Drinking so much water

H_Factor

if your focus is primarily on hydration, this is true. pretty much any liquid (other than alcohol) will help hydrate you. if, however, you want to maximize the fat burning potential of your body (by helping the liver/kidneys as I mentioned above), then water is pretty much what you want. again, I'm trying to maximize fat burning so I drink primarily water.

And you feel that only plain water will do this? Do you also believe that you must drink the water on an empty stomach?

I believe that plain water is the most efficient way of doing this. sure, other liquids will get filtered in your body and you will gain some benefit from them. you get the most efficient benefit from plain water. I admit I'm not a scientist (I suspect none of us are) and I don't truly know if this is true or not....but I've ready about this a few places that I trust and I know that I have better weeks when I drink more water. soooo....as long as its working for me, that's what I'm doing.

sometimes I drink water on an empty stomach; sometimes I don't. do you want to ask me if I believe in the tooth fairy next?

bcattoes

if your focus is primarily on hydration, this is true. pretty much any liquid (other than alcohol) will help hydrate you. if, however, you want to maximize the fat burning potential of your body (by helping the liver/kidneys as I mentioned above), then water is pretty much what you want. again, I'm trying to maximize fat burning so I drink primarily water.

And you feel that only plain water will do this? Do you also believe that you must drink the water on an empty stomach?

I believe that plain water is the most efficient way of doing this. sure, other liquids will get filtered in your body and you will gain some benefit from them. you get the most efficient benefit from plain water. I admit I'm not a scientist (I suspect none of us are) and I don't truly know if this is true or not....but I've ready about this a few places that I trust and I know that I have better weeks when I drink more water. soooo....as long as its working for me, that's what I'm doing.

sometimes I drink water on an empty stomach; sometimes I don't. do you want to ask me if I believe in the tooth fairy next?

Well, I didn't want to ask about the tooth fairy, but I admit to being a little curious now.

Where I was going is, what difference could there be in having water in your stomach along with other stuff (food) vs. comsuming water that has other stuff in it? It's all going to the same place and getting mixed together for digestion.

I can eat a coffee bean and drink water and that counts because my body does good things with the water, but if I pour water over the coffee bean before drinking it suddenly it doesn't count because my body won't do the same thing?? I just don't see the logic.

H_Factor

since recommending that folks drink water normally draws negative attention on MFP, let me add this disclaimer...

folks, drink your water if you want. drink other things if you want. if someone asks a question about water, I'm going to tell them what I think works best based on what I've read and my own personal experience. I'm not a scientist so I have no independent way of verifying what is going on with the kidneys and liver ... and what the difference might be in the fat burning process if you consume water vs. other liquids.

for me, drinking water makes a difference. it makes a difference in weekly results. it makes a difference in how I feel. it makes a difference in my appearance.

if anyone is looking for reasons to justify not drinking so much water, I'm not going to give them to you...but know this, if you don't want to drink water, don't drink it. you CAN lose weight without drinking water. and you CAN stay hydrated without drinking water. whether drinking water (instead of other things) makes fat loss more efficient...I think it does, but I lack the expertise to verify that myself via scientific testing.

H_Factor

if your focus is primarily on hydration, this is true. pretty much any liquid (other than alcohol) will help hydrate you. if, however, you want to maximize the fat burning potential of your body (by helping the liver/kidneys as I mentioned above), then water is pretty much what you want. again, I'm trying to maximize fat burning so I drink primarily water.

And you feel that only plain water will do this? Do you also believe that you must drink the water on an empty stomach?

I believe that plain water is the most efficient way of doing this. sure, other liquids will get filtered in your body and you will gain some benefit from them. you get the most efficient benefit from plain water. I admit I'm not a scientist (I suspect none of us are) and I don't truly know if this is true or not....but I've ready about this a few places that I trust and I know that I have better weeks when I drink more water. soooo....as long as its working for me, that's what I'm doing.

sometimes I drink water on an empty stomach; sometimes I don't. do you want to ask me if I believe in the tooth fairy next?

Well, I didn't want to ask about the tooth fairy, but I admit to being a little curious now.

Where I was going is, what difference could there be in having water in your stomach along with other stuff (food) vs. comsuming water that has other stuff in it? It's all going to the same place and getting mixed together for digestion.

I can eat a coffee bean and drink water and that counts because my body does good things with the water, but if I pour water over the coffee bean before drinking it suddenly it doesn't count because my body won't do the same thing?? I just don't see the logic.

I wish I was a scientist and could summarize what I've read better. All I know is that what I've read makes sense to me. Water apparently runs through your body more efficiently than other liquids. And, as I indicated in my previous post, I feel better when drinking water.

oh, and no, I don't believe in the tooth fairy

myshell26

Not everything we do for health is what we would "prefer" to do. That is a simple truth that so many never face. Your body MUST have water, whether you 'like' it or not. Learn to drink it anyway. If you're like most people, once you have developed the habit of drinking it, you will find that nothing else tastes as good, and CERTAINLY no other beverage is as healthy and necessary for bodily function and good health.

I agree with this. I just started drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day 16 days ago. Now when I grab an iced tea, or diet soda I get a few sips into it and I'm over it. Water has made all the difference in the way I feel and the way my skin looks. The one draw back is that I swear I have to pee every 2 seconds (TMI I know). : )

ArroganceInStep

Well, I didn't want to ask about the tooth fairy, but I admit to being a little curious now.

Where I was going is, what difference could there be in having water in your stomach along with other stuff (food) vs. comsuming water that has other stuff in it? It's all going to the same place and getting mixed together for digestion.

I can eat a coffee bean and drink water and that counts because my body does good things with the water, but if I pour water over the coffee bean before drinking it suddenly it doesn't count because my body won't do the same thing?? I just don't see the logic.

Tooth fairy is totally real!!! I seen it!

I find it's very easy for me to go over my calories with drinks other than water. That alone is reason enough for me to stick with it.

bcattoes

Well, I didn't want to ask about the tooth fairy, but I admit to being a little curious now.

Where I was going is, what difference could there be in having water in your stomach along with other stuff (food) vs. comsuming water that has other stuff in it? It's all going to the same place and getting mixed together for digestion.

I can eat a coffee bean and drink water and that counts because my body does good things with the water, but if I pour water over the coffee bean before drinking it suddenly it doesn't count because my body won't do the same thing?? I just don't see the logic.

Tooth fairy is totally real!!! I seen it!

I find it's very easy for me to go over my calories with drinks other than water. That alone is reason enough for me to stick with it.

And that is a very good reason. For the record, I'm not against anyone drinking water. I drink plenty of plain water, myself. But I know it's not necessary for weight loss and not doing so will not inhibit weight loss.

HMonsterX

Well, I didn't want to ask about the tooth fairy, but I admit to being a little curious now.

Where I was going is, what difference could there be in having water in your stomach along with other stuff (food) vs. comsuming water that has other stuff in it? It's all going to the same place and getting mixed together for digestion.

I can eat a coffee bean and drink water and that counts because my body does good things with the water, but if I pour water over the coffee bean before drinking it suddenly it doesn't count because my body won't do the same thing?? I just don't see the logic.

Tooth fairy is totally real!!! I seen it!

I find it's very easy for me to go over my calories with drinks other than water. That alone is reason enough for me to stick with it.

And that is a very good reason. For the record, I'm not against anyone drinking water. But I know it's not necessary for weight loss and not doing so will not inhibit weight loss.

Exactly bcattoes. Believe it or not even *I'm* not against it! What i AM against, strongly, is telling people that drinking 5644536364 cups of pure water is the ONLY, or BEST, way. If you want to drink as you like it, or feel it has some other magical effect, then go ahead! If you force yourself to drink it as you think you are supposed to, THAT'S when i feel obligated to inform people of the actual facts, that you don't need to drink pure water to get the effects.

alliebabs69

Coffee is a diuretic and will dehydrate you if you get too much. Yes, coffee is mostly water, but the dehydrating effect pushes more water out than you take in. You must have water to digest food, reduce hunger cravings, and cleanse the body of harmful toxins.

Correction. Caffeine is a diuretic and can dehydrate. That amount of caffeine needed to dehydrate is larger than what is found in the average pot (not cup) of coffee.

I have to say, nicely put!
I want to ask a question. Anyone have any idea if water would work the same for someone gaining weight??
I would technically have to drink roughly 8cups of water a day too, but if it reduces cravings then i'm not that interested. I can't drink it plain for one so I always buy flavoured water when out. Or drink cordial at home.

As stated above I'm currently trying to gain weight, but want to obviously increase my cravings and also flush toxins, as I suffer from really oily skin with breakouts.
I guess concentrated fruit juices and fruit smoothies are good due to fibre and calorie content.
I'd like to drink a lot of milk too, but have a mild intollerance to dairy due to asthma. So I only really have it in my tea or occasional coffees. I read somewhere that milk is good for gaining weight...?
I'd drink water if it would help to gain weight too mainly because eating so much means I'm pretty skint. So water is cheapest.

Anyone have any idea's or advice please? Thank-you