How much does drinking 8 glasses of water help?

silico

I hardly ever reach the 8 glasses goal on MFP, so I was wondering if its really important and I am giving myself a disadvantage?

i just drink orange juice and diet Pepsi at the moment...

frillypantz

idk all the sciency benefits, but personally upping my water intake has helped me stop snacking, kept me feeling more alert and awake has just really helped my weight loss. Ive swapped about 80% of my diet drinks to water

delonda1

honestly its a very small effect but it does help the body as a whole flushing out and keeping systems running smoothly....watch your pee color it will tell you if you need to drink more water. you may not think so but your body may be dehydrated if you never drink water

found a article though:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040105/drinking-water-may-speed-weight-loss

WaterBunnie

It doesn't have to be water. 8 glasses worth of any fluid throughout the day will do.

diver71_au

Not quite WaterBunnie - coffee/alcohol are actually counter-productive as they further dehydrate you.

Water is the best option for hydration as apart from helping to reduce appetite and flush toxins (sodium in particular) it also has zero calories.

WaterBunnie

Not quite WaterBunnie - coffee/alcohol are actually counter-productive as they further dehydrate you.

Water is the best option for hydration as apart from helping to reduce appetite and flush toxins (sodium in particular) it also has zero calories.

I agree that alcohol isn't ideal. Apparently though its a myth that they dehydrate you in that a pint of beer is still almost a pint of water. Alcohol is a diuretic though so you will pee more from it but you won't lose more than you have drunk.

Your body doesn't know what's mixed in with the water so my decaf coffee can count as a cup of water - but yes, water is the purest way of taking it.

All I mean is don't beat yourself up about it if you can't drink all 8 cups as plain water.

yarwell

I hardly ever reach the 8 glasses goal on MFP, so I was wondering if its really important and I am giving myself a disadvantage?

Hasn't been shown to be "really important" providing you're hydrated.

Orange juice is a source of fructose and calories that isn't diet neutral though.

diver71_au

Decaf in many ways is worse than water - even though it is mainly water

http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Is_Decaffeinated_Or_Decaf_Coffee_Healthy__a800.html

Your body doesn't know what's mixed in with the water so my decaf coffee can count as a cup of water - but yes, water is the purest way of taking it.

Have you even read what you typed there ......

SweetNaughtyLips

I've been told that you should drink half your body weight in water. I've been drinking anywhere from 80 - 100 ounces of water a day and it has done wonderful things for me!

I don't feel as tired, I'm not as hungry, and I feel hydrated ... so I say drink up :drinker:

silico

Thanks for all the reply's! There's lots of useful information here, and thanks for the links as well. I think that adding a few cups wont hurt, but I wont beat myself up if I miss 8 cups.

Tzippy7

There is a lot of misinformation on this thread !
Water is water. According to some people, herbal non caffeinated tea can also count as water. Anything else has something added to it which changes the properties of water.
Juice and soda has added sugar, diet soda has controversial problematic chemicals (check out some of the other threads), gatorade can rehydrate you but you dont always need the extra electrolytes and calories, caffeine dehydrates you and if you have ever had a hangover I dont have to tell you that alcohol is problematic. Im not saying you cant drink these things, Im just saying they are not water.

gp79

Coffee doesn't really act as a diuretic unless you're consuming over 600mg of caffeine, so about 6 cups.


To the OP: Why not try to get your water in and see how it makes you feel. You may not notice how it makes you feel but once you stop getting the water, pay attention to how you feel.

One way to tell is to observe the color of your urine. The closer to clear it is, the better off your level of hydration is. Don't forget to account for any vitamins you may be taking which can alter the color of your urine.

8 cups....1gallon...these are nothing but general guidelines. 8 cups for a 300lb man, is not going to bring levels of hydration to the same level as a 120lb female.

If you want to get specific, 1 milliliter per calorie (1 liter per 1000 calories) if your generally inactive. 1.2 milliliter per calorie (1.2 liters per 1000 calories) if your active.

joejccva71

Aim for a gallon of water a day to ensure you're hydrated. It doesn't necessarily HAVE to be that much depending on bodyweight, but it's a safe play.

I drink 1.5 to 2 gallons a day usually.

impyimpyaj

The benefit is that your body is made up of mostly water, and it needs water to be healthy. When you drink other stuff, you're getting calories that you don't need, sugar that isn't good for you, gas that can bloat you and negatively impact bone density (from the soda), and it's not as hydrating as good old-fashioned water. Try to replace one drink a day with a big glass of water, and do that for a week or three, and then replace another. Pretty soon you won't miss the other junk, and you'll feel better for it.

simplydelish2

Water is critical to hydration. Hydration is critical to your metabolism.

sarahsaur

This is just my experience, I went from drinking lots of diet soda a day to drinking mostly water and unsweetened tea, and I feel more energetic and less foggy. It's easy to get in your daily dose of water if you get one of those 24 oz reusable travel cups with the lid and straw, then you just have to drink a few glasses full and you're there! You'd be surprised how quickly you can down 24 oz of water, seriously.

sheryllamb72

I'll have a black coffee please...................... :drinker:

grassette

Water controls hunger. Drink a glass before a meal, and you will eat less. A mug of water with a light snack fills you up. Also we tend to eat if we are thirsty, so by drinking water we forstall thirst. Water helps to wash away any internal debris resulting from burned off fat. It cleanses the body. And water has no calories, and is totally healthy.

wildboar1

Not quite WaterBunnie - coffee/alcohol are actually counter-productive as they further dehydrate you.

Water is the best option for hydration as apart from helping to reduce appetite and flush toxins (sodium in particular) it also has zero calories.

Did you hear about that guy who drank nothing but coffee and alcohol and died of dehydration???













Me neither. Because it's never happened.

impyimpyaj

Not quite WaterBunnie - coffee/alcohol are actually counter-productive as they further dehydrate you.

Water is the best option for hydration as apart from helping to reduce appetite and flush toxins (sodium in particular) it also has zero calories.

Did you hear about that guy who drank nothing but coffee and alcohol and died of dehydration???













Me neither. Because it's never happened.

Exactly. My ex-brother-in-law drinks nothing but Coke, and he's still walking around living. Water is the healthiest option for hydration, but not because you can't get hydrated from other drinks.

Gwenski

One thing I will say is that since I started drinking my 8 cups plus per day, people have really noticed my complexion.. they say my skin looks great! Honestly, it feels great too!

HMonsterX

Haven't posted this for a while!


The average person needs the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

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

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/


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

TSSoderstrom

I can tell that it helps me in different ways. Not drinking soda has decreased my sodium intake as well as the caffeine. Caffeine keeps me awake and night and it acts as a diuretic. Also, by cutting back on the dark liquids, I have decrease my heart rate and decreased the chance of kidney stones. I used to only drink coca cola, but I have given them up. WHen I was loosing weight before my surgery, I had the most weight loss on the weeks where I drank more water. Maybe it is coincidence and then again maybe not.

Awkward30

Not quite WaterBunnie - coffee/alcohol are actually counter-productive as they further dehydrate you.

Water is the best option for hydration as apart from helping to reduce appetite and flush toxins (sodium in particular) it also has zero calories.

Did you hear about that guy who drank nothing but coffee and alcohol and died of dehydration???













Me neither. Because it's never happened.

I like it.

I drink water to reduce my snacking and because I quite like a cold glass of water. I also drink coffee and diet coke.

Fruit and veggies also have quite high water content that does contribute to hydration.

glengiles

Dying from dehydration and being dehydrated are two different things. Most Dr.'s would state that a majority of Americans walk around dehydrated. I try to get the 8 cups in a day and usually do. Does it help? I don't know. I don't count products like Diet Rite Pure Zero as water though. I do count water w/a squirt of Mio though.

ScatteredThoughts

Most Dr.'s would state that a majority of Americans walk around dehydrated.

I see that "majority of Americans walk around dehydrated" phrase mentioned a lot, but never with any evidence to back it up.

thefreebiemom

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.

This is me right here. I am a soda fanatic. To the point where I would say I probably have a caffeine addiction. I get really bad headaches if its been a couple of days without soda or tea or whatever.

So for all the diuretic spouting people I give you this.

Note its really hard for me to remember to drink most anything throughout the day if I am not eating a meal. I just don't think about it. Its not that I don't want to drink water, we don't have any soda or tea in the house right now but yet I still have not had a drink of anything since we came home from my Mother's day breakfast this morning (of course while typing this I am very thirsty and will probably go get some water now lol)

So here it goes. For breakfast this morning at IHOP I had 3 Iced coffees (yes I know very bad for my diet but it was my "special" mothers day breakfast yada yada and I rarely drink coffee let alone special coffee like that) I have only had to pee once and its been 5 or so hrs. That was the last thing I drank today so far. Hmmm no diuretic there, weird!

Most days when I drink soda it does not make me have to pee more, but when I drink a glass of water I have to pee like 3 or 4 times just from one glass.

I'm from the south so big sweet tea drinker here. But, we rarely make it anymore now that we live in Utah. So whenever I do happen to make tea it makes me have to pee a lot. (I imagine that is because it is mostly water as in 2in of the pitcher tea water and the rest of the pitcher cold water added in, I like my tea weak)

So hmmm caffeine drinks don't pee much, water and very watered down tea after I haven't drank tea in awhile lots of peeing.

I think there is a problem with the diuretic excuse here.

Basically the only reason soda is bad is because it is empty calories and has lots of sugar.

Whats next people will say not to eat chocolate because it has caffeine in it and will make you pee a lot and become dehydrated?

glengiles

Most Dr.'s would state that a majority of Americans walk around dehydrated.

I see that "majority of Americans walk around dehydrated" phrase mentioned a lot, but never with any evidence to back it up.

I know I've heard this one say it plenty of times

http://www.georgiabariatrics.com/aboutus

thefreebiemom

There is one thing I will add about dehydration since people are mentioning it.

In military training we were taught that an orangish tint to your urine is a sign of possible dehydration.

Living out here in Utah where the climate is dry and hot you can sweat and not even realize it because of the instant evaporation. If you feel thirsty out here then you are already in pre-stages of dehydration. This is bad. Especially if you are hiking. You don't drink enough when you are hiking then you pass out like the person on the guided hike before ours at mesa verde national park causing her to be carried out on a stretcher to be safe and causing our tour and the 2 after ours to be cancelled.

You should drink before you feel thirsty if you live in a dry climate or any climate really. Its not like when I grew up in Florida in the humid air and you get water in your body just by standing outside, lol.

ScatteredThoughts

Most Dr.'s would state that a majority of Americans walk around dehydrated.

I see that "majority of Americans walk around dehydrated" phrase mentioned a lot, but never with any evidence to back it up.

I know I've heard this one say it plenty of times

http://www.georgiabariatrics.com/aboutus

I don't any actual evidence given on that site, such as peer reviewed studies.

trapperdan1

I drink 8-10 glasses every day, you will find yourself feeling full and more energetic.