1 gallon of water in a day?

md921

Fact one: Too much water, esp without electrolytes and over long periods of time can be bad for you
Fact two: Obviously, there's no magic no to tell your the right amount of water you should drink in a day. Everybody handles water differently in thousands of ways

To answer the first question: Your weight may be more or less in the morning. If your body loses >1gal (in urine, sweat, breathing, etc) then you might weigh less. In the long run, it doen't matter

Drink generously but don't drown yourself
More importantly, when you drink a lot of water (for any reason - like you will be while hiking), you've got to take some elctrolytes - as food or drinks.

Mommawarrior

People die crossing the street too but that doesn't mean don't cross the street. That means be wise when you do so. I drink at least a gallon of water a day and I am not dead yet.

dawnmichelea

I tried to up my intake of water a few years ago....it was terrible!!! I found that I couldn't go anywhere without a water bottle, even driving to the store I would become thirsty....constantly thirsty! I was always needing a bathroom, and had to plan my shopping around my water intake and "out-take". Now.....if I'm thirsty, I drink! Works great!

musclemindca

It's easy to drink a Gallon. It's only 16 glasses.

I have three upon waking each morning. 1 has 1/2 a lemon squeezed in it. (Hydrated for my weight training)

I have 3 at the GYM w/ BCAA's in it. (helps prevent muscle breakdown/repair)

1 glass in my Whey + Greens Post Workout Shake (muscle repair)

- ** that's 7 Glasses b4 noon


I have 3 between each of 5 meals a day = 9 more glasses

= 16 glasses a day - all before 8 p.m. so I'm not up at night going to the washroom.

A healthy schedule of eating keeps you on track. I just carry around a glass 24 oz container and refill during the day.

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RunnersLament

research suggest you drink 1/2 your body weight in water. :drinker:

You meant to say "Drink 1/2 an ounce of water per pound of body weight didn't ya?"

Don't know that I could drink 115 pounds of water in a day.

jammer2net

There is NO way I could drink a gallon of water a day, just speaking for myself. I had a friend that drank too much water and she had to go to the ER because of flushing out too many vitamins and nutrients. Her potassium level was wayyy low because of it.

PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot

It's quite easy to do if you "ease" into it. Years ago I was on a medication that dehydrated the hell out of me. Terrible headaches, ultra dry skin, cracked & bleeding lips if I forgot my DCT. I averaged 2 gals a day.

AglaeaC

research suggest you drink 1/2 your body weight in water. :drinker:

I doubt that. If you weigh 200 lbs, that is 100 lbs water.

skullshank

i typically drink a gallon a day.

i pee a lot, but thats ok...i like peeing.

yourpalsoap

I think the drink-half-your-weight thing only works if you weigh more than 128lbs though, otherwise they'd be recommending less than 2L a day which isn't enough. by that rule, I'm supposed to drink 55oz/1.56L and I aim for at least 3.5L of water a day, plus any extras like tea/coffee (a US gallon is 3.79L).

drinking too much water is extremely rare, and only ever happens as a result of an illness or drinking a lot in a really short amount of time (like water-drinking contests) and even then it's incredibly hard to do. your kidneys flush out 0.8-1L of water per hour, so as long as it's spaced out you could technically drink 24L a day...

earlnabby

Like everything else, avoid extremes and use commons sense. Yes, you can drink too much water but we are talking gallons in a short period of time. Yes, you can sweat and pee out too many electrolytes so if you are sweating a lot it make sense to replace some of them either with food or things like sports drinks.

The vast majority of people can drink a gallon or more without any problems except maybe more trips to the bathroom than you would like.

yourpalsoap

research suggest you drink 1/2 your body weight in water. :drinker:

I doubt that. If you weigh 200 lbs, that is 100 lbs water.

they didn't word it well. the rule is roughly 1oz water per 2lb body weight.

Mr_Knight

6 litres (1.5 gallons) in 3 hours is enough to kill you.

Barbellarella_

I don't follow rules. I just drink when I'm thirsty.

yourpalsoap

I don't follow rules. I just drink when I'm thirsty.

then you should try drinking more :--) once you start to feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated.

Unknown

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_John_

I eat a cup of raw asparagus every day and drink enough water not to smell it by the evening.

AglaeaC

Just drink enough to keep your pee fairly colourless

Morning pee is dark, very diluted pee is like water. It should be a light yellow.

AglaeaC

I eat a cup of raw asparagus every day and drink enough water not to smell it by the evening.

Ahh, the asparagus gene... I'm blessed with it, too.

mikekelly1234

This is what the Navy goes by...Half your body weight in ounces.

NCFootballCoach

I have been told by a nutritionist and trainer that in order to burn fat and process your nutrients that a male needs to 55% water and a female 60% water. They said the average person is only 40-50% water, which is okay to prevent dehydration, but won't allow you to process your food for proper digestion and metabolism.

AglaeaC

This is what the Navy goes by...Half your body weight in ounces.

It is quite a lot for people who might not be as physically active constantly and/or in hot climates. If one is sedentary and the season is cooler, much less is removed as sweat to cool down the body.

BrianSharpe

there is no harmful amount of water as long as its not at once.. I used to drink a gallon a day. To flush your toxins out, I shoot for an oz./lb. of body weight so if you weigh 120lbs, id shoot for 120 oz

Wrong........google hyponatremia.....

flush toxins out

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I don't follow rules. I just drink when I'm thirsty.

then you should try drinking more :--) once you start to feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated.

Trust your thirst......much of the so-called research done on hydration is paid for by companies that make sports drinks and sell bottled water etc..

Hadabetter

Just drink enough to keep your pee fairly colourless

Exactly! A pale yellow is what you want. Water is like vitamins in that your body needs what it needs, and any extra will provide absolutley no benefit, and a lot extra can be harmful.

Don't believe anyone who tells you that you must drink X ounces a day, or your body weight in ounces per day, or any other formula. Does that person know how old you are?...Your genetics?...How much you weigh?...The climate you live in?...The amount of exercise you do?...Are you an office worker or a manual laborer? All these things play a big role in your requirements for water.

The pee test is the best was to know if you are getting enough.

pythagarus

That is the only downside to drinking so much water, the inevitable trips to the bathroom.

ArtGeek22

I go by the amount of water for your body weight and then some! (body weight x 1/2 = That number / 8 = Number of 8 oz glasses per day)

kimnsc

I drink half my body weight in ounces. I do it because it helps keep my skin clear and it keeps me feeling full to keep from the mindless snacking.

The_WoIverine

Eeeeeverybody is different. While some don't drink more than 4 oz a day and I have no idea how their bodies can function properly, others can drink 2 gallons a day.

My suggestion is, drink as much water as your body ask you for. If you're thirsty, drink it! Imagine if I were to based my water intake on how much water others drink, like my mom for instance. I would probably have died of dehydration.

Kimdbro

I drink 4 Litres of water a day, which is just over a Gallon (like 3 3/4 Litres in Gallon roughly) That's when I'm just sitting at a desk most of the day. If I'm out riding bike I'll drink 2 litres in an hour... you'll sweat it out, and it will flush your system. If anything it will help you. If it's hot out and you are really working hard, your body may retain some of that water and ya, you might see the scale reflect that, but that shouldn't make you crazy anyway.

RunnerStephe

I drink 120 ounces of water a day. Trust me, the more you drink, the more you want it and the longer you can go inbetween bathroom stops. You will feel great!

Yes, I do 128 myself minimum