Drinking water

fteale

Does this actually make any difference to anything at all?

I see it being said here hundreds of times a day, and yet have never seen any evidence to back it up. Sure we need to drink, but why water specifically? And why 8 cups? Is that 8 cups net, or gross, because surely if we exercise we need more?

I have seen several studies that prove it does nothing whatsoever, so why is it always touted by nutritionists? Is it just a way of making people on a calorie deficit feel full? Or is it that most people aren't very good at recognising thirst signals and if they have a set rule they might actually remember?

I have done the drinking gallons of water thing, and I have done the drinking no water but a lot of tea thing, and there is absolutely no difference between the two for me. Drinking water certainly doesn't prevent my skin from being dry or getting spots. It doesn't make any difference to my weight loss. Is it just another rule for the people who like following them?

BrianSharpe

LOL it gets even worse when you start digging through some of the sports literature, you can really see the influence of the the sports drink makers......

The bottom line is that it doesn't really matter where you get your fluids from with the caveat that you don't want to start guzzling 2 liters a day of soda (sugar, caffeine) or other beverages that may containing high numbers of calories and high levels of sodium which leads us back to water as nature's perfect drink - no calories, no caffeine, perhaps trace levels of minerals.

As to the amount you should consume the literature is contradictory. Some people will judge their level of hydration by the colour of their urine others go by thirst. Dehydration (for most otherwise healthy people) becomes more of a performance issue (endurance athletes have been observed to perform at a lower level when more than 2% of body weight is lost to perspiration) than a health one.

ATT949

You've got it.

Drinking a glass or two of water before a meal helps people lose weight because your stomach has something in it so you feel full sooner. That's it.

Some sites will actually explain that, some don't.

I was never a water drinker as a kid - I grew up in Bermuda where we caught rainwater in a tank under the house so water was warm and not all that tasty (ice cubes weren't popular in a British colony) so I just never drank a lot of plain water.

I have no doubt that that habit has colored my perception of whether or not I need water.

The best source of info I've found on this is an article by a Dartmouth professor who happens to be an MD and how happens to have written a book on how the kidneys function.

Here are some links:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2002/aug/080802.html

http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/283/5/R993.full

There's also the International Association of Marathon Medical Directors who changed their recommendation for runners to drink water when they're thirsty. Prior to 2001, they recommended pre-drinking and X ounces per mile. The problem was that they ended up with folks dying after drinking too much water.

fteale

I think I might keep bumping this until people listen.

zafferFL

I'm not so sure about water having a direct effect on weight loss, but you obviously need to drink enough fluids during the day for general health, i.e. to replace what you sweat and dispose of.

8 glasses is obviously not scientific, it's just an generalization to remind people that we need water.

Alexstrasza

I don't know about scientific evidence but I can say from personally experience that I FEEL better drinking water over any other liquid.


I used to drink maybe a couple glasses a day and then I'd just drink some tea or soda or juice. I always felt like crap. After I switched to drinking mostly water I feel tons better. I don't feel as sluggish or sick.

anarose13

i don't know about anyone else, but when i drink the recommended amount of water i feel a little bit better. not so dragged down and more awake. even if it has nothing to do with weight loss i would probably still hit the recommended amount of water because it feels like an accomplishment towards my goal.

nytenurse03

You need 6-8 glasses of water for hydration. Generally when ppl are not drinking water they are drinking high calorie sugary drinks which directly affects diet and weight loss. That is why water is the preffered drink. I lost 15lbs when I just stopped drinking soda last year.

fteale

You need 6-8 glasses of water for hydration. Generally when ppl are not drinking water they are drinking high calorie sugary drinks which directly affects diet and weight loss. That is why water is the preffered drink. I lost 15lbs when I just stopped drinking soda last year.

Are they? Everyone I know drinks tea and coffee. I don't think I know anyone who drinks soda type things. I have family members who haven't drunk water in years and are perfectly healthy.

fteale

You need 6-8 glasses of water for hydration. Generally when ppl are not drinking water they are drinking high calorie sugary drinks which directly affects diet and weight loss. That is why water is the preffered drink. I lost 15lbs when I just stopped drinking soda last year.

Also (sorry to nit pick, I am not doing this aggressively at all, I just want to unravel the myths), by saying you need water for hydration. That just means you need water for water. Literally, that is what it means. I just want to get to the truth of the water thing. Lots of people don't drink as much as 8 glasses of anything a day, and yet are fine. Who SAYS we need it? Really? Is everyone just re-quoting the same bit of data from decades ago, is it all rumour?

xchinad0ll

Water makes my skin glow and look beautiful. When i don't drink 8+ glasses i can tell! i FEEL dehydrated and I don't perform well when I workout. ALSO digestion is a big one!!

zafferFL

You need 6-8 glasses of water for hydration. Generally when ppl are not drinking water they are drinking high calorie sugary drinks which directly affects diet and weight loss. That is why water is the preffered drink. I lost 15lbs when I just stopped drinking soda last year.

Are they? Everyone I know drinks tea and coffee. I don't think I know anyone who drinks soda type things. I have family members who haven't drunk water in years and are perfectly healthy.

what are they drinking?

fteale

You need 6-8 glasses of water for hydration. Generally when ppl are not drinking water they are drinking high calorie sugary drinks which directly affects diet and weight loss. That is why water is the preffered drink. I lost 15lbs when I just stopped drinking soda last year.

Are they? Everyone I know drinks tea and coffee. I don't think I know anyone who drinks soda type things. I have family members who haven't drunk water in years and are perfectly healthy.

what are they drinking?

Tea and coffee, as I said up there ^^^

chanson104

I'm confused. Are you asking a question or arguing your view point? If you think you don't need to drink water then don't. I personally drink a lot of water, and I do believe it has big advantages. If you don't think it's important for you, and you don't want to then don't.

I see a lot of people talk about studies on varies things that they do or don't believe helps with health and weight loss. I'm sure that you could find several studies that support whatever stand you take. I just do what I have found works for me.

xchinad0ll

I'm confused. Are you asking a question or arguing your view point? If you think you don't need to drink water then don't. I personally drink a lot of water, and I do believe it has big advantages. If you don't think it's important for you, and you don't want to then don't.

I see a lot of people talk about studies on varies things that they do or don't believe helps with health and weight loss. I'm sure that you could find several studies that support whatever stand you take. I just do what I have found works for me.

^EXACTLY!

JennLifts

You need 6-8 glasses of water for hydration. Generally when ppl are not drinking water they are drinking high calorie sugary drinks which directly affects diet and weight loss. That is why water is the preffered drink. I lost 15lbs when I just stopped drinking soda last year.

Are they? Everyone I know drinks tea and coffee. I don't think I know anyone who drinks soda type things. I have family members who haven't drunk water in years and are perfectly healthy.

......what is the base for both coffee and tea? WATER
what are they drinking?

Tea and coffee, as I said up there ^^^

zafferFL

You need 6-8 glasses of water for hydration. Generally when ppl are not drinking water they are drinking high calorie sugary drinks which directly affects diet and weight loss. That is why water is the preffered drink. I lost 15lbs when I just stopped drinking soda last year.

Are they? Everyone I know drinks tea and coffee. I don't think I know anyone who drinks soda type things. I have family members who haven't drunk water in years and are perfectly healthy.

what are they drinking?

Tea and coffee, as I said up there ^^^

Last time I checked, water was pretty much the main ingredient in both tea and coffee.

fteale

I'm confused. Are you asking a question or arguing your view point? If you think you don't need to drink water then don't. I personally drink a lot of water, and I do believe it has big advantages. If you don't think it's important for you, and you don't want to then don't.

I see a lot of people talk about studies on varies things that they do or don't believe helps with health and weight loss. I'm sure that you could find several studies that support whatever stand you take. I just do what I have found works for me.

I am asking why people believe they need that much water, and am prepared to pull down flawed arguments. It's called debating, I believe. I do drink quite a bit of water, so I am not stating a view point, but I would like to know why people believe they need that much water when evidence suggests they don't. If they WANT to drink that much then good for them, but I don't like people advising others constantly to do something if they don't really understand why they are advising it, or if there is any actual truth behind what they are advising.

I would even go so far as to say that more people die of water toxicity in this country (UK) i.e. drinking too much water, than of dehydration. At least more non-geriatric people.

ScatteredThoughts

I'm confused. Are you asking a question or arguing your view point? If you think you don't need to drink water then don't. I personally drink a lot of water, and I do believe it has big advantages. If you don't think it's important for you, and you don't want to then don't.

I see a lot of people talk about studies on varies things that they do or don't believe helps with health and weight loss. I'm sure that you could find several studies that support whatever stand you take. I just do what I have found works for me.

The problem is that many people make these blankets statement about how everyone NEEDS or MUST have at least 8 glasses of water, which is not at all true. Our bodies are quite efficient at utilizing water from other sources. If you want to drink that much water, then go for it. I'm just tired of people repeating "facts" which have no basis in reality.

fteale

You need 6-8 glasses of water for hydration. Generally when ppl are not drinking water they are drinking high calorie sugary drinks which directly affects diet and weight loss. That is why water is the preffered drink. I lost 15lbs when I just stopped drinking soda last year.

Are they? Everyone I know drinks tea and coffee. I don't think I know anyone who drinks soda type things. I have family members who haven't drunk water in years and are perfectly healthy.

what are they drinking?

Tea and coffee, as I said up there ^^^

Last time I checked, water was pretty much the main ingredient in both tea and coffee.

Of course. But I am talking about people constantly telling other to drink more WATER. I see it every day, there's another thread on here about it right now.

ScatteredThoughts

Last time I checked, water was pretty much the main ingredient in both tea and coffee.

Quite true. Yet, we still see many people arguing that tea and coffee will dehydrate you, when such is not the case.