Should you force yourself to drink more?

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  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    ruggedshutter wrote: »
    So your a typical 19 year old that knows more than you think you really do. Don't believe the color chart, don't believe anything any one else tells you. By all means keep doing what you're doing and don't listen to any of the medical community's advice in regards to hydration...surely you know more than they do...
    PREEEEEAACH!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited April 2015
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    I was just asking whether concentrated urine was just a byproduct of your kidneys acting to prevent dehydration...

    No it's a sign that your body is dehydrated
  • Michaelxo444
    Michaelxo444 Posts: 225 Member
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    I only drink water I don't drink soda or crystal light or any of that stuff I really love water I down like 8 or 9 bottles of water a day or more

    Just suck it up drink up you need more than what you are drinking..
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
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    Don't you have horrible hard dry poo?!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    If you don't feel like drinking don't. You can get enough water just by eating things that have water like vegetables, soups, fruit..etc. I believe if you really are dehydrated you would be thirsty, that's just how the body works. If your skin snaps back fast when you pinch it, you aren't thirsty, you don't feel tired or sleepy without a reason...etc your water intake is likely fine.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    Is there a specific university that all these girls that come here lately to MFP are going to? I mean really, who teaches there? The count from Sesame Street?

    You're so funny.

    I know. But judging from your high quality response you know it's a valid statement.

    That I go to a rubbish university and am lectured by idiots?
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited April 2015
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    neanderthin wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    are you dehydrated

    check your pee ... if it's not light straw colour then drink more

    Urine-Hydration-Chart.jpg

    But why does it need to be light straw coloured or paler? If it's darker it just means your kidney is concentrating it more by reabsorbing more water. There's nothing wrong with that. You therefore still get the water you need, just by not getting rid of as much instead of drinking more.
    On average might be more applicable, does that work for you?

    Still doesn't explain it...

    That's an easy one to answer. Your body needs to get rid of toxic waste and extra salts, vitamins...etc. Kidneys are one way of doing that, and the kind of waste they extract happens to be water soluble, so it needs water to be able to remove these substances from the body. When you are dehydrated, the body tries to conserve water but also needs to eliminate waste, so it uses a smaller amount of it. Pee is darker then because the concentration of these substances is high. When pee is too dark, you know that your body is trying to conserve water because it does not have enough of it. The body is not trying to "get rid" of the water, it's trying to get rid of waste, but happens to need water to do it. Even in extreme dehydration situations people still pee but very infrequently and in very small amounts. In that case the pee is very dark and has a very strong smell.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    I never thought I was dehydrated because I was never thirsty. Went to my MD for a physical and the urinalysis showed I was significantly dehydrated (even though I didn't feel like I was). I am no longer dehydRated, nor do I feel any different with the extra fluid (I rarely drink plain water), but blood work and urinalysis results have improved.


    You asked a question and people answered. Why ask if you think you are right and will just refute what everyone says?
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    edited April 2015
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    neanderthin wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    are you dehydrated

    check your pee ... if it's not light straw colour then drink more

    Urine-Hydration-Chart.jpg

    But why does it need to be light straw coloured or paler? If it's darker it just means your kidney is concentrating it more by reabsorbing more water. There's nothing wrong with that. You therefore still get the water you need, just by not getting rid of as much instead of drinking more.
    On average might be more applicable, does that work for you?

    Still doesn't explain it...

    That's an easy one to answer. Your body needs to get rid of toxic waste and extra salts, vitamins...etc. Kidneys are one way of doing that, and the kind of waste they extract happens to be water soluble, so it needs water to be able to remove these substances from the body. When you are dehydrated, the body tries to conserve water but also needs to eliminate waste, so it uses a smaller amount of it. Pee is darker then because the concentration of these substances is high. When pee is too dark, you know that your body is trying to conserve water because it does not have enough of it. The body is not trying to "get rid" of the water, it's trying to get rid of waste, but happens to need water to do it. Even in extreme dehydration situations people still pee but very infrequently and in very small amounts. In that case the pee is very dark and has a very strong smell.

    Cheers :)
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,717 Member
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    so why would you ask the question in the first place if something is not niggling you

    to be honest we can get away with treating our body like sh1t in our youth .. seriously it bounds and rebounds no matter what we put it through .. you should be looking at what you're laying down for your future self - the person you are going to be in 30 years or so

    good musculature, good cardiovascular fitness, well-rounded nutrition, avoiding too much excess of stuff you know is bad for you (drugs / alcohol / loose women ;)) and yes hydrating properly

    *falls on deaf ears*

    I asked the question because I always see people harping on about how you need to drink X number of glasses of water a day, etc.

    Haha loose men since I'm a straight female :wink:

    Thanks for the reply. I hope to set up good habits for the rest of my life. :)

    If that's the case then just start increasing your water intake gradually. You are only 19. No sense waiting until you are 30 with dry skin, brittle nails, and a sluggish digestive system. Also no sense waiting for some scientific "proof" that you should drink more water. The more you drink it the better you will feel and your body will thank you.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    I still don't think it was a stupid question. To control water balance you either control your water input or output. I just wanted to know whether to avoid relying on decreasing output.

    Thanks to everyone who replied and weren't insulting. I appreciate it. :)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    I still don't think it was a stupid question. To control water balance you either control your water input or output. I just wanted to know whether to avoid relying on decreasing output.

    Thanks to everyone who replied and weren't insulting. I appreciate it. :)

    I get what you mean. The body has defense mechanisms in place against dehydration, but would you want to send it into panic mode pulling moisture out of your skin, eyes, digestive system and so on just to be able to run its functions with enough efficiency to stay alive when you could supply it with enough to run properly? It can be done by gradually increasing your intake, and if you don't like water you could try different drinks, or soup, or more vegetables and fruits such as cucumber. So many ways to get well hydrated, and you can figure out a strategy that works for you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    I still don't think it was a stupid question. To control water balance you either control your water input or output. I just wanted to know whether to avoid relying on decreasing output.

    Thanks to everyone who replied and weren't insulting. I appreciate it. :)

    why would you want to put your body through that kind of stress? You won't be 19 forever...you're still basically a child...these things catch up to you at some point.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,717 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    I still don't think it was a stupid question. To control water balance you either control your water input or output. I just wanted to know whether to avoid relying on decreasing output.

    Thanks to everyone who replied and weren't insulting. I appreciate it. :)

    why would you want to put your body through that kind of stress? You won't be 19 forever...you're still basically a child...these things catch up to you at some point.

    Even though the OP will probably take offense to that, I do agree. Of course, all 3 of my kids absolutely knew it ALL at that age! Now that they are in their early-to-mid 20's they can already see how completely clueless they were. I imagine OP will start drinking more water if/when she has health problems or matures a bit.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    BZAH10 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    I still don't think it was a stupid question. To control water balance you either control your water input or output. I just wanted to know whether to avoid relying on decreasing output.

    Thanks to everyone who replied and weren't insulting. I appreciate it. :)

    why would you want to put your body through that kind of stress? You won't be 19 forever...you're still basically a child...these things catch up to you at some point.

    Even though the OP will probably take offense to that, I do agree. Of course, all 3 of my kids absolutely knew it ALL at that age! Now that they are in their early-to-mid 20's they can already see how completely clueless they were. I imagine OP will start drinking more water if/when she has health problems or matures a bit.

    I don't doubt that I'll change as I get older.

    But I also think it's a little immature to make assumptions about someone you don't know.

    And I wasn't trying to refute anyone. I was trying to discuss what I was misunderstanding. There's a difference.
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
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    Even though the OP will probably take offense to that, I do agree. Of course, all 3 of my kids absolutely knew it ALL at that age! Now that they are in their early-to-mid 20's they can already see how completely clueless they were. I imagine OP will start drinking more water if/when she has health problems or matures a bit.

    Or when she gets a few bladder infections that turn nasty and the doc tells her it's because she's dehydrated and doesn't drink enough water.

    It's almost funny how we think we're immortal when we're that age. And then reality smacks us in the head with a brick.

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited April 2015
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    What about all that jargon you read saying you MUST drink lots of water to lose weight. ..
    Some people say water fills them up, and some folks confuse thirst with hunger?? Both of which do not apply to me.
    I can't think of any other reasons why it would help...

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