Does drinking water really help?

AimingHighWeighingLow

Okay, a bit naive to dieting, so bear with me.

I drink about 1/2 glasses of water a day, if I drink more.....could I really lose more weight?

I am a salt addict! I have WAY more than I should, but I never add it in separately.

EMc4452

Your body needs water...especially if you are a salt addict. Try drinking 8 glasses a day for a week and see how you feel. Thats the best way for you to find out if it works or not.

thebre1

Water is extremely important for your body to function properly, and it absolutely does help with weight loss. Drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day can help curb hunger, flush out your system and is beneficial for skin, hair and organ function. Keeping hydrated always leaves me more energetic, your body works better when it is treated right.

skinnylove00

YOU NEED TO DRINK A LOT MORE WATER!!! not only is your body very dehydrated (you probably dont even realize!) but it can really help you with cravings, eating less calories during mealtimes, and can do wonders for your lips, making them look fuller. also, cut back on that sodium, if you can!

Lozze

It will definitly help. But most importantly, you'll FEEL better.

I've just switched from drinking 4-5L a day of diet soda to 2-3L of water. And the difference is amazing. (well besides my migrane this week. HATE THEM) I feel 1000 times better.

nskerr

My experience has been it does help. I love salt as well and drinking a lot of water cleans you out. Also "filling up" on water decreases your appetite. Finally if you exercise it help from getting dehydrated. I used to cramp up very easily even before I dieted and exercised. Now very rarely. I really try to drink 8 a day. 4 bottles of water = 8 glasses. If you can get a bottle and fill it 4 times during the day, you will be good.

DreamLittleDarling

nah, no big deal. don't drink any. see how that feels.

princesslmc2

Yes, YES!!! Water is vitally important.

I was once challenged to drink 100 ounces of water/day. I was so overwhelmed, but I took it in baby steps. And I actually learned to crave the water and got up to 160 ounces/day. Now, each body responds differently.... but I noticed a HUGE difference with my weight loss progress once I crossed the 120 ounces/day mark.

Heck... I had kinda gotten off the bandwagon for the last six weeks, only drinking 80 ounces/day. These last 2 weeks, I bumped it back up to at least 140 ounces/day, and I have seen TREMENDOUS progress on the scale (finally losing 4 pounds... vs. nothing at all the 6 weeks prior). So yes... water is important.

And ESPECIALLY if you're a salt addict!! Gotta flush that salt through the system or else you'll just be retaining water weight.

fadeedaf

You need to be drinking about a gallon of water a day. If you are weight training you definitely need to be drinking water to help recover your muscles. Water with dieting helps you feel fuller in between meals. Salt is a horrible thing to be eating while you are dieting. If you need to have some kind of salt, use Ms. Dash. Basically nothing in that.

ppiinnkkmmoonn

it does it does it does it helped balance your weight as well. I dont know the science behind it but when i started drinking my water my weight stablize perfectly. so i believe in the power of WATER:happy:

bethdris

When I started MFP, I drank on a good day 5 to 6 glasses of water...I slowly upped to 10-12 and lost weight a little faster, felt a LOT better(becuase I was finally correctly hydrated), and my skin got better! Water ROCKS

tambink

Water is the KEY you need to drink at least 8 glasses a day and more if you can and try to lay off the salt if possible. Drinking water has helped me alot :happy:

PoeRaven

YES! Drink at least 8 eight ounce glasses a day, you will definitley notice a difference especially in how you feel.
Drink up!
:drinker:

ms1978

Much like storing fat when you don't eat enough, your body will retain water when it doesn't have enough causing you to feel bloated and your hands, legs and feet to swell. I find that drinking at least the 8ozs. of water each day makes me less hungry. Water is good for your skin and I feel GREAT!! Try it..you'll see

jazzy020106

Oh god yes it helps! Helps tremendously, in more ways than 1! I suggest you try the water challenge that was going on. It is to drink half of your weight (in OZ of course).

AimingHighWeighingLow

Wow, okay.....I will make a deal today to drink 8 glasses of water and see where I am in a week. I have very dry skin (although not flakey) and a very flakey scalp, is this because I do not drink enough then?

springtrio

Are you ****ting me?

NKF92879

Wow, okay.....I will make a deal today to drink 8 glasses of water and see where I am in a week. I have very dry skin (although not flakey) and a very flakey scalp, is this because I do not drink enough then?

It could be related, I've definitely noticed a difference in my skin & hair since I started being more disciplined with drinking water.

jayb0ne

Yes, yes, yes!

The very first thing I did when I started looking to lose weight was increase my water intake. Doing absolutely nothing else with my diet, I lost 5 pounds in my first week. I went from about 1 or 2 glasses a day (if that) to 5 litres (20 glasses) a day.

There's no such thing as too much water (well... there is, but it's at about 15 litres a day so most normal people will never get there).

Thrash it down a litre at a time, sip constantly all day long, it's all good. Just get it in!

BerryH

Controversial this, but you can get the water you need from anything you drink - juice, tea, coffee, soda, soup, you name it!

The only exception is alcohol which is diuretic.

jayb0ne

Wow, okay.....I will make a deal today to drink 8 glasses of water and see where I am in a week. I have very dry skin (although not flakey) and a very flakey scalp, is this because I do not drink enough then?

Dunno if it's related but I have alopecia so all the hair on my head grows through patchy. It's really started to come back a lot in the 4 or 5 months since I started eating well and drinking water...

TMcBooty

Are you ****ting me?

lol.. right!

peteb79

I heard that drinking ice cold water actually burns calories.. (not much..) 1 gallon is like 100 calories.. It also helps keep your liver metabolizing stored fat... kidneys need water to function.. without water the liver has to help the kidneys... so your liver stops metabolizing stored fat..

DreamLittleDarling

Controversial this, but you can get the water you need from anything you drink - juice, tea, coffee, soda, soup, you name it!

The only exception is alcohol which is diuretic.

please, for the love of Pete (whoever he is), do NOT count juice, tea, coffee, soda, or soup towards your water intake goal each day. Please.

Drink water. plain water. ice is great. Mio is ok. But please, PLEASE, do yourself a favor, and do NOT count anything else towards your water intake, mkay?

peteb79

I am Pete! and well, I agree!

jayb0ne

Controversial this, but you can get the water you need from anything you drink - juice, tea, coffee, soda, soup, you name it!

The only exception is alcohol which is diuretic.

Yeah, but most other things have... well.. other things, in them.

Tea and coffee are diuretics, plus if you take milk, that's 25 calories for a 25ml splash of semi skimmed. If you take sugar, that's 15 calories per sugar.

Soda is definitely a dehydrating drink.

Fruit juice contains loads of fruit sugars which are fine enough but better to consum these via a whole fruit to get the fibre benefit as well.

You get a lot of water from food and other sources but I guess that's just what you need to survive as a bare minimum. I've gone a whole week before now without any actual water and didn't die or even feel thirsty. Not too cool though and certainly not optimal.

Water is completely free of anything except water! Calorie free so you can have as much as you like

DreamLittleDarling

I am Pete! and well, I agree!

after all these years of begging people to do stuff for your love!

it is so nice to meet you!!! :flowerforyou:

DreamLittleDarling

Controversial this, but you can get the water you need from anything you drink - juice, tea, coffee, soda, soup, you name it!

The only exception is alcohol which is diuretic.

Yeah, but most other things have... well.. other things, in them.

Tea and coffee are diuretics, plus if you take milk, that's 25 calories for a 25ml splash of semi skimmed. If you take sugar, that's 15 calories per sugar.

Soda is definitely a dehydrating drink.

Fruit juice contains loads of fruit sugars which are fine enough but better to consum these via a whole fruit to get the fibre benefit as well.

You get a lot of water from food and other sources but I guess that's just what you need to survive as a bare minimum. I've gone a whole week before now without any actual water and didn't die or even feel thirsty. Not too cool though and certainly not optimal.

Water is completely free of anything except water! Calorie free so you can have as much as you like

I like your style.

sophjakesmom

I am Pete! and well, I agree!

And we love you, Pete!

Totally fall on the side of drinking water. That is one of the absolutes I have followed this time and it has made a real difference. I actually drink between 10-15 cups of water a day. (and that is just water. I don't even count my unsweetened green tea.)

Try it for 2 weeks. You will really be amazed at the difference you feel and see on the scale.

BerryH

Tea and coffee are diuretics, plus if you take milk, that's 25 calories for a 25ml splash of semi skimmed. If you take sugar, that's 15 calories per sugar.

Soda is definitely a dehydrating drink.

Nope, that's a much-repeated myth. This from Wikipedia, with links to the research:

"Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not act as a diuretic when consumed in moderation, and does not lead to dehydration or to a water-electrolyte imbalance; current evidence suggests that caffeinated beverages contribute to the body's daily fluid requirements no differently from pure water."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coffee#Laxative.2Fdiuretic

Same with soda.

For hydration purposes any of these will do.

For minimal calorie vales, sure, go with water, but you may just die of boredom if you totally avoid drinks you like.

There is no scientific proof behind the eight glasses a day myth either. Here's the Snopes article debunking with research sources.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

You CAN drink too much water, though. A marathon running friend collapsed and was in a coma for a week through hyponatraemia. Rare but can be fatal.

AimingHighWeighingLow

No I wasn't kidding. It was a serious question. I always thought that people held water, I assumed the more you drank the more you stored, obviously I have been corrected now and I am currently on my second glass of water.