Why is Water Important?

brownels

Hi. People say, 'drink your water.' But why? Does it really help with weight loss? And if so, why? I have never been much of a water drinker (or juice, or soda, or any other liquid). 8 glasses a day seems insane and a radical change. I just don't understand how water has anything to do with converting fat stores into energy. Is this another 'old wives' tale'? Thanks in advance!

LivingtheLeanDream

Actually it doesn't really aid weight loss at all in my opinion -but sometimes we think we're hungry when its actually thirst.

It helps flush extra sodium from our bodies.

Its good for us, our complexion benefits from it and its also a better alternative to fizzy/sugary drinks - zero cals etc

I try and get around 8 glasses in a day but alot of days I don't, it didn't impact my weight loss one way or the other.

dhimaan

Weight loss is all about calories in vs calories out. 4-6 glasses is plenty.

oolou

I've read articles that argue for and against drinking additional water. In the end, this is what I've got from those articles. Water per se doesn't help you lose weight by flushing out calories or any other such woo. Rather it's more a case that sometimes we eat food thinking we are hungry, when instead we are thirsty. So drinking more water may help you lose weight in that it stops you being thirsty and confusing that for hunger - and so it helps to stop you snacking excessively perhaps?

Keeping hydrated makes sense. I see no benefit in drinking water to excess though.

pichu318

It doesn't impact how much body fat or muscle mass you lose, but I find if I go from drinking nearly no water to drinking tons of water I lose about 1-2 kg in water weight within the next 2 weeks on top of what I am already losing. This stops after week 2 or 3 though.

TL;DR: It impacts the scale, but not your fat stores.

nordlead2005

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/upshot/no-you-do-not-have-to-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day.html wrote:

Many people believe that the source of this myth was a 1945 Food and Nutrition Board recommendation that said people need about 2.5 liters of water a day. But they ignored the sentence that followed closely behind. It read, “Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.”
...
There is no formal recommendation for a daily amount of water people need. That amount obviously differs by what people eat, where they live, how big they are and what they are doing.

Also, some people use the "cold water burns calories" argument, but if you run the math you might burn an extra 60 calories drinking water. You'll burn more calories walking 0.5 miles in ~8 minutes. Drink water if you want, drink water if you are thirsty. If you can't tell the difference between thirst and hunger, I'm sorry.

Sued0nim

You don't have to drink a prescribed amount

but if your urine is not light straw / pale yellow (google urine hydration chart for colour references) then you should drink more

we get a lot of hydration from our food - and everything you drink counts

oolou

Also, if 8 glasses seems excessive, you can get your water from other drinks like tea and coffee ... I rarely stop for an actual glass of water except on a hot day or after exercise. I don't bother to track my water intake on MFP either.

jessicarobinson00

I drink about 10 glasses of water each day...but I don't do it for weight loss...I do it because I kind of think of it as "lube." Our bodies are made primarily up of water...why not add a little "lube" to your machine to make sure it's running properly. Besides...a healthy body knows when it's met it's H20 limit and moves it out. So better to drink a little too much than too little IMO.

AlciaMode

Water is important because your body is mostly made of water. You are like a skin covered cucumber and nobody likes a dried up cucumber.

missblondi2u

rabbitjb wrote: »

You don't have to drink a prescribed amount

but if your urine is not light straw / pale yellow (google urine hydration chart for colour references) then you should drink more

we get a lot of hydration from our food - and everything you drink counts

This. It's kinda gross, but I check my urine color and if it's darker than a pale yellow I know I need to hydrate!

singingflutelady

I haven't had plain water in a long time and I'm still alive lol

questionfear

I find that I feel better, snack less, and have more energy if I drink around 40oz of water per day. I keep a 21oz Hydroflask nearby almost all the time, and usually have a few slices of lemon or lime in there for the day.

I definitely feel worse if I have a few days where I slack off on the water. Also, I used to drink tons of seltzer, but found that cutting out the carbonation seemed to stop snack cravings for me.

lynn_glenmont

nordlead2005 wrote: »

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/upshot/no-you-do-not-have-to-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day.html wrote:

Many people believe that the source of this myth was a 1945 Food and Nutrition Board recommendation that said people need about 2.5 liters of water a day. But they ignored the sentence that followed closely behind. It read, “Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.”
...
There is no formal recommendation for a daily amount of water people need. That amount obviously differs by what people eat, where they live, how big they are and what they are doing.

Also, some people use the "cold water burns calories" argument, but if you run the math you might burn an extra 60 calories drinking water. You'll burn more calories walking 0.5 miles in ~8 minutes. Drink water if you want, drink water if you are thirsty. If you can't tell the difference between thirst and hunger, I'm sorry.

Yeah, I never quite get it when people talk about confusing thirst and hunger. I realize people's experiences are different, but it's hard for me to imagine that for things as basic as the sensations of hunger and thirst, humans work that differently. For me, thirst is a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat, and hunger is a sensation of an empty stomach. Even more serious dehydration, such as after a long bike ride or run in the heat with inadequate water on the way, where the feeling of needing to drink goes on long after "wetting my whistle," it doesn't feel anything like hunger. And when I used to have low blood sugar episodes, with tremors and nausea and faintness, it never felt to me like I was thirsty. I guess at the extremes, some symptoms of dehydration and low blood sugar overlap.

My theory is that people with empty stomachs are told they might be confusing thirst and hunger, they drink water, their stomachs now have the sensation of being filled, albeit with water, and they're no longer hungry, and now they think that empty stomach sensation must mean they're thirsty. So now they're confusing thirst and hunger.

SingRunTing

The recommendation for drinking water is more for the health benefits than the weight loss benefits. Being well hydrated does help smooth out the water weight fluctuations, but it won't help convert fat to energy.

Being well hydrated is really important for your health. Drinking more water has also helped my skin as well.

I track my water intake daily. I don't do it because I think "I must drink X oz of water a day or else!!". It's simply because I've never been a thirsty person. I was always chronically dehydrated (always dark urine, constant headaches), but I rarely felt thirsty. If I don't track, I don't remember to drink.

earlnabby

AlciaMode wrote: »

Water is important because your body is mostly made of water. You are like a skin covered cucumber and nobody likes a dried up cucumber.

Great analogy!

Staying hydrated helps all of your bodily functions work better. Having a beverage at hand to sip on can help satisfy the "hand to mouth" urge that causes some people to snack too much. Drinking a beverage can help give you a feeling of fullness so you don't eat.

jgnatca

Not for weight loss but drinking enough water certainly supports health and a glowing complexion. Post-bariatric patients sometimes get in trouble from not eating or drinking enough, and end up in emergency getting rehydrated. Dehydration is one of the primary checks they'll do in emergency.

I had a thought; if eight glasses seems excessive, why not try adding one more glass in your day somewhere, and see if it helps?

krithsai

brownels wrote: »

Hi. People say, 'drink your water.' But why? Does it really help with weight loss? And if so, why? I have never been much of a water drinker (or juice, or soda, or any other liquid). 8 glasses a day seems insane and a radical change. I just don't understand how water has anything to do with converting fat stores into energy. Is this another 'old wives' tale'? Thanks in advance!

It's not important for weight loss as much as it is for general health. Water keeps me regular. It keeps my skin nice and supple.

cwolfman13

I'll let you in on a little secret...not everything is about weight loss...proper weight management is but one aspect of health (and frankly there are plenty of people of a healthy weight who are unhealthy as *kitten*)...keeping hydrated is important to your health overall.

Your body depends on water to survive...every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work correctly. Your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate joints among other things. Proper hydration is required for overall health and well being. Individual needs will vary and be dependent on activity, climate, etc.

13bbird13

My only issue with staying hydrated is that it can interfere with my long walks... I have to plan 'em to pass the local McDonald's in case I need a pit stop before I get home (but no, I don't order any food while I'm there... a medium coffee, maybe, just as a restroom "ticket").

Lovee_Dove7

My own experience with hydration is that once I'm dehydrated, ironically I stop feeling thirsty. I wonder if the thirst mechanism gets kicked off, similar to how you stop noticing a rubberband around your wrist.
But if I start to drink plenty of water again, after a day, I feel thirsty and want water again.

krithsai

Lovee_Dove7 wrote: »

My own experience with hydration is that once I'm dehydrated, ironically I stop feeling thirsty. I wonder if the thirst mechanism gets kicked off, similar to how you stop noticing a rubberband around your wrist.
But if I start to drink plenty of water again, after a day, I feel thirsty and want water again.

Happens to me too. Weird, eh?