Water intake

TishaGettinFit
TishaGettinFit Posts: 77 Member
How much water do you all usually drink. I feel like I'm always really thirsty. I'm drinking between 16-20 cups a day plus a few cups of black coffee. Is it normal to be this thirsty? It seemed to start once I went from moderate low carb to keto.

Replies

  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    Probably want to up your sodium a bit.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I found myself insatiably thirsty after about a week on keto. Continually drinking water or tea seemed to make it worse. A cup of broth helped a little.

    Don't know if others found different solutions, but for me adding a small bit of True Lemon to one or two of my bottles of water each day has kicked my thirst in the teeth and it hasn't returned. Maybe I was Vitamin C deficient or something. Now that I'm a few weeks in, I seem less thirsty overall compared to earlier, but still more thirsty than preketo.
  • TishaGettinFit
    TishaGettinFit Posts: 77 Member
    Thank you, it's just so crazy I've had 18 cups of plain water plus coffee earlier and a can of soda water. Yet my mouth and throat feel like I hiked through the desert with nothing to drink all day. I'll try your guys pointers and hopefully it will pass soon. I haven't had to use the bathroom this much since I was pregnant.
  • bjwoodzy
    bjwoodzy Posts: 593 Member
    I have a 16 oz. glass that I fill up about 3-4 times per day - as a diabetic, I've always been extremely thirsty but ever since I started keto, not so much. I need to keep up with my water but also probably up my sodium intake, which is hard since I also have hypertension. Would be nice to have a magic formula figured out. Am working on this, too! You're not alone.
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    Please remember the salt recommendation is only to REPLACE what your body is losing through ketosis! Without replacing the salt you will quickly feel very bad! There's a whole section on it up there^^^^ in the Launch Pad.

    I was on blood pressure medication when I began this woe, but was able to stop it (with doctor approval) when my b/p came down to normal, and this is while consuming a minimum of 5000mg of sodium everyday. This is another situation where conventional medical wisdom is backwards where ketosis is concerned. My running blood pressure is now 104/60! Plus, the edema I used to suffer with terribly only rears its head if my sodium intake drops! I've been keto for 14 months, and am not going back to my old ways!
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    bjwoodzy wrote: »
    I have a 16 oz. glass that I fill up about 3-4 times per day - as a diabetic, I've always been extremely thirsty but ever since I started keto, not so much. I need to keep up with my water but also probably up my sodium intake, which is hard since I also have hypertension. Would be nice to have a magic formula figured out. Am working on this, too! You're not alone.

    If you're on meds for hypertension be very aware of how you feel. Be on the lookout for any dizziness, especially upon standing. This would indicate a drop in blood pressure (also low blood volume/low sodium). Just like Karlottap said, It's very common for Keto to eliminate hypertension issues very quickly and if you're taking meds to lower blood pressure, it could suddenly go very low. It's very important to be aware of the symptoms that would signal that your medication is either too potent or unnecessary any longer.
  • RowdysLady
    RowdysLady Posts: 1,370 Member
    I drink more water than I care to log any longer. I have a 32 ounce cup that I fill up about 3-5 times a day. I pee about every 45 minutes...no joke. Thank goodness I work from home most of the time.
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    I had forgotten this, but I actually passed out from orthostatic hypotension (b/p drops after standing up from laying down position) and that's when I stopped my meds. I let the doctor know about it at my next visit. Be careful! I'm lucky I wasn't hurt more than some bruises! This was last June after beginning this woe in April, 2015!
  • TishaGettinFit
    TishaGettinFit Posts: 77 Member
    You can be dehydrated while drinking a lot of water and actually be making it worse by continuing to flush out too much sodium and electrolytes from all the water consumption. I think you need a lot of salt ASAP. Like 5000mg a day with the symptoms you're describing.
    Seriously, make some boullion or eat several pickles, drink the juice or do whatever you need to so that you get your sodium up right away.
    Thirst that drinking doesn't make better is a symptom of low sodium. You cannot retain the water due to low sodium and continuing to drink while not adding the sodium back is only making it more serious.

    Thank you for pointing this out. I consumed a little over 5000mg today and I wasn't nearly as thirsty today. I still need to do some tweaking to find my balance but I'll definitely be putting more effort into increasing my sodium intake.
  • bjwoodzy
    bjwoodzy Posts: 593 Member
    @Sunny_Bunny_ thanks!