Water? Why?

kellygerstle
kellygerstle Posts: 11
in Food and Nutrition
What does drinking 8 glasses of water do for you? I thought I had read that we don't really need this much water since alot of foods have water in them as well. Is there any weight loss benifit of drinking a lot of water besides making you feel full?

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I've read a study where drinking before a meal reduces food intake marginally, but that's about it. Adequate hydration varies but as you say may be less than 64 floz of water equivalent from all sources or more depending on circumstances like perspiration.
  • myfitnessval
    myfitnessval Posts: 687 Member
    helps filter your kidneys and liver. hydration is really important especially for sodium lovers.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    Eight glasses is kind of an arbitrary number, but we do need to drink water! Different people have different needs though. I have always consumed a lot of liquids throughout the day, because I dehydrate easily. I probably drink way more than eight glasses, especially since I've become more active.
  • Lift_This_
    Lift_This_ Posts: 2,756 Member
    i have been an athlete all my life and have always drank water....not big on the gatorades or things to that nature...no soda in the house since we have some diabetics....so water, milk or once in a while beer.
  • Fiery_Vixen
    Fiery_Vixen Posts: 795 Member
    I hate drinking water...it makes me pee too much :(
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
    It keeps your system working regularly. Putting a lot of water through your system keeps you hydrated and flushes toxins out of your body in the form of waste. Also, if you're upping your protein or fiber intake significantly and not drinking enough water, I hope you have good reading material for the throne, if you know what I'm sayin'.
  • weeblex
    weeblex Posts: 412 Member
    If you drink a glass of water when you have the munchies it will fill you up usually and stop the munchies, 0 calories.

    Hopefully there is exercise involved in weight loss that will dehydrate you, water is 0 calories to replace it.

    Those are the easy two, the other is, the more water I drink the better my complexion gets, less greasy, so I'm guessing it helps clear stuff out of you too?

    But I didn't start losing weight till I got up to 6-8 glasses of water a day, on a hot day with exercise I'm often up to 10-12.
  • nikkitodhunter
    nikkitodhunter Posts: 110
    I definitely don't think some of us need 8 glasses a day (also, define 'glasses' - I drink my water out of pint glasses but I count each pint as 2 glasses!)
    Case in point, I'm 5"2 and not exactly an athlete; without getting too graphic, the colour of me pees tell me that I do not need as much water as I drink (usually very aple yellow towards the ends of the day, for anyone curious XD)
    However, that pint of water with a bit or cordial in at 10:30am, say, helps keep off the huinger pangs a bit til lunch is ready.

    To sum up, yay for water!
  • rmhand
    rmhand Posts: 1,067 Member
    It helps regulate body temperature and dissolve vitamins and miners so you body can absorb them.
  • ryno0618
    ryno0618 Posts: 361
    water helps the digestive system, flushes toxins out, prevents dehydration and fatigue, keeps our organs hydrated, gives us a boost of energy, helps regulate diet. every system in our bodies consists of water and uses water. yes, you get water from food. but the best way to stay hydrated is to drink water.
  • weeblex
    weeblex Posts: 412 Member
    It helps regulate body temperature and dissolve vitamins and miners so you body can absorb them.

    Sorry! That makes me laugh, a picture of these coal miners just dissolving while taking a bath :laugh:

    I love typos :smile:
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Drinking specifically 8 glasses of water is generally recommended because for most people it's a "little bit more than you need", and drinking a little bit more than you need is completely harmless.

    But water is important. Nearly all of our biological functions depend on water.

    The accurate way to judge if you are drinking enough (for most otherwise-healthy individuals) is simply through urine color. Pale yellow is the optimal color. Clear, you're wasting water. Bright yellow or darker, you need more.

    PS: By "water", I don't mean it has to be pure water, though pure water is optimal. Water, coffee, tea, beer, soda, Gatorade, "Vitamin Water", etc - it's all got lots of water in it. And as long as you're using the urine color test and not some arbitrary number, there's really no debate on whether the diuretic effects of caffeine or alcohol somehow "offset" the water.

    IF (urine color) DARKER THAN (pale yellow) DRINK WATER.
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
    http://www.illpumpyouup.com/articles/10-reasons-to-drink-water.htm
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
    For me in particular, when I drink more water... at least the 10 glasses... I feel better in general. That alone is good enough for me.
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
    It is ESSENTIAL for EVERY function of your body. Lots of foods do have water in them.. so you might not need to drink as much as 8 glasses each day.. but depending on how active you are you might need more. I drink WAY more than 8 a day. Also if you don't drink enough your body will retain it. (water weight) You are 70%( ?? *correct me if I'm wrong).. water. You can drink too much but you really have to try.

    I don't see why its so hard for people to just drink it.. =/ It doesn't taste bad..You can add a zero calories flavor pack...It makes you feel good.. I just don't get it :noway:
  • shellsrenee01
    shellsrenee01 Posts: 357 Member
    I was stuck at a plateau for about 4 weeks with only about a pound of weight loss. I up'd my water intake to 121 oz a day (half my body weight, in ounces) and after about 5 days of doing that, my weight dropped 4 pounds. Also, my urine became VERY pale yellow and had almost no odor to it whatsoever.

    Downside to all that water? I have to pee at least once every 2 hours. Fun times! :drinker:
  • denise032
    denise032 Posts: 108 Member
    gives you more energy and helps brain function
    improves overall organ function
    regulates body temp
    helps keep your skin moist
    helps burn stored fat
    removes toxins and helps keep you regular

    I forget where I read/heard it, but you should try to drink half your body weight in ounces a day. Which is what I've been doing for the past several months with much success. It seems crazy, but it works (for me). Note: I have a cup of coffee almost every day and only on occasion do I have anything other than water (personal preference)...

    Just do a search for "benefits of drinking water" and I'm sure a few million resources will pop up on most search engines. ;)
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
    I definitely don't think some of us need 8 glasses a day (also, define 'glasses' - I drink my water out of pint glasses but I count each pint as 2 glasses!)
    Case in point, I'm 5"2 and not exactly an athlete; without getting too graphic, the colour of me pees tell me that I do not need as much water as I drink (usually very aple yellow towards the ends of the day, for anyone curious XD)
    However, that pint of water with a bit or cordial in at 10:30am, say, helps keep off the huinger pangs a bit til lunch is ready.

    To sum up, yay for water!

    **About the hunger issue.. sometimes your body confuses the thirst for hunger! So if you go drink some water before you decide to eat ,you might find that you don't need to eat yet =D
  • KiltFuPanda
    KiltFuPanda Posts: 574 Member
    A "glass" is usually considered 8 oz (1 cup). So 4 bottles of water a day.

    Also, the bigger you are, the more water you're going to use daily. On an average day, I'll drink anywhere from 5-6 bottles' worth. On workout days, I'll drink another 2-3 bottles.

    Benefits? Actually, the more water you drink the less you'll retain (as long as it's just straight water) - you'll be flushing salt and other stuff out and your body'll get rid of the extra water it needed to handle the salt. The day before I do a weigh in, I'll chug a gallon to clean everything out.

    It also prevents headaches - if you feel a light headache coming on, drink some water. It's usually the water that helps more than the aspirin you took with it!
  • cryan1980
    cryan1980 Posts: 37
    8 glasses a day is for the people who buy bottled water to put money in others pockets...

    Drink water when thirsty, clear urine etc. thats all I go by, (I usually drink 60+ ounces a day in water and another 20 in coffee)

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