Water intake? Please read

Lorleee

Think also of the hydration you're getting from foods like fruits and vegetables.

pg1girl

I don't understand why everyone makes such a big deal out of this. Is drinking plain water good for you? Yes. Is it the best choice? Yes. Is 8 cups a day going to be detrimental to your health? No. Just do it.

You don't need to drink it all at once. You have approximately 16 hours of awake time to drink 8 cups. 1/2 cup an hour.

This!!!!!

svfd235

8 cups a day is a good amount! You can drink to much water which will rid away nutrients from your body trust me I found out the hard way a year ago I was drinking water non-stop and ended up in the hospital from dizziness, high pulse rate etc

LorinaLynn

Keep in mind that 8 cups is 8 eight ounce servings, not 8 glasses. Most drinking glasses are 12-16 ounces, so four to six of your averaged sized glass will get you there. Or two big-gulps.

HeatherScottTN

I think it's important to drink as much water as you can. I try to drink a big glass before I eat or drink anything in the morning and then every couple hours...drink drink drink. It's difficult to stay steady but I think it HELPS ME LOSE WEIGHT.

I have also read that many of us mistake Thirst for Hunger so when you are hungry.... First DRINK a BIG Glass of water and wait a short time. Maybe you are misreading your bodys thirst signal.

You CAN Do this! I struggle drinking my water too but I'm working hard to do it!

jmvmisc24

ideally you are supposed to drink a gallon of water a day.

LauraSmyth28

I used to HATE plain water. I used to drink 2litres of diet 7up every day.

I read on here that if I halved my weight in lbs, and drank that many ounces of water a day it would be the right amount for me. This worked out at around 2.25 litres of water.

So I got a 1litre and 2 750ml sports cap bottles and every night I fill them and stick them in the fridge. I bring a bottle everywhere with me and am constantly sipping from them. I find it easy to drink 2.5l a day now.

I crave water now if I haven't had a drink for a while. I can't imagine how I ever drank none. I feel better, my skin is better and my weight loss has sped up.

Oh, and by the way.....I started drinking all this water about 2 weeks ago.

(try the sports cap bottles anyone who hates water, makes it easier to drink).

LiquidSugarr

Okay, so I am just curious if it is really necessary to drink 8 cups of water a day? I would like to know pros and cons if anyone knows....will this effect amount of weight lost??

If you have a hard time drinking just plain water, make iced tea, but don't sweeten it.

ScatteredThoughts

It is definitely not necessary. The 8 cups per days is recommendation with no real basis in fact. I generally drink 2 to 3 cups per day, and have not had any problems losing weight. If you want to drink 8 cups a day, go for it.

sandown12

I drink it in green tea and no sugar squah not plain and I drink 4-5 cups a day thats enough for me x

islandjumper

There is no magic number when it comes to water intake. There are a lot of factors to consider including your environment. I've been in the tropics for a while...at times I get up to 3-4 Liters a day and still I don't pee.
Water is important...it keeps your body going. Your body is primarily made of water, and major organs like your lungs and brain rely on a high water content to keep functioning.
There are so many benefits to getting enough water every day. Your skin will look better, you'll be less likely to succumb to sicknesses like the cold, you won't be as hungry and your internal "thermostat" will be better regulated.
Sure you can get your water through other sources but why waste the calories?
As a doctor once told me if you feel thirsty it's already too late.

bcattoes

From the Mayo Clinic web site (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283):

Everyone has heard the advice, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day." That's about 1.9 liters, which isn't that different from the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Although the "8 by 8" rule isn't supported by hard evidence, it remains popular because it's easy to remember. Just keep in mind that the rule should be reframed as: "Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," because all fluids count toward the daily total.
...
Generally if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or light yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate. If you're concerned about your fluid intake or have health issues, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian. He or she can help you determine the amount of water that's right for you.

delilah47

@Plaid405 - Please, for the love of everything good and holy, don't pay attention to everything your trainer says. Trainers aren't generally (in fact virtually never) medically trained in any way, shape, or form. There isn't even a standard certification or training standard for them. You could bill yourself as a trainer right now, and be as knowledgeable and well trained as the majority of trainers.

In reality, most trainers are more akin to salesmen than they are to medical professionals. Most clients looking for training (particularly those more interested in weight loss as opposed to true exercise/weight lifting advice) tend to be unknowledgeable and frankly, gullible, and trainers feed on that. Their job is to sell their services to you, so they tend towards dire warnings, oversimplifications, and blatant misrepresentations to emphasize why you need their services.

Yes, there are many good trainers. There are many more bad trainers. When I see statements like that, I lean more towards the latter. Please take everything that they say with a grain of salt. There are a great number of stories out there of people that have been injured by the negligence/incompetence of their trainer.

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional either, nor do I have any medical training. I've read a lot and researched a great deal for my weight loss journey, which is where my knowledge comes from. Most of knowledge coming from reputable sources, so I obviously trust it (else I wouldn't be repeating it), but at the end of the day I have no more training than the average trainer that I'm ranting against.

i agree... i have seen advice in the posts from supposed fitness experts that is almost criminal (in my opinion) ... and..
advice that may benefit a young healthy (other than extra weight) person may prove fatal to an older person that has other health issues..

"experts": please keep this in mind when you give your extreme "one-size-fits-all" advice

lpeacock06

Water will also counter act the sodium you eat everyday... too much sodium and not enough water will cause weight gain.

This!! ANd if you're exercising you need lots of water!!! I can tell w/ my losses if I'm not losing it's b/c I need to drink more water

RAFValentina

Drink what you need to stay hydrated, some days you'll need to "drink" more than on others. Workout days I always end up drinking about 4 litres as I tend to lose at least 2 sweating (weight of clothes before and after is about 2 kg heavier when placed on scales!!!!) That and I tend to "lose" a few lbs just working out...i,.e water in sweat!

Some days you'll get a lot of the moisture you need from things like milk, fruit and vegetables, sauces etc so you need to look at the "8 cups" as that amountof moisture getting into your body somehow.

Hope that helps.

The best indicator is the colour of your pee (but careful cos some medications and vegetables such as beetroot! can change it too!) Pee should be very pale colour, and "clear" i.,e not cloudy. If it is entirely clear and has not even a hint of colour, you're probably over drinking and you'll know because you'll be peeing lots and often too! A light straw/pale yellow/pale yellowy-green coloue is what you're after.

bcattoes

i agree... i have seen advice in the posts from supposed fitness experts that is almost criminal (in my opinion) ... and..
advice that may benefit a young healthy (other than extra weight) person may prove fatal to an older person that has other health issues..

"experts": please keep this in mind when you give your extreme "one-size-fits-all" advice

Yep, the only 'one-size-fits-all' advice that makes any sense is to ignore 'one-size-fits-all' advice. :ohwell:

hpynh2o

You are pre-programmed to stay hydrated. Most of us get thirsty and we drink. Simple. In fact, to be dehydrated, you probably need to be down several pounds of water (about three for an average person) before you hit mild dehydration. By then most of us would have taken a moment to drink and fixed the deficet. This process gets a little out of whack when we're sick (ie. diarrhea or vomiting). Take home message: when you feel thirsty, you should drink. Water is better for you than sweetened beverages.

Your muscles need to be well hydrated to function at their best. Get even a little dehydrated and your endurance and strength will suffer. Further, when you work out you're breaking down muscle tissue. These breakdown products are excreted by your kidneys. If you're dehydrated those products can clog up your kidneys causing a true medical emergency (ie. kidney failure). During extended workouts and/or under extreme conditions (heat, humidity, etc) it's very important to drink extra water.

On a day to day basis the general teaching has been that an average person should have about 8 glasses of water. There isn't any hard science behind this. It probably came about because it's a lot easier to make a blanket statement rather than to explain the theories. Someone living in AZ who works outside needs a lot more water/day than those of us in the northeast working inside. You do get some water from the foods you eat. And you get water from other beverages such as milk.

To get adequate hydration:
1. Drink when you're thirsty.
2. Drink a glass of water with each meal/snack.
This works especially well if you're getting five or so small meals through the day.
3. Drink before and after exercise (including hard work, esp in the heat).

It is possible to drink too much water! If you outdrink your kidney's ability to safely excrete you could dilute your blood resulting in hyponatremia. This is where your salt is too low. Salt (sodium) is necessary for most bodily functions (brain, heart, etc). People die from hyponatremia. Admittedly, this is rather uncommon in young and healthy people, but can happen where someone is calorie restricting and flooding themselves with water.

Hope this helps!
John (HPYNH2O)

Sarareneephoto

:drinker: Just drink water, your body needs it. Get a cup and a straw. You'll find yourself drinking more than you think.
I'm always thirsty and probably drink 100oz of water a day without even realizing it. I don't drink soda or juices and I feel great. I take vitamins in the morning and the urine will start off yellow right after I take that and then throughout the day it's pretty much clear.
Just do something healthy. And for those people that don't think water is essential. You're wrong. :flowerforyou:

MrsSullivan08

I drink water everyday and have been drinking between 6-10 cups of water a day. But here this past week I haven't been drinking what I should do to that time of the month and having really bad symptoms so in return haven't felt like drinking much but now I am so thirsty its ridiculous.

DiannaMoorer

I was told by a trainer that the liver is what burns fat. The kidneys clean the body. When the kidneys are overworked (soda, tea, coffee etc...) the liver must stop burning fat and help your kidneys clean your body. So when the liver is helping the kidneys it's not burning fat like it should. So water is a very very good tool to keep your liver burning fat.

Well said!

DiannaMoorer

large amounts of Water has helped me with my weight loss. How you ask? Because Im constantly getting up to the bathroom every 30 mins. Thats a lot of walking

:drinker: :laugh:

AmberJslimsAWAY

You need to drink it. Your skin will look soooo much better (lol) and it helps aid in weightloss

plaid405

@Plaid405 - Please, for the love of everything good and holy, don't pay attention to everything your trainer says. Trainers aren't generally (in fact virtually never) medically trained in any way, shape, or form. There isn't even a standard certification or training standard for them. You could bill yourself as a trainer right now, and be as knowledgeable and well trained as the majority of trainers.

In reality, most trainers are more akin to salesmen than they are to medical professionals. Most clients looking for training (particularly those more interested in weight loss as opposed to true exercise/weight lifting advice) tend to be unknowledgeable and frankly, gullible, and trainers feed on that. Their job is to sell their services to you, so they tend towards dire warnings, oversimplifications, and blatant misrepresentations to emphasize why you need their services.

Yes, there are many good trainers. There are many more bad trainers. When I see statements like that, I lean more towards the latter. Please take everything that they say with a grain of salt. There are a great number of stories out there of people that have been injured by the negligence/incompetence of their trainer.

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional either, nor do I have any medical training. I've read a lot and researched a great deal for my weight loss journey, which is where my knowledge comes from. Most of knowledge coming from reputable sources, so I obviously trust it (else I wouldn't be repeating it), but at the end of the day I have no more training than the average trainer that I'm ranting against.

i agree... i have seen advice in the posts from supposed fitness experts that is almost criminal (in my opinion) ... and..
advice that may benefit a young healthy (other than extra weight) person may prove fatal to an older person that has other health issues..

"experts": please keep this in mind when you give your extreme "one-size-fits-all" advice

I understand and respect these posts but the comment I made about what my trainer said was simple biology certainly not a "one size fits all approach" just the mechanics of how the liver and kidneys work together.

jenluvsushi

On the contrary I have been told by a nurse that you should drink 1 oz per pound of body weight. Apparently Tosca Reno (Eat clean diet, wife of Oxygen's editor) holds to this same theory.

I think if I followed this ^^^ advice, I'd die of water poisoning (that can really happen)! 8 cups of water is only 64 ounces. A gallon of water is 128 ounces.....my god I'd have to drink darn near two gallons of water a day to meet the above requirement.....that is just ridiculous. Sometimes common sense is needed I think.......