Water goals and weight loss journey

aimeethomas79

Hello, I am Aimee (46 yrs old) and recently started using MFP for weightloss. Is there a way to set a water goal per day for yourself? How much water should I be drinking? I am here and counting macros too. My goal is to lose about 40 pounds. I am also starting the journey into menopause and I have been putting on so much weight in the last few years, especially in my mid section. I am tired of feeling like crap.

briscogun

Welcome!

I don't think the app lets you set a water goal, it just tracks it for you if that's something you would like to track for yourself. Water consumption has no effect on weight loss so it's not part of the daily "goals", just calories/food.

Same goes for macros: they can help with achieving some of your health goals and some people say they feel fuller if they eat a certain level of protein/fats/carbs, etc, but it has no real effect on your weight. It's all about Calories In, Calories Out (CICO). Don't get too caught up in over-managing the minutiae. Just weigh/measure everything that you ingest and go from there.

Good luck!

totameafox

Anything you drink hydrates you. The exception is Alcohol. Caffeinated drinks can dehydrate you if that is all you drink. But one or two a day with other fluids is fine. I usually drink half and half. half soda, half flavored water. But I don't drink anything that has calories.

Brisco has stated a good starting point. Just track your calories in the beginning. You don't have to change/learn everything at once. What you eat will affect how you feel and that varies person to person but what doesn't change is that you have to use more calories than you consume.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/147555-speak-friend-and-enter

patriciafoley1

I don't know that drinking water really makes all that much of a difference. i know it's popular to drink a lot of water if you are dieting. Weight loss is more a matter of calorie reduction. if drinking water keeps you from eating, that's another thing. Also, some studies indicate people mistake thirst for hunger and eat when they really want to hydrate. Certainly drinking water is, for the most part, good for you. (Like anything, you can go to extremes on it). But I wouldn't worry too much about it.

AnnPT77

How much water to drink differs from one person to another . . . possibly differs hugely.

Think about it: One person can be a deskbound reference librarian on phone duty all day, live in a comfortably moderate climate, and go home to knit and watch TV in a climate-controlled apartment in the evening. Another person can be a bricklayer's apprentice who works all day in a hot climate carrying bricks and mortar, and trains for triathlons as a hobby in their off hours. One of those is going to need way more water than the other, right?

Even for us regular people, things like job, exercise choices, climate, and so forth can make a very significant different. Even some individual differences matter: Some people simply sweat more than others in the same situations, so they need more hydration.

Generally, authorities suggest that we consume enough fluids that our urine tends to be a pale yellow, kind of straw colored. Clear is over-hydrated, dark suggests under-hydration. A bright but pale yellow can happen and be OK, if because we're consuming more than we need of certain water-soluble vitamins . . . but dark is usually not good.

Most people's thirst cues are fine. As others have said, all fluids except alcohol count toward hydration, including fluids in soups, veggies, fruits, etc. Even the water content of alcoholic drinks can count, just not the alcohol - not that I'm recommending that source. 😉

Some people find that if they're getting peckish, it helps to drink some water. Some people find that when reducing calories, drinking a glass of water before or alongside meals helps moderate the amount of food consumed, makes it easier. Those are things you can experiment with, see if it helps you.