Gallon a day?

agirlnamedgod

I've heard several different assumptions to water intake during dieting.

I've heard 8 glasses, a gallon a day (what I currently do), some calculation of ounces to your weight.

What do you do? Does anybody follow any type of water "rule"?

cashidy

My doctor just told me to take your weight and half it and drink that many ounces. I weigh 150, so I need to drink 75 ounces a day. She said that eating fruit and watery food counts as some so it does not have to be exact, but to aim for that. She also said my pee should be clear.

cwolfman13

just stay hydrated...look at your pee...if it's pale yellow to clear, you are hydrated. Everything else is just a general guideline...you may or may not need a gallon per day...just stay hydrated.

marieamethyst

I usually drink 13-15 glasses throughout the day just because I like water, including a glass before I eat something (leftover Army habit). Whenever I walk into the kitchen I try to drink one, and two during/after a workout.

4righteousnesssake

cwolfman13 wrote: »

just stay hydrated...look at your pee...if it's pale yellow to clear, you are hydrated. Everything else is just a general guideline...you may or may not need a gallon per day...just stay hydrated.

I second this. Except I'd add that if it's perfectly clear, drink a little less because you're over hydrating and that can be just as bad as dehydrating.

diannethegeek

As a general rule of thumb, this is what matters:



All of the different rules out there are just different ways to be sure you get there. What matters is how much you find you need to take in based on your real world experience.

NorthCascades

I just drink when I'm thirsty. It hasn't been a problem for me. The times when I wind up dehydrated, I can feel it coming on, but I can't do anything about it. On the other hand, my girlfriend is never thirsty. She drinks water because she knows she has to, but left to her own devices, she just won't.

OneHundredToLose

I drink about a gallon of water a day because I'm thirsty enough to do so. Most of the stuff you hear about drinking X amount of water per day is inaccurate.

Why you don't need 8 glasses of water per day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWASUMMQjj8

emdeesea

Yeah you go by the color of your urine. If it's a light yellow color you're good.

I drink maybe a total of 4-5 cups of water, then I have like 2-3 cups of tea a day. For a normal day, that's plenty. If it's hot outside, I usually bump that up to 6-7 cups of water, but it depends on how active I am.

CafeRacer808

It's also worth pointing out that coffee and tea count towards your daily water intake. The diuretic effect of caffeine is more than offset by the amount of water in coffee and tea.

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken

The color of your urine is NOT always an accurate indicator of good hydration. I find that I do need a gallon of water a day. This includes my coffee, tea, milk, or anything else I would drink. I fell into the habit of not drinking enough. I was hungry a lot. Thirst can be misinterpreted as hunger if you aren't hydrated well enough. I was much less tired after getting into the habit of staying hydrated. Listening to my body wasn't helping me a bit as I never felt thirsty no matter how little I ever drank. If you think your thirst signals may be failing then I would keep track of how many cups of fluids you get each day. If I don't keep track I forget.

agirlnamedgod

Thanks everybody!

manderson27

I had kidney stones...twice and was advised by my consultant to drink 3 litres a day. He said "You urine should be the colour of fine champagne" (like I have any idea what fine champagne looks like) then he added "but if it starts to fizz come back and see me"

I probably still don't drink 3 litres but do try to be mindful of my water intake.

snickerscharlie

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

It's also worth pointing out that coffee and tea count towards your daily water intake.

As do any liquids such as soda, milk and juice.

HappyHope0123

diannethegeek wrote: »

As a general rule of thumb, this is what matters:



All of the different rules out there are just different ways to be sure you get there. What matters is how much you find you need to take in based on your real world experience.

I'm so glad you posted this! I drink 12 cups of water a day and have noticed my pee is bright orange but I don't feel dehydrated...now iwonder it its the vitamins I just started.

CafeRacer808

snickerscharlie wrote: »

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

It's also worth pointing out that coffee and tea count towards your daily water intake.

As do any liquids such as soda, milk and juice.

Indeed! But sadly, beer and whisky do not count.

jennybearlv

I drink when I'm thirsty. I don't need another thing to keep track of. Haven't died yet.

bbell1985

If my pee is almost clear, I'm good. If not, I drink more.

Sabine_Stroehm

I look at my pee, and drink water when I'm thirsty.

I always have 40 ounces when I wake up.

snickerscharlie

HappyHope0123 wrote: »

diannethegeek wrote: »

As a general rule of thumb, this is what matters:



All of the different rules out there are just different ways to be sure you get there. What matters is how much you find you need to take in based on your real world experience.

I'm so glad you posted this! I drink 12 cups of water a day and have noticed my pee is bright orange but I don't feel dehydrated...now iwonder it its the vitamins I just started.

Yes, some vitamins will affect urine colour, especially those containing riboflavin (B2).

bbell1985

Word. When I get too much B12 my pee is like neon.

Theo166

I've upped my intake to to help feel satiated, not because I'm concerned about dehydration.

tinkerbellang83

I drink around 2.5-3 litres (around 7 pints) per day around 1.5 litres at work and another 1.5-2 litres at home/on way into work, if I am exercising might even have a bit more. It's a running joke between myself and my flatmate because I always have stacks of water bottle multi-packs in the house.

kenyonhaff

A lot of the hype around water is just that...the "Adam Ruins Everything" made that clear. Love that show.

But I've found cutting out most of the beverages except water in my meals really reduced my calorie intake. And a warm water-based drink like coffee or tea can hit the spot when I really shouldn't have a larger snack.

LivingtheLeanDream

There really is a lot of hype around water, I don't monitor my water, I drink when I'm thirsty, but I also drink a lot of tea.
The Pee chart posted is good info in general though.

aflane

I've always been a big water drinker, since I was a teen (daily avg is 1+ gallons). There's an added benefit that people either forget or don't know about... staying properly hydrated acts as the 'fountain of youth' for your body. I'm in my 50s, and due to my regular water consumption, I have no wrinkles or crow's feet. None! When people hear my age, they want to know my skincare regime. I strongly believe that my decades of staying well hydrated works better than any cream or lotion.

snickerscharlie

aflane wrote: »

I've always been a big water drinker, since I was a teen (daily avg is 1+ gallons). There's an added benefit that people either forget or don't know about... staying properly hydrated acts as the 'fountain of youth' for your body. I'm in my 50s, and due to my regular water consumption, I have no wrinkles or crow's feet. None! When people hear my age, they want to know my skincare regime. I strongly believe that my decades of staying well hydrated works better than any cream or lotion.

This will mainly occur as a result of a combination of lucky genetics, limited sun exposure, not having been a smoker and to a degree, being overweight, if that applies to you. Drinking water does not "plump out" age-related wrinkles from the inside out - they will occur regardless.

Not saying that being hydrated isn't good for your body overall, because it is, and it may have a small benefit in keeping the skin a bit more elastic and less dry as opposed to someone who is chronically under-hydrated, but it hasn't been proven to have a direct effect on whether you get wrinkles or not.