Should you force yourself to drink more?

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  • MarciBkonTrk
    MarciBkonTrk Posts: 310 Member
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    I was just asking whether concentrated urine was just a byproduct of your kidneys acting to prevent dehydration...
    Okay if that's the actual question then the answer is no. Concentrated urine is not an indication that the kidneys are trying to prevent dehydration. Concentrated urine is one of the first signs of dehydration. Again, the color of urine is the first thing that a physician looks at if dehydration is suspected. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I agree with the poster who encouraged you to speak to your physician. You know your body better than any of us so I think that's a good place to start.


  • noclady1995
    noclady1995 Posts: 452 Member
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    I drink a lot of water (about 3 L a day) but only because it makes keeps me awake at work. LOL. But I found this study interesting:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/14671205/
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    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...

    This probably won't go over well but I think some people cling to the water myth because it's something they can easily accomplish. I ate too much today and didn't exercise but I got all my water in!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    maidentl wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    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...

    This probably won't go over well but I think some people cling to the water myth because it's something they can easily accomplish. I ate too much today and didn't exercise but I got all my water in!

    Yeah wouldn't surprise me! I naturally drink around 2L of water a day, not because of any magical weight loss claims, because that's what I've always done.
    I was curious where and why this "drink half your body weight in ounces" etc etc originated from.
  • rosehips60
    rosehips60 Posts: 1,030 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Drink if you're thirsty.

    This. Some days I can't seem to get enough water no how much I drink, and some days I just don't feel as thirsty
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited April 2015
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    I don't really understand why everyone is recommended to drink such large volumes of water.

    It's just one of those dieting myths...I doubt we can even figure out where it originally came from.

    Surely after 19 years my body is pretty good at telling me how much I need and when?

    Yes, it is.

    But dark pee is no good - it means bad things are concentrated at not-good levels inside your body. Which usually also comes with decreasing blood volume and other potentially nasty side effects.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    edited April 2015
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    maidentl wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    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...

    This probably won't go over well but I think some people cling to the water myth because it's something they can easily accomplish. I ate too much today and didn't exercise but I got all my water in!

    Yeah wouldn't surprise me! I naturally drink around 2L of water a day, not because of any magical weight loss claims, because that's what I've always done.
    I was curious where and why this "drink half your body weight in ounces" etc etc originated from.

    http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/you-dont-need-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/

    That's the closest I have found to an answer.

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited April 2015
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    maidentl wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    maidentl wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    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...

    This probably won't go over well but I think some people cling to the water myth because it's something they can easily accomplish. I ate too much today and didn't exercise but I got all my water in!

    Yeah wouldn't surprise me! I naturally drink around 2L of water a day, not because of any magical weight loss claims, because that's what I've always done.
    I was curious where and why this "drink half your body weight in ounces" etc etc originated from.

    http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/you-dont-need-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/

    That's the closest I have found to an answer.

    Thanks :+1: That pretty much answered everything.

  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    MarciBkonTrk wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    I was just asking whether concentrated urine was just a byproduct of your kidneys acting to prevent dehydration...
    Okay if that's the actual question then the answer is no. Concentrated urine is not an indication that the kidneys are trying to prevent dehydration. Concentrated urine is one of the first signs of dehydration. Again, the color of urine is the first thing that a physician looks at if dehydration is suspected. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I agree with the poster who encouraged you to speak to your physician. You know your body better than any of us so I think that's a good place to start.


    I definitely agree that it's a symptom of dehydration.

    But surely that doesn't mean it's not a result of the kidneys conserving water to prevent dehydration too?

    When you're dehydrated, osmoreceptors detect increased extracellular fluid osmotic pressure, increasing ADH relese which increases water reabsorption from the kidney, concentrating your urine.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Is this going to turn into a competition of who can quote the longest and most scientific words :huh:
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    maidentl wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    maidentl wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    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...

    This probably won't go over well but I think some people cling to the water myth because it's something they can easily accomplish. I ate too much today and didn't exercise but I got all my water in!

    Yeah wouldn't surprise me! I naturally drink around 2L of water a day, not because of any magical weight loss claims, because that's what I've always done.
    I was curious where and why this "drink half your body weight in ounces" etc etc originated from.

    http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/you-dont-need-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/

    That's the closest I have found to an answer.

    Interesting!
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 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. :)

    Why a male avatar?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    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. :)

    Why a male avatar?

    ??

    Maybe she likes Eminem... That's who i think the pic is of.

    But yeah it makes people automatically assume OP is a guy

  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    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. :)

    Why a male avatar?

    I didn't want to put a picture of me and couldn't think of one so I used a drawing I did of Eminem haha
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    Options
    christinev297 wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    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. :)

    Why a male avatar?

    ??

    Maybe she likes Eminem... That's who i think the pic is of.

    But yeah it makes people automatically assume OP is a guy

    yay you recognised him! Haha I was worried no-one would.

    Yeah, I'm not really bothered though. :)
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    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. :)

    Why a male avatar?

    ??

    Maybe she likes Eminem... That's who i think the pic is of.

    But yeah it makes people automatically assume OP is a guy

    yay you recognised him! Haha I was worried no-one would.

    Yeah, I'm not really bothered though. :)

    Then don't get offended when people assume you're a male :smile:
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    noobletmcnugget wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    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. :)

    Why a male avatar?

    ??

    Maybe she likes Eminem... That's who i think the pic is of.

    But yeah it makes people automatically assume OP is a guy

    yay you recognised him! Haha I was worried no-one would.

    Yeah, I'm not really bothered though. :)

    Then don't get offended when people assume you're a male :smile:

    I was only short with that person because they were being short with me. :)

  • MarciBkonTrk
    MarciBkonTrk Posts: 310 Member
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    Can you provide me with your basis for this? Because to be honest from a healthcare professional stand point it doesn't add up. I'm a nurse and when a patient comes in with dark urine the first tests are a urinalysis, CMP, CBC, and liver/kidney function testing. Plus they are immediately given IV fluids. I just want to understand where you are coming from because all the advice that's been posted have been met with resistance.

    ijl5m1kw17cq.jpg
  • Nikki10129
    Nikki10129 Posts: 292 Member
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    MarciBkonTrk wrote: »
    Can you provide me with your basis for this? Because to be honest from a healthcare professional stand point it doesn't add up. I'm a nurse and when a patient comes in with dark urine the first tests are a urinalysis, CMP, CBC, and liver/kidney function testing. Plus they are immediately given IV fluids. I just want to understand where you are coming from because all the advice that's been posted have been met with resistance.

    ijl5m1kw17cq.jpg

    I think people were misunderstanding where the OP was coming from. She wanted to know the WHY behind why the dark urine is a good indication of dehydration. Most people were just saying that it was a good indication, but not why it was a good indication.

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