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The monthly challenge for July focuses on self-control and discipline regarding our favourite beverages. It is known as DRY JULY. You may have heard of or even participated in the Dry January challenge. However, this challenge is significantly more difficult, as it occurs during summer, a season filled with numerous occasions where we might be tempted to drink, such as weddings, parties, barbecues, or a relaxing Sunday afternoon. This is what makes DRY JULY such a challenge.
Join us this July for Dry July, you’ll reduce your calorie intake and might even lose weight.
Ditch The Booze and Lose Weight! Are you in?
Drinking enough water daily and limiting other beverages are fundamental steps to managing weight and maintaining good health. Consuming sufficient water is crucial to achieving a healthy balance; your water intake should equal your output. This concept is similar to accounting—something is amiss if the ins and outs don’t balance. Therefore, in addition to staying dry for July, we encourage you to stay hydrated, preferably with water rather than cordial or juice.
Missed Dry July?
Join anytime with my 28 Day Dry Challenge and go on a 28 Day Detox, quit booze, fizzy drinks and caffeine.
Join my 28-Day Dry Challenge
The Dry July Challenge
Go ‘Dry’ with us this July and take on the Dry July challenge. Challenge yourself to go dry for the whole of July. Join our challenge and see how ditching the booze and staying hydrated can improve your health and weight.
- Ditch the booze for July.
- Ditch fizzy drinks
- Ditch the caffeine
- Stay hydrated, drink at least eight glasses of water every day.
Score your challenge
During this challenge, the aim is to complete all days alcohol-free and gain a bonus point for achieving a caffeine or fizzy-free day.
You will score 1 point for an alcohol-free day and a bonus point for a caffeine—or fizzy-free day or both, for a maximum of 3 points each day. No bonus points are offered if you don’t complete an alcohol-free day, even if you achieve those goals.
| Challenge Archived | Points |
|---|---|
| Alcohol-Free Day | 1 |
| Fizzy Free Day | +1 |
| Caffeine Free Day | +1 |
Download the Dry July Scoring Sheet
Dry July No Alcohol Challenge Tracking Sheet 71 KB 44 downloads
Track your efforts with the Dry July Challenge and score yourself for having an alcohol,…MAX points per day = 3, BONUS points only achieved if Alcohol Free Day is also achieved.
| Level | Score Range |
|---|---|
| OK | 31 or less |
| Good | 32 to 61 |
| Great | 62 to 93 |
Reducing Calories
All drinks other than water contain calories in addition to your calorie requirement. We get our calorie requirement from the food we eat. Calories in drinks rarely have any nutritional value. Limiting your consumption of additional beverages can positively affect your calorie balance.
Alcohol is the most significant contributor to additional calories in drinks, which contain many unnecessary calories. Breaking habits will help reduce alcohol consumption. Sure, we all like to drink sometimes, but we usually drink because of habit. This includes statements and beliefs such as, “It’s Friday, I’ll have a drink,” “It’s the weekend,” and other behaviours instigated through habit.
Staying Hydrated
Most people are dehydrated nearly all the time, and due to habits or lifestyles, we often don’t take in as much fluid as we need. However, we extract some of our fluid requirement through the food we eat (about 30%), and we generally have a negative calorie balance by the end of the day. If you feel thirsty during the day, your body has triggered the stimulus to encourage you to drink, a sign that you’ve not had enough fluid. Just because you are not thirsty does not mean you shouldn’t drink and hydrate. The thirst sensor is a warning signal, just like the water warning light on your car. If you drink enough during the day, your body won’t need to stimulate you to drink, and a healthy balance is achieved with a fluid loss equal to fluid intake.
Remember not to consume water in large quantities. It is best to drink little and often and have a water bottle to sip from throughout the day.
You need roughly 1 litre of water for every 1000 calories of expenditure, that’s about 2.5 litres for most people.
Fundraise and commit to staying Dry this July.
Need some extra motivation to stay dry? Set up your own Just Giving page, choose a charity, and get your friends and family to support your cause. You will benefit, and so will your charity—that’s win-win.
Dry July around the World
Dry July is certainly not my idea. However, there is Dry July in Australia, so if you are in that part of the world, do check out https://www.dryjuly.com/, where you can take part and donate.
