thanks for taking the time to comment! I read everyone of them and try to always respond at your blog, too.