Water Intake

KShufflebarger08

Hi guys - hopefully this post isn't controversial

I've noticed a pattern. I'm only losing weight when I drink a TON of water. I know that's a good thing, I should drink my water, blah blah... but is this a temporary thing?

What helps you get your 64+oz of water a day?

BigT555

the more water you drink, the more water weight you lose (this seems counter-intuitive but its true). assuming your calorie deficit is consistent, whats probably happening is that on days you dont drink as much, you retain some water, masking your fat loss, and when you do drink a ton you get that "whoosh" effect that alot of people talk about. water intake doesnt really effect fat loss to my knowledge

as for how i get enough, just always have a bottle of water on me, i probably average 4-5 L a day

martinel2099

What the above poster said, great info.

I'll only add, if you're having trouble getting water in, consider hot tea. I'm kind of lucky, my work provides free TAZO tea packets and Nestle water bottles so I can drink as much as I please. Tea is a Great way to keep hydrated if you're tired of water.

CCSavage88

Hi guys - hopefully this post isn't controversial

I've noticed a pattern. I'm only losing weight when I drink a TON of water. I know that's a good thing, I should drink my water, blah blah... but is this a temporary thing?

What helps you get your 64+oz of water a day?

I've always noticed a difference when I'm not drinking as much water. It isn't a temporary thing it ALWAYS helps.

KShufflebarger08

the more water you drink, the more water weight you lose (this seems counter-intuitive but its true). assuming your calorie deficit is consistent, whats probably happening is that on days you dont drink as much, you retain some water, masking your fat loss, and when you do drink a ton you get that "whoosh" effect that alot of people talk about. water intake doesnt really effect fat loss to my knowledge

as for how i get enough, just always have a bottle of water on me, i probably average 4-5 L a day

Great information... thank you. Not sure what the "whoosh" effect is... other than having to pee constantly!

earlnabby

As to how I get my water in, I have a SodaStream and fill 2 bottles a day. I usually drink it plain fizzy but will have a maximum of 1 liter bottle made into a diet soda if I want a little extra fun.

Veil5577

I've been drinking a ton of water lately too, since we got a water cooler at work. At home I drink green tea, since I won't drink tap water and cannot afford bottled.

Other than having to pee constantly, as you said, I also noticed I'm feeling better. I haven't noticed any weight loss yet but then I just started. I'm more alert, have more energy, and I am not as hungry. I'm also hoping it will help with my roseacea (sic) and with helping my hair grow.

Lonestar5775

To get enough water I just think of the facts;

It's a super easy way to lose more, decrease my apetite, help my organs function more efficiently, flush out toxins, make my joints feel better, and at no added calories. If all this was in a pill form, people would line up with their wallets to buy it!

Instead, I simply drink it :happy:

BigT555

the more water you drink, the more water weight you lose (this seems counter-intuitive but its true). assuming your calorie deficit is consistent, whats probably happening is that on days you dont drink as much, you retain some water, masking your fat loss, and when you do drink a ton you get that "whoosh" effect that alot of people talk about. water intake doesnt really effect fat loss to my knowledge

as for how i get enough, just always have a bottle of water on me, i probably average 4-5 L a day

Great information... thank you. Not sure what the "whoosh" effect is... other than having to pee constantly!

lol i know that feeling all too well.

heres a great post on the whoosh effect if you want more info;
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296898-explanation-of-the-whoosh-effect-following-a-stall?hl=whoosh#posts-20116571

meltoine

I don't drink anything but water regularly. If I'm done eating for the day but I have some calories left I'll have chocolate milk, or if we go out to eat I'll have a soda, wine, or beer. I notice I crave sweets when I'm not drinking enough, so I'll always drink a bunch and then wait 15 mins or so to see if the craving subsides.

Some people do it by setting an alarm on their phone for every 60-90 minutes and drinking a glass each time it goes off.

GemmaRowlands

When I was younger, I would hardly drink anything at all. A glass in the morning with breakfast and a glass with my dinner (i.e. when parents made me a drink). I just wouldn't bother any other time.

Getting older, I have improved. Now I will have two cups of tea a day (down from when I was at uni, I have tried to cut back) and at least a litre of bottled water as well. I know it's not as much as you're supposed to drink, but it's better than I used to do, and I'm still working on increasing it!

I do definitely retain water when I don't drink enough (or when I eat particularly salty foods) and I can tell the difference just looking at me, so it's well worth making the effort.

jjplato

Same with me. When I drink a lot of water, I have no trouble losing fat. There's actually a scientific study that confirms this. It found that well-hydrated fat cells release fat more readily than dehydrated cells. AND... hydrated muscle cells hold on to protein. I've read the study itself, but here's an excellent synopsis: http://www.ergo-log.com/euhydration.html

"The conclusion: fat cells that are saturated with water release fats more easily; muscle cells that are full of water save proteins. Water is a perfect anabolic."

So drink lots of water!

Hi guys - hopefully this post isn't controversial

Everything you could conceivably post on MFP is going to be controversial. Make the assertion that water is wet, and people are going to break out the flamethrowers! :-)

brandnewsnickerpuss

My understanding is that fat oxidizes, so the more oxygen you have in your blood, the more efficient you'll be at oxidizing.

justjumpit278

I rarely drink anything but water. In fact, when I actually do, its odd to be drinking something with flavor.

I have one of those tumbler cup things that holds exactly three cups of water. I fill it before I leave for work at 7:30 and usually finish it a little before 12pm and refill it then. I'll finish that one before I leave work at 5pm and refill again. And then throughout the evening, I'll finish that one too, if not more. I usually end up drinking between 9 and 11 cups of water a day, or 72 to 88 oz.

And a weird thing I found that works for me - I drink more if its from a straw. I can have a regular bottle of water at my desk and MAYBE I'll finish it by the end of the day. But if I have my tumbler cup with a straw, I guzzle water all day long. Hey, whatever works.

And I also found I drink more if its just plain, cold water. I don't like hot tea, Mio, Crystal Light, etc. I hate the artificial flavors.
Sometimes I really just CRAVE water. Like today I tried making homemade green tea. I couldn't even finish two cups of it. I dumped it down the drain and refilled my cup with ice cold plain water.

Aaron_K123

OP understand that the "weight" of your body is not all fat and bone and muscle, a lot of it is water. The amount of water your body carries around is very much dependent on your sodium levels and the amount of water you drink. If you decrease your sodium intake and or increase the amount of water you drink (thereby diluting the sodium in your body) you will retain less water and therefore you will "weigh" less.

This has nothing to do with health though and honestly you should probably ignore that sort of "weight loss" as it is meaningless to your overall health and presumed desire to lose FAT.

Drinking lots of water is healthy for you, keep it up....but the weight loss associated with it is just less water retention...not fat loss.