Do I need to drink water?

PoeRaven

Drink water. Not only will you feel better, you will look better. Clearer, more vibrant skin, hair and nails is one extra benefit of staying well hydrated. Coffee, soda, juice doesn't count. Plain H2O. Eight 8 ounce glasses a day.
If you don't like water or have a hard time getting down 64 ounces a day try little tricks like...
Buy a pretty wine glass to drink from...it makes it seem like a special occasion.
At any rate...give it a try for one week and see how much better you feel.

Cheers!
:drinker:

MaximalLife

It's kind of a no brainer.

Drinking water is good all around.

Just do it!

karinaes

I'm finding that I just don't drink much water in any given day. I have two cups of black coffee (no cream/sugar) in the morning, and then barley any liquid throughout the day. I'm not sure why...just not terribly thirsty. Any thoughts about if drinking my 8 glasses of water a day will increase my weight loss?

wow. really?

YES! every single living cell in your body NEEDS water! You need to train your body to drink water. i carry around a 24oz Camelbak that i refill at least 3 times. and that's aside from my two cups of herbal tea that i drink.

you. need. water.

You. dont. need. NEAT. water.

Just water in general, which comes from a whole host of sources.

people don't drink enough water. yes, food contains water, but using that excuse leads to people still not taking in sufficient amount of water to thoroughly hydrate a body.

christina0089

I'm finding that I just don't drink much water in any given day. I have two cups of black coffee (no cream/sugar) in the morning, and then barley any liquid throughout the day. I'm not sure why...just not terribly thirsty. Any thoughts about if drinking my 8 glasses of water a day will increase my weight loss?

I am the same way, could have wrote your post. I really need to get better with drinking water

I am the same but I am trying. I am doing the zero calorie flavored water thing and tea. Trying to get my fluids in. IDK why I am just not thirsty...

cathylord

It's funny, but sometimes if I feel hungry, I am really thirsty. Water takes away that hungry feeling. I used to drink very little but I feel much better when I do. Of course I pee a lot more, too (-:

Savyna

I would say yes because it's an important thing for your body. I know some say that its ok if you drink juice or coffee or soda and thats the same as drinking a glass of water but I don't think so. i dont have any scientific reason to say that I just feel that those other drinks go further away from water nutritionally if that makes sense.

bloodguilt

I'm finding that I just don't drink much water in any given day. I have two cups of black coffee (no cream/sugar) in the morning, and then barley any liquid throughout the day. I'm not sure why...just not terribly thirsty. Any thoughts about if drinking my 8 glasses of water a day will increase my weight loss?

Our human body contains anywhere from 55% to 78% water depending on our body size. To function properly, the body requires between one and seven liters of water per day to avoid dehydration; the precise amount depends on the level of activity, temperature, humidity, and other factors.

Most of this is ingested through foods or beverages other than drinking straight water. It is not clear how much water intake is needed by healthy people, though most advocates agree that 6–7 glasses of water (approximately 2 liters) daily is the minimum to maintain proper hydration.

Hope this helps. :-)

garlic7girl

your body actually needs water to function properly

HMonsterX

I suspect that like most diet/exercise advice the science behind 8 glasses a day is pretty dubious - but commonsense suggests that drinking a reasonable (but not precisely defined) amount every day is a good idea (and no, coffee doesnt count)

Why do you think it doesnt count?

As for tea/coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
adj.
Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
n.
A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo


It hydrates just fine.

rsmblue

Try drinking the water when you're hungry (your stomach rumbles)... Alot of times it's your body telling you that you are "hungry" for water, rather than food.

Not only is that another way to get your water in, but it could make you eat less.

**Also, I agree with HMonsterX... Water is water... It's just like adding lemon or crystal light to it (using the comparison to coffee)... Now if you were counting Soda (coke, etc) I could understand you not counting it... Even Seltzer, tho carbinated, can be counted as water!

jemachharo

I've tried weight loss not worrying about water and this time making a point of drink 64 or more oz a day. The water makes a difference.

Pepper2185

How could drinking more water be bad for you?

More water = more health benefits. Plus healthy glowing skin!

Drink it!

JodiCole

I drink a lot of crystal light or flavored water you can get at the grocery store.

MountainMia

"Neat" water is a factor to my success. I find I used to mistake thirst for hunger. Now if I want to 'snack' outside of my norm, I drink 32 oz of water over about an hour and find I'm not hungry for another hour or so. Also, I'll retain water (weight) if I don't drink enough. It makes my ancles, hands and around my eyes puffy. It sheds really fast if I get back to my 10-12 glasses a day. But that's me... not everyone is the same.
Most people do function in a mild state of dehydration. Our bodies can adapt to survive and even appear to be just fine with little to no "neat" water. You don't HAVE to drink "neat" water, but in most places in the world, it's the healthiest, most accessible and most natural source of hydration.

My theory: if food is our fuel, water is our lubricant. A car can run on low or "dirty" oil, but you'd be a fool to believe that it doesn't effect the performance of the engine.

jenlee_74

Uhhhhh seriously? Yes. Humans need water to stay alive. Refer back to kindergarten.

HMonsterX

But drinking neat water BY ITSELF wont have any significant effect on weight loss.

Sure, drinking anything to fill yourself up before you eat may help some people, and for those not getting enough hydration drinking more of anything will flush out water weight, but just drinking water wont magically make fat come off.

lizblizz28

How could drinking more water be bad for you?

More water = more health benefits. Plus healthy glowing skin!

Drink it!

I agree completely! It can't possibly be bad for you, so whats the harm in drinking a little extra?
I never thought I was thirsty either, but I made it a point to still try and drink water.
Now I find if I don't drink water my mouth feels dry and I feel really thirsty.
You just need to get used to all of the new water intake.

I wish people wouldn't get so rude about having different opinions about a topic... Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and you could probably find logical arguments to support both sides. No need to get personal about it.

HMonsterX

Uhhhhh seriously? Yes. Humans need water to stay alive. Refer back to kindergarten.

Humans need water. Water is in many things, apart from neat water. Refer back to Junior school

LishaCole

Yes, you need to drink lots of water. Sure, we can survive without consuming extra water as the human body is incredibly resilient. But for optimal tissue function for health and weight loss you must make a point of consuming more fluid.
I have some rough values below for a completely sedentary average human being. Keep in mind these values are very rough, and change with age, gender, level of activity, health conditions and ambient humidity.

Do the math.
+ 200 ml/day (water gained from metabolic production)
-350 ml/day (water lost through skin)
-350ml/day (water lost through lungs)
-100 ml/day (water lost through sweat)
-100 ml/day (water lost through feces)
-1400ml/day (water lost through urine)
-2100 ml/day

As you can see the recommended amount of 8 cups a day is not a completely arbitrary number. These values suggest 2100 ml of ingested water per day, however all food contains water (each gram of carbohydrate contains ~ 1 gram of water, each gram of protein contains ~0.5 gram of water), fruit and vegetables contain a lot of water. However the values above are an estimate for a sedentary person, if you perform prolonged heavy exercise this value can increase to -6400 ml/day. Also if you eat a diet high in protein, which is a common trend in fitness, your water requirement increases as the formation of copious amounts of nitrogenous wastes forces the body to increase urine production. If you are conscious of the level in which you sweat and urinate you will have a pretty good idea of how much fluid intake you require.
Point is, you lose more water than you think, so its in your best interest to consume more fluid. Sure, this fluid doesn’t HAVE to be pure water, but it is the healthiest option. Over consumption of caffeine and sugar is a whole other can of worms....

Sunny_Lexie

Try drinking the water when you're hungry (your stomach rumbles)... Alot of times it's your body telling you that you are "hungry" for water, rather than food.

Not only is that another way to get your water in, but it could make you eat less.

Exactly what I was going to write. Sometimes your brain gives you a confusing signal -- you think you are hungry, when you are in fact starting to dehydrate.
And yes, drinking plain NATURAL water (or whichever food/fruit/veggie containing water) is much better than drinking pop crap or coffee with artificial sugars and creamers!!

Your body is made of about 60% of water. Water is essential to the most important biological fuctions. Crappy additives in soda and so on are NOT.

itontae

Biggest dieting myth of our time is that you have to cram down 8 cups of water a day whether you feel thirsty or not.

It is utter baloney.

mmapags

Biggest dieting myth of our time is that you have to cram down 8 cups of water a day whether you feel thirsty or not.

It is utter baloney.

Yup! Water is good but there is no need to cram it down as you say. If you are peeing every 30 minutes, you are drinking more than your body needs. It's just unessesary.

MechanicalKid1

I lost 5 pounds in one day when I drank a ton of water.
I hadn't drank pretty much ANY straight water for years. (Water at school here and there but only a few gulps)
Then one day, I decided I would see if it helped me with not being so hungry and drank the recommended 8 cups.
I seriously weighed myself over and over that day and I lost 5 pounds and it stayed gone.
Water does A LOT with weight loss.

SammyPacks

Water has a lot of benefits because the body needs it. Just stay hydrated and drink at least 8 cups a day... it can help you with water retention (which is water weight), by drinking more you lose more water weight in your body. It won't dramatically change your results though.

HMonsterX

I lost 5 pounds in one day when I drank a ton of water.
I hadn't drank pretty much ANY straight water for years. (Water at school here and there but only a few gulps)
Then one day, I decided I would see if it helped me with not being so hungry and drank the recommended 8 cups.
I seriously weighed myself over and over that day and I lost 5 pounds and it stayed gone.
Water does A LOT with weight loss.

So you think that 5lbs was fat? All it did was flush out water weight, that no one is denying. However, the fact is was pure water made no difference. If you really think it was, then carry on drinking it, and lost all your weight in a week or two.

HMonsterX

Try drinking the water when you're hungry (your stomach rumbles)... Alot of times it's your body telling you that you are "hungry" for water, rather than food.

Not only is that another way to get your water in, but it could make you eat less.

Exactly what I was going to write. Sometimes your brain gives you a confusing signal -- you think you are hungry, when you are in fact starting to dehydrate.
And yes, drinking plain NATURAL water (or whichever food/fruit/veggie containing water) is much better than drinking pop crap or coffee with artificial sugars and creamers!!

Your body is made of about 60% of water. Water is essential to the most important biological fuctions. Crappy additives in soda and so on are NOT.

No one is denying drinking water is better in terms of nutrition. But you cant say that soda doesnt help hydrate, as it does. And drinking water will not make fat magically burn off faster at any notable rate, and there isnt isnt essential to weight loss, which was the point of the thread originally.

lizblizz28

cold water actually boosts your metabolism and it helps your liver metabolize fat.

kryptonitekelly

You need water...but you DONT need 2 litres a day...

Have a small glass (250mls with breakfast, lunch and dinner? and then before bed....

Articeluvsmemphis

forget weight loss, you may need your kidneys to function at some point in your life, just saying

LishaCole

forget weight loss, you may need your kidneys to function at some point in your life, just saying

Well said, baha.