Drink Responsibly (Sponsored + Giveaway)

*updated with winners, below!*

The following post is sponsored by my friends at Brita. Thank you, Brita! To find out more about the Brita challenge and Filter for Good go here and here.

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A few years ago, I stopped buying bottled water. Regardless of the fact that every bottle I purchased ended up in the recycling bin, I couldn't help but feel guilty every time I polished off a bottle of water, sometimes ten a day, (I'm a crazy water drinker, you guys--but more on that in a moment) only to have this stack of waste, albeit recycled waste, staring back at me from its bin. So one day I went out and bought a Brita pitcher, a few cartons of filters and a family of SIGG bottles from Whole Foods and called it a day. No more bottled water in our house, I said. And we've remained bottle free ever since.

Not only were we doing our part to save the planet, but we were also saving a hundred bucks a month in water. According to Brita's Filter for Good site, in 2008, the U.S. used enough plastic water bottles to stretch around the Earth more than 190 times. Not fabulous, America. Not fabulous at. all.

The main reason why I felt compelled to buy all those bottles of water was to keep track of how much water I was drinking. By putting two bottles of water in my purse, two in my car, one on my bedside table and keeping the rest refrigerated to drink throughout the day I knew I was getting my "eight glasses" worth...

ED: I was recently told that drinking cold water during a meal actually slows metabolism. Room temperature water is our friend. The more you know, right?

Segue in five, four, three...

Brita has asked me to write about my own "Brita Challenge" aka how I plan to reach my weight-loss goals. I gained 70 pounds this pregnancy, have lost forty and have thirty more to lose to get back to where I was last Fall. (I lost 35 pounds the week I gave birth and have lost about a pound a week since.)

Me last fall:

5'8, Size 6/8, 140 lbs

And here's me yesterday (attempting) the same ensemble:

5'8 168lbs, size 12

I subscribe to the "nine months on, nine months off" rule. So I'm giving myself the next eight months to lose my 30lb remainder. Totally doable. Maybe. I think...

Here's how I lost the weight last time and plan to do it again:

1. Drink ten large glasses of (filtered/tap) water a day - By filling up my SIGG bottle every two hours I'll stay hydrated, energized and won't retain water/bloat like whoa. OR there's this handy contraption which Brita sent me a few weeks back and is my new favorite thing.

(Genius, no?)

2. Drink no more than one alcoholic beverage a week. (This is easy for me as I drink, on average, one alcoholic beverage a month.) I'm becoming less and less interested in alcohol in my old age and would rather eat my calories in ice cream than drink them in wine.

3. Replace my bi-weekly fruit smoothies from Jamba with vegetable juices (and the occasional Kale smoothie) from the local "sustainable" smoothie shop. Thus supporting local business, locally grown foods AND less-sugar-in-my-smoothies.

4. Drink no more than two cups of coffee a day (Come on! I need SOME sort of vice in my life! Coffee is it.)

5. Walk everywhere... even if it means walking two miles to pick up my dry-cleaning. (The only place the babies sleep soundly is their strollers so this is working out in my favor across the board, actually.) In a perfect world, I'd love to make it to the gym every day but that just isn't possible. I mean... I'm typing this post with one hand at 4am, people. Working out is kind of not going to be happening anytime soon. I'm hoping in the next few months the dust on this new life will settle and I'll be able find time for Crossfit or pilates classes... maybe? In the meantime there are plenty of ways to exercise here at home, around the neighborhood and in the comfort of my own backyard.

6. Eat Well with WWW.

Eat well + drink well + exercise when possible = weight loss. PERIOD.

In summary: the easiest way to lose weight? Drink more water. The easiest way to save the planet? Ditch the plastic bottle. Bottom's up! And someday soon, same will go for the zipper on my jeans. Hopefully.

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I have two Brita prize packs to give away. Each basket includes a filtered water bottle, replacement filter and water pitcher! To win? Leave a comment below. I'll pick two winners via random.org next Thursday 10/27.

GGC

UPDATED: Congratulations to commenters # 512, Lin & commenter #604 Sophia, and thanks to everyone for participating! You rule.