Water - Confessions of a Kangaroo Rat

rowdylibrarian

Hi. My name is Rowdylibrarian, and I'm a Kangaroo Rat. At least, that's what my husband calls me. I, like the humble Kangaroo Rat, can survive on little to no water. Unlike the Kangaroo Rat, it's not terribly good for me.

I can, and usually do, go most of the day with no fluids at all. I'll usually have one glass in the morning to take some medicine, but then, it's suddenly 5:00, and I realize that I haven't had anything else to drink all day. I guess I could count the 1/2 cup of milk on my cereal. I just don't feel thirsty. Ever. Anyway, I'm working on increasing my fluid intake, but it's a struggle. I'd like to stress that I'm not trying to promote my Kangaroo Rat lifestyle, and I'd truly like to change it, but I do have some questions from those who are in the camp of Camels, who can drink 35 gallons in 10 minutes.

The "Eight-Glasses-Per-Day" idea has been disproven, as has the idea that a huge percentage of people are "walking around dehydrated". Nobody even really knows where that eight glasses figure came from. Even kidney doctors say that you only really need about 4 cups of actual liquid per day, since other fluids come from food.

I know that drinking water is beneficial for me, for lots of reasons. I see a lot of people saying that once they upped their water intake, the weight started to come off more quickly. What I'd like to know is: why?

Does water actually do anything concrete for weight loss? Is it just that it fills you up, so you don't eat as much? Are the extra calories or stored fat cells getting flushed out with excess water? Is it just that it's generally better for you, so your body works better? Scientifically, weight-wise, is there any real benefit to it?

elenathegreat

Didn't really notice a huge difference when I upped my intake, but when I get very little (less than 2 glasses or so) water, I tend to get kind of headachy. The only weight loss benefit that I have experienced so far is that a big, cold glass of water can take the edge off of hunger, and sometimes I will skip the intended snack altogether! This sounds crazy, but it has really worked for me.

ladyark

I drink around 10-14 8oz cups of water a day. I also work in a hot enviroment so it is essential. Plus, being chock full of kidney stones i was told by the urologist to drink a minimum of 2 liters a day. It is also good to keep your kidneys and bladder flushed from any kind of infections .

I notice when i dont drink much water i get headaches, and i feel more tired than usual. I try to have a water bottle with me at all times ( mostly filled with water and crystal light). Plus it does help give me a full feeling in between meals.

smokinjackd

I drink when Im thirsty. when I do 90 minutes on the spin bike i can drink 4 500 ml bottles of water, on a more sedentary day i may only drink 2 the whole day. Your body will let you know what it needs.

prettyfitchick

If I havent been drinking enough water my workouts feel super tough even if its the same workout I did the day before thats the biggest change I have notice with drinking more water and I dont snack as much when I am drinking more water

RealWomenLovePitbulls

helps flush out all the yuck from ur body, so that's a good thing... i drink lots of water and i start to feel ill if i don't get enough, i don't force myself to chug it or anything though