Water benefits

kristineh86

Hi All!!
I feel like i've asked this before but I don't remember the answer. How beneficial exactly is drinking water? What exactly does it do to your body? And this last one might sound silly but, is it only beneficial along with a healthy diet and exercise?

Thanks in advance!

kristineh86

Hi All!!
I feel like i've asked this before but I don't remember the answer. How beneficial exactly is drinking water? What exactly does it do to your body? And this last one might sound silly but, is it only beneficial along with a healthy diet and exercise?

Thanks in advance!

crystal_sapphire

water plays a big role in your electrolyte balance, namely in sodium and potassium. It has a lot to do will the health of the cells of your body. Weight wise, when you have too much sodium in your body, and not enough water, you tend to be bloated because there is such a high concentration of sodium. The more water you drink, the more balanced you are and when you urinate, your body pulls sodium out. Everyone needs sodium, but our overall diet these days are too high in sodium and not enough water, putting your electrolytes out of balance

kristineh86

Interesting! Thank you. I feel like I don't eat much sodium but I drink a TON of water. I am constantly peeing (like every half hour or something crazy like that). Do you think that aided a lot in my weight loss? For instance, does a low-sodium diet plus TONS of water = weight loss?

DjBliss05

There was a thread on here about water a while back that really sold me on the need for it... I would track it down but I honestly can't remember where it was!

But, the general take home message was that keeping your liver functioning at full capacity by drinking enough water helps your body process fat and not store it. I don't know enough to explain how, but that was the message. Also, it helps you feel less hungry.

When I started drinking water (which was also mentioned in that article) I was in the potty constantly. This is because your body is also flushing out the water it was saving just in case. After a few days, it should balance out. If this is not a new thing for you, could you possibly be drinking too much water? It depends on weight and how much you exercise, but there is a limit.

lunglady

Drinking adequate water is important, however, there are dangers to overdoing it. Especially if you are very active; basically if you sweat a lot (sodium loss) and replace only free water in excess of electrolytes you can develop hyponatremia (low serum sodium). This can result in seizures, coma, and death.

If you have normal kidneys and pituitary gland, they are exquisitely sensitive to sodium and water balance; these are pretty tightly regulated unless there is a major perturbation in the system. The thirst mechanism is extremely strong- your body will tell you if you need more. Patients with abnormal thirst mechanisms actually sometimes have to be locked down because the drive is so strong- people actually become violent in their desire to obtain water.

I say all this to say, if you are a normal healthy person,adequate hydration is good, but don't obsess.

J. Coleman, MD

FloridaGatorGirl

Hey dont exactly know the answer to your question just thought that Id tell you youre not alone with the 30 minute potty thing! Ijust starting drink water ALL THE TIME becuase I started MFP monday and I had to stop 3 times to go to the bathroom on an 1hr trip-lol