Composition of muscle

paprad

I had this doubt about water intake and muscle composition.

I rarely feel thirsty and so I hardly ever drink water - indeed, i need to remind myself to take a glass once in a while. I have checked this out with doctors and nutritionists and the replies flipflop between "drink 8 glasses a day" and "leave it be, your body knows when it needs fluid, and you're okay as long as your pee is clear"
<sorry for gross factor but I guess we can't talk about intake without sometimes referencing output >

My question is this:
a) if my body was so smart, how come it let me put on so much weight?
b) now that I have begun a serious strength-training routine, will it be hampered by poor water intake? Hopefully I will gain in muscle, but since muscle is over 70% water, will the muscle growth be starved in its infancy by poor water availability?

What's the recommendation on this?

P.S : I wrote this all out and replied to a thread on what constitutes muscle-fat and then it didn't appear because the thread was locked. Sorry if it appears twice for some reason, I am not too clear about what happens with locked threads.

Sarauk2sf

Firstly - re water intake: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/821181-myths-and-facts-about-hydration-requirements

Specifically:

a) your mind let you eat too much? That, plus thermodynamics.
b) unless you are actually dehydrated, no.

Which other thread are you referring to? Could you link it?

paprad

Firstly - re water intake: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/821181-myths-and-facts-about-hydration-requirements

Thanks for that link, Sara, this is a question that has really plagued me.

a) your mind let you eat too much?

Hah, so much for mind-and-body balance, eh?!

The other thread (locked one) to which I first posted this was : http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1001567-what-exactly-makes-fat-and-muscles

I looked for this question but couldn't find it and thought I may as well include it in an earlier thread - though it was not what the OP asked for, the topic was somewhat similar.

SteveJWatson

This is the problem with internet dogma.

Everybodys body is different, therefore you will require differing levels of fluid intake.

Its not "gross" to talk about your urine, because this is a pretty good indicator of whether you are hydrated or not.

As a doctor once said to me; think "elderflower" and not "apple juice".

paprad

Sara, I read through that link and it was a great post, thanks.

I still have a doubt though - assuming that my body has settled down to a specific level of water intake (from all sources) - and then, due to lifting heavy, my LBM ratio goes up - but my water intake stays the same - where is the new muscle growth getting the water from? Perhaps those here who've seen a huge change in body composition will have some anecdotal evidence - does one feel naturally more thirsty after building more muscle? Does the body just find a new level of intake without us consciously having to hydrate it?

craigmandu

Sara, I read through that link and it was a great post, thanks.

I still have a doubt though - assuming that my body has settled down to a specific level of water intake (from all sources) - and then, due to lifting heavy, my LBM ratio goes up - but my water intake stays the same - where is the new muscle growth getting the water from? Perhaps those here who've seen a huge change in body composition will have some anecdotal evidence - does one feel naturally more thirsty after building more muscle? Does the body just find a new level of intake without us consciously having to hydrate it?

Realize that when you drink anything, or take fluids from food, you end up urinating a lot of that fluid out. Unless you are in a dehydrated state, your body will simply take some of that excess water to shuttle to the muscles that now require more of it. As long as you maintain a decent fluid intake level, you should see no problems with your muscles "lacking" the ability to get the fluids they need.

Sarauk2sf

Sara, I read through that link and it was a great post, thanks.

I still have a doubt though - assuming that my body has settled down to a specific level of water intake (from all sources) - and then, due to lifting heavy, my LBM ratio goes up - but my water intake stays the same - where is the new muscle growth getting the water from? Perhaps those here who've seen a huge change in body composition will have some anecdotal evidence - does one feel naturally more thirsty after building more muscle? Does the body just find a new level of intake without us consciously having to hydrate it?

Basically you peed less.

Sarauk2sf

*kitten*....I just deleted a post by accident when I meant to respond to...not the first time that has happened. They do not give an 'are you sure' warning.

It was about high protein stressing kidney's and therefore needing to be more hydrated to 'flush' them out.

My response was going to be that higher protein tends to dehydrate more, but it is not re high protein stressing the kidneys and needing to be 'flushed' out per se.

paprad

Ok, got it, thanks.

Sarauk2sf

Locking so we can keep track of active threads. If you wish for the thread to be unlocked if you have further questions, please feel free to PM either myself or SideSteel, including a link to this thread and we will unlock it so you can pose them.