Drink More Water, Lose More Weight? YES!

Options
24567…19

Replies

  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Options
    ...ok

    Hey, just so you know! Message boards and forums are on MFP for motivation and support. Support being the operative word. If you're going to be annoying/not contribute anything positive you should go hang out in any of the YouTube comments sections with the prepubescent and aggressive tweens. Thanks for playing, though! :]

    Okay! Thanks for your helpful feedback!!! I had no idea that public internet message boards required me to be motivational and supportive and never post anything that might be the least bit sceptical of force feeding gallon jugs of water!!!! They really should post that in the terms of service or something don't you think?

    I'm honestly so pleased you took the time to be motivational and supportive of my lack of motivation and support though! I hope the last couple sentences didn't take you too long to come up with over a one word post.

    Wow, you seem very pleasant.

    Public internet message boards don't require you to do anything. You're not required to do anything here, obviously. But when you're on a web site that's geared towards building a community of folks looking to lead healthier lives, then yes..I'd say message boards are meant to be motivational and supportive of one another.

    I could really care less if you're skeptical,because if you think that consuming a gallon of water (not gallon jugs, as you mentioned) isn't healthy for you then clearly you need this web site more than I do. Just please make sure you keep that to yourself if you don't have anything positive to contribute. Especially if your contribution is as lackluster and uninformed as yours.

    Well, I have officially been told. Although I do find it funny that one non-rude, non-offensive word has generated this much interest and condescension. Have a lovely rest of your life.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    ...ok
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    not really.
  • shantronathon
    shantronathon Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    This sounds totally healthy.

    Not.

    Drinking too much water could lead to electrolyte imbalances in the body, which is not very healthy.

    Absolutely. You'd have to drink a lot more than a gallon of water to affect your body negatively, though
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    Options
    not really.

    how dare you?!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Options
    "Anecdote" and "data" are two different words. Just FYI.
  • shantronathon
    shantronathon Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    You hear it from anyone with a nutrition background, health background, or anyone with some slight common sense, really.

    "DRINK MORE WATER!"

    But why? Why would anyone want to consume so much water every day?

    Because it works. Drinking a gallon of water WILL help you lose weight. It's completely counter intuitive on a basic level. If I want to lose weight, I should consume less of everything. That way the scale will start to go down. Right?

    WRONG.

    I PROMISE YOU! Drink a gallon of water every single day. This has to be as much of a focus as eating healthy and exercising. There's a reason why everyone and their friggin mother tells you to drink as much water as possible.

    But it's really, really, reeeeeally hard.

    I did it for a month.

    The first day of drinking a gallon of water was the absolute worst. I felt extremely bloated. And full. And I was constantly peeing. I had to chug water until I thought I was going to puke. I tried to work out that day and just felt like all of this liquid was sloshing around inside of me, so I stopped. I woke up in the middle of the night to pee two or three times. It sucked. But let me tell you how shocked I was when I saw I lost 2 pounds the next morning.

    How can that be? I didn't change my diet. I didn't work out. I consumed, what felt like, an inhumane amount of liquid. HOW?!

    I don't know. But I'm telling you, it will get easier.

    As the days went on, the pukey feeling completely stopped when I chugged the water. I just constantly felt comfortably full. I wasn't snacking. I felt alert and very energized. The potty visits were obviously still really frequent, but knowing your body is processing everything quickly ends up feeling like you've accomplished something? I know that sounds weird, but it's true. And the weight will continue to keep dropping off. I started getting so good at killing a 40-something ounce bottle of water in a few minutes. I thought I could get into competitive water drinking! Silly, I know. But ****, I was proud of myself.

    So how does one start drinking a gallon of water every day? I mean, we work. We have families. We have errands and what not. We can't just sit around chugging water hidden from society so our *kitten* gets smaller.

    Well, here's what I did that worked for me.

    When I first started this, I'd buy 4 32 oz bottles of water every day. There's 128 oz in a gallon, so when I chugged all 4 I knew I hit my goal for the day. Any other water I drank was just bonus. Now, obviously that's extremely wasteful (I recycled!) and not to mention expensive. So I started buying 1 water bottle every day and refilling it 3 more times. Well, between going to the water cooler to refill my bottle and my bathroom breaks, it was a pretty big distraction at work. Then I decided to buy this gallon jug that had an easy to hold handle on it, as well as a big straw too. I took that with me every where. It worked perfectly. Became quite a conversational piece as well as an inspiration to some others to try it out as well.

    When it comes to actually drinking the water, the straw was key. Just makes it easier. And I don't sip on the water throughout the day. Any time I pick up my jug, I made sure to take at least 4 or 5 big gulps. Like I said earlier, it has to be a huge focus and it just ends up feeling like you're working out when you're gulping/chugging like that. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but it's just my thought process.

    It'll get harder before it gets easier, so stick with it. I've actually stopped because it was pretty difficult to focus on drinking that much water every day. However, I plan on picking it back up again because I miss how I felt and I'd like to start tipping the scales backward again.

    I've heard this method has worked out for many people. It's not a diet pill or starvation plan. Just imbibe and watch how it changes you for the better! Good luck! :]

    Water is critical for health; however, I would be careful about telling people to drink a gallon per day. Not everyone has healthy kidneys, which flush the water out - when kidney function is decreased, the blood becomes "diluted" and it throws your sodium balance off (called hyponatremia), also termed water intoxication (from too much "free water" that lack the solutes in our blood). The results of decreased kidney function and hyponatremia can result in death - yep, death. Often from cerebral swelling - first signs of this after drinking too much water are nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, etc.

    While I do agree with your recommendation to increase water intake, I would not encourage people to drink a gallon per day to lose weight, especially if they have underlying health issues. My recommendation would be to follow what most physicians & other healthcare practitioners recommend for people with healthy kidney function, which is the old standard 8-10 glasses (64-100 oz.) per day. I would also recommend that if people have any questions about how much water they should be consuming, they contact their physician or healthcare provider to discuss what is appropriate for them.

    Agreed! I'm just saying what worked for me :]
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Options
    Sure
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Options
    Agreed! I'm just saying what worked for me :]

    Your ticker says you've lost 0 of 41 pounds.
  • shantronathon
    shantronathon Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    I can't believe I didn't make this connection sooner! Thank you! I am typically pretty good at getting my water in, but I've been working from home and have majorly slacked off, and so have my losses, even though all else is the same. I will try to focus on this more and cross my fingers that it works!!

    Good luck! I'm picking it back up again tomorrow too.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Options
    Drink More Water, Lose More Weight? NO!
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    Options
    Agreed! I'm just saying what worked for me :]

    Your ticker says you've lost 0 of 41 pounds.

    That's what I said.
  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
    Options
    I'm curious about when you lost these two magical pounds.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,804 Member
    Options
    What do you consider Water? is coffee water? is tea water? is beer water? is soda water? how about the water in fruits? how do we log that? I need to know because I do not carry around a gallon of water.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Options
    My friend was drinking a gallon a day and we had to send her to the doctor to get him to tell her to stop because she was making herself sick, crazy fun times!
  • tomthompson1
    tomthompson1 Posts: 54 Member
    Options
    good post, thx for the tip on water, I have had more in the last few days and it seems to be helping me, and yes it can be tough to find a restroom so frequently, lol, thanks again!
  • jedigrover
    jedigrover Posts: 21 Member
    Options
    Yes, you can over drink water. However, it is hard to do it unless you are in a crazy radio contest (this happened a few years back--a person died). Washing your salts out happens when you drink too much water in ****too short a period of time for your kidneys to clear it & keep your saline level correct****. FWIW, the kidneys can process about 15 liters (~4 gal) of fluid per day. That's at the top end, and even those staying very well hydrated should not get near it. That's an extreme amount of water. Rate of intake is important, as stated above. So don't chug a gallon in one setting. 1 - 1.5 gallons in a 24 hour period (more like 16 waking-hours)? Should be fine, IMO.

    However, I'd be willing to be that the vast majority of people walking around in America today--and especially those "dieting," are chronically de-hydrated.

    I was chronically de-hydrated my entire life, and suffered kidney stones. Once I started keeping myself hydrated, no kidney stones. I found that out on my own. ALL the urologists completely missed it and were too preoccupied with putting me on this pill or that special "calcium free" (before they knew any better) or "oxalate free" diet. But nobody bothered to check whether I was drinking enough clear water to keep everything flushed out and the oxalates at a low concentration.

    So here's the deal: Why does drinking more water help you lose fat? It's because when you are de-hydrated, your whole body suffers. Your liver needs water to work. It is your liver that is doing the "burning" of fat (well, OK, your muscles do some direct conversion after the liver has claimed a glycerin from the triglycerides, but guess what? That requires water too.) Add to that equation that you have plenty of fat-soluble toxins stored away in your body fat. Start using that fat, and you are releasing those toxins, which must be filtered by the kidneys (which need water to do so) and secondarily, the liver (again, needing water).

    If you work out a lot, you sweat a lot, and you should replace what you sweat.

    EVERYTHING your body does metabolically requires being well hydrated. If you are de-hydrated, you are causing undue stress, slowing down your metabolism, and probably even throwing some hormones out of your favor. Water is to your body as oil is to an engine. It keeps everything moving along smoothly. Including digestion. Eating a healthy diet with lots of fiber? You better be drinking water. WebMD recommends ignoring the old (8) 8-oz glasses and going with 1/2 to 1 oz water per pound body weight per day. More if you work out more and/or live in a hot climate.
  • g33kmommy
    g33kmommy Posts: 104 Member
    Options
    This is SO TRUE.

    Drinking more water has helped me shed the pounds. Before I started doing this, I didn't lose weight nearly as easy. :)

    Drink water - lose weight! :)
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Options
    ...ok
    this

Categories